Some last thoughts on South Africa...
My time in Africa's southern region is coming to a close. Though I was able to visit seven countries, I spent the most significant time in the country of South Africa. Two weeks is barely scratching the surface, but here are some things that stuck out to me about South Africa specifically:
It is mountainous and gorgeous. In my opinion, South Africa was the most beautiful country.
In comparison to the other African countries I have been to, South Africa is quite racially diverse. Generally there are five racial groups: Afrikaans (descendants of the Dutch), white South Africans (descendants of the British), Indian South Africans (descendants of India--South Africa has the world's largest Indian population outside of India itself), colored South Africans (referring in South Africa to those of mixed race), and black South Africans (of which there are many different ethnic groups, including the Zulu and the Xhosa people).
There is great economic inequality. In other words, there is a great gap between rich and poor. The Gini coefficient measures economic inequality on a scale of 0 to 1, 0 being perfect equality and 1 being perfect inequality. On that scale South Africa is a 0.8. The USA is a 0.5.
Furthermore, I noticed that poverty and race are deeply entwined. It was rare to see black South Africans in affluent areas, and you hardly ever see non-blacks in poor, rural areas. So even though the country is racially diverse and Apartheid has ended, the country is still very segregated and the effects of colonization and Apartheid are very evident.
Other things that either surprised me or stuck out about South Africa as well as the neighboring countries:
Almost everyone eats meat, and a lot of it. Which makes sense, because cows are everywhere. On the beach. On the road. Also--random--but KFC is quite popular here.
Everyone drives stick. Everyone. In neighboring countries too.
It gets pretty cold. There were some very cold days in the mountains where Melinda stays; I have had to borrow some of Melinda's warmer clothes and sleep with a hot water bottle. Camping overnight in Namibia, which is mostly desert, I wore almost everything in my suitcase. These were things I was not prepared for.
Some tap water is drinkable.
Incredible petrol station service. You pull up to the gas pump and there is a team there that fills your tank, checks your oil, checks your tire pressure, and cleans your windshield. All that, and you only need to pay for the gas. So spoiled--I'll be sad to go back to Michigan and have to do it all myself again!
