I have a confession to make. Some people think it’s a bit strange. Some think it’s just plain weird. Let me see if I can explain it in a way that it will make sense to you.

I’m fascinated by road signs…. especially when I’m in a different country. Talking directly to me, they’re a reminder I’m no longer in New York. As Dorothy would say, “Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore”.

They’re a reminder that I’m in an exotic location with very different concerns from when I’m driving or walking down the streets of Blauvelt. It’s rather an awesome feeling. I’ve come across some interesting signs here in South Africa. 

The signs are often there as a warning to the reader, but to me they say, “Look! There might be something fascinating just ahead!”

Signs are also a reminder that all of us animals are cohabitants in an area. The human animal must take greater responsibility because we have a more sophisticated brain. We need to take care not to carelessly harm other animals.

I also find road signs interesting because they make the brain infer. Each one is a silhouette and maybe just a few words, yet it says so much! When I see a sign like this one, what it’s saying is, “There are hippos in the area. This is their habitat. We have built a road through it, and now there are cars driving through it. If you don’t slow down and watch out for them, you may run into one and hurt it or kill it. Runnning into it could also damage your car and you! So slow down and watch out! That’s a lot of information in one little sign don’t you think?

So next time you see a road sign, think about all it’s saying to you. And if you’re really lucky, you’ll see one that’s far away from home and it will remind you that we live in an interesting world in which we are all trying to live together.