Same Same, But Different

Some concepts seem universal.

Yet in South Africa, rain, darkness and cold are very different to rain, darkness and cold in Europe.

How can that be, you may think now? Surely dark is dark and cold is cold. But let me assure you they are not. In South Africa, where things tend to be extreme – from food potions to poverty – cold is colder and darkness is darker.

When you think of South Africa, you will most likely picture a hot country. And even if I tell you that temperatures drop below zero, you will think “So what – big deal”. That is probably what my housemate thought when he first heard me complain about South Africa’s winters. Well, winter has just arrived, but he has already changed his mind.

The extreme temperature swings in a single day, the lack of insulation and the dry winter conditions make South Africa’s cold colder. Much colder. Through cracks in doors and gaps in windows, the cold creeps into your house and into your bones, regardless of how many layers you put on. And all the heaters in the world cannot change the fact that the heat does not stay but puffs away... as soon as you stand up from that cosy place right in front of the fire, the room is freezing cold. And the cold bites…