Things I’ve stopped feeling since moving to New Zealand
Locking my car doors as I get in
In South Africa, it’s common sense to keep your car doors locked at all times. I was in the habit of getting into the car, starting the engine, and locking the doors (with my elbow).
I’d feel vulnerable driving around with unlocked doors.
Why I stopped : It just feels unnecessary here. (And the locking mechanism in our current car requires more than an elbow!)
Closing all the windows when I leave the house
Likewise, South African street-smarts dictate that you don’t leave possible entry points to your home accessible. We’d feel nervous about leaving windows even slightly open in our bedroom at night, and wouldn’t think of leaving un-barred windows open at all, while we weren’t present.
Why I stopped : Again, it feels unnecessary. Sure, there’s still opportunistic crime here, but I feel less “paranoid”, and more trusting of my fellow man, since leaving South Africa.
Driving around the block when I notice the car behind me taking the same route I am
I used to be proud of this one - it made me feel like a spy :) - While approaching home, if I noticed that the car behind me had taken the same route for a while, I’d avoid my house, and drive around the block until it turned off. This was on the (quite plausible) assumption that there were bad men in that car, who’d jump out and attack me as soon as I’d opened up my gates and doors, giving them access to my home.
Why I stopped : I felt silly the first couple of times I did it. We don’t have a big electric fence and gate here, which would otherwise making coming-home time the ideal moment to attack. If somebody really wanted to rob our house, they’d do it while we’re not around, to minimize the (significant) risk of being caught.
Summary
Kiwis will all tell you that New Zealand is not without crime. It’s true. But their crime level, and their national awareness of crime, is far, far lower than what we were used to in South Africa. Maybe it’s normal, but it sure makes you realize how abnormally dangerous South Africa felt.
Note: I’ve used the word “feel” six times above, because that’s what I’m noticing: How safe I feel, not necessarily how safe I am.
I don’t have relevant data (corresponding crime and resolution statistics) to make an accurate factual comparison.
Jun 6th, 2008 at 8:33 am
Hi David,
What a masterful post!!! — in fact, it resonated with me quite strongly, because — bizarrely enough — I’ve spent significant amounts of time in *both* NZ & SA. I can totally identify with everything you’ve written here, in so many ways it’s uncanny.
Admittedly, when I was in Jo’burg (for a total of three months), I really didn’t feel threatened. Most of the work I was doing there involved the collaboration of local black and “coloured” citizens, so I didn’t really look over my back as much at what was coming my way. I spent time in shebeens (i.e. “speakeasies”), fun times in Soweto (three times), and even have pictures of me sparring with 3-time world champ “Baby” Jake Matlala in his gym in the “loxion” (township, for those not from S.A.).
In retrospect, think I’m certifiably nuts, because I used to take the public blue taxis in Jo’burg, used to walk around the streets in Jo’burg on my way to the mall and back to the Wanderers Cricket Grounds (where I was living)…and even to the 24-hour gym at 2am sometimes. I think the hotel management, my own staff, my actors, my crew, and all concerned thought I was totally starkers to have done all that.
In NZ, a majorly different feel.
Like Simon Young reminded me once when in NZ — “the Beatles came here in the ’60s and said NZ reminds them of the English countryside circa 1700.” Hehe, sometimes (though much less so) so true…
For one, in NZ the physical specimens are positively massive…just think about how many hundreds of pounds some of local Maori weigh and how quickly someone in an, um…enraged situation can crush mere mortals like us, and, well the fear factor should be much stronger down there then in S.A. But it isn’t. The giants are gentle. The anger is not as prevalent.
But I suppose the shocking thing about living in today’s S.A. is the sheer proliferation of violent crimes, guns, knives, and all the random shootings. One of my production assistants was kidnapped by a gang of “coloured” thugs on her way back to the hotel visiting me in Cape Town, held at gunpoint, and dropped off in the middle of the street somewhere in the Cape, terrified. She was never the same after that.
I meet many white South Africans who visit Prague in search of a new home…one lady I’ve recently met has been asking about income opportunities…
Another memory: I once tried walking about downtown Cape Town as well — at night, eightish — as I’d done during the daylight hours back in Jo’burg…a short walk from of my hotel, some shouting down the dark alley a minute or two later, and I was hotfooting it faster than Usain Bolt back to my inner confines. Again, the hotel staff where I was staying thought I was completely off my rocker.
I guess the main aim in doing all of that for me was the refusal to be mortified…to not want to deny myself anything, to live in hesitation all the time. I suppose I also felt somewhat emboldened — as I mentioned — because many of my professional colleagues were black South Africans, and moreover, men and women who had spent the apartheid period living in other parts of the world (egs. UK, US, Canada, etc.)
I miss both of the places very much, South Africa especially. I had such fun there…
As for NZ, it’s a wonderful place for families, sweet as for business and especially high-tech concerns, but way off the beaten track if you like to take weekend trips to the sea, or for a dollop of culture. Europe makes all of that accessible, frankly, and it’d take something magnificent to get me to uproot myself from the Grand Old Continent once again. I don’t see those days coming soon.
As I said, wicked post, bro. Brilliant job.
–ADM
adamdanielmezeis last blog post..Amazing Splendid Thoughts — June 06, 2008 — A Czech Government *For* Its Citizens? Hell no!
Jun 9th, 2008 at 1:35 am
You really did that? Drive around the block if you noticed someone on the same route as you? Gosh, here in small-town USA, I’d NEVER actually get to pull in my driveway if I did that.
Dorys last blog post..Home Sweet Home
Jun 9th, 2008 at 6:45 am
Absolutely! :) I did it about three times here in NZ, before it felt unnecessary.
I did it about fortnightly in South Africa, and it always felt necessary!
Jun 24th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
Another spot-on post. I’ve never been to South Africa but coming from midtown Atlanta, USA, I feel a million times safer in NZ. It’s not like something bad couldn’t happen here (one of our acquaintances here had his home burglarized last year) but there is not the same culture of fear. I used to set our home alarm and still return nervous and afraid of what I’d find since break-ins were pretty common in our neighborhood. Here I often leave the back door unlocked just because it’s not a worry on my mind.
Another thing I love is how in the afternoon Dunedin fills with kids of all ages … walking, biking, taking the bus, hanging out with their friends downtown and in all of the neighborhoods. I love that their parents feel secure enough to let them have that kind of autonomy. I’m sure this sense of security still exists in some small towns in the US, but in my experience it is long gone in most communities of any size.
Shanas last blog post..Three weeks. Three continents. One carry-on bag.
Jul 10th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
I must say excellent post there. I also lived in N.Z for a year, and in Australia before and after so i have quite a good understanding about what it feels like to go through the confusion of people not locking doors and cars and such. the first week i was there, i was running around after people closing and locking doors both in the house as well as in the car. it took quite some getting used to, and in the end when i came back to S.A, people were running after me to lock the doors in house and car.
The biggest difference is not that they don’t have crime there, cause they do, it the fact that the violent crimes are don’t virtually exist. If someone is going to steal your car, they will wait for you to be asleep, or not around, they won’t just pull out a gun, tear you from your car and shoot at you while you try to run away. Rape is almost never heard of, whereas here it happens every 26 seconds.
The only problem i find, not that it is a real problem, is that everyone is so nice and polite that there is no real way to release your frustrations. But as i said that isn’t really a problem, as there are very little frustrations around.
I must admit that when i came back to South Africa, i felt like i had made a mistake, but it allowed me to meet my wife, and have the children we have had, and i wouldn’t change that for anything.
Just don’t be surprised if you see me there again soon.