Travel Stories

South Africa

October 6, 2020

“I’m an entrepreneur”⁣

⁣I interviewed this beautiful woman in Capetown.⁣

She was selling magazines every day, in the same spot right in front of my Air Bnb on Kloof Street. ⁣

I walked right past her for 3 days. ⁣

She always had a look on her face that was warm, embracing but also prideful. ⁣

And every time we greeted each other, she just smiled at me and nodded. ⁣

I was a total stranger in Capetown, but this little encounter always felt to me like a small dose of home.

I knew somebody, and that somebody also knew me. ⁣

So on day 4, I tried to give her some charity money. She rejected it. This surprised me, and I felt that I offended her. ⁣

So I sat down and we talked briefly.⁣

She said, “I’m not a beggar, I’m an entrepreneur!”⁣

She then went on and pitched me the magazine until I bought it.

What fascinated me about this hero, was that she changed her own identity label — and protected it by refusing to take money from me for nothing.

Life comes down to what labels we give ourselves, choose your narrative wisely my friends.

October 6, 2020

“On Robben Island we had depression prevention patrols”

This hero is, in fact, a real hero.

A South African freedom fighter who was imprisoned due to his political involvement with the ANC (the military wing of the African national congress that fought against apartheid in South Africa together with Nelson Mandela). I talked with him about sacrifice, willpower, and his take on depression.

“My first involvement with the ANC got me expelled from school. At that time I knew that being a freedom fighter will come with a price. Here on Robben Island, I was imprisoned together with all the other political leaders of the resistance against apartheid. Right over there Nelson Mandela planted his tomatoes and hid his manuscript for his autobiography. The guards found it anyway and burned it. So he lost 4 years of work.
This place was known to us as the university, it was not only a prison but a place where we learned from each other. A place full of leaders and fighters. We saw this prison as a continuation of our struggle for freedom and against the apartheid regime… The worst thing for me was that the guards used systematic starvation in order to keep us down. They were afraid of our mind, and a hungry mind can’t revolt. The worst thing was that they took away the letters that our children and women wrote to us. “

Daniel: What was the difference between people who were falling into despair, depression, and suicide and between those who kept their mind strong?

“If we saw someone be depressed or isolating themselves, we, as a community choose teams of 3-4 people to go and talk to the person who was in pain. We listened to his problems and tried to give him support, unity, and solutions.
Daniel: Like a depression watch?” “Yes, we knew that only together we can win the fight. Community is the key. Besides that, in order to not succumb to depression, we tried to stay busy. Read, exercise, talk with each other, and play rugby”.

October 6, 2020

“Today is my first night of being homeless”

I’ve met this hero while flaneuring around the streets of Capetown, we chatted and he told me that he just spent his first night on the streets ever, yet strangely enough, he still had a big smile on his face and radiated positivity.

I was dumbfounded so I asked him about his story…

” I lost my old life when I got diagnosed with my heart disease. From one day to the next, I couldn’t work anymore. I had to buy the medicine, and since I have no insurance all my money went into the drug store. I simply couldn’t pay my rent anymore. I’m not a drug addict, I just got hit in the face by life. There is no security net in South Africa, if you don’t work, you don’t eat. My medicine costs around 700 per month, its unbelievable.. I was making good money, but who can afford such pills? Well, I’m happy though, I’m still alive an kicking!”

I was fascinated, such a tragedy, yet, the man was glowing and he was actually cheering me up in our conversation…

He told me that his biggest wish was to see his mom in Port Elizabeth again in order to look after her and that he is looking for money in order to leave Capetown for good.

So the two of us jumped in an Uber drove to the next bus station and bought him a one-way ticket to Port Elizabeth.

20 euros in order to change the life of someone.. I think this maybe was the best investment of my life.

So guys, even if life is dogsh*t for you right now; don’t stop smiling!

If this guy can, so can you!

September 25, 2020

“The H in happiness stands for health”

“I created my Juice & Salad Shop because I wanted to show people that healthy food can be just as delicious. More even! People who are unhappy often also eat “unhappy”. When you eat something that tastes good and you know that it will make your body stronger, you can’t help but smile. Eating right is an act of self-love”
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I interviewed this lady when I was wandering around the Old Biscuit Market in Capetown. Isn’t she beautiful?! Exploring urban cuisine is one of my favorite aspects of traveling. But more often than not I return from my expeditions not only with beautiful memories but also with a few extra pounds.

So I stopped at her little shop because her salads looked amazing.

You could immediately see that they were made with passion. I couldn’t even identify all the ingredients.

I’m fascinated by people who love what they are doing, so after eating a big bowl of the salad I asked her what her motivations were to open her shop.

She told me that she was frustrated by the lack of healthy food alternatives in Capetown and that she felt that she wanted to do something about it.

September 25, 2020

“My Daughter is my Strenght”

“Happiness for me is to be with my Daughter. She is my happiness. This is why I’m fighting right now to get my life back together because I want to give her everything she needs. Before I got sick I used to be a model. Everything crashed down when I became pregnant and sick at the same time. And as if this wasn’t enough the asshole father of my daughter left me, this is how I landed at the homeless shelter. Life is tough sometimes. But now that I’m healthy again I’m confident that good things are ahead for me.”

I interviewed this cool chic in Capetown. She asked me if I could give her a dollar so she can buy milk for her daughter. On long Street, you get approached by a lot of people who are homeless and who are asking for money. She was different. So I sat down with her and asked her about her story.

It was heartwarming. And although her life was extremely tough and she was facing obvious hardship she had a positive, even confident aura about her.

She somehow knew that she was in an upward spiral and that good things were around the corner for her.

South Africa’s social welfare system is basically nonexistent.

I was fascinated by her optimism so I asked her about her source of strength.

She gave me a clear answer – “my daughter”.

She showed me pictures of her kid and told me how smart she already was.

It was moving.

We hugged, and then she went her way.

I learned a lot from this little encounter.

My biggest lesson was that everybody needs to have a why that is bigger than her/himself.

For this beautiful lady, it was her daughter.

She was not out there begging, she was out there hustling so her daughter can eat.

September 25, 2020

“Being the best father that I can be makes me happy.”

“Happiness for me is to work. Because when I work I don’t have to be with my wife. I’m joking of course (don’t tell her that haha).” I’m married to her for 30 years, she is a great woman. But seriously don’t tell her I said that, she will kill me haha”.

I interviewed this hat maker in Cape Town, I went to his store to buy some hats, and he was sitting there and out of the blue was offering me olives. I’m half Lebanese, so I guess I’m genetically hard-wired to love those little things. And I don’t say this lightly: But those olives were the most delicious ones I ever tasted.

Turns out that the olives were from a delicacy shop nearby that was run by his daughter and his son.

As soon as he started talking about his children his eyes began to sparkle. He insisted that I accompany him and immediately go and visit the shop of his children.

Since I had no choice, I went with him.

Once arrived in the beautiful delicacy shop I told the children their father’s joke and we all had a good giggle.

September 25, 2020

“Happiness is providing for my family”

„In 1992 was a drought in Zimbabwe, I still remember how we had to walk miles to get a bit of water. We used to eat something that we call „maajo“.⁣
It is basically leftover food from the days before mixed with water. That was the hardest time of my life, but in a strange way, it was also the happiest. In those days, where we sat at the campfire at night with hurting, hungry bellies, my family was together. We were dreaming together of better times. ⁣
I miss that….I miss them. ⁣
We are a family of 6, I’m the youngest. I’m also the only one who got out. At the end of the month I better make sure to send them something otherwise, they struggle. ⁣
The people who stayed in Zimbabwe are the strongest. It’s almost impossible to send money to my family, so I have to send food. The government is stupid, they make it really hard for us to support our families. They don’t allow for example to send cooking oil because they want to support local products from Zimbabwe. But there is no cooking Oil in Zimbabwe to buy!⁣
My family relies on me, I worked hard for this car, it’s my business. People think I’m a cab driver, but I’m a business owner. ⁣
It puts food on the table for me and for my family. ⁣
When I get sad or depressed I think of them. My mind stays strong because I know where I’m from and I know that they need me. “⁣

September 25, 2020

“We are all in this together”

“If one person in a country is not pulling up their pants it can bring an entire nation to its knees.”

⁣I talked to this hero on Longstreet in Capetown.

Apparently, she was part of a religious movement that aimed at empowering the woman of Capetown.

For that cause, she was collecting money and asked me to donate. I explained to her that I’m “just” a visitor and that I see myself more as an observer.

She got mad.⁣

She told me ” You may not be a citizen of this country, but you live on this planet don’t you? ⁣

She had a point.⁣

So I listened (also from the fierce look on her face I could see that she would not take a no for an answer).⁣

I asked her if she always had this level of conviction.

She said “No” It turned out that she is originally from Delhi, and not from Capetown. ⁣

We sat down and talked about her journey, a few other people gathered and listened.

She opened up with a story of domestic rape, and how powerless she felt, and that she had to do something about it.⁣

“We are all in this together. There are many problems, and everybody has to do their best to make things better. It may sometimes seem like what we do don’t matters, but it does.”⁣

She then pointed to a listener with baggy pants and said: “If you don’t pull your pants up, this can bring this entire country to its knees. Get your act together boy!”. ⁣

 

September 25, 2020

“Where there is happiness, there is music”

“Playing my saxophone is like traveling to a distant place. A place nobody knows but me. When I play I forget where I am, who is around me, and what’s going on in my life. There is just my saxophone, the sound of my music, and me.”

⁣I met this hero in Capetown last November while I was strolling around the old biscuit market, looking for something to eat. ⁣

I was always fascinated by street musicians, for me, there is no purer form of dedication than to grab your instrument, go on the street and do what you love. ⁣

So I sat on the ground next time to him put all the rand that I could share in his saxophone case and listened.

It was magical.

His artistry in combination with watching all the busy people go by him made it seem like time was slowing down.

My favorite German word is “entschleunigen”.

It describes an act of mindfulness where you slow down and focus on the now.

So as I sat there and waited for a chance to talk to this guy.

I asked him “What does music mean to you?”⁣

“Everything” he said. ⁣

September 25, 2020

“I sell happiness. “⁣

⁣I interviewed this hero on Kloof Street. I was intrigued because he was not looking like the typical “Flowerman” kind of guy (sry for being stereotypical). ⁣

So I stopped and asked him about his story, and how he ended up selling flowers.⁣

Turns out that his wife always loved flowers, and one day she just started to sell flowers in front of the supermarket.

In the supermarket, they were selling flowers as well -much cheaper in fact.

I was curious why people were buying flowers from him, instead of the big supermarket right in front of him.

He told me that I don’t seem to understand why people buy flowers…

“People give flowers to other people because they want to express their love. It’s a symbol of gratitude. It’s a ritual of humans. Supermarkets like this one are mechanical, they are born out of necessity. There is no love in them, only profit. People don’t want to corrupt the purity of the ritual by buying from someone who doesn’t care about people”.

September 25, 2020

“Sunsets are free”

“Watching the sun go down makes me happy. The only place in the world where the sunset is even prettier than in Capetown is Kongo. I hope I can go back one day…”. ⁣

⁣I met this hero in Capetown, on a slow Saturday morning, he was selling coconut juice and after I ordered my fourth portion (yes, I’m addicted to stuff, don’t judge me ok?!) this hero and I started chatting.

What did this hero teach me?⁣

It seems that Africa isn’t only the continent of smiles but also the continent of perseverance.

As a detective of happiness, I’m always fascinated by how resilient humans are. ⁣

Kongo has an entire generation of people who are going through the hardest of hardships — yet still, they find a way to enjoy the little things.

My favorite learning from this encounter was that sunsets are free.

It seems that happiness, or the lack of it, comes also down to how we look at things. ⁣

It’s not the number of possession that matters. but rather the mindfulness in which we enjoy them. ⁣

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