Do I detect a classic Catch-22 here? You urge "finding out what this environment actually is before becoming involved with it" but can one successfully do so *without* first becoming involved with it?
Even if I learn Afrikaans and Zulu before visiting South Africa, I'm in no way assured of not getting mugged if I visit what turns out to be the wrong street-corner in Capetown at the wrong time.
Others, more capable than I, have already pointed out the weak spots here.
Cheers, -- tlvp