Exotic vs. familiar

Sometimes traveling makes one aware of shocking differences; other times one becomes aware of just how similar things can be across the continents. South Africa is not the most exotic locale in the world for an American. The vestiges of European colonization, urbanization and development make Johannesburg a vital international urban center with many recognizable features. At varying times today I have had two impressions: the first, that differences are small and on the surface. I felt this way taking a cab to the airport, checking in, going to the gate, etc. Sure, they drive on the other side of the road, the gates feel more like an American train station than an airport, and the stores have different names. But I did notice I was having the same interactions with people that are had anywhere else. Unfortunately I don't yet have an ear for the SA accent--accents, really--so conversations are awkward. But they also sell the same stuff and run the same services as anywhere else. There are guys greeting you at the airport who want a big tip for arranging your transport and hotel even though they aren't sanctioned by the airport in Joburg just like there are in Seattle, BWI, New York, and Boston.

My second set of nascent impressions is that things really are different. I watched a bit of the local TV news at breakfast and read the front section of the local paper at the airport. From this small sample, it appears that race permeates most issues. A white farmer sets dogs on an innocent man with colored skin; controversy over the female provincial minister's appointment of an all-male all-white cabinet. Letters to the editor and callers to the TV news reflect passionate party identification and views on race and gender. That in and of itself is not different from the US, but I think some of our politically correct sensibilities might find some of this discourse hard to swallow.

The history of SA is still playing out, including apartheid, race, development and poverty. Being humans living in modern societies, we have a lot in common. But the weight of each place's history plays out differently in every day life.