My Bolt Chronicles
Sometimes taxis are not that convenient. The first few weeks were tough for me to travel to work using taxis. You get to Randburg Taxi Rank, tell them where you going and they explain that they will drop you at the nearest corner, only to find out that it’s a 30-minute walk to your destination. By the time I get there, I am exhausted and irritated. So I figured using Bolt (aka Taxify) is more convenient. Costly, but convenient.
Like my taxi rides, they are interesting; I learn a lot. We cover various topics, from mental health, finances, health, politics and music, and we usually end up sharing our frustrations. The other day, I got an Angolan driver. He had an interesting accent. I couldn’t really place it when I asked where he was from. He was actually shocked that I asked him that because, according to him, he doesn’t have an accent. He has been living in SA for 24 years now.
To my surprise, he has lived in Germiston and knows my area quite well. I thought that was a lovely coincidence and we had a lot to talk about. He knows how to speak Xhosa, Sesotho, English and Setswana. He spoke about the importance of knowing different languages, and how travelling our beautiful country has given him an advantage because now he is able to speak these languages. Like me, he doesn’t know how to speak Afrikaans; I am a big fan of 7de Laan, but up to this day I still have to read the subtitles. We both have not given up though – one day we will be fluent.
On these rides, I notice how all my drivers insist they get me through security. I always try to resist because they don’t end the trip until I get out of the car. This means more money for me, so no, I would rather deal with the security myself. “Relax, I just want you to be safe. I don’t want to chow your money,” the driver said. I asked him to end the trip. He did, but still insisted he got me through the gate.
At the end of the ride, I was broke but happy to have met him and to have made it on time. It is quite unfortunate that now that I will have to go back to using taxis, get lost and ask for directions from strangers, hoping nothing bad happens to me because we’re not even halfway through the month and I am stuck.
Two lessons I have learned: 1, I now understand what my mom meant when she said she doesn’t have money two days after payday; 2, There is no excuse for not knowing how to speak at least three South African languages. If a foreigner knows how to, then we really don’t have an excuse.
Related articles:
https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/223891/my-atchar-chronicle-2/
https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/225212/my-taxi-chronicles-arrive-alive/
