Getting to Know Locals

This place is incredible!! We’re settling in a lot and getting to know the area better which makes it a lot easier and more fun to get around! We’ve been getting to know a couple locals who go to the university with us and I cannot explain how much better it is knowing people who’ve grown up here. I’m getting close one of them especially, his name is Tubs. The first night we met we went dancing with all of our friends and had a great time, then all came back to the dorm and stayed up late talking. Liz, Tubs and I were chilling in my room and Tubs was telling us how and why we can come off as offensive because it’s really hard to sometimes not say the wrong thing. Tubs was saying one thing in particular is to not assume South Africans know nothing about America. A couple of the kids here are from Maine and Liz and I said something like “He doesn’t know where that is” referring to Tubs being unfamiliar with the states like Maine (as in not a more well known one like New York or California). We didn’t mean it offensively we meant it more as a respect thing, we didn’t want to be self centered assuming everyone knows everything about America but it came off as us thinking he was ignorant of America. But it was a really emotional talk with him because we all have been feeling a little like the locals here think of us as stupid Americans and its starting to take a little bit of a toll sometimes. Just imagine going out and any where you go people instantly know you’re foreign and assume your stupid and easy to take advantage off. I was starting to feel really bad; if I insulted Tubs then I might have insulted a lot of people accidentally. He said something that made me feel so much better, he said “why should you care if you insult a stranger on accident? They will forget about it in a second and you shouldn’t waste your time worrying about how you make everyone feel. Everyone in America wants to be friends with everyone, caring about how all of these people think of you. But you can’t be friends with everyone! Just worry about how you make your friends feel. I am your friend, I felt comfortable telling you that that was insulting.” And it really got to me, it made me tear up because I really did feel he was so welcoming and I needed to hear him say those things. Last night we all went out and had an amazing time. We went back to the “Booty Bar” and had an incredible time enjoying each other’s company. At one point we suggested drinking games and one of Tub’s friends said “All you Americans always want to play games when you drink, why not just drink?” Which is such a hilarious concept. So much laughter last night, it’s really feeling great to fit in a little better here. We’re off to a hostel for three days! We rented a car and are driving to this amazing spot on the beach, it will be such a fun time!!