A decade in South Africa. I moved there in 2012 on a scholarship for my PhD, and stayed on until 2022 because of friendships, work opportunities, the country’s beauty…

This phase of my life taught me invaluable lessons on numerous diverse and very complex things. Among which are:

• Truly interacting with humans from other cultures;
• Seeing the impact of large wildfires and other natural events;
• Grasping extremes from luxury villas to persons on the street without shoes;
• Experiencing a severe drought with water rationing and a potential Day Zero;
• Learning about a society that is, at least to a larger extent, shaped by violence and racism;
• Understanding, in contrast, the power of hope and quest for good;
• Dealing with loadshedding;
• Having fun despite lack of resources;

… and much more. Leaving your comfort zone builds your resilience.