7-26-14 South Africa Cuteness (Part 1: Joburg)

Hello Everyone!

So as promised here is the famed South Africa post!

For those of you who don’t know, me, my dad, my step mom, my sisters, and my brother had the amazing – most – likely – once – in – a –lifetime opportunity to travel to South Africa and get treated like royalty by YPO, the Young Presidnets Organization.  YPO does above and beyond events for CEOs who made their company a certain size before age 45, which dad qualified for when he was 44.

It’s difficult to describe the level of detail that our South African hosts put into this trip. But you’ll probably see in the pictures and descriptions the detailed, VIP, and amazing experience we just had.

SO, lets start from the beginning.

To get to South Africa, we had about 30 hours of travel. We first drove down to LAX, then got on a flight to Amsterdam, then got on another flight to Johnnaesburg. When we finally arrived at 10pm we were so delirious and jet lagged we probably looked a hot mess, but we found out immediately how hospitable our hosts were. We walked off the plane and there was a man holding a sign for the Stollmeyer family. He then proceeded to take us through all customs and security, cutting everyone else in line. We found that Dad's, Jill's, and Laney’s bags did not make it on the flight to Johannesburg, and would not arrive for another 24 hours, but our hosts quickly organized a pickup service and they were in our rooms when we came back from dinner the next day. Uri, Aviva, and their children (our South African hosts, and our new friends) were so gracious the entire time, and when we got in the bus to go to the hotel, Uri was a chatterbox full of happiness of excitement asking us how we all were, and telling us about how much fun we were going to have.

The next morning we awoke to see where we were, in Melrose Arch, a hip, safe shopping center and downtown area of Johannesburg. The festivities that day began with age segregated introductions, the 18-25 young adults were housed in a bar, where our icebreaker was to say our name, where we were from, our age, tell an embarrassing or interesting story from our lives, and then take a shot. That was the beginning of a huge opening ceremony  party, we then went back outside to meet up with the other age groups, and then were lead by dancing chorusing Africans, people in spandex suits, and an African drumline to our event venue. I don’t know how they pulled off taking over the entire downtown, but everything in the area was for us, 420 YPO’ers. The venue (literally called The Venue) was a large theater with the adults on the bottom floor and the kids on the top floor. The young adults basically took shots all night and then after a beautiful show, a group of drummers came out on the stage and told us to pull out the bongo drums under the tables so we could all play drums and get a lesson. Even Marc got a bit drunk, so it was just a wild and crazy night talking to amazing people from all over the world.

Our drumming lesson (see Laney center stage) 

Drumming away!

The next day we had an early morning (very difficult given the previous evening’s festivities), where we separated to do various activities that we had signed up for prior to the trip. Madi and Laney got a lesson in street art and decorated a wall in downtown Jozi, while Marc left for a trip out to some amazing caves to learn about Africa as a center for anthropology and listen to a head anthropologist explain their work. Dad, Jill, and I opted for a day of history, learning about Nelson Mandela.

We started our Mandiba  day (conveniently the day before his birthday) by visiting Constitutional Hill which includes the prison where Mandiba spent 27 years and the new constitutionl court (Similar to US supreme court), literally built with the bricks of the black men section of the prison to remind the court that South Africa is built upon its violent history. South Africa today now has a constitution with 28????? Described freedoms, with a court built upon transparency and equality. The court literally has windows so that any passerby can see the happenings inside the courtroom. All court proceedings are also filmed so they are accessible to anyone in South Africa. Learning about their court and the struggles they have overcome in the last 20 years alone was heartwrenching and had us falling in love with South Africa on day 2.

Our next stop was a visit to Nelson Mandela’s house, where his wife stil lives so we did not go in. instead it is a tradition to write a note to Mandiba on a stone and place it in his garden so he may see it and have it brighten his day in some minuscule way. This idea is so adorably African, it such a small priceless token that doesn’t take up any space or require removal, but still translates their gratitude to the man who helped free South Africa from oppression.

Our next stop was a visit to the Nelson Mandela foundation, the organization that Mandela worked for in his last years. They gave us a tour of their archives which include all of Mandiba’s awards and presents including world cups exact replicas, gifts from the Obamas, and so much more. Then we went back out into the event room where Mandela’s chef catered the African food that Mandela and his family ate on a daily basis. During this event, a trendy painter painted a portrait of Mandela for to be silent auctioned off for a teddy bear charity. So you may see this painting in our living room in the near distant future, as dad couldn’t help himself.

Our fourth stop was a visit to Lilliesleaf, which was the hideout (farmhouse façade) where Mandela and his companions hid when they were plotting revolution and where they were eventually arrested from. Denis Goldberg, one of Mandela’s companions who also spent 22 years in prison for high treason, came to talk to us. He was so kind and joyful, I thought he was someone’s jubilant grandfather until he sat down in front of us to start talking. It was an experience that can only be called conversing with living history.

Needless to say the entire day, from 8am to 5pm was so amazing, and arguably the best YPO-only experience.

Walking through the prison

Exhibits dedicated to Nelson Mandela and Mathama Gandhi, both imprisoned in these walls. 

The Constitutional Court of South Africa. Note the Windows,
which promote transparency (everything is also recorded).
The bricks are from the black men's section of the prison reminding all citizens
of the horrible history South Africa has had to overcome,
while the cow hides remind the people that everybody, all colors and races,
 are different but equal. Not that you can tell here, but the ceiling has slats to create shadows similar
to trees which references tribal times where disputes would be settled under trees. 

Our tour guide, placing his message stone in one of the planters outside of Mandiba's house. 

Jill with Mandela's cook, who was so wonderful and shy,
and cooked us an amazing meal madeup of Mandiba's favorites. 

This artist painted this portrait of Mandiba in 10 minutes while we ate our lunch.
You may see a similar one hanging in our house very soon... 

Denis Goldman, Mandela's fellow revolutionary who spent 22 years in prison for treason against the Apartheid.

That night we had dine around’s at various South African YPO-er’s homes. We were separated by age group, but our hosts (whose home btw looks like it’s out of a cool chic pottery barn magazine) had set up Braii (South African BBQ), cocktails, fire pits, a magician, and had rented out Limo’s for everyone to travel in to get there and back to the hotel. We were a little wiped out from the evening prior, but we enjoyed the conversation and the David Copperfield-esque magician.

Inside the Limo with some of the 20+ young adults.

The next day we grabbed some breakfast and left for the bush! (see next post)



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