South African grocery shopping experience

Today was a sunday and I didn't have much planned.  Hence i decided to sleep in a bit and then head to the shopping mall to pick up some essentials (soap, hand soap, toilet paper, a better universal adapter so that it won't spark anymore and groceries).

There is a mall called campus square mall that is a short 3 minutes ride from where I live, so I decided to hit it up with my shopping list.  The mall itself looks like ones in North America except that the store hours of each individual store varies.  Because today was a Sunday, some shops weren't even opened at all.  I did a quick scan of what stores are available/open first and then decided I will start by shopping for some soap and personal items at clicks (it's like a pharmacy - shoppers drug mart type).  I was also very lucky to have found the travel adapter that i needed there.

Then I decided to take a look at woolworths.  At first I thought it was a department store because I saw bath supplies and clothes in it.  Then I realized it also has a very nice grocery area.  (I found out later that it is a high end supermarket - which was not a suprise because the ambience suggested it).  In the interest of being responsible and conscious of my per diem, I went to pick n pay first to do essential grocery shopping.

Here are some interesting findings of a South African grocery store (pick and pay as reference):

1. Pick n pay has a very limited selection of fresh vegetables.. they just don't look that fresh...
2. When you put fruits and vegetables into bags, you have to get it weighed at the weigh station by a store worker before you can go to the cash (or the till).
3. The milk selection is mainly full cream, but there is a small selection of low fat options
4. There is A LOT of selection for eggs.  For example there is "free-range", "grain-fed", "all-grains", "canola" and maybe even more.  There is also a huge variety of price ranges.  But I can't quite figure out what it means.. and what the ones I am used to in Canada are (I mean in Canada, there's medium, large, and extra large eggs, and white versus non-white ones.. and thats it!) ...  So I was too confused and decided not to get any at all until I do some research =P
5.  There was lee kum kay sauces for sale at pick n pay but the only one that's available is "sweet and chili".

After my grocery shopping experience, I got quite frustrated at the pay station for parking.  Even though the pay station says it accepts all coins and R10, R20 and R50 bills (notes).  It refused to take my R10 bill.  The cashiers here are also not very helpful with just providing change (you have to make a purchase).  I was quite stuck until a very kind couple decided to help me out with some of their coins.  I offered to give him my R10 bill in return but he wont' take it.  I guess there is also acts of kindness in this country.

The powerbars here include ones that are 3 prongs (RSA) and the 2 prongs (European) but the europeans indent and my universal adapter does not have a firm contact with it, hence it sparks.. i was very worried it'd burn these flimsy walls down..

Look at the weird 3 prongs...

Giant doggie I found at campus square mall..i thought it was a statue until it moved and looked at me ;)

My rental car - a bright red VW Vivo

This ice tea with plum and apricot.. was okay.. I don't think i'll buy it again

my stocked fridge and cabinet! woot!

Saw this lady buy this yogurt in Woolworths and decided to try one. It's quite nice, but it's a bit pricey, about R7 for one - which is about $1 a cup.... I was used to Astros for $2.99 for 12 when it's on sale (and well $5.99 when not on sale).  Maybe it's okay to splurge sometime when i need a yogurt fix. (There is no fruit bottom yogurts here though, only stirred, boo)

After shopping, I met up with Sarah L. and she took me to 4th Avenue Parkhurst for coffee.  We sat in a cute little restaurant called the Attic.  We each had a tea, hers earl grey and mine a raspberry and melon tea.  We then ordered a peking duck spring roll and a cheeseboard to pick on.  It was a very nice and relaxing afternoon. (I later discovered that this was on the recommended restaurant list compiled by Bainies in the Joburg office).

My raspberry and melon tea

Peking duck spring rolls. I really enjoyed the sauce.

beautifully decorated

and looks out to 4th avenue, Parkhurst

Our cheese board with some type of hard gouda/cheddar, a blue cheese and a brie (i think)

I then went home and decided it was time to cook the food that I filled my fridge up with.  Then i discovered I only have pots and no pans and the gas ranges need matches to light up.  I managed in the end and made rice in a pot, onions, beef and portobello mushrooms, and a tomato, potato and leek soup.  It was very satisfying =)

Gas stove that required matches to ignite (I just threw the match in to avoid burning myself... and i picked up the match after, no one needs to know how it was done.)

Dinner! portabello mushroom, onions and beef with bonnet thai jasmine rice (recommended by Kanya - yes I consulted the expert before purchasing)

my soup - tomato, potato, beef and leeks

I also managed to readjust my freezer and refrigerator settings.  The fridge is digital and has a range of temperature that I can select including a vacation mode.  Google research tells me that your fridge should be set between35 and 38 degrees F (1.7 to 3.3 degrees C).  As well your freezer should be set at 0°F (-17°C) or lower, but definitely not above 5°F (-15°C)

Tomorrow, I must talk to the landlord about my flooding bathroom.  As previously mentioned, there is no real separations between the shower and the rest of the bathroom except for a curtain.  This is not a big deal if it drains properly.  The problem is it does not...Having pools of water in the bathroom is extremely dangerous and I had slipped a couple of times already when I wasn't focusing on the wet floor.  Hopefully there will be a solution.

On a side note, Sarah also told me that when she skypes the transmission on the other end seems to be much smoother than the the transmission out of South Africa.    Perhaps there's no real solution to this.. guess for those of you who I will call, you'll just have to deal with it =P

Kanya's Baby shower!

(updated with pictures!!)

When Kanya and her sister and their husbands went to Canada a few weeks ago, my friend Jeanette decided it would be a good idea for me to meet the four of them and make some friends in Joburg.  They were extremely nice people and invited me to attend Kanya's baby shower since I would've arrived by then.

To prepare, I googled the route to Kanya's from my new place and sent the map to Maita to get approval.  I wanted to make sure I googled correctly and didn't plan a route that will make me drive through the unsafe parts of town.  I also got the GPS from TechnoServe just in case.

OOh a no stopping sign!

attempts at taking pictures while going to the on ramp for N1 towards Pretoria

Unfortunately, the GPS was not very good and it was very focussed on telling me the street I'm on and not the street that I should be turning to.  So... I got lost.. and had to make a phone call to Maita for help!  After an additional 10 minutes (making the trip more like 35 mins long rather than 25), I finally arrived!

Kanya lives in a gated community and in the complex there is a clubhouse which is where the baby shower was held.  Because Kanya does not know the gender of her baby, the theme was polka dots (it was so cute!) and there were baby outfits hung on clothes lines as decorations.

Looking out at the club house

cutest decorations ever!

Kanya and her sister Maita

The food was also amazing, not to mention the dessert.  My personal favourite was the coconut chocolate almond crumble bars, I definitely need to get the recipe from Maita sometime.

Someone made a winnie the pooh diaper cake! 

The sweets table

beautiful (and tasty) red velvet cupcakes

These were the best!! Coconut chocolate almond bar things - i need the recipe

hmm cake that baked in a cardboard tray!

These were hilarious ;)

It was actually the first baby shower that I've ever been to.  So I struggled a bit with what to get Kanya.  Rather than getting her something baby related, I actually ended up getting her a DIY kit to make bubble tea.  I remembered that when we met in Canada, Kanya said she really wishes that you can get bubble tea in South Africa (but it does not currently exists).  I'm so glad that Kanya was very excited by this present that I brought =)

The day ran extremely smoothly from the amazing planning of the organizers Maita and Marica.  I also quite enjoyed the activities.   There was a clothespin game where if you say the word "baby" in a conversation then you lose your clothespin to the person you're talking to.  The person with the most collected clothespin wins.  (Clothespin also has a different name in South Africa).

We played a few quick games of charades.  Then there was a game where everyone has to draw the baby on a paper plate that's held in front of their foreheads.  During gift opening, there was a game of sticker bingo.  In short, each gift has a sticker on it and each person is distributed a bingo card.

Another thing that was also happening throughout the shower was a cushion cloth to be decorated by everyone.  The end product was beautiful (I will post a picture).  I have taken good notes during the day, so TONG, I'm ready for yours! Your shower will be awesome! Bring it on ;) (just j/k)

My attempt at drawing a baby with this plate on my forehead.. the happy face on the top right was not bad?

Kanya sticker bingo to be played with gift opening!

Bingo cards that came with stickers on the back

cute little girls getting excited about teletubbies on the towel

Each present has a sticker associated with it.. I was close.. but not quite , we were lookng for a "Z".. They say "Zeee" here not "zed"

pooh bear!

Such a cutie! Took me awhile to get this shot though

The cushion cover! 

The highlight of the day was definitely the gorgeous cake that was made for the bride.  It was the most exquisite cake ever featuring a jeweled dress with a baby bump on it.

Beautiful display (and i like the table cloth too!)

This cake was beautiful!

Look at it! *aww*

Kanya with her cake! (and Siam is the baby bump's name)

We took apart the cake!

I stayed to help clean up and to just hang out with my new south african friends =)  (actually the truth was I saw the beef curry that Kanya was making in the slow cooker and invited myself to stay for dinner).  It was the most delicious "carrie" that I have ever had!  Jeanette has told me about Kanya's chef skills before and I must say expectations were definitely exceeded.  I'll be over for dinner anytime! =P heh

Who can resist that?

served with rice and butternut squash

There are also a few of Kanya's friends that I met today and it was quite cool to make new friends.   Kanya's mom, Brenda, was also super nice.  She is Canadian and lives in Swaziland.  I will definitely need to make a trip to Swaziland in the near future (and try to go before the baby is born, yay Road trip!).

Since I've arrived, I have also started to learn new vocabularies.  See if you know what the following means:

1. Baby shower related - "dummy"
2. Baby shower related - "nappy"
3. Other South African vocab - "boot"
4. Other South African vocab - "robot"

any guesses??? (scroll down for answers)

The highlight of the day was definitely my breathalyzer test when I got pulled over at a checkpoint on my way home.  They must've noticed that I was foreign and decided to check me.  Apparently I had some issues blowing enough air into the machine for testing, so I had to do it a few times.  And needless to say it was 0.0 =P

It was quite the experience for me since I haven't even had this test in Canada.

More random pictures of the day:

Maita and I

Me and my new friends : Maita and kanya!

Kanya's cake!

She was ready, this sign will be transferred to her car ;)

Answers:  dummy is a pacifier, and a nappy is a diaper.  Boot is the trunk, and Robots are traffic lights.

Moved & driving prep

I have moved!!  This new 1 bdrm place is actually quite nice and spacious (pictures to come).  I think I'll enjoy being on my own for the next 10 days (I might have to move again on the 19th when the others arrive and then need to share as mentioned in my previous post.  This means I should not unpack too too much otherwise the repacking will not be fun.

The living area with satellite tv and free wifi

Looking from the other corner - the range is so cool

Looking out into the property next door which is also owned by the same landlord

the fridges here are so different!

very equipped.. even have a tiny oven to bake things!

The bathroom (that's terrible because the drainage sucks.. and it floods after you shower...)

the beds - all for me

the kitchen comes with all the equipments - including a kettle

and this kettle!

and i pushed the beds together to become one giant bed =)

I got my car delivered to me this morning.  It's a bright red volkswagen (I forgot the model number, just like how I had forgotten my own phone number).  I had to sign quite a bit of paperwork for it and had to fill out my phone number like 4 times.  So now I think i've got it (which is helpful).

Just did some reading on South Africa driving tips.  As previously mentioned, it's not so much my own driving that I need to worry about.  The other drivers on the road is definitely more of a problem.  Not a lot of drivers here know what defensive driving means, everyone's quite aggressive.  So i definitely have to be extra careful.

I found this website that does a pretty good job on giving tips and general rules of driving.  Driving rules website .  This I thought was cool with the use of a red arrow and a green arrow that means different things:

• A flashing red arrow on your left indicates that you may turn if no other traffic is approaching. This arrow must be treated as a yield.
• A steady red or green arrow indicates that you may proceed with caution.

I also had to look up the road signs here as I've noticed that some of them are just different than the ones I'm used to in Canada. Arrive Alive Road Signs.  I like W310 to W 313 where they specified the specific types of animals that might run into you.  There are so many that I definitely need to spend more time studying them over.  

Anyways, I better start getting ready to head over to Kanya's.  More updates later.

Pictures are being uploaded and they'll be up tonight hopefully =)