From this, I guessed that the hardest part would be the language. English is one of the official languages in South Africa, but I've heard that the local dialects can make it nearly impossible to understand. One girl that interned in Cape Town a couple summers ago told me that her boss would tell her to do something but she would speak so fast that it'd be nearly incomprehensible. I was worried that this would happen to me, but thankfully, it wasn't a problem at all. In general, I can understand most everyone here just fine. The hardest people to understand are not South Africans, but rather immigrants from other parts of Africa, like Zimbabwe, who did not learn English until they came to South Africa. Otherwise, most people have a slight British accent. Sometimes, like when I'm at work where everyone sounds like they're from the UK, I find myself slipping into a British accent as well. When they leave work, instead of saying "Good night," they say "Cheers." Recently, I've started doing it too, combined with the accent and everything. Maybe I'll come back to the States with a flawless British accent?
While language hasn't posed a difficult challenge, there are other things - small things - that you wouldn't normally think of when going to another country.
1. Walking
Call me crazy, but walking the right way has been a challenge. In the States, we walk on the right side, and if you're on an escalator, stand on the right so that people can pass you on the left. Here, it's the opposite because you drive on the other side of the road. I keep bumping into people because I'm so used to walking on the right side - I'm pretty sure I've gotten a few dirty looks from it...oops.
2. "Africa Time"
I had already experienced "Africa time" before I arrived, when I was trying to get my visa to come here. The most prevalent example of it here, though, is in restaurants. I don't think I've gotten out of a restaurant faster than an hour and a half, even for a quick lunch. The food doesn't come out for at least 30 minutes. A group of us went out for sushi once and it took so long to get our egg rolls and sushi. Unlike the States, the waiter doesn't come around to your table asking if you need anything else - a process that can be inconvenient when you want to ask for the check and can't find them for 30 more minutes. I still haven't figured out if it's a sign of respect: maybe they're trying to let you eat your food in peace and allowing you to take your time?
3. Public Transportation
Public transportation is very....interesting here, to say the least. There is a train that runs throughout the entire Cape Town area. The great thing about it is that the tickets are very cheap: three stops to downtown costs 9.50 Rand, or 78 cents; taking the train an hour all the way to the bottom of the cape is 31 Rand, or $2.55. In comparison, riding the New York metro 20 blocks costs $2.75. Unfortunately, the cheap price comes at the cost of safety. After dark, even the locals avoid taking the train because there's a 100% chance you'll get mugged if you do. Several other interns in my program had a close encounter taking the train at 5 PM. Good thing Ubers are so cheap here!!
When not having to worry about whether you're going to get mugged, the trains themselves are very entertaining. There's graffiti on most cars, both inside and out. I actually really like the ones on the outside. They add a nice pop of color to the otherwise grungy cars.
(credit: randomrailwayimages.blogspot.com)
And of course, I can't not share my favorite thing about these trains: many of the cars are covered with hilariously explicit (but actually legitimate) stickers advertising a variety of "services."
(credit: eveandersson.com) 
(credit: sangomasrus.blogspot.com/)Cheers!
