Driving on the Left Side of the Road

I arrived in Cape Town International Airport on May 27, 2008, jetlagged and sleepy-eyed, and was informed by the British Airways attendants that my luggage had not arrived and was stuck in some terminal at Heathrow. Without any luggage but with my carryon backpack in tote, I headed to the car rental station where I haggled with the attendant about renting a car and wanting to deny insurance because my credit card and insurance in the U.S. covers damage or loss to the car. After an hour of trying to explain myself and numerous phone calls to who knows where, I gave in and told them to give me the insurance and off I drove to my new home.

In South Africa, driving on the left side of the road has been one of the biggest challenges I have faced so far. In contrast to many of my colleagues that are off to developing countries in places like Liberia and Southern Sudan, dealing with dirt roads, sporadic electricity and mosquitoes the size of oranges, I am adapting to 8 lane highways with cars that zip at 140km/hour, learning to use dishwashers and washer/dryers that have funny symbols on them, mistaking a South African beef jerky called “biltong” as dog food and learning that Afrikaans is a dialect of Dutch, not German (oops, no wonder people looked at me funny when I said, “Gutentag!”).

I sort of wish I was experiencing a truly developing country, being an international development graduate student with limited developing country experience. However, I am optimistic that working in South Africa will give me a good insight to doing business in Africa. Often South Africa is termed the “gateway to Africa,” due to its potential to be a catalyst for growth for the rest of the continent. If only certain minor issues such as, trade border restrictions, ethnic conflict, government corruption, xenophobia (the recent hot topic) and distrust of the West, can be overcome. There is a great sense of optimism in the country, especially with the upcoming 2010 World Cup. However, South Africa is still sore from the wounds of Apartheid and a society divided along racial and class lines. Society is complex here, which affects doing business here. In the end, I am looking forward to the experiences I will have gained from working here.