Send us a textEmbarking on a new chapter across the ocean, Nicole Woodstock shares her colorful journey from the bustling world of South African advertising to the sunny shores of Florida, where motherhood and entrepreneurship await. With wit and wisdom, she peels back the layers of the American dream, revealing the complexities of immigration, the decisions that steered her family from Europe to the U.S., and the intricate dance of cultural adaptation. Nicole's tale is not just one of change...
Embarking on a new chapter across the ocean, Nicole Woodstock shares her colorful journey from the bustling world of South African advertising to the sunny shores of Florida, where motherhood and entrepreneurship await. With wit and wisdom, she peels back the layers of the American dream, revealing the complexities of immigration, the decisions that steered her family from Europe to the U.S., and the intricate dance of cultural adaptation. Nicole's tale is not just one of change, but a lesson in resilience, as she navigates the nuances of a new market with her business while holding onto the essence of her South African roots.
Our conversation with Nicole is a vibrant tapestry of experiences, blending the excitement of American sports prospects for her children, with the sobering realities of a healthcare system worlds away from what she knew. We traverse the amusing twists of language that bewilder and delight, and explore the value of educational opportunities that America offers her family. Join us for this episode that is as much about the joys and pitfalls of expatriate life as it is about the power of community, and don't forget to connect with fellow listeners in our South Africans Abroad Podcast Facebook group to keep the conversation going.
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Show Transcript
WEBVTT
00:00:03.345 --> 00:00:11.055 Welcome back to South Africans Abroad a show for expat South Africans and anyone interested in the experiences of those who have made the move overseas.
00:00:11.055 --> 00:00:18.754 In e Each episode we'll hear from South Africans who have left the country to pursue new opportunities, be with loved ones, or simply follow their dreams.
00:00:18.754 --> 00:00:25.673 We'll explore the challenges and triumphs of life as an expat and the unique perspective that comes with being a South African abroad.
00:00:25.673 --> 00:00:31.969 I'm your host, warren Burley, an expat South African who, like many, followed the dream of working overseas.
00:00:31.969 --> 00:00:41.485 Whether you're an expat yourself or just curious about the expat experience, join us as we delve into the motivations, struggles, and joys of being a South African living overseas.
00:00:41.485 --> 00:00:42.951 Thanks for joining us.
00:00:42.951 --> 00:00:47.143 Today we're going to Florida to speak with Nicole Wittstock.
00:00:47.143 --> 00:00:51.412 Nicole is a mother, an artist, and an entrepreneur from Johannesburg .
00:00:51.412 --> 00:00:52.481 Nicole, how are you doing?
00:00:54.548 --> 00:00:58.508 Do you want to just introduce yourself and tell our listeners a little bit about you, hey?
00:00:58.548 --> 00:01:00.412 everyone, my name is Nicole.
00:01:00.412 --> 00:01:07.134 I am a mother, a wife, entrepreneur and, most foremost, an artist.
00:01:07.340 --> 00:01:08.362 Okay, great.
00:01:08.362 --> 00:01:10.569 When we first met, you were in advertising.
00:01:10.569 --> 00:01:11.671 What brought on the change?
00:01:12.000 --> 00:01:19.805 It was a great industry to be in when I was younger, but when I decided that I wanted to have a family, it just wasn't possible.
00:01:19.805 --> 00:01:21.228 I couldn't fall pregnant.
00:01:21.228 --> 00:01:26.784 The stress levels were too high, the demands were too high, there was no free time.
00:01:26.784 --> 00:01:32.447 So I thought, okay, I've given my all to this industry, I've had my fun, so it's now time to move on.
00:01:32.980 --> 00:01:34.566 Okay, so how long have you been in the States now?
00:01:35.760 --> 00:01:36.706 Just over two years.
00:01:37.060 --> 00:01:38.344 Everywhere you could have gone in the world.
00:01:38.344 --> 00:01:39.388 Why America?
00:01:40.721 --> 00:01:42.748 I think it's living the American dream.
00:01:42.748 --> 00:01:45.087 You know, we could have easily gone over to Europe.
00:01:45.087 --> 00:01:55.091 I've got an Italian passport so we could have gone to the UK, we could have gone to Europe, but there's just nothing quite as empowering as getting into the States.
00:01:55.091 --> 00:01:55.912 You know, nobody can.
00:01:55.912 --> 00:02:02.109 It's this unattainable dream and to be able to do that was quite incredible actually.
00:02:02.311 --> 00:02:04.462 Okay, so let's just talk about that for a second.
00:02:04.462 --> 00:02:07.584 So how difficult was it for you to get into the States?
00:02:08.004 --> 00:02:12.788 Because I mean it's not an easy thing, right it was a mammoth task.
00:02:12.788 --> 00:02:14.770 Yeah, no, it was mammoth.
00:02:14.770 --> 00:02:16.211 It's still not a done deal.
00:02:16.211 --> 00:02:24.747 It's a constant uphill slug.
00:02:24.747 --> 00:02:30.592 It's expensive, it's at times soul-destroying, but also super rewarding.
00:02:30.592 --> 00:02:34.546 Every now and then, Keith and I my husband and I look at each other and we're like we're in America.
00:02:34.546 --> 00:02:36.572 Sometimes it's really surreal.
00:02:45.250 --> 00:02:47.075 what is your visa status at the moment?
00:02:47.257 --> 00:02:49.324 So we came over on an L1 visa.
00:02:49.324 --> 00:02:56.032 So Keith did a startup business of his business in South Africa.
00:02:56.032 --> 00:02:58.350 We brought it across the side.
00:02:58.350 --> 00:03:01.745 So it's an executive transfer L1 visa.
00:03:01.745 --> 00:03:08.479 Myself and the kids are on the L2, which piggyback off the l1 right um, yeah, so it's.
00:03:08.479 --> 00:03:11.546 It's quite an executive visa.
00:03:11.546 --> 00:03:16.966 It's one of the more expensive ones to do, unless you do the straight buyout, which you know.
00:03:16.966 --> 00:03:24.087 Unless you've got a little bit of cash hanging around, that's not an option for everyone yeah um, yeah, so it's an executive one.
00:03:37.980 --> 00:03:39.587 Just tell everyone what Keith does.
00:03:40.039 --> 00:03:42.983 So he's got an engineering business in South Africa.
00:03:42.983 --> 00:03:45.625 So he's got an engineering business in South Africa.
00:03:45.625 --> 00:03:50.650 He does shelving, pallet racking, expandable security gates, adjustable louver awnings.
00:03:50.650 --> 00:03:54.513 We also dabble in building and rental.
00:03:54.513 --> 00:03:57.135 So he builds our properties, I manage the rentals.
00:03:57.135 --> 00:03:58.516 I still do that from the side.
00:03:58.717 --> 00:03:58.956 Yeah.
00:03:59.420 --> 00:04:09.592 And we found that the best option for us to bring across and easiest was shelving and overhead ceiling racks, because everybody needs storage to the side.
00:04:09.592 --> 00:04:15.668 I can't actually believe how people use their garages as storage space, not as a parking space for their vehicles, yep.
00:04:16.139 --> 00:04:19.488 And they all sit outside their garages like all day, that's bizarre.
00:04:20.029 --> 00:04:22.105 That's bizarre, but anyway it's fine.
00:04:22.105 --> 00:04:25.730 We've got to fit into a new know, a new norm, I suppose.
00:04:26.019 --> 00:04:29.764 Yeah, because I was going to say, like security gates and stuff like that, I mean that can't be that big.
00:04:29.764 --> 00:04:38.410 I mean I'm sure it's getting to a point now where it's starting to, you know, pick on, but there can't be much business for that actually.
00:04:38.690 --> 00:04:39.961 Yeah, we've never.
00:04:39.961 --> 00:04:48.829 We haven't actually investigated that route at all, because it's not a crime-ridden place, especially not where we are in Lake Mary Florida.
00:04:48.829 --> 00:04:50.886 You know it's non-existent.
00:04:50.886 --> 00:04:56.447 There's no walls, there's no security on the windows and doors, so it's not needed.
00:04:57.040 --> 00:05:01.862 And how did you just talking about security and stuff like that, how did you find that?
00:05:01.862 --> 00:05:06.264 Like when you first arrived here, because I was in shock there's no walls, there's no security gates.
00:05:06.463 --> 00:05:09.290 I felt very unsafe and vulnerable.
00:05:09.290 --> 00:05:29.829 Actually, it took me a good long while to adjust to that because we all know, especially from Joburg, you live behind these high walls and electric fence and security bars and beams and then you come here and there's nothing and it's dark outside and you're like there's no walls, there's nothing protecting us and it's quiet and it's quiet.
00:05:30.089 --> 00:05:34.975 Well, I don't know about quiet, there's fire engines and police sirens going all the time, but it's.
00:05:34.975 --> 00:05:41.529 It's just so dramatic they deployed for a cat that's stuck up in a tree you know?
00:05:41.550 --> 00:05:44.060 yeah, exactly, and the whole world must stop.
00:05:44.060 --> 00:05:45.283 Yeah, don't you find it crazy?
00:05:45.283 --> 00:05:49.505 Also, like, like, when a fire engine or something comes down the road, everyone just pulls over to the side of the road.
00:05:49.586 --> 00:05:55.591 It's incredible, like it's a party trick, if we have visitors over from Joburg.
00:05:55.812 --> 00:05:56.012 Yeah.
00:05:56.379 --> 00:05:58.086 The courtesy of other drivers.
00:05:58.086 --> 00:06:06.403 So everybody's like, oh, the I-4, it's so crazy and it's terrible to drive on, but there's four lanes and people stick to those four lanes.
00:06:06.403 --> 00:06:10.961 There's two shoulders on either side and if you indicate, people slow down and let you in.
00:06:10.961 --> 00:06:14.814 You know South Africa, you indicate and people speed up to close the gap.
00:06:14.814 --> 00:06:18.665 So it's just totally different yeah, no, it is crazy.
00:06:19.387 --> 00:06:22.533 Did you explore the whole of America or did you just go straight?
00:06:22.800 --> 00:06:28.333 oh, we want to go to Florida so our process was was okay, we're going to the US, great.
00:06:28.333 --> 00:06:39.399 Then we looked at all the different states and we're like we don't want cold, we don't want to be shoveling snow, we act of outdoor people, so we don't want to be restricted to the house.
00:06:39.399 --> 00:06:42.923 That was another thing why we didn't go to Europe, because we don't want to have to deal with the cold.
00:06:42.923 --> 00:06:45.004 So that narrowed it down.
00:06:45.004 --> 00:06:51.310 And then also the taxes, so you don't get personal tax and the taxes were a big criteria for us.
00:06:51.310 --> 00:06:54.391 So it kind of narrowed it down to Texas and Florida.
00:06:54.391 --> 00:06:58.055 Then we were like okay, we're starting up a business.
00:06:58.055 --> 00:07:09.367 Texas is very vast, so to start something and be able to spread it out would take a lot more time.
00:07:09.408 --> 00:07:10.350 So that narrowed it down to Florida.
00:07:10.350 --> 00:07:14.906 Then I wanted to be on the coastline but Keith works with steel so we were like, okay, it can't be coast.
00:07:14.906 --> 00:07:16.290 So central Florida.
00:07:16.290 --> 00:07:18.899 Then it was what are the good school zones?
00:07:18.899 --> 00:07:21.004 Because obviously the kids are going to public schools.
00:07:21.004 --> 00:07:26.855 And that narrowed it down to it was Lake Mary, avido and Lake Nona.
00:07:26.855 --> 00:07:31.404 Keith managed to get warehouse space in Longwood, so Lake Mary it was.
00:07:31.404 --> 00:07:33.786 That was basically our process.
00:07:34.086 --> 00:07:34.889 How true is it?
00:07:34.889 --> 00:07:37.665 Because everybody says everything in Florida is trying to kill you.
00:07:37.887 --> 00:07:40.072 Freaking hell, and it's true.
00:07:40.072 --> 00:07:47.406 So, as in South Africa, we've got amazingly scary creatures, but they'll kill you quickly, you know.
00:07:47.406 --> 00:07:50.786 And they're not everywhere Florida there's bugs.
00:07:50.786 --> 00:07:52.666 The mosquitoes will carry you away.
00:07:52.666 --> 00:07:58.968 There's little things that they like to nickname no-see-ums because you don't see them.
00:07:58.968 --> 00:08:01.870 They're tiny little midges and they sting you.
00:08:01.870 --> 00:08:05.192 So it feels like elastic bands snapping on your skin, oh my God.
00:08:05.192 --> 00:08:06.612 And then like mosquito bites and they sting you.
00:08:06.612 --> 00:08:09.754 So it feels like elastic bands snapping on your skin and then, like mosquito bites, they maybe last one or two days.
00:08:09.754 --> 00:08:10.295 The noceum bites.
00:08:10.295 --> 00:08:13.637 They last for weeks and weeks and they itch and it's crazy.
00:08:14.336 --> 00:08:28.172 Then snakes I've never seen such a high density of snakes in my life we we live on in south africa we have a five and a half hectare plot on the river and there were snakes, but not in the density that we've seen them here.
00:08:28.172 --> 00:08:33.249 So Keith goes and plays golf and if people hit their balls into the rough they just leave it.
00:08:33.249 --> 00:08:35.225 Keith was like that's ridiculous.
00:08:35.225 --> 00:08:36.349 Golf balls are expensive.
00:08:36.349 --> 00:08:38.287 He knocked it, landed in the rough.
00:08:38.287 --> 00:08:40.547 He went to fetch it and a snake was coiled around it.
00:08:40.707 --> 00:08:41.230 Oh, my God.
00:08:46.139 --> 00:08:47.373 So it's just like yeah, no, we're not going to do that.
00:08:47.373 --> 00:08:49.405 And then also alligators, but they're the most stupid creatures.
00:08:49.405 --> 00:08:54.745 We think alligators, crocodiles, are the same variant.
00:08:54.745 --> 00:09:07.129 Nah, these things are so docile and so obviously you don't go out there dawn and dusk and you don't harass the things, but they really don't pay much attention to people.
00:09:08.051 --> 00:09:18.394 No, so that's one of the reasons I didn't go to Florida because all the bugs and no, as big as I am.
00:09:18.394 --> 00:09:24.052 When it comes to snakes and crocodiles and bugs that you can't see that want to kill you.
00:09:24.234 --> 00:09:32.177 No, thank you I'm still alive and it's two years down the line, so we'll be fine, and there's lots of people here.
00:09:32.177 --> 00:09:38.418 You know what you need to cope, what I struggled with, so we decided to go to somewhere that was warm.
00:09:38.418 --> 00:09:45.635 But, oh my goodness, summers like July, august in Florida it's brutal.
00:09:45.635 --> 00:09:51.395 It's brutal, it's humid and it's hot and it's like searing.
00:09:51.395 --> 00:09:51.897 You want to melt.
00:09:52.446 --> 00:09:53.970 It sounds like a rock party out there.
00:09:54.591 --> 00:09:55.193 No, it's great.
00:09:55.193 --> 00:09:56.015 I love it.
00:09:56.015 --> 00:10:01.937 The other thing that took quite a lot of getting used to was it's so flat in Florida.
00:10:01.976 --> 00:10:02.096 Yeah.
00:10:02.804 --> 00:10:08.238 There's no like rolling hills and mountains and nothing that we're used to in South Africa.
00:10:08.238 --> 00:10:14.596 Yeah, and also because of all the waterways, the roads are not mapped.
00:10:14.596 --> 00:10:22.033 It's quite easy to follow roads in most places because they run straight and cross diagonally across each other.
00:10:22.033 --> 00:10:24.371 This place they weave and they tune.
00:10:24.371 --> 00:10:27.011 It's interesting.
00:10:27.011 --> 00:10:31.033 So when you're coming to visit, yeah, I don't know about that.
00:10:32.927 --> 00:10:34.854 I mean, that's one of the reasons we chose California.
00:10:34.854 --> 00:10:42.655 Okay, california, I mean obviously got its problems, you know, with taxes and things like that, but I have to see mountains and ocean.
00:10:42.655 --> 00:10:50.311 I mean, I went to Texas, we went to go check out Texas, and Texas is also just flat.
00:10:50.311 --> 00:10:54.134 I could see like every city from the airport.
00:10:54.134 --> 00:10:55.277 It was insane.
00:10:55.277 --> 00:10:58.833 I was like, no, just you know not, not for me.
00:10:58.833 --> 00:11:04.197 And then also the heat and and extreme cold and extreme heat, and then also everything in texas wants to kill you.
00:11:04.625 --> 00:11:09.035 So, yeah, you know including the people with their guns including the people.
00:11:09.076 --> 00:11:11.006 There's a church and a gun shop on every corner.
00:11:11.226 --> 00:11:22.133 It's so weird oh, it's crazy, but you having what we have in Florida there's a lot of beauty and a lot of water and I don't know, I'm drawn to water, yeah.
00:11:22.764 --> 00:11:25.274 Look, the thing about the States is the beauty.
00:11:25.274 --> 00:11:31.697 People don't understand how, like when I first arrived here, I was in awe for a long time.
00:11:31.697 --> 00:11:33.631 Like everywhere you look, it's just it's amazing.
00:11:33.631 --> 00:11:39.797 And every place you go to I mean Idaho and just everywhere it's insanely beautiful.
00:11:40.116 --> 00:11:40.999 And totally different.
00:11:40.999 --> 00:11:43.092 It's like each little state is its own country.
00:11:43.092 --> 00:11:48.537 Yeah, like Florida is, most of South Africa can fit into Florida.
00:11:48.856 --> 00:11:49.057 Yeah.
00:11:49.524 --> 00:11:52.854 So like just to give perspective to people on the size of the states.
00:11:52.995 --> 00:11:53.736 That's the other thing.
00:11:53.736 --> 00:11:55.648 People don't realize how big the place is.
00:11:55.648 --> 00:11:57.552 It's like oh you look on a map.
00:11:57.552 --> 00:12:00.437 Oh, let's just walk to the shop or whatever.
00:12:00.437 --> 00:12:05.495 Two hours later you're like oh my God, that was a bad idea yeah bad idea.
00:12:05.495 --> 00:12:06.807 Let's buy a car.
00:12:06.807 --> 00:12:11.105 You know it's not going to happen, tell me.
00:12:11.105 --> 00:12:13.214 Let's talk about the kids for a second.
00:12:13.214 --> 00:12:15.427 How have they adjusted to the state's?
00:12:15.488 --> 00:12:16.769 life.
00:12:16.769 --> 00:12:17.572 They've thrived.
00:12:17.572 --> 00:12:19.514 Basically we got to.
00:12:19.514 --> 00:12:28.687 I think because the accent is such a novelty, they were really interesting for the other kids.
00:12:28.687 --> 00:12:33.270 And then South Africa as many problems as there are, there's huge advantages.
00:12:33.270 --> 00:12:34.491 There's huge pros as well.
00:12:34.491 --> 00:12:40.518 So our education system is actually quite high, especially coming from private schools.
00:12:40.518 --> 00:12:51.426 They got into school and like sailed, you know it's just easy.
00:12:51.426 --> 00:12:53.870 And what the States does is they really want to give the kids opportunities to do well.
00:12:53.870 --> 00:12:59.038 So if they don't do well in an exam or they fail an assignment, there's opportunities to redo and get extra credits.
00:12:59.038 --> 00:13:06.732 They really want to help kids and so both my kids are really sporty and active and just the opportunities with that alone.
00:13:06.732 --> 00:13:10.054 So Slade with his football he's passionate about it.
00:13:10.054 --> 00:13:11.451 I know Brandon is as well.
00:13:11.451 --> 00:13:23.216 But how far they can go with football and how far Talia's passionate about basketball and swimming there's just so many opportunities here that we just are not exposed to anywhere else.
00:13:23.745 --> 00:13:25.511 And it's not just football, like the big sports.
00:13:25.511 --> 00:13:28.253 Brandon's playing, he's doing shot put and things.
00:13:28.253 --> 00:13:30.750 At the moment there's scholarships for shot put.
00:13:30.750 --> 00:13:31.793 I mean that's insane.
00:13:32.154 --> 00:13:42.453 Everything, Like anything you want to do, which is I mean that's a big plus here and tell me because I mean they came here pretty late in their school career, right in their school life.
00:13:42.453 --> 00:13:44.115 Yes, we were quite lucky.
00:13:44.115 --> 00:13:50.841 When we came over here, brandon was starting school, so he started straight in the system and he doesn't you know, he didn't really know anything else.
00:13:50.841 --> 00:13:55.528 Also, you know, he picked up the accent straight away.
00:13:55.528 --> 00:13:59.211 We often get phone calls from the school, like his friends from school saying oh, are you really from South Africa?
00:13:59.211 --> 00:14:00.892 Brandon says she's from South Africa, you know.
00:14:00.892 --> 00:14:05.152 So do they have any challenges with that?
00:14:05.692 --> 00:14:06.274 So Talia?
00:14:06.274 --> 00:14:07.577 No, she switches.
00:14:07.577 --> 00:14:17.054 So we love to say to her when she's home, talia speaks South African because she'll be speaking American, and then as soon as she's with her friends, she speaks.
00:14:17.054 --> 00:14:21.833 You wouldn't know that she's not from South Africa, so she can switch it on and off Slade.
00:14:21.833 --> 00:14:24.187 On the other hand, he's totally South African.
00:14:24.187 --> 00:14:31.691 What's interesting is new words that he's learned are American words, but his general day-to-day language is South African.
00:14:31.691 --> 00:14:35.099 So initially it was interesting.
00:14:35.099 --> 00:14:44.971 Then he went through a patch where he was teased about it and ostracized and now that he's kind of got into high school and he's found football, he's kind of found his people.
00:14:44.971 --> 00:14:47.754 Now it's all settled and he's thriving.
00:14:48.645 --> 00:14:49.931 But I find it a challenge.
00:14:49.931 --> 00:14:55.630 You know, you think it's English, you know we're speaking the same language, but it's so random.
00:14:55.630 --> 00:15:06.993 It's so not going through a drive-through is very challenging because they just don't understand and tavia's friends, I'll speak to them and she literally translates for me.
00:15:06.993 --> 00:15:08.519 Yeah, so I'll say something.
00:15:08.519 --> 00:15:09.644 They'll look at me blank.
00:15:09.644 --> 00:15:10.967 She'll say exactly the same thing.
00:15:10.967 --> 00:15:12.330 I'm like that's just what I said.
00:15:12.431 --> 00:15:16.807 Yeah, it's bizarre we stay, there's not many foreigners.
00:15:16.807 --> 00:15:17.833 You know, we live in a little town called eastvale.
00:15:17.833 --> 00:15:18.578 Um stay, there's not many foreigners.
00:15:18.578 --> 00:15:19.644 You know, we live in a little town called Eastvale.
00:15:19.644 --> 00:15:21.924 Okay, and there's not many foreigners.
00:15:21.924 --> 00:15:24.020 I mean, I don't think they've ever seen another South African.
00:15:24.323 --> 00:15:24.443 Yeah.
00:15:24.827 --> 00:15:26.465 Also, where my son goes to school is Norco.
00:15:26.465 --> 00:15:27.964 It's a cowboy town.
00:15:27.964 --> 00:15:29.289 It's known as cowboy town.
00:15:29.289 --> 00:15:30.113 That's cool.
00:15:30.113 --> 00:15:33.224 I mean there's people on horseback Going, you know, going to school.
00:15:33.224 --> 00:15:39.731 Oh, that's awesome, and when they hear our accent as well, especially drive-thrus, no clue.
00:15:39.731 --> 00:15:43.114 Can I have some tomato, what, what?
00:15:43.114 --> 00:15:47.450 And then my son goes tomato and it's like that's what I said.
00:15:49.008 --> 00:15:49.981 That's exactly the same thing.
00:15:50.485 --> 00:15:52.292 All of a sudden, you have to speak a foreign language.
00:15:52.292 --> 00:15:55.813 It's crazy, and I mean, we've been there 10 years now and it's still.
00:15:58.644 --> 00:16:00.630 And also like crazy, and I mean we've been at 10 years now and still.
00:16:00.630 --> 00:16:03.480 And also like words are just so different, like pavement, sidewalk track, fit like a robot um boot.
00:16:03.480 --> 00:16:08.558 If I say to tell you put something in the boot, your friends like huh, no, mom, it's a trunk, use the right words.
00:16:08.558 --> 00:16:22.434 And the other day I needed to get slayed to a wrestling meet and I had four of his friends in the car with me and for some reason half the wrestling meet was in one area and then the next half was in another area, and I didn't realize.
00:16:22.434 --> 00:16:28.293 So I went to the first place and I was almost there and the kids started laughing and I was like what's wrong?
00:16:28.293 --> 00:16:29.549 No, you're at the wrong place.
00:16:29.644 --> 00:16:39.249 So I was running so late and I crossed over the center island to do a U-turn and when I was explaining it to one of the other moms, she's like you went all the way to the islands.
00:16:39.249 --> 00:16:41.014 I'm like no, what do you mean?
00:16:41.014 --> 00:16:45.730 You know that little centerpiece between the two roads I had to cross?
00:16:45.730 --> 00:16:47.517 She's like oh, the median.
00:16:48.178 --> 00:16:58.131 I'm like, no, no, it's the center island, check there's nothing medium about it my brother-in-law was a doctor in south africa gp and he had his own practice.
00:16:58.131 --> 00:17:04.617 But if there were emergencies he'd deal with the emergency and, like our casualties, you do everything.
00:17:04.617 --> 00:17:13.880 He moved to the UK and he's now in the hospitals, but he can only do what he's designated to do.
00:17:13.880 --> 00:17:19.498 So if there's an emergency coming in and he needs to do tracheotomy, he's not allowed to because he's not qualified to do that.
00:17:19.498 --> 00:17:21.692 And I find the same thing in the States.
00:17:21.692 --> 00:17:33.132 They're so over-the-top cautious with medical things and I think it's all about not being sued, because you know you can sue for everything this side.
00:17:33.132 --> 00:17:44.756 But I actually find it quite pathetic how, firstly, how expensive medical is and how your standard GP, everything's a referral.
00:17:44.756 --> 00:17:47.811 So I'm like why am I going to the GP in the first place?
00:17:47.811 --> 00:17:56.186 Yeah, and dental is stupid expensive, but anyway, that's one of the negatives, but there's a lot of positives.
00:17:56.186 --> 00:18:01.445 So I think with anything and anywhere there's pros and cons always.
00:18:01.987 --> 00:18:09.825 Yeah, just going back to the language barriers and things like that, have you encountered any stereotypes about South Africa?
