Reasons why I love South Africa

I've decided to post something every now and then about why I love South Africa.  We South Africans can be very negative about our country, but now that I'm living in the hallowed 1st world, I realise that we tend to idealise more affluent countries while in truth, we are very blessed in South Africa.


So, reasons I love South Africa today:


Caffeine fix
Coffee is cheap in South Africa.  Take-away coffee in Port Elizabeth costs max R7 (R16 at Mug & Bean for a big cup).  Here, take-away coffee is on average R20 - R25 and I do without it rather.  


Molo, Mama
We make eye-contact with strangers.  More than that, we greet strangers with a smile and get a smile back...we do in Port Elizabeth, anyway.


Consumerism
We are faced with poverty on a daily basis which, if we allow it, helps us to stay grateful for what we have.  I have seen about 5 beggars in Berlin and they wear good clothes and have proper shoes.  It is easy to be selfish and buy-buy-buy when there are no needy people around you to remind you of what your money should be used for. 


To clean or not to clean
It is relatively easy to find someone to clean your house at a relatively cheap rate.  In Berlin, it would cost me nearly R600 to have my tiny flat cleaned twice a month.  When I get home, Liza gets a raise even though I already pay her nearly 3 times the minimum wage for domestic work.  I now so appreciate the value she brings to my life.  


Red, red tape
In South Africa, I complain about paperwork and bureaucratic inefficiency.  Here it took me 4 weeks to get registered at the university and receive my student card - and this is the norm with people who know how to do their work.  They're not inefficient, that is just the way the system works here - slow and tedious.  



These might not all apply to you and your situation in South Africa, but I'm sure there are things in your context in SA that you can be grateful for once you realise that the grass is not really greener on the other side.  I would love to hear what you have to say about this post, so please comment in the comments section below.