One of the interesting things about living in Africa is that it gives you a different perspective on life. Things that can be so basic in one part of the world are a total luxury in another, and things that we stress about in some parts of the world seem so “silly” in another.
Every now and then, I am shocked to my boots (more like sandals 🙂 when I come across oddities that you can ONLY SEE IN AFRICA. So, I have been meaning to share a few encounters with you guys.
First Odd Ball Episode
While crossing one of the biggest intersections in downtown Johannesburg, I see via the corner of my eye, a guy getting what appears to be “a haircut” right there by the road side. So the curious George in me crossed the street to really see if it was so, and yep, my eyes were not deceiving me. For nestled cozily on the pavement was a barber with his razor blade in hand, giving a skin head shave to a customer on the side of the highway.
At first I dismissed them as being maybe bums. However, I was later corrected that it is indeed not uncommon to find “mobile barbers” in town who walk around in search of customers. Coolest fact is, where ever they meet you is where they’ll give you a trim. Now….isn’t that something you can only see in Africa 🙂
The gentleman getting a hair cut on the sidewalk of Jan Smuts Avenue, Johannesburg
Mobile Barbershop – only in Africa 🙂
Second Odd Ball Episode
It must be the “Hair” thing! For one thing I am certain of, it is that black people do not like to get wet. So take me for example, after a Doctor’s appointment a couple of weeks ago, I got stuck at the Doctor’s office complex for over an hour after my appointment. It was raining cats and dogs outside and I didn’t have an umbrella to walk back to my apartment with. Mind you, my apartment complex is exactly behind the office complex, but even with the short distance, I refused to go under the rain and preferred to wait until the rain subsided. Unfortunately for me, it was one of those rain storms that just kept coming and there was no telling when it would cease. So…….I waited and waited.
As I sat there, the offices in the complex started to close and workers locked up and started to leave….still I waited. Then I saw this ingenious lady walk by, who like me had no umbrella. But unlike me, she wasn’t letting that deter her from going home. She had come up with a way, check this out…….of “wearing plastic trash bags as a Skirt, a Blouse and a Head tie“….and there you go! Making her well fortified against the rain. So in her shall we say “trash suit.lol…..she bravely faced the rain and headed on home. I thought to myself, wow! This is one ingenious African Lady, something once again you can only find in Africa.
So guys guess what I did?. (no I didn’t wear trash bags..lol), but I took a plastic bag out of my bag, covered my hair and scurried on home. Like I said, Only in Africa 🙂
As you can see, the lady meticulously wore the trash bags such that she is fully insulated from the rain
Gotta love the ingenuity of Africans..lol
That’s all Folks,
Peace & Love Always 🙂
Commentaires