I read somewhere that falling in love can be described in five stages. Whilst reading about this, I made a connection with my love for South Africa. It developed along the same lines. I’d like to share that journey with you, how I fell in love with SA during the past two years. In doing so, I hope that a bit of my passion for this country may rub off on you so you may be inspired to explore this country at least once in your life.
This will be a five part series of articles, one for each stage of the journey.
Stage one: eye contact
My brief introduction to South Africa, or should I say Johannesburg?
It was back in August 2017 that I had the good fortune to get staffed on a project in South Africa with Riaktr — the company where I fulfil my day job as a project manager. I remember it vividly: whilst finishing up a project in Cameroon, my manager called me: “Bob, would you be willing to do your next project in South Africa? You don’t have to say yes or no right away, it will require you to be on site quite a lot”. There was only one way I was going to answer that question: with a resounding YES!
Since I had heard many a story from colleagues and friends who had worked or traveled in SA, my expectations were fairly high. After my arrival at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, I didn’t really get what all the fuss was about. Since I had to go straight to the client’s offices, I would have to wait until the weekend before I would have the chance to get a first good look.
When the weekend finally arrived, I got it. Two days, jam-packed with experiences and beautiful sights. From the creative vibes in the Maboneng and Braamfontein neighbourhoods of Johannesburg to the open spaces when driving away from bustling Jozi. My little Olympus bore the brunt of this visual assault on its sensor. For myself? Sensory overload and an exploding Lightroom library.
This was two years ago today and of course, my photography has evolved ever since. Looking back into that — unfiltered and cluttered — collection of photos was quite an exercise in finding the right shots. It shows that one can learn and improve a lot in two years time. Luckily, I at least had the basics right back then. Below, a selection of a couple of shots that give a bit of a view of my first eye contact with SA. As these articles progress, the details described in them and the photos showcased will progress as well. It’s part of the journey I want to share with you.
This first two week stint left me hungry for more when I boarded the plane back to Belgium, I had not even scratched the surface of what South Africa had to offer in that one weekend. Colleagues — and random strangers — told me of a country so culturally and visually diverse, that it was impossible to expect to experience it in a short period of time, let alone one weekend.
After this first moment of eye contact, I wanted to get to know more, to see more. Three weeks later, I was back.
In the next part, stage two of falling in love with South Africa: Early courtship.
