Grocery shopping is a 3 store minimum trip

Grocery shopping in SA is a multiple trip experience every week.  Unlike the US where you can go to one store and get everything on your list, that convenience is not found here in SA.  Despite there being a grocery store, sometimes even two, on every corner, they are smaller and don’t carry the same items.  Every week I divide my list into three parts for the pertinent stores I need to visit to get my items.  Which makes for several trips as doing it all in one day is not always doable.   I can venture even farther to Hyper stores which carry more items but the convenience of a store right outside the gate has won so far.  

 There are two grocery stores right outside my front gate, Super Spar and Woolworths.  I shop at Super Spar for all my dry goods and dairy.  I have not been pleased with their produce or meat department so after paying for my items, I literally walk across the parking lot to Woolworths to get what is left on my list.  But the selection is small at Woolworths and sometimes pricey.  So if I have time I will forgo Woolworths and head to the butcher and the produce grocer to get what I need. 

There are a variety of butcher shops that are quite popular here and luckily there is a produce grocery store right next to the butcher I visit.  So if I am lucky I can find all the items I need between the main grocery store, the butcher, and the produce grocer.  But let’s say I need tortilla chips, well I have only found those at Woolworths, or maybe Adalyn would like Jello cups, again that is a trip to Woolworths.   But if I want mandarin oranges or banana chips, I have to go to Spar.  And if bagels are calling my name, then it’s a trip to Pick ‘n Pay Hyper or a bakery.   

This past week I went to the “American grocery store”.  Which is a Super Spar who’s owner imports US items, but at a fairly high cost.  For example, you can get Hellman’s Mayo for $5 a jar, or Starbucks coffee for $18 a package, Life cereal for $7, a package of 8 tortillas for $6 and even Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups for $1.50.  I passed on most of those, but everyone has something they can’t do without and willing to pay a price for it.

Items I have found difficult to find are: cream of mushroom or chicken soup for cooking, pistachio pudding, any refrigerated dough like Pillsbury, Pepsi products, Mexican food items (black beans, refried beans, green chilies), mozzarella cheese and pepperoni.  Then there are the items they do have but taste different like: pasta sauce, mayo, ketchup, tortilla chips, cottage cheese, cool whip, ice cream, and orange juice.  There are very few US brand name items here but I have been able to whip up most of my recipes with some alterations.

To say South Africans love regular Coke is an understatement

While there are items that we are learning to live without and others we are getting used to there are also new items that I have grown to love.  Malva pudding is a very popular apricot pudding dessert here that I would love to learn how to make so I can bring back to the US.  Also, Madeira bread is like a pound cake, only lighter in texture and taste like a waffle cone, yum.   Roast pumpkin is a common side when eating out and it is nice to be eating it outside of fall weather and in a pie.  Vetkoek is basically fried dough you top with honey or jam and it’s addicting. While I am just starting to try some African food, there are plenty of other options that don’t look so tempting. 

Biltong is a salty dried meat similar to jerky and sold just about everywhere, but the process in which they make it is not very appetizing and since it taste like raw meat in the middle, I am not a fan. 

Biltong

Walkie Talkies are fried chicken feet and heads and my stomach is not about to go that route just yet.   Pap is a traditional porridge made from ground corn and very popular here.  It is sold in huge sacks and takes up about half an aisle at the grocery store, but I think I would have to really doctor it up to eat it. 

Aisle of Pap

There are many items in the store, especially the butcher shop, that I just shake my head and wonder about but that is what this adventure is all about, testing the ordinary so someday we shall see what turns up on my plate.

Overall we have been able to eat just fine, dining out or making our meals at home.  There are some recipes I won’t be able to reproduce here but that just means when taking trips home I can load up.  My domestic, Joyce, even said she would cook for me someday, but given that she likes Mayo on her spaghetti, I am not going to jump at that offer yet.  I am thankful for this opportunity to explore new cuisines and broaden my palate.  I plan to add some African food to my recipe book and share with friends at home.  

Money Talk

Prior to moving to South Africa we had to figure out the banking system.  We used Commerce Bank in the US and of course with no office in South Africa we had to filter through the options.  Luckily several Black and Veatch employees have been living here for years and could give us some pointers.  We were able to open up a Bank of America account as they had a sister bank named ABSA in South Africa in which we could take money out of their ATMs at no fee.  We also opened a Bank of America travel credit card so we could purchase items without a foreign transaction fee. 

Banking fraud is common in South Africa.  Several ATMs are tampered with so once you swipe your card a thief will be able to obtain your account information if he has put a magnetic strip on the machine.  So every week I go to the ABSA bank location and withdraw cash.  Strangely enough it is free to withdraw money from the ATMS within the branch locations, but if you withdraw from a teller inside, it costs you money.  I try to use cash as often as possible, because I have heard that the employees at the stores can steal your credit card info and make fraudulent charges.   

I have found that several store employees don’t even know how to use their own credit card machines and always tell me my card is declined, when it worked at that same store the previous day.  Some stores will also ask to rub your card to transfer the numbers from the front of your card incase there is a problem with the transaction going through.  They tell me this is for “security reasons” but I am pretty skeptical.  We have always said no, and then they ask for your drivers license number.  Not sure what they are going to do with a MO drivers license number, especially when they don’t write anything else down.

Paying with cash or a credit card has worked most of the time but not always.  For instance, my domestic, Joyce, does not want to be paid in cash so the only option is to go to her bank and deposit the money straight into her account.  I have received several doctor’s bills from my stint in the hospital which state at the bottom of the bill the bank and account number for paying your bill.  I tried to pay over the phone with a credit card but they won’t take it, so I end up going to several banks with my cash to deposit into their account.  I have found this to work quite well, but don’t like carrying around that much cash as crime here is quite high. 

We have been advised to never let our credit cards out of our sight when paying.  When you go out to eat the server will bring the credit card machine to your table and swipe it in front of you, this also happens at the gas station.  A few times when we have paid cash for our meal the server will have to get a manager to bring back our cash, as if he is not allowed.   It has taken me a while to figure out the change here.  The bills make sense, basically a Rand 10 is equal to $1 US, R50=$5, and so on, but the change is another story.  I come across quite confused anytime I have to pay with change and it takes me a while, but I will figure it out.  

Pictured are the R100 and R20 front and back

Every house in our community has a safe and ours is actually equipped with a walk in two-story one.  I looks like a safe within a bank but when you open the door it leads your down a stair case into a brick room in the basement that is approximately 10x6.  The owner of the house said he intended it to be a safe for his wine and guns, but we have yet to stock pile those.  The door of the safe even has a hidden door that just looks like the regular wall but if you push in on one side it opens to expose the safe door.  I am pretty sure we won’t be filling it anytime soon but makes for an interesting part of the house. 

  

Overall, I am pleased with what we have found for banking and managing our money.  It has been especially nice that the conversion rate is simple to understand, about 10 to 1.  One day we might open up a local account, but for now we can at least pay our bills and track our money. 

South African Healthcare Experience

      Four days after arriving in South Africa I had developed a horrible cough and sore throat.  Thinking I had just picked up a bug during my travels, I took some over the counter medicine and fought my way through it.  That lasted about 3 days until one evening when I thought my fever was breaking I broke out the thermometer and I had a temp of 103.3.  Upon standing I became dizzy, my vision was blurry, I felt like I was going to pass out and I began vomiting.  Time to experience emergency room healthcare in South Africa.

      Luckily the day before this all occurred our friends who have been here for almost a year had shown us where a good hospital was so we knew where we were going.  Upon arriving in the Emergency Room they said it would be $60 to be seen.  We only waited a few minutes then the nurse took us back to a triage room for evaluation.  We were then lead into the main ER area and saw the doctor immediately.  The ER doctor figured I had a bacterial infection based on the labs that came back and my symptoms so she started me on two antibiotics in the ER.  5 hours later I was discharged after paying $200 for the IV medication and care and told to come back to the ER the following day for a follow up with the doctor.  I was also sent home with 5 prescriptions which we were able to fill for only $60 total and they were all American brands.  The ER doctor said to me when giving me the scripts, “there is a cheap pharmacy down the road, but that probably does not matter to you since you are American”.  I guess they think all Americans have plenty of money to spare, but little does she know I like a good deal.

      I felt much better the following day and expected to get good reviews from the ER doctor during my $30 follow-up but she said my labs were even worse and she was concerned.  Based on my symptoms she ordered a chest x-ray which cost me $54 in the Theatre (what Radiology is called in SA).  It was read immediately and showed that I had pneumonia.  The ER doctor said I needed to be admitted for treatment and asked about my medical aid (what insurance is called in SA).  I told her we had international insurance through Aetna and she said we needed to go to admitting.  Upon arriving at admitting they said since it was a national holiday for SA the insurance companies would be closed therefore there was no way to verify my insurance.  If I wanted to be admitted I would have to pay the required amount that they estimated for my inpatient hospital stay and they would have to find a doctor that would agree to admit me as a private pay patient.

      I was pretty concerned about the pneumonia and was willing to pay whatever was needed to get treatment.  I was pretty shocked when Admitting came back 5 minutes later and said I would need to pay $2,000 upfront for what they expected to be a 4 days hospital stay.  I had to hold back the laughter at the thought of getting such cheap care.  I said yes or course and then luckily there was a great doctor would who take me on as a private pay patient.  I asked Admitting what the options are for someone who can’t pay and they said, “you would have to find a hospital and a doctor that would take you”.  I thought the prices were possibly so cheap because of government assistance but Admitting said no, they don’t provide any free care here and everything has to be paid upfront.

      Next thing I know we are headed up to the Medical Ward.  The Main Sister (what a charge nurse is called in the US) said to me “Welcome, stay as long as you want”.  I guess the terms self pay has a totally different meaning in SA compared to the US where a patient would be hurried out of their hospital bed.  I noticed that all over my chart in big red letters was “PVT PT” meaning “private patient”.  Within 2 hours the admitting doctor was in to see me.  He was quite nice and very thorough.  At the end of the exam he said to the Main Sister 3 times, “I want her in a private room as soon as one opens up, she is American”.  Little does he know that in America not all hospital rooms are private, but I was not going to argue. 

Four person hospital room

  

      Twice a day, every day I was visited by Physiotherapist which I figured was a mixture of a Respiratory and Physical Therapist in the US.  The Physiotherapist would do some technique on my back which felt like a hard massage combined with pounding motions to loosen up the infection in my lungs.  I also received nebulizer treatments four times a day and had continual iv antibiotics going.  On the 3rd day after being admitted my labs for H1N1 (the swine flu) came back and were positive.  Then I was moved to a private room and everyone had to wear a mask when entering my room.  Adalyn was not too keen on wearing a mask so when she visited I wore one instead.  Luckily the treatment for H1N1 is just a pill.

      On my 5^th day there, the doctor said I was done with my iv antibiotics and asked if I would like to stay longer or go home.  I guess if you are paying of course they want you to stay, but I choose to go home.  He wrote out prescriptions for 3 medications and we took them down to the pharmacy within the hospital and they were filled for free!   Now there is a thought, if you want your patients to continue their course of meds, I am sure giving them out free after discharge would do it.

      Overall the care I received was very similar to US hospitals but I thought I would notate the differences and similarities.

Differences I noticed between SA and US hospitals:

In SA:

HIPPA does not exist.  There is a list at the front desk when you walk in telling you who is admitted and what room they are in.  Charts are also kept in the rooms, but not locked so if I was nosey I could have read someone else’s chart I guess.

Hopsital beds are manual

No Kleenex is kept in the rooms

No Wifi and only 8 tv channels (lucky enough there were 2 in English)

No hospital gowns, you wear your own clothes

Strict visiting hours (1/2 hour at 11, ½ hour at 3 and an hour at 7).  They ring a bell when visiting hours are over.  Thankfully in my private room we did not have to abide by these hours.

Medicine is kept in a locked cabinet in your room

No electronic charting

Similarities I noticed between SA and US hospitals:

Care was very much the same

Medicines and most equipment were the same

Routines were the same, doctors rounded in the morning, orders went out and then treatment started.

Visited by nurses all the time, even student nurses

They woke you up early for labs

The biggest difference I noticed was not in the care, I received wonderful care and would not be concerned about having to go back if something else came up in the future.  My shock was with the cost of care.  To sum it up:

$200 ER visit for 5 hours of care and 2 iv antibiotics

$60 for 5 prescriptions

$30 ER follow up visit

$54 chest x-ray

$1,500 for inpatient stay (Admitting would not let me be discharged until I settled my bill with the financial dept.  I of course thought, “okay, this is where they tell me the huge amount I owe”.  But instead he said, “we owe you a $500 credit as you overpaid and we want to make sure you get your refund before you leave”.  I was shocked and welcomed the refund.
$842 for inpatient labs

$172 for the Physiotherapist treatment (8 treatments)

$198 for the Doctor’s care (5 days of visits)

Totaling $3,056 for 5 days of good inpatient care

*for most of my bills, if I paid within 30 days, I would get a 20-40% discount. 

      I don’t know where else in the world you can get good care by even American standards for that amount.  I have submitted by receipts to Aetna so we will see how they process SA claims, or if they can understand them as some words are not in English.  I am very thankful to Wilger’s Hospital, Dr. Venter and the ER doctor for providing great care to someone who is very familiar with US hospitals and quite skeptical of care outside the US.  They have proven themselves to be a good option and my view point has changed.  I think it would be cheaper for self-pay US citizens to fly first class to SA than it is to go to a US Hospital for the same care.      

A little spare change goes a long way

          I have found that if there is a way to make money, the people of South Africa have figured it out.   For instance, in America when you back out of a parking lot, you pretty much look through your mirrors and guide yourself out.  Well apparently that is too much work for South Africans because here in Pretoria, there is a guy in every row of every parking lot who will not only find you a spot to park in, but he will watch over your car and help you back out of your spot for a small tip of 10 cents.  And if you like he will help you load your groceries into your truck and return the shopping cart to the store whom he does not work for.  I have not quite gotten used to this help but I am sure over time I will wander what my car mirrors are even for.

Parking guide

          There are also several family friendly restaurants here that have playgrounds/game stations/trampolines/movies right next to the tables so your kids can play while they eat.  Located at these playgrounds are Child Watch Attendants who for a small tip (approx. $1) will not only watch your child play but will also play with them.  They seem to really be enjoying themselves playing with your kids and will even bring them back to you if they start crying.  I have seen these workers playing with school aged children all the way down to carrying infants around so the parents can enjoy a meal to themselves.  There are stations for kid’s to make pizzas so it is a pretty interactive dinner.  Now tipping is suggested but the restaurant does not charge for this service which is amazing.  A side bar about tipping, the standard tip for your waiter is 10% here and there is about 1 waiter per table.  

Kid's area for pizza making (we came early on a Sunday so it was pretty empty)

          While you go shopping at the mall in the US what is your car doing?  Normally it just sits there heating up in the sun.  But not here in South Africa.  There is an option to get your car washed, waxed and detailed while you shop for about $6 and then they will return it to the spot you parked in.  Fantastic service and a time saver for sure.  But if you do choose to go to a stand-alone car wash, you can entertain your kids at the same time because they all seem to have playgrounds and picnic tables right next to them.

          Getting my own gas is a thing of the past.  Here in South Africa you pull up to a gas station in which each pump is manned by a guy who will fill your tank up, wash your windows, check your oil and the tire pressure.  Then once you get your gas, he will either bring the credit card machine to your car door, or you can give him cash which he will take inside and bring you back the change.  But let’s just say you are hungry or thirsty, just tell the gas station guy what you want and he will go get it and bring back your change.  For this fantastic service people typically tip 20-50 cents depending on what you ask him to do.

Gas Station Attendants

Pretty much anything labor related is cheap in South Africa as one friend put it, “when 30 percent of the adult population is unemployed that leaves a large pool of people to hire at a drastically lower rate than US citizens are accustomed to”. 

Scene 1, Take 1 from the movie, "The Help"

         During the first few days I started to think I was living in the movie, “The Help”.  I would walk the streets of the gated community where black Africans would be taking white children to the playground, black Africans would be washing the white owner’s cars, trimming their trees and walking their dogs.  I would pass these black Africans on the street and they would not speak a word to me but if I said hello they would have a gracious smile and reply back.  It is as if there is some unwritten rule that they are not allowed to talk to me until I have spoken to them first.  Did I forget to mention the black Africans taking care of the children and the homes are in 1950s maid uniforms?  It is mind boggling. 

Every morning there is a parade of black Africans walking down the street to work at their respective homes, if they are not live in domestic help.  Then again around 5pm, they walk back to the gates to grab a ride home in a cramped minivan that is the taxi system here.  Sometimes they have their uniforms on and other times they are in about 4 layers of clothing, including blankets because the winter feels colder to them I guess.

There are 3 domestic workers (as they are referred to) working in our temporary home for the owner and those renting from him.  They come in daily to get our dirty laundry to which they wash, dry, and iron.  They will iron our underwear and Adalyn’s pajamas not because we asked but because that is what they have always done.  During their cleaning time in our home, the domestic will wash all the dirty dishes left in the sink, even those I have cleaned and leaving out to dry she will re-wash.  She will strip our beds and launder our sheets while putting new ones on and then places all of Adalyn’s dolls back on the bed.  She cleans the bathroom, the kitchen, the floors and even wipes down the leather couch daily.  I am not sure if she thinks we are just that dirty that everything needs to be cleaned daily or if that is what she has been told to do. 

Two of the domestic workers do not speak any English but the head one does and so does the gardener/handy man who also helps out in the home during the colder months.  Trying to tell those that don’t speak English that they don’t need to clean something is pretty impossible so I just let them have at it.  Since it is winter here and not much gardening needs to be done, the gardener will wash the cars, even the cars who belong to the owner’s friends if they happen to stop by.  He changes light bulbs, helps with the internet and tv functions, you name it he can do it. 

Now when we move into our permanent home, I do plan to hire a domestic worker at least part time.  Since they make next to nothing, approx. $1.50 an hour I figure it is worth it to help them out financially with a job while I get to enjoy life a little more.  I will also get a gardener and pool guy as it is customary here and I know nothing about pools so I need some help in that area.  Our home will not have live in domestic quarters, but it does have a domestic bathroom.  I have not quite figured out why a separate bath is necessary for the domestic help, but we will see.  After being here for 3 weeks with the domestic help cleaning daily, it still feels weird.  I feel like a lazy person who certainly has time to clean but since they keep all the supplies I am a little limited. 

When I told the head domestic lady that we don’t have cleaning help in America she was pretty shocked.  But if am sure if they only cost $1.50 an hour we all would.  Hence the division in society here between those who have a good income and those barely scrapping by.  It is the land of the haves and the have not’s.  I would have included a picture of the domestic workers here for you to see in their uniforms, but I am not quite comfortable enough to ask for a picture or sneak one just yet.  I look forward to seeing what kind of relationship I develop with our domestic help and I hope I make a positive impact.