Life in South Africa is a mix between a twenty/20 match and a test series.
Sometimes it is fast-paced and hectic like the abbreviated game, and at other times life here is like a test series: you need to have the patience of a saint, persistence in the face of extreme circumstances, and the ability to perform surrounded by uncertainty.
The saying "TIA", or "this is Africa", sums it up. You never know what will happen next.
Expect the unexpected is the only advice I could offer to anyone intending to travel or live here.
The same could be said for the Proteas and their tour of New Zealand. What team will turn up on the pitch?
Will we see the archetypal chokers of international cricket or the highly ranked test team? I suspect we'll see a bit of both, and there is enough history and drama between these two teams to pique my interest in this tour.
New Zealand ranks higher than the Proteas in the T20 discipline, and falls behind in ODIs and tests, but New Zealand has been known to upset the South Africans when it counts.
We put an end to their flow at the 2007 World Cup and did it again (surprisingly) in 2011, beating them in the quarterfinal.
Before we start patting ourselves on the back too much, which New Zealand team will turn up? Will we see a team with inflated egos and a dull edge after the annihilation of Zimbabwe, or will we see a street-smart team that is quietly confident on its home turf against a team it has dominated before?
The characters in this drama are also worth watching. Cast members for New Zealand will be the in-form Martin Guptill, the inspirational Ross Taylor (if he makes his predicted return from injury), and Brendon McCullum.
The South African cast will be relatively new to a New Zealand audience, with fast bowlers like Morne Morkel, spinners like Johan Botha, and prolific batters like AB de Villiers, JP Duminy and Hashim Amla.
No doubt there will be some verbal ammunition being exchanged between these cast members, with history adding fuel to the fire.
South Africa also has a coach who finished his test career on New Zealand soil in 2004, and another who rejected the offer of mentoring New Zealand bowlers in order to guide a young and eager Proteas team.
If his defection wasn't enough to concern cricket followers here, perhaps Alan Donald's comments about some members of the Black Caps being "soft" will raise hackles.
Soft? Really? Remember, this is New Zealand. We may not need a security guard or armed motorcade when travelling in our home country but we'll see who is soft after playing and training in the wind and the rain they are likely to get in the land of the long white cloud.
I'm not an avid follower of cricket but there are enough twists, turns, personalities, and previous clashes to keep me tuned in.
- Farah Palmer is visiting South Africa.
