You know you're in South Africa when...

...you arrive at the airport and immediately notice that ALL the cars are white.

...people everywhere are eager to help you.

...you realize that there are no heaters anywhere and it's freezing cold inside all the houses, with temperatures ranging from 9-12 degrees Celsius. You don't want to get out of bed because it's so cold in the dormitory, and the freshly washed laundry can't dry in the damp cold, but starts to smell musty.

...biltong, strips of air-dried meat of all kinds, is available everywhere as a snack.

...parking fees are ridiculously cheap, only 8 Rand per hour, even in a megacity like Johannesburg with a population of 4.3 million.

...you quickly get used to the fact that due to water scarcity, women pee multiple times in the same toilet without flushing.

...speed bumps always come in packs here. There's no way you can go through less than 5 in a row.

...you've never seen so many colored women wearing wigs. The South African solution for a bad hair day?

...when you start your car, it automatically locks itself (car-jacking precaution), and you're so used to it that you program your rental car first because it doesn't do it automatically.

...the weather can completely change from one hour to the next, and you experience multiple seasons in a day in unpredictable order.

...you long for streetlights and road markings. With 4 to 6-lane (one way) highways and complete darkness, it could be helpful.

...you're always asked, "How are you?", everywhere you go.

...the meat selection in supermarkets is amazingly huge. You have to try springbok, antelope, crocodile, wildebeest, and kudu to realize that South Africans know how to cook meat! It's incredibly delicious. Overall, the cuisine here is really good for surprisingly reasonable prices.

...the click sounds of Xhosa (the second most spoken language in South Africa) fascinate you, but your tongue gets hopelessly tangled when you try to imitate them.

...you get used to driving in the middle lane because the left lane, even on highways, is full of deep potholes that you have no choice but to drive over.

...you always think that this time the rental car must have completely ripped open the entire floorpan from front to back or even broken into two, and you wonder how it's still running.

...as a lover of fabrics, you constantly spot beautiful shweshwe fabric and feel the urge to buy it.

...the wine list in every small restaurant is more extensive than the appetizer menu, and it's even organized by grape variety. Amazing! Your taste buds will be delighted.

...you eventually think that road markings are only for wimps anyway.

...there's a car guard, called a "knebbel", on every silly parking lot who guides you into the parking space, watches over your car, and gets a few Rand for it.

...you've attended a real braai, where heaps of meat are grilled over wood. The aroma is just unique! Yummy!

...there are additional sets of traffic lights on the opposite side of the road at every intersection. This leads to a situation where, during your first turn, you suddenly find yourself in the middle of the road in front of the red light, and as a good German without thinking, you brake, while your passengers shout, "Just keep going. They're not for you."

...even the smallest amount is paid with a credit card in Rand. PIN or verification of the signature? Data security doesn't exist here.

...people look so wonderfully different and speak various languages with such naturalness, even though they are all South Africans, that you can't tell at first glance whether someone is a local or a tourist. That's unique. Truly a rainbow nation!