Who am I and why am I here?

Let me introduce myself. My name is Amanda Calitz and I am a follower of Jesus Christ, a wife, a daughter, a sister, and a friend. I am a teacher and I love my job. I live in Johannesburg, South Africa.

I’ve decided to write this blog because I LOVE traveling and meeting new people. The aim of my blog is to introduce others to the beautiful continent that I live on.

Welcome and make yourself comfortable. It there is anything that you’d like to ask please do.

What my friend from India thinks about South Africa

A new blogger friend of mine, Vasantha Vivek,  gave me her opinion on her experiences when visiting South Africa. She is from India. Please visit her blog you can find it here.

 I hope you enjoy reading her viewpoints.

Question: Why did you decide to come to South Africa?

Answer: To spend the vacation with my hubby, to enjoy the beauty of nature, to have exciting & adventurous trips. 

Question: Did you do any research online about South Africa and what where your challenges? What information was hard to find?

Answer: No, we had collected quite useful information from our friends there and from Internet also.

Question: What places did you visit in South Africa? Aggeneysm Springbok, Cape Town, Johannesburg. Durban, Kimberely …

Question What was a highlight on your trip?

Enjoying wild nature, Zapped by the love of south Africans, Cruise Ride, Helicopter Ride, Visiting Lion’s Park and the list continues …

Question: What was a disappointment? Not so much choices for Veggies in the restaurants

Question: How would you describe the food in South Africa? Mild and tasty …

Question: Was is easy to exchange foreign currency?Yes, no problem

Question: Name 5 places in South Africa that you would recommend visitors to South Africa should see.

Table mountain, Cape Town, Kalagadi National Park, Lions Park & Crocodile Park, Johannesburg, Big Hole, Kimberely, Cape of Good Hope.

Question: Any advice to future visitors to South Africa? Enjoy the nature to the fullest …  But have the safety measures.

I want to thank Vasantha again for her time and effort in answering these questions.

For more tips when visiting South Africa please click here.

Braai day vs Chesa Nyama day

It was heritage day in South Africa yesterday. Some people call it Braai day. I saw a lot of controversial discussions on Twitter and other social media regarding this issue. Some people seems to be offended  about the fact that some people call it Braai day, they seem to think that it takes something away from Heritage day. I thought about this and here is my response. I’m giving MY opinion on why I support both.

South Africa has many different cultures and it is very diverse. I teach children that speak (among others)  the following languages at home: Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, Tswana, Pedi, Shona, English. How do you celebrate everyone’s heritage at once and give everyone ample opportunity to display their rich culture. One thing we have in common is that all of us have to eat and most of us like to cook outside on the fire. Some of us call this event  Chesa Nyama and others calls it Braai.  It creates opportunity to talk around a fire about what is important to me and what I can learn from your culture? I That is why I support both. I see nothing wrong with attending a cultural celebration (where everyone gets a chance to display something about their culture) and having a Chesa Nyama afterwards.  Maybe we should stop calling it Braai day and then start calling it Chesa Nyama day and then alternate every year. Yesterday was Braai day and next year we will have Chesa Nyama day. Maybe this way everyone will be happy?

I am so lucky to live in South Africa and be part of this diverse melting pot of cultures! I am positive about our country and it’s future and am happy that we can celebrate our heritage.