A few weeks ago my social media was flooded with reports of an earthquake in Johannesburg and surrounding areas. Even people who have never been to Johannesburg were talking about it. The broad coverage of the earthquake was not due to its magnitude or the impact of the disaster, but rather that it was a rare instance. This was an uncommon phenomenon that took the country by surprise.
It reminded me of my time in Peru. Unlike South Africa, Peru is known for its earthquakes. On my very first day my friend Kim took me through the earthquake drill. In the evenings she would rearranged her furniture so that we can easily move to where we had to go, should there be an earthquake during the night. Being a South African who had never experienced an earthquake before, I was super excited to feel the earth shake under my feet. I knew that there was no way that I could be in Peru for an entire month without experiencing an earthquake.
I stayed with Kim for a week and then moved on to stay with Ingrid. One evening while I was walking with Ingrid, the conversation shifted from how amazing the waterpark was to the fact that I should not be afraid of small tremors. At the time I thought that she just randomly changed the topic of our conversation. The fact that we had a rapid conversation shift was normal considering the language muddle between us.
Ingrid and I had a very special relationship. Our conversations were utterly confusing at times. Ingrid’s English was very good but she seldom practised it which led to her making a few errors. Me on the other hand, I took Spanish classes and thought that I was prepared for a month in Peru. I realised after day one that my Spanish was non-existent, and might I add that my first language is Afrikaans so my English at times also failed me. It was a Spanglish love affair between Ingrid and me.
The next day we travelled to a nearby beach where we stayed over for New Year’s Eve Celebrations. Whilst in the car Petty asked me; “Did you feel the earthquake yesterday?” Off course I answered; “No there was no earthquake where I was”. Only later that day I realised that maybe it happened when Ingrid told me not to be scared. Oops, I missed it! First earthquake not ticked off. I blamed it on the fact that Lima is a very noisy and busy city. Cars are constantly hooting and that alone was very overwhelming for me. I come from peaceful Stellenbosch in Cape Town, South Africa. There most people walk around town and you hardly hear a car hoot. I reckon that dealing with the extreme noise levels at the time, resulted in me completely missing out on my debut earthquake encounter.
The night before the New Year’s Celebrations at the beach house, I heard the windows rattle. It was as if someone was trying to break-in. My poor South African mind immediately took me into a panic. There must be some gang outside that wants to break-in. Back home in Stellenbosch I slept with my phone next to my bed with the police on speed dial. I normally have a very clear plan of what to do when someone attempts to break-in. People have broken into my flat several times before. Having a clear plan meant being prepared.
When I heard the windows rattling I, thought: “Why don’t they just go away? They are being stupid because they are really making a big noise. I don’t have a plan…what is the number of the police, do they even have police nearby.” I pulled the covers over my head and I started to pray: “Please Lord, don’t let them come in”
I somehow fell back asleep. The next morning, I got the surprise of my life. Everyone was amazed by how tired I must have been that I slept right through the earthquake. Oh gosh!! I missed it, AGAIN!!
I did however learn a big lesson about how your background and culture, if different from those around you, can cause you to misinterpret or perceive things contrary to the rest of the group. I did not get to experience a Peruvian earthquake because I was still too caught up in my South African mind-set. This was not just something to be aware off when traveling, but within our own country too. How many times do we not misinterpret someone else’s actions or even conversations because we are too stuck in our own world?
Ask, don’t assume, and be willing to venture into someone else’s world. My reality at that moment was not everyone’s reality. I encourage you to be aware of your own otherness. Just some food for thought as we celebrate nations and the beautiful diversity of South Africa!
It reminded me of my time in Peru. Unlike South Africa, Peru is known for its earthquakes. On my very first day my friend Kim took me through the earthquake drill. In the evenings she would rearranged her furniture so that we can easily move to where we had to go, should there be an earthquake during the night. Being a South African who had never experienced an earthquake before, I was super excited to feel the earth shake under my feet. I knew that there was no way that I could be in Peru for an entire month without experiencing an earthquake.
I stayed with Kim for a week and then moved on to stay with Ingrid. One evening while I was walking with Ingrid, the conversation shifted from how amazing the waterpark was to the fact that I should not be afraid of small tremors. At the time I thought that she just randomly changed the topic of our conversation. The fact that we had a rapid conversation shift was normal considering the language muddle between us.
Ingrid and I had a very special relationship. Our conversations were utterly confusing at times. Ingrid’s English was very good but she seldom practised it which led to her making a few errors. Me on the other hand, I took Spanish classes and thought that I was prepared for a month in Peru. I realised after day one that my Spanish was non-existent, and might I add that my first language is Afrikaans so my English at times also failed me. It was a Spanglish love affair between Ingrid and me.
The next day we travelled to a nearby beach where we stayed over for New Year’s Eve Celebrations. Whilst in the car Petty asked me; “Did you feel the earthquake yesterday?” Off course I answered; “No there was no earthquake where I was”. Only later that day I realised that maybe it happened when Ingrid told me not to be scared. Oops, I missed it! First earthquake not ticked off. I blamed it on the fact that Lima is a very noisy and busy city. Cars are constantly hooting and that alone was very overwhelming for me. I come from peaceful Stellenbosch in Cape Town, South Africa. There most people walk around town and you hardly hear a car hoot. I reckon that dealing with the extreme noise levels at the time, resulted in me completely missing out on my debut earthquake encounter.
The night before the New Year’s Celebrations at the beach house, I heard the windows rattle. It was as if someone was trying to break-in. My poor South African mind immediately took me into a panic. There must be some gang outside that wants to break-in. Back home in Stellenbosch I slept with my phone next to my bed with the police on speed dial. I normally have a very clear plan of what to do when someone attempts to break-in. People have broken into my flat several times before. Having a clear plan meant being prepared.
When I heard the windows rattling I, thought: “Why don’t they just go away? They are being stupid because they are really making a big noise. I don’t have a plan…what is the number of the police, do they even have police nearby.” I pulled the covers over my head and I started to pray: “Please Lord, don’t let them come in”
I somehow fell back asleep. The next morning, I got the surprise of my life. Everyone was amazed by how tired I must have been that I slept right through the earthquake. Oh gosh!! I missed it, AGAIN!!
I did however learn a big lesson about how your background and culture, if different from those around you, can cause you to misinterpret or perceive things contrary to the rest of the group. I did not get to experience a Peruvian earthquake because I was still too caught up in my South African mind-set. This was not just something to be aware off when traveling, but within our own country too. How many times do we not misinterpret someone else’s actions or even conversations because we are too stuck in our own world?
Ask, don’t assume, and be willing to venture into someone else’s world. My reality at that moment was not everyone’s reality. I encourage you to be aware of your own otherness. Just some food for thought as we celebrate nations and the beautiful diversity of South Africa!