I tried my hand at Afrikaans this morning and I think it’s only fair to say that I sucked! It’s horrendous. I leave the country for 7 years and it’s all gone. All that Afrikaans that I learned in school in order to achieve a passing grade (35%) on Lower Grade just to get through matric (year 12) and it’s all gone! I have just enough Afrikaans left to impress someone who doesn’t even know where South Africa is. You know the country I am referring to! 
The name Soutie I think was supposed to be some kind of insult derived by the Dutch settlers (Afrikaaners) as a way to describe the English settlers in South Africa. Now Soutie is actually an abbreviation of the name Soutpiel. Translated directly, sout = salt and piel(sl) = penis. This came from the idea that the English had 1 foot in South Africa and 1 foot in England and their penis hanging in the salt water of the Atlantic Ocean hence Salt Penis or Soutpiel. This was eventually shortened to the term Soutie.
I am a Soutie. But then again, if I think about it, all the places I have been with one foot securely planted in South Africa, my piel must have been dipped in a few oceans, blistered over a few deserts of North Africa, dragged up and down a few mountains and also left to chill in some snow. Imagine the imagery I just went though to work that out – lol. So maybe I’m not just a Soutpiel. My piel is worldly, streetwise, it’s happening man! Ok a little enthusiastic. My piel is just a well traveled piel and I’m proud to be called a Soutpiel!
