My guest house is in the suburbs of Jo'burg. Walking home from the fan park at dusk a few weeks ago was an eerie experience. I've lived in the urban jungle of Daejeon for so long that seeing houses, trees, and grass felt like being home again. There was a moment where, for all I could tell, I could have been walking in Johannesburg or in Ravenna.
During the day, it's like walking through a very peaceful war zone. The light reveals that every house in the area has a wall or steel fence around it. Guard dogs are common and have a habit of scaring the crap out of you as you walk by - note to self, bring chocolate on next walk. Signs advertising "armed response" dot the landscape. Fences around schools are topped by barbed wire or its more ferocious cousin, razor wire. Some houses, including the one I'm staying at, even feature electric fences on top of the walls. I can occasionally hear the clicking sound that indicates these are functioning, though I'd be lying if I said I never considered chucking a ball of aluminum foil at them to test their efficacy.
These measures are costly, so they wouldn't be there if they weren't needed. It's a bit depressing though. It encourages a very paranoid and isolated state of mind. I walk quickly with my head down. I don't say hello to people; if they say something to me I smile quickly and carry on. But when you're surrounded by electric fences, you don't feel like being very friendly.
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