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On August 8, one of my greatest dreams came true: living and working in a foreign country. Around two months earlier, I learned that GEA Aircooled Systems (Pty.) Ltd. in South Africa was planning a marketing project and that I was able to support them. I was very excited, but also happy that GEA was giving me the chance to experience what it’s like to work abroad with other people. It meant the chance to improve my English skills and have my own project.

My flight to O.R. Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, took about 20 hours because I had a 5-hour stopover in Dubai. In Johannesburg I stayed in a modern hotel near the airport. Every morning I was picked up at the hotel to start working for our “zebra company”. It is called a “zebra company” because GEA Aircooled Systems (Pty.) Ltd. produces different kinds of heat exchangers for almost every Business Unit of the Heat Exchangers segment. All of my colleagues were very friendly, warm-hearted and welcomed me with open arms.

During my stay I had my own little office. My intended project was to update the product brochure of GEA Aircooled Systems (Pty.) Ltd. and create an advertisement for a local magazine. So I worked closely with the General Manager for Sales and Marketing. Due to my interesting projects, I also worked with the local marketing agency and got to know how South African people work. Although I had some doubts before, there were no problems with South African English. Even the local Afrikaans was understandable for me because it is similar to Dutch. Unfortunately, we could not complete the brochure, but I am still in contact with my colleagues to provide support for the project from Germany.

To get an impression of the South African wild life, two colleagues invited me to stay on their farm for a weekend. Over the three days, we enjoyed a rugby game with the South African Springbocks team, visited a typical African market and went to a game park near Johannesburg. It was a fantastic experience to be so close to all the wild animals, including giraffes, zebras, lions and hippos. We also went for an “elephant walk” with an elephant mummy and her two babies. That was definitely a once in a lifetime experience because we could also pat the elephants! Besides the game park, we visited the capital of South Africa - Pretoria. We had lunch there and enjoyed the nice weather at the weekend!

During the week however, there was no time to enjoy the sun. In August, it’s the end of winter in South Africa. The temperature rises from 0° at night to 25° in the afternoon. From Monday to Friday we worked until 5 p.m., so we just saw the sunset on our way home.

On my last weekend in South Africa a colleague and his family invited me to a “braai” at their home, which is a typical African barbecue. In addition to “boerwoers”, rolled up sausages, we also enjoyed some “biltong”, a cured South African meat. I really enjoyed the whole braai and I’m so impressed by the hospitality of my colleagues and the South Africans in general.

My stay in South Africa was one of the best things in my life! I’ve learned so much about the country and its history, the people and their culture, but also about myself. I learned to adapt myself to many different situations and people and to manage business processes. All in all, I am really grateful for those unforgettable experiences!