Living In South Africa: 8 Culture Shocks 🤯 That Caught Me Off Guard ✅

Added: 2026-05-31

[00:00:00]I've been living in South Africa, and there are a few culture shocks. Number eight is going to surprise you. My name is Ashley. On my channel Ashley in Africa, I talk about my experience of living and doing business here on the continent of Africa. If that sounds interesting to you, please be sure to subscribe to the channel, like this video, and share it with someone else who would find value in it. So, the first thing kind of surprising, but not really, paper towels are not really a thing. So, I bought paper towels for the first time in forever. They're not really a thing on the continent, I think, in general.

[00:00:36]It feels very wasteful, and most people just use like towels.

[00:00:41]And so, I remember when I was living in the US, I would buy these big like 30-pack of towels, like paper towels, the super rolls, and we would go through those like really quickly. I hated going through them as fast as I would go through them, but paper towels were used for everything, and they're not really a thing here. Um they're very flimsy, and I don't even know why I bought them because I don't even use them. It's like they're just sitting on my counter, but they're not a thing. You just I just started getting my groceries delivered. I would call my girlfriend every time I was on my way to the grocery store or in the grocery store, and I swear it was like a thing every 3 days a week. And since I'm not driving, the cost of an Uber to go to and from the grocery store is more expensive than me just ordering my groceries.

[00:01:32]So, I order my groceries, whether it's from Woolies or Checkers. Those are the places that I order from. And I've also been ordering from Takealot, which is the South African version of Amazon, but I hear Amazon is also here, so I need to get up on that. But, it's definitely been um a great thing, specifically in shifting from Tanzania, that it's a great luxury to have. I'm buying back my time and like getting things done where I don't have to, you know, spend time doing those things. And I love that. I even get gas tanks delivered.

[00:02:05]So, for my gas heater or for the gas stove for load shedding purposes, which I haven't really used lately. South Africa, the load shedding has gotten so much better. I am getting those things delivered.

[00:02:20]And it's it's been it's been a great saver of time. As you can also see here, my heater.

[00:02:26]Number three, it's cold. Now, this is relative because depending on where you're coming from, I was coming from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, very much close to the equator.

[00:02:37]It was warm all the time, 80 90° Fahrenheit, 20 22° C. And coming here, it's been a lot. Y'all see me in this turtleneck all the time because I'm still going through it. I've been drinking my coffee and tea because I just want something warm in my hands and even my hands right now are cold, but it's definitely been a culture shock. The fourth thing, school breaks are like a month long here.

[00:03:11]Like a whole month. What do the kids do?

[00:03:13]I mean, I've been making activities as you guys saw some of my posts of on Instagram. If you're not following me on Instagram, go ahead and follow me over there where you see I took my girls on the red bus tour, we went to Soweto for the day, we did the Apartheid Museum.

[00:03:29]Like I find things for us to do. We went to Fourways Market. But like what do like cuz camps are not a big thing here, I'm noticing. Um huge opportunity for business if you are, you know, really great with kids and you want to do something. Summer camps and break camps aren't really a thing. I just came from a place that I'm I'm to speak about actually in number nine, where there are things to do with the kids, but camp's not a thing. So, what do y'all do, family?

[00:03:59]South African family, what do y'all do with the kids when they're on break? I'd love to know, cuz they're mad long.

[00:04:05]Number five, I love this one. If this is resonating, please be sure to like it.

[00:04:11]If it's helpful, please be sure to like it and share it with someone who would find value in it. This was my favorite thing. The holidays here are plentiful, but they're so familiar as like so familiar to African-American holidays in the US. So, specifically Youth Day.

[00:04:28]I spent Youth Day in Soweto with my girls and uh it was just so dope. Like, there was a um there were parades happening, people, you know, with the drum lines, with the horns. There was like a group of kids that were running down the Vilakazi Street on their um skateboards. There was like a crew of um motorcyclists.

[00:04:53]Like, it just felt like I was back in the States. It was so familiar, so heartwarming.

[00:05:00]People in their lawn chairs on the sidewalk with their coolers, just hanging out, music playing, chilling, kids everywhere. Man, it was just wow.

[00:05:12]It was emotional. And grooves, people were vibing. It was it was so dope. So, that was a culture shock for the positive, obviously, and all of these right, are really positive. Um but that one, man, that was a favorite.

[00:05:28]Number six, flights within the country are pretty affordable. I mean, again, this is relative and I do represent um I think, you know, working in consulting abroad, I do represent a community of people that has an an you know, a decent amount of dispensable income. And given that, flying in domestically in [laughter] South Africa feels really affordable. I mean, I was able to catch a flight for 48 hours to Cape Town. You might have saw that video. I'll link it below.

[00:06:05]And last minute, my flight was less than $100 round trip. And that was pretty affordable given the fact that it was last minute. There seems to be like a shuttle plane flight Safeair that flies multiple times. And for people that are commuting in between provinces, doing business in either Cape Town or Johannesburg, the flights are really convenient. And so, that's not a thing in the US. Like flying domestically in the US can be thousands of dollars. Just depends on where you're going. So, that was really awesome to to see. It was a great culture shock. And definitely booking plans to travel domestically in South Africa very soon.

[00:06:53]Right, I had to get my son right. I had to get my lighting right. Okay. The last thing, not the last thing. Actually, I have a few more. If you're enjoying this video, please like it and subscribe.

[00:07:04]Y'all be in the comments doing all types of stuff and not subscribed to the channel. If you're not subscribed, subscribe to the channel.

[00:07:13]Y'all be in the comments making all types of comments and not subscribed.

[00:07:16]So, subscribe to the channel. Please, I'd love to have you as a part of the family.

[00:07:22]Next thing. And this isn't really that surprising, but being here, seeing it firsthand, it has been. So, South Africans are very critical of their country. Like for real for real.

[00:07:36]South Africans, I love the patriotism. I love the political awareness, the geopolitical awareness. Like, it really has encouraged me to learn more about the history, um, learn more about the bipartisan relationships, like just to understand more about the position South Africa holds on like here on the continent, but on a global stage.

[00:08:03]And that's come from being in conversations with South Africans that are very keen, very aware as of what's happening with their country, very critical, you know, with um a lens of passion, also and desire for the betterment of their country. And I I think that that's admirable. I think that's necessary because they have a beautiful country. Y'all have a beautiful country here and it's it's a must that that we fight for it, that you fight for it, that y'all let people like us come into your country and support us and help to support, you know, the desires that that we have as diasporans returning to the continent. I mean, South Africa is really a place of patriots, a place a place of people that are serious about their country. That's something that I've learned. My favorite My favorite of all things that I love about South Africans, y'all love y'all some trinkets, some sprinkle sprinkle, like the finer things, the cars, the cribs, the art, the dining, the spas, the real estate, the tourism, the luxury is just incredible. And South Africans enjoy it.

[00:09:20]And you don't have to be at the top of the income level to enjoy these type of experiences.

[00:09:26]Um South African women are fly, honey. The men are fly. The hairdos, the the the wardrobe, everything is just amazing. The coffee, the wine. I mean, I could go on and on. I could go on and on. I am enamored with how South Africans are about their lifestyle. And you know, that's my favorite thing so far, my favorite culture shock of all um since living here in South Africa.

[00:10:01]And [snorts] the last thing, there are so many things to do here uh with children.

[00:10:09]Y'all see me, I'm always with my girls, I'm always with my daughters. We are going everywhere and whether it's restaurants, the mall, um I actually just became a member of a golf club and there's great things to do with the girls there. I mean, art events. You can there's literally everywhere you go, the children are welcome. So, if you're a mother, if you're a father, if you're a family, and you're looking for a metropolitan, cosmopolitan city, Johannesburg in South Africa is a great place to be. If you're young, you're working, um you're building a business, you're consulting for big businesses, and you have children, and you want them to be a part of that vibrant lifestyle, Johannesburg, South Africa absolutely supports that. I hope you found that valuable. I've recently relaunched my travel guide with expat extras for those that have an interest in living or spending extended time here in Johannesburg. So, I'll leave that in the comments below. Visit that link. It includes my personal recommendations of neighborhoods, my favorite schools, as well as my recommendations for realtors um that are renting short-term and long-term rentals, as well as selling property. So, if that sounds interesting, please be sure to visit that link in the comments to get and grab your copy of my travel guide. So, I hope that video was helpful. If you found it inspirational or enjoyable or informative, leave me a like and share it with someone who would find value. So, until the next video, I'll see you soon.