Through My Eyes: 10 Things to Love
and Learn in South Africa
“Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not
so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.”
-Khalil Gibran
1. Languages
I love that South Africa is referred to as “The Rainbow Nation.” The cultural diversity in this
country rivals that of America. There is one difference though; the diversity here is
mostly indigenous! Each indigenous tribe practices its own customs, and speaks entirely different
languages. Add the Afrikaners, English, Indian, and Chinese populations, and immigrants from
various African countries (to name a few) and you’ve got a rainbow of culture under one South
African sky.
The nation has 11 official languages, reduced from the former 13. There are many more
unofficial languages. Within one language, there can be multiple dialects with such variousness
that they can be interpreted as distinct languages all their own.
Where I live, in Limpopo province, I have encountered 8 languages: Sipedi, isiNdebele,
Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Shangaan, Sesotho, Afrikaans, and English. This means that I can travel