Next time we'll figure out the Kombis

Yesterday, we decided to go to city center to do some shopping, because we've discovered that parts of our wardrobe aren't very appropriate for Durban. People here are very conscious of how they dress. Flip-flops are a no-go for restaurants (and they don't have fast food). If you carry a backpack, everyone knows that you're American.

So we planned on catching a Kombi (a 15 passenger van used as a shuttle) to city center. We started walking and every Kombi that passed by was full, so we just continued walking. We were almost to city center when our building supervisor passed in his car. He pulled over and had us jump in. He told us we don't want to go to city center because "it's where all the black people go." He said he would just take us to the beach instead. This bothered me a lot, as he's still very much in the mindset of apartheid and my classmates and I are not exactly on board with that. We'll just go to city center another day.

The beach was wonderful, even in our street clothes. It wouldn't have been out of the ordinary for us to get in the water in them anyway. People were swimming in jeans and a nice tank top that they might also wear to the bars.

We happened upon a beach boating competetion. We watched a canoeing and a kayakcing race. Lauren and I decided we could be happy with all the tall blonde men here. Gorgeous.

There were lots of vendors along the beach, but every mat we passed had the exact same items that were obviously mass produced.

Durban's not quite what I expected. It's much more westernized. I don't really feel like I'm in Africa. There are definitely cultural differences though. The dress code is much nicer here. Men wear speedos at the beach. It's very laid back. The waitress never brings the check until you ask for it. Dinner out costs $5. Stores close at 6pm. There's no fast food. Even coffee's not to go. The vendors when they're trying to get you to buy something say, "Please support me." It's a bit heartbreaking. Those are just a few of the little things I've noticed so far.

I haven't gotten even the slightest sunburn! Thank you SPF 55.

I miss everyone already. Send me lots of love. My email is elisaac3@gmail.com


p.s. I found Clement St. even in South Africa. I knew I was home.