Embracing surprising cultural differences in Cape Town

Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA – Nappies. Left-side driving. Jol.

If I had to sum up my almost two weeks spent in South Africa, those are some of the words I’d use.

I went to Cape Town, the southernmost city in Africa, to attend Youth Journalism International’s fourth annual Global Conference.

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Having watched loads of school kids dancing to “Amapiano” years prior and viewing documentaries about the country, I thought I had a bit of an idea of what South Africa would be like.

Still, I wasn’t prepared for the differences between Maryland, U.S.A. and South Africa.

I expected Cape Town to be one of those chaotic cities like D.C. or New York, but it seemed chill, yet lively, overall.

The birds flew so close to me, I thought I would get hit by one. And the animals never ran away from me like they do in the U.S.

I felt welcomed by the wildlife and found some of my happiest moments admiring the squirrels and seagulls I frequently saw up close.

In South Africa, I learned that a lot of people drive on the left side of the road and in cars, the steering wheel is on the right side.

I had never seen this before as the U.S. drives on the right side of the road and the steering wheels are on the left.

I was also surprised by how close cars got to each other when driving.

But, the biggest shocker for me was the bathrooms.

Unlike the U.S., the bathroom stalls in South Africa are closet-like with full doors and narrower stall space.

The surprises didn’t stop with the city.

Surrounded by students from the U.K., Germany, Egypt, Pakistan, Ghana and Madagascar, I learned a variety of terms and took a piece of everyone’s culture home with me.

YJI students with flags from their countries at the 2025 Global Conference in Cape Town. Back row, from left: Tahiry Andrianotahiana from Madagascar, Ahmed Elkhamisy from Egypt, Mayama Opare from Ghana, Norah Springborn from the United States, Gemma Christie from England, Lina Marie Schulenkorf from Germany, Dorothy Quanteh from the U.S. and Anya Farooqui from Pakistan. Front row: Shiara Naveen from the U.S., Annamika Konkola from the U.S., Holly Hostettler-Davies from Wales, Akhona Alwar from South Africa and Anjola Fashawe from London. (YJI photo)

I learned that Habibi – an Arabic word I had heard a lot before – meant ‘my love’ and that baby diapers in South Africa are called nappies. I learned that “salama” means “hi” in Malagasy.

I got my toes cracked doing a German dance and lost multiple rounds in an Egyptian card game.

I even developed a UK accent in less than two weeks (my favorite word is Chester).

Although I haven’t accidentally driven on the left side of the road, I find myself incorporating all of the beautiful things I was surprised by and learned while in South Africa into my life in Maryland.

Dorothy Quanteh is a Reporter with Youth Journalism International from the United States. She wrote this article.

Lina Marie Schulenkorf is a Senior Reporter with Youth Journalism International from Germany. She contributed the photo at the top.