# Forum > News > OC News > Articles and Interviews >  Around the World [Week #1]

## Glynbeard

Hello everyone! Today I bring forth a new idea (suggested by my pal reflection) that will attempt to not only amuse you, but take you on a short journey through someone else's life.

This bi-weekly interview I am piloting here, will focus on members who live in interesting locations all over the globe. It will have next to no information regarding anything MMO and instead focuses on what they go through in their daily lives. 

After you have finished reading please leave a comment with questions/concerns or even just your thoughts to help me decide if I want to make more of these. 

Thanks for reading and enjoy the interview!  :Smile: 

[BREAK=Interview]



Interview with: *Unholy[S]haman*. Conducted via: *Private Message*.

*Glynbeard:*
*1.* Who are you outside of the forums? Do you work? Attend school? Etc.

*Unholy[S]haman:*
My first name is Eric, I am a 19 year old white male living in South Africa, Cape town and I am studying part time - both Web Design and Computer Engineering. Other than that I am teaching myself Internet Marketing, Video Editing and general computing tips and tricks.

*Glynbeard:*
*2.* Where you born in the area you now live or did you move there later in life? If you moved there what are some of the reasons behind it?

*Unholy[S]haman:*
Yes, I was originally born in Cape Town, South Africa and have lived here all my life - including in the same house albeit with a few major renovations. I have of course traveled all over the world to many different countries, especially Europe.

*Glynbeard:*
*3.* What is your primary language? How many can you speak?

*Unholy[S]haman:*
My primary language is most definitely English, my second language is Afrikaans (which is the language that originated from the "white" people who migrated to /invaded South Africa - very close to Dutch/German). I can also speak a tiny bit of French and IsiXhosa (South Africa has 11 official languages: Afrikaans, English, IsiNdebele, IsiXhosa, IsiZulu, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, SiSwati, Tshivenda and Xitsonga).

*Glynbeard:*
*4.* Could you walk us through an average day in your life; what are some of the highlights?

*Unholy[S]haman:*
*[04:15am]* Wake up.
*[04:20am]* I take a shower.
*[04:30am]* I go down stairs to let the dogs out and get some breakfast...

Haha just joking that could take a while like that :P.

Generally during the week I have the mornings and early to mid afternoons completely free to do as I wish, seeing as at the moment I am not employed. I spend a lot of that time on the computer, working out, watching TV, taking my dogs for walks or just driving around and visiting friends/doing errands. Then in the evening I attend my evening classes and lectures and then I pretty much finish most nights off with a solid session of WoW owning and MMOwned representing!

*Glynbeard:*
*5.* How about your weekends?

*Unholy[S]haman:*
I won't lie, Computers are a big part of my life and I admit if I have free time that I am not doing anything, I will 90% of the time choose to hop onto the computer. However I do surprisingly have a life, however small it may be so besides computers and normal common social activities with friends and family, I also enjoy camping, hiking, fishing, ice-hockey, biking, swimming and enjoying the beach.

*Glynbeard:*
*6.* The summer months are different for everyone, what are yours usually like?

*Unholy[S]haman:*
Our summer's are incredibly hot - pretty much the opposite of America and Europe seasons I guess, unlike most countries we do not have a "White xmas", December is usually our hottest time of the year - however summer is always terribly windy here.

*Glynbeard:*
*7.* What’s it like outside right now? I know if I look out my window, I see my neighbor’s making a snowman.

*Unholy[S]haman:*
I see a clear blue sky with a beautiful mountain backdrop and a hind of sea to the right. Really sunny and a tad bit windy as usual.

*Glynbeard:*
*8.* Are there any challenges living where you do? How do you overcome them?

*Unholy[S]haman:*
As most know South Africa has some very bad poverty and crime issues, I am fortunate enough to be born into a wealthy family so I am fairly well off and in the better suburbs. Cape Town is still a very modern city but like many it has its ups and downs. The worst probably is just the crime, but we take certain precautions and move on with our lives. Almost everyone has burglar alarms, armed response, tall walls/electric fencing, CCTV cameras, guard dogs, doorway gate locks etc. Don't go walking outside after dark, in many areas simply don't go walking outside alone at all etc.

Corruption is really bad and the public transport taxi's think they pretty much own the place. If cops pull them over for driving illegally or having poor vehicle conditions they strike and since an *EXTREMELY* high percentage of workers use the transport, it causes major problems with companies loosing hundreds and thousands of dollars a day. South African Govt. seems to be working hard on upgrading public transport for 2010 World Cup though.
We also have extremely bad electricity conditions due to not having enough power stations, so often there were blackouts or scheduled load shedding.
But hey, every country has its ups and downs and there are many positive aspects of living in South Africa too.

*Glynbeard:*
*9.* Which way does your toilet flush? 

*Unholy[S]haman:*
Haha uhm I'm not sure what you mean but pretty much the same as any other toilet in the world I believe.

*Glynbeard:*
 :Big Grin: , I was referring to the Coriolis Effect:

[IMG]http://bp2.************/_6O1xaCbzD-4/R6l_R5E0D_I/AAAAAAAAABg/oiV_QF1WzVc/s320/crls1%5B1%5D.png[/IMG]

*10.* What kind of music do you like to listen to? Shoutouts to any favorite bands?

*Unholy[S]haman:*
Honestly I listen to music with a jack of all trades, master of none concept. I listen to a bit of everything, yes these kind of replies can be a bit irritating but it is the pure truth. South Africans are also very proud of their own South African bands though so bands like "Prime Circle" and "Fokkofpolisiekar" (you can guess what that one translates into) are heavily supported.

*Glynbeard:*
*11.* Do you take part in any recreational activities? If so, why do you find them entertaining?

*Unholy[S]haman:*
A very uncommon sport in South Africa is Ice-Hockey, extremely few play it let alone know about it but I played it for 6 years and got 5 regional representation colors in a row as well as traveled overseas (and got our asses handed to us) to play against countries in Europe.

I also really enjoy fresh-water fishing, hiking, swimming and squash.

*Glynbeard:*
*12.* If you won 20 million in the lottery, but had to donate half of it where would you send it and why? Also, what would you do with the remaining 10 million?

*Unholy[S]haman:*
The first half I would donate to Habitat for Humanity, it is a charity organization that tries to address the serious issue of lack of proper dwellings and housing in South Africa, we have a lot of people who still have to sadly enough sleep in the bush and sand dunes. Also my grandmother was one of the first people to help get it established in South Africa so it is always something I and my family have supported.

*Glynbeard:*
*13.* Could you describe the country you currently reside in one word? Why did you choose this word?

*Unholy[S]haman:*
I would choose "Rainbow" because we are often known as the "Rainbow Nation" having many different nationalities and cultures as well as being an extremely beautiful and colorful country.

*Glynbeard:*
*14.* Have you ever met many other members (from MMOwned) or players (any online video game) from around the same area that you live?

*Unholy[S]haman:*
The only person I have met from MMOwned is Tekneek and I had known him from long ago through wow (only met at a LAN after we found each other on MMOwned though). 4 of my very good friends I met through World of Warcraft however. When I played on the US servers, South Africans tend to band together due to timezones, so it was very easy to establish more personal relationships with everyone.

*Glynbeard:*
*15.* Anything you’d like to share with the community that wasn’t covered in the interview before we finish the interview with some more interesting questions?

*Unholy[S]haman:*
If you get given the chance you really should come visit South Africa, it is a beautiful country and I hope you all get some glimpses of our country through the 2010 Soccer World Cup (I can see the Cape Town stadium from my home, it looks good!). 

*P.S.* for ignorant people out there, no we don't have lions as pets or elephants as mounts/transport.

*Glynbeard:*
*16.* How many hats do you personally own?

*Unholy[S]haman:*
I would guess about 7 "peak caps".

*Glynbeard:*
*17.* If I was to look in your refrigerator right now, what might I find in it?

*Unholy[S]haman:*
*COPS I'M BEING ROBBED!* No seriously it is a sort of funny and sad story I have to tell. I have had three different friends who have ALL had their houses broken into, the burglar made themselves a very messy sandwich and then left again without taking anything else.
Otherwise... a buffet ^.^ Really anything, meet, dairy products, cooldrinks, beer, fruit juice, etc.

*Glynbeard:*
*18.* If you were a superhero, what would your superpower be?

*Unholy[S]haman:*
Most probably invisibility, capability of flight or the ability to heal others.

*Glynbeard:*
*19.* You become the God-King of Earth; what is your first royal declaration?

*Unholy[S]haman:*
Oh crikey uhm, I am a very fair and honest person so probably equality for all. My choice has probably been affect by the past prejudice and racism in my country's history. 

*Glynbeard:*
*20.* Finally, what is your favorite type of pie?

*Unholy[S]haman:*
Chicken by far, nom nom!

*Glynbeard:*
Thanks for the interview Unholy! It was a blast!  :Smile: 

[BREAK=Conclusion]



Well guys that's it! I hope you all enjoyed it. If you wish to suggest yourself or someone you think would make a decent candidate for the next episode please leave a comment with their username and nationality. 

Thanks,

Glynbeard

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## Reflection

Nice one! Very interesting read. Glad you used my idea!

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## Overaggro

Glynbeard want to Interview me ? I live in Bulgaria (I bet you don't even know where it is)
And I have been to Asia/North America/Africa :P

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## Zantas

Any location can be exciting for people who live far from it except it it's a well-known tourist area maybe  :Smile: 

I won't mention any name, but I have to have some patriotism in me and suggest
someone from Sweden  :Smile:

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## Zoidberg

Really interesting. I didn't knew much about South Africa before this.
The summer in Brazil is pretty much like how you (UnholyShaman) describe it in South Africa, it's hotter when it's winter. Well, it rains really much in Brazil when it's hot, dunno 'bout South Africa.

Post Scriptum.
Sweden sucks.

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## stoneharry

Very interesting idea for interviews... These ones I want to actually read because I want to know about how other societys work etc. Randomly interviewing people out of the blue never intested my that much.  :Smile:  Great work.

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## Unholyshaman

Great comments so far guys, it was really fun being interviewed and I enjoyed it because it made me take a step back and actually think about my community and environment.

If you want to know anything else about South Africa, Cape Town or me feel free to send me a PM  :Smile: 

By the way, go to google images and search "Cape Town" or look here for an idea.

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## Zantas

:Frown:  This makes me hate my home more and more

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## Glynbeard

Thanks for all the comments guys! This was definitely a success and will therefore be done again  :Smile: . Also, make sure you thanks Reflection for providing the concept and suggestions Unholy as my first participant please!

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## JD

Unholy <3!

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## ßetray

How's the SCUBA Diving down there? Looks like nice water.

If not, I'd love to go hiking in those hills/mountains.

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## AzolexX

Interesting thing to read, really fun article  :Smile: 
P.S. could present Serbia  :Smile:  nice country, rare and stuff xD

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## Maisteri

Finnish guy willing to be interviewed ;P

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## Unholyshaman

> How's the SCUBA Diving down there? Looks like nice water.
> 
> If not, I'd love to go hiking in those hills/mountains.


Sharks  :Frown:  Quite a lot of them, particularly in certain bays.

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## Pieterkii

UnholyShaman im also from South Africa, praat jy afrikaans ^^ ?

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## Reflection

> praat jy afrikaans ?


does that translate to "do you speak Afrikaans"?

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## Glynbeard

> does that translate to "do you speak Afrikaans"?


Ja .

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## Zantas

Nvm got it  :Smile: 



Funny anyhow cause talk/speak is prata in my language and it's praat in yours and I doubt Afrikaan has bororrowed anything from my language

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## Unholyshaman

> UnholyShaman im also from South Africa, praat jy afrikaans ^^ ?





> Glynbeard:
> 3. What is your primary language? How many can you speak?
> 
> Unholy[S]haman:
> My primary language is most definitely English, my second language is Afrikaans...


It was the third question he asked me, hope that helps you though.

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## [Pat]

seems like a neat place to visit, so watch out U[S] I might find you some how.  :Stick Out Tongue:

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## mag1212

pretty nice interview very interesting

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## ReidE96

Unholy, that looks schveeeeeeeeeeeeeet. Such nice weather and water :/

If anyone wants to interview a Scot, I've never been unfortunate enough to get involved in contrib/elite ones  :Stick Out Tongue:  So...uh....yah.

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## Reflection

> if anyone wants to interview a scot, i've never been unfortunate enough to get involved in contrib/elite ones  so...uh....yah.



yes please!

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## ~David~

Dude, your city/town looks sweet.

Glyn, interview someone from australia, eith Andre or DT, or maybe a not well known member and let them get in the spotlight.

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## ~OddBall~

ye liek me fgts

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## Sneakylemons

Cape town looks like a very happy place to live!
Keep up the interviews, i like them =)

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## Glynbeard

> Cape town looks like a very happy place to live!
> Keep up the interviews, i like them =)


Lmao !

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## The Lex

*What a beautiful town! Wish I could go there, maybe I will some time.
*

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## Zantas

haha it even got it's own smiley!

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## noodlespluspie13

it sounds nice and humbling but if its in Africa, I think it would be more depressing

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## Confucius

Cool that place looks awesome, where I live there's nothing but cows, horses, and racist/ignorant people D;

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## Pieterkii

lol , South Africa and Africa = COMPLETELY different, South Africa is a civilised country, we hosting the 2010 soccer world cup  :Smile:  aswell

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## Wackox

cool
stuff xD

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## Subset

Glyn, interview me?
Enagic

I live in Hawaii (described as a paradise) and I think I would make a great candidate because many people I know on the mainland (NA, United States) are jealous of it and ask how it is down here. I am also Asian (Japanese) and would like to share.

Hanauma Bay/Waikiki/Honolulu/North Shore





Ala Moana Outdoor Mall

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## Zantas

Jealous as hell!

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## Reflection

> Glyn, interview me?
> Enagic
> 
> I live in Hawaii (described as a paradise) and I think I would make a great candidate because many people I know on the mainland (NA, United States) are jealous of it and ask how it is down here. I am also Asian (Japanese) and would like to share.


Holy ****
Glyn interview this dude after the scot  :Wink:

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## Zantas

Sigh why are some people(me) so unlucky to be born in such a lame country.

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## Pieterkii

rofl what country zantas?

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## Zantas

Sweden, flat wasteland of Skåne, Lund.


It's like this in every direction

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## Zantas

I call it the green/yellow desert during summer.

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## Stephen Colbert

Very interesting read, reminds me a lot of Los Angeles. I personally live in Hong Kong half the year and in Los Angeles the other half.

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## Chron512

Really nice interview Glynbeard, it was fun to read it. 

I may visit Cape town someday, looks like a interesting place

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## Godsmack

You can interview me, I am a white guy from Detroit, Michigan. It's soooo fun. *sarcasm*

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