Michael Jackson? Here? Really?

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to drive around Port Elizabeth. I was a little scared at first because the steering wheel is on the opposite side of the car and they drive on the opposite side of the road. Kathleen was with me though and she kept me straight with my driving. South Africans are allowed to get their license at 18. The test is very difficult and its a long process so thats why Kath hasn't gotten her's yet. Anyway, I think I did very well because we made it back home alive and in one piece. Just keep in mind that if you ever have to drive in South Africa they don't have "right on red."

To start our day we went to watch a competition between the houses at Kath's old high school. The students who have graduated go back and watch the competition. The school is divided into three houses, kind of like teams. Every year, grade 12, or the senior class of each house comes up with a little show or skit with dancing and acting. Each house performs on a track field in front of the entire school. They call it the oval. (The track field isn't on the school campus. Its in another part of town.) I really enjoyed it. I was so amazed at how much South Africans, especially the young people, get there style and music from the U.S. Even though the student's were in uniforms they still had the same or similar shoes, accessories, and style as us in the U.S. Some of the songs they played during their performances are songs that they play on the radio and downtown. One of the houses had a really cool performance and closed it with a dance to Party Rock by LMFAO. They even had a guy dressed up like the robot off of it. Blew my mind. They played songs from Michael Jacksons Thriller to Teach me how to Dougie.

After watching the competition I went to eat with Kathleen and some of her friends and had a great time. We talked about all the differences between America and South Africa. One major difference deals with race. In South Africa, people of mixed races are called colored's and black people are called black. They call them this openly and there is no offense taken to it. This was so hard for me to grasp because in the U.S. that is considered derogatory and unacceptable. Another difference is the legal drinking age is 18. This definitely isn't a good thing because it has created a lot of problems for the country related to alcohol abuse.