{"id":3944,"date":"2018-03-06T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-03-06T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2020-09-12T14:58:55","modified_gmt":"2020-09-12T18:58:55","slug":"so-your-character-is-from-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/victoriagracehowell.com\/staging\/6258\/so-your-character-is-from-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"So Your Character is From South Africa … Featuring Amy @ A Magical World of Words & Robin Kelly van Rensburg"},"content":{"rendered":"


<\/span>
<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\n<\/span><\/div>\n


<\/span>
<\/span> It’s time for this week’s So Your Character is … Post! This is a weekly segment where I interview lovely volunteers from around the world to give you a firsthand account of being a citizen of their respective country or having a disability. I’m hoping to encourage international diversity, break stereotypes, and give writers a crash course on how to write a character from these different places on our planet. If you haven’t checked out last week’s  So Your Character is from New England … be sure to hop on over there and give it a read!<\/span><\/span>
\n
<\/span> Disclaimer: The content below may be culturally shocking to some. Each of these posts is as uncensored as possible to preserve the authenticity of the cultures of each of the interviewees.<\/span><\/span>
\n
<\/span> (None of the Images are Mine)<\/span><\/span>
\n
<\/span>
\n
\nHi, I\u2019m Robin, a South African homeschooled teen. I have an unquenchable thirst for books, love to write (when I\u2019m not chasing down a thousand plot bunnies), and also fancy myself a singer. I am currently finishing my last year of school.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n<\/span><\/div>\n


<\/span> I’m Amy an I live in Cape Town,  South Africa. I\u2019m a feminist, fangirl, reviewer, blogger, coffee addict, film fanatic, book nerd, introvert, child of God, and aspiring author. I\u2019m homeschooled, and in high school.<\/span><\/span>
\nBlog<\/a>\/\/Facebook<\/a>\/\/Twitter<\/a>\/\/BlogLovin’<\/a><\/span>
\n
<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span> What do you feel is unique to your country? Landmarks? Celebrations?  <\/b><\/span><\/span>
\nRobin:<\/b> There are our mountains, the most well-known one being Table Mountain (located in Cape Town), so called because of the flat and even top. But we also have the Drakensberg (Dragon Mountain) range, which forms a natural border between the KwaZulu Natal Province and the country of Lesotho (which is not part of South Africa), and the Magaliesberg range, which stretches from the Gauteng province into the North West Province.  <\/span>
\n
<\/span>
\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Table Mountain<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Then there\u2019s our wildife, which includes Springboks (our national animal), Wildebeests, Zebras, and Kudus. And, of course, the \u201cBig Five\u201d: elephants, lions, rhinos, leopards, and buffalos. We also have one of the deadliest snakes in the world: the Black Mamba. <\/span>
\n
<\/span>
\nOne public holiday exclusive to South Africa is Heritage Day\/Braai day on the 24th of September, which celebrates the various cultures and ethnicities of South Africa, often with a Braai (Barbecue).<\/span>
\n
<\/span>
\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
A female Kudu<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Amy:<\/b> I think it\u2019s the fact we have eleven official languages, and that we truly are a rainbow nation. We have great cultural diversity; more evident in some areas than others.<\/span>
\n
<\/span> Our eleven languages are: Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu. <\/span>
\n
<\/span> <\/span>
\nAs for cultural diversity, some of the rural non-white South African people groups will seek the advice of a witch-doctor\/medicine man\/\u2018sangoma\u2019 for various ailments or problems. This is not generally something that Arikaans or English-speaking people will do. In addition, people belonging to the so-called Coloured group of people, have a strong Malay heritage which is still prevalent today in their traditions and festivals. Example: On the 2rd of January every year they celebrate \u2018Die Tweede Nuwe Jaar\u2019 with the Coon Carnival, which involves different bands of musicians marching and dancing through the streets of Cape Town.  <\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/span>
\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sangoma<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Tell me about your country’s environment. What are some of your favorite places?  <\/span><\/b><\/div>\n

Robin:<\/b> Our summers are boiling hot. It feels like I get baked in an oven nearly every day. We usually get most of our rains during the summer months. The South African winters are quite dry, except in Cape Town, which is in the Western Cape Province, (the southern province of the S.A), and is known for its wet winters.<\/span>
\n
<\/span>
\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cape Town<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

One of my favourite places in the S.A is Oribi Gorge (named after a species of antelope), a canyon in KwaZulu Natal. I can\u2019t begin to explain how lovely it is. It\u2019s so beautifully green, and the view is breathtaking. The area has an abundance of wildlife, from leopards to various different species of antelope, with the gorge\u2019s namesake, the Oribi, included. Visitors can also go zip-lining and cross a suspension bridge from one peak to the other (I was too chicken to cross the bridge!).<\/span>
\n
<\/span>
\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Oribi Gorge<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Amy:<\/b> Our environment is has a ton of beautiful beaches, mountains, deserts, and a wide variety of scenery. I\u2019ve never been out of my home province (Western Cape) but my favourite places here are Silvermine \u2013 a great place to hike and picnic \u2013 and Kirstenbosch, a huge public garden bursting with flowers and gorgeous scenery.   <\/span>
\n
<\/span>
\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Kirstenbosch<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Tell me about your country’s food. What are some of your favorite dishes?<\/span><\/b>
\nRobin: <\/b>We have an absolutely brilliant invention called a Braai, which is basically the South African version of the barbecue\/grill. We cook various different meats on the Braai, from Boerewors (Sausages) to Sosaties (Kebabs), and lamb chops. <\/span>
\n
<\/span>
\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Boerewors on the Braai<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Another popular food is Mealie Meal. Mealie Meal is a white porridge made from maize, and is usually served with meat and gravy, or occasionally with milk and sugar. One of our most famous dishes is Potjiekos (Literally meaning \u201cPot Food\u201d), which is cooked in a black cast-iron pot, traditionally over an open fire. The meal consists of meat and various veggies. For dessert, you can have a slice of Milk Tart, which has a delicious crumbly crust, a sweet milky filling, and is topped with a sprinkling of cinnamon. Or Koeksisters, which are plaited pastries filled with sweet syrup. And let\u2019s not forget the snacks: Droewors and Biltong. Droewors is dried out Boerewors, and Biltong is almost like Beef Jerky, but with a smoother texture. And of course, Beskuit or Rusks, which are like hard biscuits. We usually dunk our Beskuit into coffee or tea, to soften it and make it easier to eat.<\/span>
\n
<\/span>
\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Milk Tart<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Koeksisters<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Biltong<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Potjiekos on the fire<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Amy:<\/b> Because we have a wide variety of people groups, there\u2019s an equally wide  variety of foods as well; which include dried sausage\/biltong, milktart (a creamy milk pudding with a cinnemon topping), koeksusters (plaited dough fried in sugar-water), babootie (a lightly curried mince beef dish with an egg-mixture baked on top of it ), and mieliepap (a very thick, dry porridge).     <\/span>
\n
<\/span>
\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
mieliepap<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Tell me about any different speech patterns in your country. Slang? Idioms? Words for things such as \u201cbiscuits\u201d instead of \u201ccookies\u201d?<\/b><\/span>
\nRobin: <\/b><\/span>A lot of our slang is derived from Afrikaans and the Afrikaans speech patterns that have been adapted to English. We also have a few words that have been borrowed from the native African languages. Some of our most common slang is:<\/span>
\n
<\/span>
\nBakkie: What we call a pickup truck. But it\u2019s also the Afrikaans word for a little bowl.<\/span>
\nEina (pronounced \u201cAy-nah\u201d): Our word for \u201cOuch!\u201d<\/span>
\nEish: Basically our variation of \u201cEesh!\u201d<\/span>
\nJa: The Afrikaans word for yes.<\/span>
\nJa, nee: Basically this translates to saying \u201cYes, no\u201d, and is a phrase we use when we somewhat agree with what you are saying, or don\u2019t know what to say.<\/span>
\nRobot: What we call a traffic light. <\/span>
\nTakkies: Sneakers\/athletic shoes. <\/span>
\nShame: This is a word we South Africans use in a strange way. We may use it to sympathize with you, like \u201cOh, shame, you broke your leg!\u201d or if we see something cute, like \u201cAww, shame, that baby is so cute!\u201d<\/span>
\nNow-now: When we say \u201cNow-now\u201d, it usually means the same thing as \u201cIn a while\u201d. It doesn\u2019t mean the same as \u201cNow\u201d, as in, \u201cImmediately\u201d.<\/span>
\nSo long: This means the complete opposite of \u201cNow-now\u201d. If we say something like: \u201cClean up so long\u201d, it means, \u201cClean up right now\u201d.<\/span>
\nAikona: A word that could mean something like \u201cNo way!\u201d <\/span>
\nYebo: The Zulu word for \u201cYes\u201d. <\/span>
\n
<\/span>
\nI just feel like I have to include this strange euphemism we use: Let\u2019s say that you may have, you know, thrown up, and you don\u2019t want to gross everybody out by saying exactly what happened. So instead you\u2019ll say: \u201cEk het n kat geskiet\u201d, meaning, \u201cI shot a cat.\u201d I have no idea how this strange saying came about, but I feel so sorry for the poor cat. Another strange saying we have is \u201cJakkals trou met wolf se vrou\u201d, which is what we say when it\u2019s raining and the sun is shining at the same time. It literally translates to \u201cJackal marries wolf\u2019s wife\u201d<\/span>
\n
<\/b><\/span> Amy: <\/b>Again it depends on where you live and what group of people you belong to. In the Western Cape, people living on the Cape Flats and surroundings, speak a mixture of English and Afrikaans with many slang words. <\/span>
\n
<\/span> Among the English speaking people, we call things slightly different names. Examples include:  \u201cketchup\u201d, is tomato sauce, a \u201cbarbeque\u201d is a braai, \u201ccookies\u201d are biscuits, \u201cjerky\u201d is biltong, and \u201cjelly\u201d is jam.   <\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\n