The City of Many Nicknames

As mentioned in my previous post, I've been doing some research about the city that will become my temporary home. Johannesburg is a city with an intense history and glowing future. I'm excited to experience life in Joburg first hand, but until January, I can only try to imagine it.

Below are some fun facts I've learned about Joburg from a distance:

• Johannesburg has multiple nicknames; the obvious being Joburg, but my personal favourite is Jozi. Hence, the title of my blog. Joni and Egoli are two other nicknames for the city.
• The trees pictured in the background of my blog are called Jacarandas. Johannesburg is known for these beautiful trees and their bright purple flower. I can't wait to see them in person!!
•  The dominant language is English (thanks goodness, for me), but Zulu and Afrikaans are also commonly spoken by many locals.
• In South Africa, one drives on the left side of the road, and apparently Joburg is not a walkable city, so I'll be getting a car and hoping I can remember to keep to the left!
• South Africa is known for it's red wine and when I visited Cape Town I loved it for its red meat as well. One of the first things I'll be doing when I get to Joburg is going for a nice dinner with red wine and ostrich steaks. Yum!
• Joburg has fantastic markets and it seems that everyone loves to hit their local market at least once on the weekends, so I think I know where I'll be doing much of my shopping.