Since arriving in Joburg, it has become clear to me that the Canadian manners I was raised with, are going to leave me waiting, hungry and disappointed in this country.
Everyone keeps telling me to say what's on my mind, don't wait to be served, ask for what you need, speak up, be bold, no need to sugarcoat anything...but this is hard for me!
Now, anyone who knows me well, knows that I will speak my mind and have an opinion, and I tend to be on the less than "PG" side of things, but I also tend to be quiet until I am comfortable in my surroundings and I am on my best behaviour in public. I always wait my turn in line, use my manners and smile at people as I pass by. Not that I want to disregard these actions, because people in Joburg are very warm and welcoming, but I think it's time I get a liiiittle more bold.
For example, there are a lot of people who come by your car at red lights to ask for money or try to sell random goods. I always give them a wave and a smile and say "No thank you". But this has led to a few of them sticking around, trying to get me to roll down the window, wanting to give me a fist bump, blowing kisses. I don't want to be rude so I just keep shaking my head and smiling, saying "Thank you, but I'm sorry, no." Sometimes they will try to fist bump through the glass of my window and that gets them to move on. Sometimes I just have to wait til the light goes green and drive off.
Another example, when I went to the bank to open my bank account, the bankers were very sweet, but they talk so very much, trying to walk through every detail, repeating all the steps, not efficient at all. I don't want to interrupt and be rude, but I need to get back to work. I end up just sitting, smiling through it all, subtly asking how long the process will be....so far, about 3 hours.
Yea, I know, definitely need to up my game.
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