Language

It's pretty nice that English is the main language around here, but there are still challenges other than just the accents. Besides switching over to Britishisms (boot and bonnet for trunk and hood, lift for elevator, nappies for diapers, flat for apartment, torch for flashlight, etc.), there are South African Englishisms. "Shame" means "it's a shame," but also means "how cute." Oranges are called "naartjies." Bakkie is a pickup truck. After someone says thank you, instead of "you're welcome" you say "pleasure." A swimsuit is called a "cozzie," as in swim costume. Waiters are apparently called waitrons. Lekker means good. Traffic lights are called robots (on our first day I asked our doorman where the grocery store was, and his directions included going to the second "rrrrobot" with a rolled R). Then of course there's "now" which means right now, "now-now" which means soon, like in the next hour, and "just now" which means sometime in the not immediate future, like "I'll call you just now." There you have it. Now you'll sound like a local when you come visit us. See you soon!