SA abroad. What makes you "gatvol"?

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Vango

I hear what you say, Turniton, But the Chinese (Taiwan) are so scr-w-d up that I'm not going to let this bit of luxury slip by to rip into them.
I agree fully with you Waygook, and from what JD said, it seems Chinese are Chinese are Chinese. Nobody except themselves will and can even understand their ways of conduct. It's complete lateral thinking.
What p-sses me off most is their dishonesty and hypocrisy. Up front they seem as the most polite people with the deepest respect for authority, while digging a bit deeper you find you only mean something to them if it can translate to money, and that they have no regard for the law. It's one big mafia of bribing, cheating and backstabbing. However, I've become Chinese-streetwise, and trust them only as far as I can see them. The money here is still good.
The other big thing is that nothing can be read or understood. I've thrown away loads of stuff I bought that didn't turn out to be what I thought it was.
Yes REAL Chinese food is horrible. period. The "Chinese" food served in the West is adapted to make it acceptable for the Western palate. They eat rotten bean curd (fermented proteien) that smells worse than dog sh!t.
Everything is too small. The chairs are too small; tables are too low, rooms are always crowded, streets are too narrow, you'd be lucky to find anything bigger than a size 9 shoe...everything is small!!!
For some reason it's very hard to find deodorant. They don't seem to use it.
Any form of holiday is a waste of time to them. Their only official holliday is Chinese New Year when they all go sit in an overcrowded flat for a week or shoot firecrackers (those that only bang, no light) on the sidewalk to the agony of their pets. The people are restless and doesn't know how to chill. Kids go to cramschools right through their "holidays".
The summer (9 months of the year) is like living inside a wet, dirty, stinking plastic bag, lying rotting in the summer sun.
They fear the sea. The cities are all about 10 km from the shore but not on the shore. Shores are concreted or are dirty mudflats.
Road users are the most selfish and careless I've ever seen. And of course the scooters...MILLIONS of them everywhere!
Taiwan is also the second most densely populated country in the world.
Three good things, though...the money is good, the public transport system is excellent and the 7-11's are everywhere, are open 24 hours and sell beer 24 hours. I guess something has to keep a rudiment of sanity intact.
Where in Taiwan are you, Waygook? I'm in Taichung.

cakes4africa

Here in Germany:
1. the people think they are so b....y marvellous, and every foreigner is dumb. Their schooling system is the pits. No central examination board, so each school marks as they feel fit.
2. rain, rain, rain.
3. why canĀ´t they speak English ? Then they would understand me better.

jack daniels

The first thing that really ticks me off is the constant spitting in public, the horrendous stench in most areas, the crap food,the bloody awfull driving, the lack of courtesy in general, the shouting into cell phones in public places, hell i can go on and on damn didn't realise there were so many things here in Shanghai that got up my nose.

They say your home is were your heart is, mine is on the west coast Langebaan to be exact, when i finally come back home that's were i will park off.

-One Love-

1.the stupidity of the majority of these dumbas$es
2.the speed limit (100km on the highway ONLY)
3.robots practically everywhere...even the highway.
4.laws for basically everything...geez.
5.the doggone heat!

Godessa

The arrogance and ignorance of some of these Americans.
The Lame TV shows.
The pathetic excuse for Biltong called "jerkey"
The bad food (everything is pumped with preservatives and hormones)
Lack of humor
The kak movies that they shove down your throat
The president
Lack of culture
Hypocrisy
intolerance
No sense of community or as Andy put it "Ubuntu"
Kak Slang. The only original thing these people came up with is Mutha F*cka.
The bs they try to sell as news in this place....

I could go on.... but let me just stop here for a moment.

Darth Vader

The hassle of getting the visas renewed. Otherwise I adapt relatively easy. In the middle east I just waste some money sometimes buying things in a sealed packet and when I open it ,it is not what I thought it should be. Very little English on the packaging. Have to learn Arabic and Hebrew writing to get by.

andy

here in America:

1. accent issue=you not understanding them and me not understanding them.

2. how hard it is to find a good job

3. food

4. unfriendly, arrogant, one-minded people

5. unpredictable weather

6. uncultured

7. no "ubuntu"

Ladybird

I agree 100% with cakes4africa.
In Germany I hate the weather.
Hate the fact that people canĀ´t even understand English never mind speaking it.
That the children is running around with funky hairstyles and funny hair color at the age of 10.
And all the children tries to look like rappers....
And their constant complaining about everything!!!!!!!!!

sebe

Here in Oz........
- the driving...it's real scary when the country's full of traffic circles and nobody knows how to use them properly
- the lack of customer service in major stores

the plus side tho...is that Aussies are amongst the friendliest people around..except for the racist ex pats..

General Proud

dunno yet. emigrating soon. watch this space....

Marrs Attack

have to agree with lady bird.

here in germany, the locals complain about everything.
everyone is so image conscious.
there is over 80 million people living in a country 3 times smaller than SA.
theres no open spaces like in SA where you can go for a drive and just get away from everyone.
this is truly the shittiest country ive ever lived in.

BRING ON SA !!!!!!!

L.R

The goverment, the crime, and my boring little town where drinking is the only fun

Commodore

1. The weather, especially the constant wet.
2. The claustrophobic style of houses, units and flats.
3. The wooden walling between you and the flat next door.
4. The amount of people needing counselling for petty issues
in life which in Africa, is just part of living.
5. The lack of humour, or rather 'dry' humour.
6. Expenses, rents etc. are payable weekly.
7. The fact that I am so far away from the rest of my family.
8. Sometimes my job, the reality of crime that I have to deal
with everyday, trying to stay sane.
9. The fact that I may come back to SA only to have to leave
again.

jo v

uhm L.R I think we might be living in the same town.....lol

london.oval

I have issues with England guys, but what strikes me as vaguely amusing is that everything that is wrong with the country you live in is also what is wrong with SA.

Perhaps magnified but definitely the same issues exactly.

Personally if it got warmer here and not so F*****n freezing in winter England would, I guess be Okay but never Cape Town.

Brad Morris 9

No complaints in the USA buddy.

ox_monzy_xo

excuse my stupidity...wtf is gatvol?

romeoitaly

Sheeesh, what a lot of *****!ng and moaning.

Immigrating is not easy, but carrying on like that youĀ´re not opening yourself up at all to new opportunities and experiences.

South Africans are used to one type culture of course, but speaking like that youĀ´re complaining about the exact same things which you are doing.

Of course the weatherĀ´s cr@p in Germany and England - hello, itĀ´s Northern Europe, surely you knew that before you decided to go there?
Of course they speak German in Germany and not that much English!! Although I can assure you there are a lot more Germans who speak English than English who speak German.
Driving - there are over 12 000 deaths on the road in SA which is many many many times higher than Australia or any country in Europe.
Space - something which SA is running out of as well, but like anywhere in the world thereĀ´s more of it outside the cities.
Schooling - do you really want to compare?
Too many laws - do you really want to go there.

Yes, immigrating is tough, it takes character to succeed, but I guess Some were just not cut out for it.

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