I think it's been a while since I've posted on the differences between the US and Swaziland. So I thought I'd share a few things that aren't particularly common in the US.
1) There's a billboard on the road to Manzini. It's an advertisement for a bank, trying to attract customers. The thing you wouldn't recognize is the statement, "Sign up for an account today and be entered for a chance to win two cows!" Even in Wisconsin, cows are not typically used as prizes for drawings related to banks.
2) People walk on the sides of the highway. Well, actually, people walk on the sides of every street. But the thing that separates Swaziland from the US is the amount of people who walk and hitchhike from city to city. In fact, so many people try to walk across the highway that the government has put barbed wire fences up in the highway median. Basically, if you don't have a car (which many Swazis do not), you walk or wait by the road for someone to pick you up. It works surprisingly well.
3) An intersection without a gas station. This is kind of a converse, but I think it's worth noting. In the US, every highway exit has 1-3 gas stations and you're never too far from one. Here, there are only about 3 gas stations in Mbabane and once you get on the highway you're out of luck until Manzini. On the question of whether this has ever been a problem for me, I'll exercise my 5th amendment right.
Have a good weekend,
-Ben
No comments:
Post a Comment