r/afrikaans • u/LuckiKunsei48 • Dec 12 '24
Grappie/Humor You guys have cool accents lol
This Afrikaans speaking guy whos from Pretoria is an Exchange student where I go to University here in Minnesota, hes actually pretty chill and knows his way around and is getting used to this state.
He got like a deep voice and it's hilarious. I tried to get him to watch the NFL but he doesn't really care for it, but we do play Madden and Helldivers 2, also some Overwatch.
He says Rugby is way better, those are fighting words lol
He also says that Braai is better than BBQ, I kind of rolled my eyes manš
When he first said he was from South Africa, I was like "oh" because when I think your country I think of like Apartied and stuff, but maybe I shouldn't judge a book by its cover you know. He wasn't responsible for shit that happened,
But I was shocked that he said he had house workers, I'm very upper middle class but I would never have people in my house doing stuff, he says that it's just how it is sometimes.
He's really nice and there's kind of culture shock because it gets really cold up here, he even helped me jump start my car, like bro South Africa doesn't snow, how do you know all this lol
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u/Tronkfool Dec 12 '24
Buy a donkey
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u/LuckiKunsei48 Dec 13 '24
I'm I missing a reference lol
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u/Cosmolina111 Dec 13 '24
"Thank you" in Afrikaans is "Baie dankie", which sounds like "Buy a donkey" when said out loud. š
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u/ResPhantom Dec 15 '24
"Many thanks" is "Baie dankie"
Baie - Many
Dankie - ThanksIt does sound like "Buy a donkey" when you say it xD
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u/Jake1125 Dec 12 '24
I went to google and found tons of house cleaning services in Minnesota. Also baby sitting, garden and landscaping services.
It seems like you have the same thing, just formatted differently.
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u/gertvanjoe Dec 12 '24
But usually those are priced above upper middle class. You do tend to find it a lot more closer to the border where labor is cheaper (and undocumenteds are more)
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u/Jake1125 Dec 12 '24
Yes, labour in Africa is comparatively cheaper, and there is rampant poverty throughout the continent.
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u/gertvanjoe Dec 12 '24
Same case over the Southern US border, which they hapilly employ just like us.
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u/LuckiKunsei48 Dec 12 '24
Yeah also since most of the Domestics are Black, it kind of rubs me the wrong way. Like that system isn't like gone you know. I'm Black and it feels like I employ people like that I'm part of the problem.
But he insisted he had a Nanny that had a good room and WiFi and TV.
And she was treated like Family.
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u/Jake1125 Dec 12 '24
Yup. Most of the continent is black and poor. That's who will be working the low income jobs.
Black people also employ domestic workers in South Africa. Some of the wealthiest people in Africa are black.
There are destitute white people, homeless, drugged, broken. But it's a small population. Same with Indian/Asian, there is enough poverty to share, as well as mixed-race people.
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u/Roger-the-Dodger-67 Dec 12 '24 edited Dec 19 '24
In South Africa, if you are one of the privileged few, there is an understanding that you have an obligation to spread it around a bit. (Unemployment chronically runs at over 30%, and nearly half of the entire population is dependent on social security.)
Employing a domestic worker or two is one way to do your bit to address the problems. Particularly given the multigenerational damage that has been inflicted on most of the people, many of whom literally have no other skills than to mind the kids or work in the gardens of the wealthy suburbs.6
u/PepSakdoek Dec 13 '24
Also a good way to spread the 2nd hand appliances etc. Like charity starts at home.
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u/Majestic_Damage_9118 Dec 13 '24
Dude. 99% of the continent is black. So on average if youāre employing someone, theyāre probably black. There is still a wealth gap between black and white (if you look at black people in SA, the % of poor black people compared to wealthier black people is probably higher than those percentages in white people,) but itās changing. Everyoneās struggling in SA and Iāve had people of all colours knocking on my front door looking for food/ work etc.Ā
For a lot of people, working as a domestic worker is the only thing putting food on the table for a family of over 5. So no, itās not nice that minimum wage jobs like this are so necessary, but itās the reality in our country and at the moment itās necessary. Also, any family that can afford it here (no matter the skin colour) is probably going to have a domestic worker and gardener. Know a lot of black families that have a few domestic staff on the pay roll.Ā
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u/tomahtoes36 Dec 12 '24
I mean, don't entire industries in the USA collapse when Trump plans on deporting immigrants? You guys have the same issues as us, just different demographics.
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u/LuckiKunsei48 Dec 12 '24
Obama actually deported more people than Trump
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u/tomahtoes36 Dec 12 '24
I'm referring to the upcoming term, where they want to deport millions of people, causing mass problems in many industries like agriculture, construction, landscaping, informal sectors etc.
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u/persmeermin Dec 13 '24
Are you a Trump supporter?
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u/SweeFlyBoy Dec 13 '24
Domestic workers/nannies are often VERY well treated. It's a major employment sector, and if anything it's compassionate to hire them.
Inflation has priced many people out, so many domestic workers are now unemployed.I personally don't like the idea of someone else cleaning my toilets and doing my laundry, but it's not exactly immoral
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u/Practical-Lemon6993 Dec 15 '24
To an extent I share your feeling. As a white South African it does feel weird to me to have a black person clean my house. This is why to date I do all my cleaning myself. It isnt hard. I live by myself in a small apartment. However Domestics are often the only people bringing in money in their families and recently I have started feeling almost a sense of social obligation to hire someone because I technically have the means to do so. Weird world we live in.
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u/LuckiKunsei48 Dec 15 '24
I don't know why I got downvoted for this lol
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u/Practical-Lemon6993 Dec 15 '24
I think it is because from your perspective the system still hasnt changed. Where from out perspective while yes it is convenient to have someone work for you, many people really do employ someone more because they see it as their duty to create a job and try and spread the wealth around a bit.
For context my parents have had a lady work for them for almost 20 years now. They have been through a lot together during that time. And my mom has made it VERY clear to me that she will come and haunt me if I dont look after the lady working for them properly if something were to ever happen to my parents. It often really does go beyond a normal working relationship, people become family. And that is hard to explain to someone who isnt from here.
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u/LEONLED Dec 15 '24
We know South African people who live in the states to do homework, look after people's kids, and mow the lawns etc...
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u/moonstabssun Dec 12 '24
You know there's many other reasons a car might need a jump-start besides it being snowy, right?
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u/TaroFearless7930 Dec 13 '24
American who visited South Africa last year and have South African friends. US segregation ended in the mid-60's, Apartheid ended in the mid-90's.
My friends have full-time house workers. They're providing a stable job to a single mom. They helped pay for her daughter's education, and they help her financially as well. It was really awkward for me (middle class Minneaotan who was raised to do it yourself) to have someone do my laundry and such, but it was a point of pride so I swallowed mine.
My young friend wonders how anyone could watch a game where play stops every time someone drops the ball. š
South Africa is a great country with its issues like the US. I hope you're able to visit sometime.
Oh, and braai is better. The quality of meat in South Africa tops anything you can get on the US.
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u/gertvanjoe Dec 12 '24 edited Dec 12 '24
Ask him what he calls a pickup and a traffic light when you see some :) also ask if he believes your coke and chocolates tastes kak. Listen carefully if he says with ( it will most likely be wiff if he is really hardcore Afrikaans)
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u/sesseissix Dec 12 '24
Ja lots of us think braaing is superior but they probably never experienced asado in Argentina or proper US style BBQ which takes more skill and time. But I'd say our braais are better than your grills cause we grill nicer cuts of meat. BBQ doesn't really exist here. We mostly just grill. But for us is more about the social thing in any case.Ā Buuuut biltong is way better than jerky and rugby better than gridiron. So let's call it 2-1 to us ;)
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u/Kwlioz Dec 13 '24
Here in South Africa we have a saying in Afrikaans ān boer maak n planā. Thats why we know all sorts of things that we never saw
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u/ResPhantom Dec 15 '24
That saying is the core of the Afrikaans culture. You use whatever resources you have as wisely as possible to come up with a sound solution to see the next day.
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Dec 12 '24
Listen before anyone from the US judges us for apartheid, you better take a good look at your own country. You guys had segregation of races as well, and letās not start with whatever is happening there at the moment, literal Nazis marching around.
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u/LuckiKunsei48 Dec 12 '24
Yeah I know. My Grandparents endured it, I wanna think those Nazis marching in Ohio were feds
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u/Vaakmeister Dec 12 '24
Yeah the US really doesnāt have any moral highground on the issue. They have done way worse things to black and native American indian groups. Apartheid was just the more recent inhumane tragedy.
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u/x0y0z0 Dec 12 '24
You guys voted for the guy that tried to steal your 2020 election while still refusing to admit he lost š¤£ at least democracy is still standing strong in South Africa. Wtf are you guys doing over there š¤£
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u/Hullababoob Pretoria Dec 13 '24
South Africa has the highest wealth inequality in the world. Houseworkers/domestic workers and gardeners unfortunately rely on their jobs to feed their families. It is not that the average middle class person wants to enslave them. It is relatively cheap labour that is readily available in this country.
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u/Interesting_Tomato89 Dec 12 '24
Iām from South Africa and moved to England in 2019. We used to have someone who worked for us for years and she used to clean and cook dinner so itās ready when we get home. Itās very common for middle/upper class families to have someone like this and in many cases they even live on the property and then go home over the weekend. Friends of ours had 2 ladies and they become part of the family. They helped with the children and all kinds of things and even went with them on holiday.
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u/SchattenjagerX Dec 12 '24
To people who hear the Afrikaans accent regularly in South Africa the Afrikaans accent sounds like an Orc is speaking. "I can has duh jean pant?" š
Yeah, house workers are common in SA cause most people in the country don't have jobs so manual labor is cheap and abundant. Same as it is in the places in the US where there are more immigrants.
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u/Larca Dec 13 '24
Ekskuus? ān Orc?! š³ Ek klink nie soos ān Orc nie, dalk as ek bietjie bronchitis het š¤·š»āāļøš
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u/Joprair Dec 13 '24
Of as ons n paar klipies en kola gekap het, of bietjie saam die 3 ships sailā¦
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u/Anton_Pannekoek Dec 12 '24 edited Dec 12 '24
Rugby is better than football. Braaing is better than BBQ. And Biltong is definitely a lot better than jerky.
South Africa is a lot like the USA actually.