UPDATE - February 10, 2008

It’s hard for me here because I go up to windows to speak to customer service agents or buy tickets. But in South Africa, they don’t put those circles of holes so that sound can pass through the glass from you the representative.

“Hi, I’d like to buy 3 tickets.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry did you say 9 or 4 rand?”

“The Lore Sands are at the sentinel beach.”

“What?”

“Who are you?”

“I would like to buy tickets, please.”

“The facilities for deaf and mute persons is to your right.”

“I am sorry, I can’t hear you.”

“Are you looking for a job?”

At this point I realize not only can I not hear her, she cannot hear me. So I give her a piece of my mind.

“Why don’t you put some holes in your glass.”

“Is this your first day to work security?”

“Then maybe you would hear somebody when they ask for THREE TICKETS!!”

“Oh, you want three tickets. (aside) Tell the security guys it’s a false alarm. (to me)

Why didn’t you say say so! It’s 9 rand.”

“What?”

It’s driving me over the edge.

Vic Falls Over the Edge

http://fogonazos.blogspot.com/2008/02/swimming-at-edge-of-victoria-falls.html

All that water makes me think about peeing, excuse the terminology. Apparently there is a huge academic debate about the sociology or anthropology (I told you how all these fields intermingle and people do the same thing in different field) of toilet use. Anna, who owns my house, did an anthropology project on it. So I put it here for your enjoyment, ladies, and your belittlement (if you do poorly), men. The urinal game. Choose wisely.

http://www.crazyhill.com/hung/other_game/urinal.swf

UPDATE

So someone mentioned that Mandela’s clan name is Madiba and not Mandiba. People actually refer to him as both. And I’ve seen published works referring to him as Mandiba. So I left that the same from the last update.

I did, however, incorrectly write that Graca used to be married to the head of Zambia. That was an obvious mistake. She was married to Mr. Machel the head of Mozambique. But I thought it might be obvious as I said that she continued to work in Maputo. I think I was just thinking of Zambia or Rhodesia at the time I was writing that and it came out. It is correct on the blog (for those of you who use the e-mail as a notice that the blog is updated and don’t read the e-mail).

Also the movie Cate Blanchett was in is called “Notes on a Scandal.” I said “Notes on a Letter” but did not correct this as I wrote that “‘Notes on a Scandal’ I think or something like that,” admitting I wasn’t sure. So I didn’t update it on the blog since I admitting I wasn’t sure. It’s more natural.

I hadn’t heard this much before, but I met the first white person in South Africa who mispronounced these multiple consonant names. I hear it all the time in the US. But here people seem more educated about it. But I met a woman here, a wife of a Rotarian, who pronounced Mbeki (the president!) as “Mabeki.” I was shocked. I heard another do it, but she was a foreigner.