Mind your P's and Q's

Sorry again about the lack of a post yesterday. Today's post is all about South African customs and etiquette. I don't want to be a completely ignorant American tourist when I get there, so I better do my research. Here is what I've found out so far - hopefully it will be enough to save me from any massive cultural blunders I would be inclined to make...

Most websites mention that because South Africa is a "rainbow nation", made up of all sorts of people and cultures, it is hard to generalize the customs of this nation. But it doesn't hurt to read up on any helpful hints.

The meeting & greeting etiquette:
Apparently there are several greeting styles depending upon the ethnic heritage of the person you are meeting. However, when dealing with hopeless foreigners such as myself, most South Africans shake hands while smiling and maintaining eye contact. An important side note is that not all women shake hands - sometimes they prefer to simply nod their head - so it is best to wait for a woman to extend her hand before jumping into the whole handshake thing. When it comes to personal space, people usually stand and speak close to one another. They stand a little less than an arm's length away from each other, which is typical in the U.S. as well.
This one is important for me, because my default at-ease position includes hands in my pocket. Apparently it is bad etiquette to put your hands in your pocket, to cross your arms, or to put your hands on your hips. I wonder if that's true in the U.S. as well...


Pace of Life:
I like this fact: Taking your time is an important part of South African culture. Culturecrossing.net warns that what takes an hour in a time-oriented culture (like the U.S.) may take an entire day in South Africa. While I'm tempted to say that this particular aspect of SA culture will be a welcome change and not freak me out too much, it will probably be more of an adjustment than I anticipate. I am from a city in the north (okay, more midwest-y) part of the U.S., and I am used to juggling work schedules with school work and a busy schedule. I am used to being in a rush and efficiency is often key to my daily schedule. Take me out of this busy lifestyle and place me somewhere where I don't have to be doing something at all hours of the day, and I may fidget to death. Basically, this aspect of SA culture will be a good exercise in being at peace with a slower pace of life that does not have to be completely filled with tasks to accomplish (Thank you, Puritans, for donating your crazy work ethics to the American thought process). Hopefully I'll be able to keep the fidgeting to a minimum.

Table Manners
These are important, because I like to eat. I already eat disgusting amounts, I don't need to add disgusting table manners to it all.
1) Don't cut bread rolls. Instead, break them into small, bite-sized pieces on a side plate. Why? I haven't the foggiest.
2) Don't leave food on your plate when you are done eating. This should not be a problem for me.
3) Cross your knife and fork on your plate to indicate that you are still eating.
4) Place your fork and knife closely together next to your plate to indicate that you are finished eating.
5) Don't yawn without covering your mouth and chew with your mouth closed! That's pretty standard everywhere, I think.

That's it on the P's & Q's for now. Let's move on to the completely unrelated cheetah fact of the day. I came across the term Asiatic Cheetah and didn't know what it meant. So I googled it. An Asiatic Cheetah, also known as the Iranian Cheetah, is rare and critically endangered subspecies of the Cheetah found only in Iran. The latest research estimates that only 70-100 Asiatic Cheetahs remain. African and Asiatic cheetahs are genetically distinct and separated between 32,000 and 67,000 years ago.

Asiatic Cheetahs Caught on Camera Trap in Iran