I work with a group of kids in Chicago who attend an inner-city charter
school called KIPP Ascend. Each October they come out to visit us at SAP for a
Career Day during SAP's Month of Service. This year, unfortunately I'll be
missing their visit, but there is one important lesson we teach our KIPPsters
that I'd like to share with you, "You never get a 2nd chance to make
a 1st impression." I find this phrase to be very relevant to not only this
trip, but my life in general.
And so it began...
My flight was delayed and I was the 2nd to last team member to arrive in
Johannesburg (you'll also hear me refer to Johannesburg as Joburg or Jozi). After grabbing my bags and proceeding through customs, I was greeted by
2 smiling faces - my driver (pictured below) and George (pictured below). George is our local
consultant which basically means he's a paid local who can help our group get
acclimated to our surroundings. And did I mention he's fabulous? Just as
quickly as I met George, my driver whisked me off and we started to head toward
Sandton.
This wasn't just any regular cab ride, it was a rockin' one. If you can imagine, I asked my driver to turn on his favorite tunes and rock out with me. He happily obliged. I’m not sure who was singing, but this song became the soundtrack to my first impression of Johannesburg. As we drove through the hills and exited the interstate toward Sandton, the scenery changed drastically. We entered a shanty town called Alexandra. At first it reminded me of Antigua, Guatemala – picture a section of town dedicated to car parts and scrap metal (likely stolen). Car parts turned into dealerships, dealerships turned into car washes, and suddenly we were in the midst of a shack city. Peddlers walking down the street, brightly colored clothes hanging from the lines, and just rows of shacks made of whatever was available. The network of schools I mentioned earlier, KIPP, is located in some of the worst neighborhoods in Chicago. These neighborhoods would make North Lawndale look like Lincoln Park in comparison to Alexandra.
Suddenly we made a left turn and the shacks disappeared, the trees came out
and we passed a beautiful park where children were playing with their parents.
I remember the park because there was a huge Hyundai hot air balloon on the
ground next to a huge Radisson Blu hi-rise. The balloon is still there, but I’m
still not sure if it is an actual working balloon. Just past the Radisson on
the right was my new home.
We pulled into Sandton Executive Villas just after 11 a.m. and were greeted by the security guard who had to open the gate. There is a 12” gate and cement wall surrounding the apartments where I’m staying. We got out of the car, unloaded my bags, and headed to the lobby where we were greeted by the heads of my program. I was assigned a room and headed off to find my apartment. I told my new security guard friend I could easily carry my bags (note: not a light packer) until he informed me that I was down at the end of the road in the last building on a hill on the 6th floor walk-up. To that, I happily accepted his help getting my bags up to my room.
As we trekked to the top, I noticed that the smell from this building
reminds me of my sister’s college apartment in Graz, Austria. It smells like a
mix of Indian curry and my grandmother’s basement. But besides the smell, my
apartment itself is awesome and crazy big! I’d like to say that it’s about the
same size as my apartment in Chicago, complete with an open floor
Kitchen/Living room concept, an office, a master bedroom and private bath. I
thought I would be living in a box behind lock; I didn’t expect to find
comfortable and actually pretty luxurious accommodations.
I had 10 minutes to clean-up and meet my team back in the lobby for a quick neighborhood tour and lunch. For a slow poke like me, that’s not nearly enough time for a shower and a nap, both of which I could have used at that point.
I met my team for the first time and we walked 10 minutes down the road and entered Nelson Mandela Square, also known as the Sandton city center and the biggest shopping mall around. This mall must rival the size of the Mall of America (kid you not!) and cover at least 6 city blocks. Complete with a Prada, Bally’s, Gucci, Apple store etc. – like my neighborhood and my apartment, it was not at all what I had expected to find. My team and I enjoyed a great lunch in NM Square and then headed off to the grocery story. I won’t go into too much detail about my shopping experience except to say that in this store they had an entire aisle of butter. I’m not talking about a few shelves – I mean a full Hy-Vee/Dominicks/Ukrops/Kroger aisle of butter. I guess they like their butter?
After some free time, a glass of Pinotage on the balcony, and a great dinner
with new friends it was time to hit the sack. So what to tell you about my
first day on Sabbatical? It was not at all what I had expected. Sandton made an
incredible first impression. I’m not sure what I had expected to find, but
after all of the comments fearing for my safety and my living conditions, I was
beyond pleasantly surprised. The people here are so delightful, the flowering
trees and gardens you find around every corner make you smile and smell
delicious, and the weather is incredible (30 c’s yesterday!). I’d have to say
without a doubt that my first impression of Sandton, my team and this
sabbatical is absolutely 2 thumbs up. There is no need to make a 2nd
first impression as far as I’m concerned.
Monday we head into Johannesburg to meet our NGO organizations for the first time. So I guess I haven’t really seen Joburg yet and there is always a chance to change my mind. But for now, I’m very content and excited for the many more firsts to come.
Something new every day…
And so it began...
This wasn't just any regular cab ride, it was a rockin' one. If you can imagine, I asked my driver to turn on his favorite tunes and rock out with me. He happily obliged. I’m not sure who was singing, but this song became the soundtrack to my first impression of Johannesburg. As we drove through the hills and exited the interstate toward Sandton, the scenery changed drastically. We entered a shanty town called Alexandra. At first it reminded me of Antigua, Guatemala – picture a section of town dedicated to car parts and scrap metal (likely stolen). Car parts turned into dealerships, dealerships turned into car washes, and suddenly we were in the midst of a shack city. Peddlers walking down the street, brightly colored clothes hanging from the lines, and just rows of shacks made of whatever was available. The network of schools I mentioned earlier, KIPP, is located in some of the worst neighborhoods in Chicago. These neighborhoods would make North Lawndale look like Lincoln Park in comparison to Alexandra.
Suddenly we made a left turn and the shacks disappeared, the trees came out
and we passed a beautiful park where children were playing with their parents.
I remember the park because there was a huge Hyundai hot air balloon on the
ground next to a huge Radisson Blu hi-rise. The balloon is still there, but I’m
still not sure if it is an actual working balloon. Just past the Radisson on
the right was my new home. We pulled into Sandton Executive Villas just after 11 a.m. and were greeted by the security guard who had to open the gate. There is a 12” gate and cement wall surrounding the apartments where I’m staying. We got out of the car, unloaded my bags, and headed to the lobby where we were greeted by the heads of my program. I was assigned a room and headed off to find my apartment. I told my new security guard friend I could easily carry my bags (note: not a light packer) until he informed me that I was down at the end of the road in the last building on a hill on the 6th floor walk-up. To that, I happily accepted his help getting my bags up to my room.
As we trekked to the top, I noticed that the smell from this building
reminds me of my sister’s college apartment in Graz, Austria. It smells like a
mix of Indian curry and my grandmother’s basement. But besides the smell, my
apartment itself is awesome and crazy big! I’d like to say that it’s about the
same size as my apartment in Chicago, complete with an open floor
Kitchen/Living room concept, an office, a master bedroom and private bath. I
thought I would be living in a box behind lock; I didn’t expect to find
comfortable and actually pretty luxurious accommodations.I had 10 minutes to clean-up and meet my team back in the lobby for a quick neighborhood tour and lunch. For a slow poke like me, that’s not nearly enough time for a shower and a nap, both of which I could have used at that point.
I met my team for the first time and we walked 10 minutes down the road and entered Nelson Mandela Square, also known as the Sandton city center and the biggest shopping mall around. This mall must rival the size of the Mall of America (kid you not!) and cover at least 6 city blocks. Complete with a Prada, Bally’s, Gucci, Apple store etc. – like my neighborhood and my apartment, it was not at all what I had expected to find. My team and I enjoyed a great lunch in NM Square and then headed off to the grocery story. I won’t go into too much detail about my shopping experience except to say that in this store they had an entire aisle of butter. I’m not talking about a few shelves – I mean a full Hy-Vee/Dominicks/Ukrops/Kroger aisle of butter. I guess they like their butter?
After some free time, a glass of Pinotage on the balcony, and a great dinner
with new friends it was time to hit the sack. So what to tell you about my
first day on Sabbatical? It was not at all what I had expected. Sandton made an
incredible first impression. I’m not sure what I had expected to find, but
after all of the comments fearing for my safety and my living conditions, I was
beyond pleasantly surprised. The people here are so delightful, the flowering
trees and gardens you find around every corner make you smile and smell
delicious, and the weather is incredible (30 c’s yesterday!). I’d have to say
without a doubt that my first impression of Sandton, my team and this
sabbatical is absolutely 2 thumbs up. There is no need to make a 2nd
first impression as far as I’m concerned. Monday we head into Johannesburg to meet our NGO organizations for the first time. So I guess I haven’t really seen Joburg yet and there is always a chance to change my mind. But for now, I’m very content and excited for the many more firsts to come.
Something new every day…
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