Greetings from South Africa! Currently the weather is 80 degrees and sunny with a slight breeze out of the west. Actually, it has been like this for most of the week. Needless to say, I am thoroughly enjoying my stay down here.Friday afternoon I departed Dulles on a 15-hour, direct flight to Johannesburg, SA. I was worried that the ride would be a bit long but thanks to the in-flight entertainment system and several three-hour naps, I kept myself quite occupied.
Sunday morning a good friend of mine, Steve Bontrager, arrived to join in the training. I sure am glad it worked out this way because it has been a blast hanging out with my good ole Hesston buddy for the first time in several years. Plus, he knows much more about the area than I do.On Monday we drove 45 minutes out to Cranfield Aviation where we have been taking CRM, Dangerous Goods and SEPT classes. So far everything has been very laid back. Classes start at 9 and are generally over by 2. That may be why this adventure feels more like vacation than a job. I have a feeling things will change here in the next few days when I start the Caravan training and SA validation.
I have been very intrigued by SA culture because it is not what I had expected. The best way to describe it would be: European lifestyle in an African setting. The two most notable things that I have noticed so far:
I am now the one with the accent. Personally, I think everyone else sounds British, but they would have nothing of it.
Everybody drives on the wrong side of the road. I am convinced that when Steve leaves I am going to have an accident. Not to mention that I am not excited about driving a stick shift from the right side of the car.Other than that things have been very uneventful. There is very little about this country that makes my life different than it is in the states. That may be a broad statement, but that is my initial conclusion after the first 120 hours in SA. By they way, this is the appartment where I am staying. It is really nice!
