Hello, good morning to all my readers! What a colourful few weeks it has been. I apologize for the lack of postage over this time period, but we have reached Harvest season here in between the vines, and le tourisme is Flourishing! Yes, it is true, well, according to the radio that is, yesterday the Cape region reached a record shattering 42.3 degrees Celsius and was at some point (more or less 3pm) dubbed the hottest place on Earth. And I must add, I will not object to that statement, since my colleagues and I were in full service during the zenith, pouring wines, taking orders and liaising with our guests. Waves of warm African air, the majesty of the valleys, although the heat was insatiable, these landscapes made their presence impossible to disregard. As mentioned above, we've been a bit more busy at le bureau, what with the influx of German, French and other international guests to come and sample what we have on offer at the 'vineyards in the sky', it has meant that there has been a lot more to learn; information from the job itself, knowledge imparted on me by co-workers, and also, lessons learnt in life-- both professionally and personally. Once again, one of the vital points that can never be over-stressed is communication. Communication between and in a multitude of different forms. From an Anthropological perspective, this'll be something thesis-worthy, or even PhD (no doubt!). Working together with people from different backgrounds, cultures, countries, and coming together to form a united team is challenging, but very rewarding; as the saying goes-- high risks or stakes results in high reward! I'm learning to speak a new language, piece by piece, and in so doing, understanding my fellow teammates better each day. And because I'm taking the time to get to know each individual better, each day becomes easier to work more efficiently on the whole. Where coming to work seemed somewhat daunting in the beginning (which is probably natural), being a Johannesburger trying to fit into the new environment here in the western Cape, it is now exciting and so enriching; there's not a moment to stand still, always something that I need to learn or study (when it comes to the Estate itself, the cuisine, guest preferences, and the list goes on!) and the opportunity to throw yourself fully into these beautiful surroundings wholeheartedly. There is no such thing as a dull moment or a task that is mundane or ordinary. Perhaps the most tedious or repetitive jobs or chores teach us discipline, honour, precision and even excellence. The beauty about writing, I think, is the fact that most of the time, unless it is something like a fact-driven report, the writer never knows where they are going to end up with their piece. The story and events unfold themselves as we delve deeper into analyzing what we have or are currently going through. It can be compared to a blossoming flower or running along a trail in a forest, where the path may branch out, take a turn or a twist, where we are always free to choose where we want to be taken. You may start out thinking that your angle will be a catch-up of all the recent highlights, but then once your prism-like mind has bent, mixed, mauled, refined and filtered all of the information you've collected and stored, you may end up relaying the value of sincere human interaction or why we need to practice some more patience or kindness. AH! I love it! Think of the incoming, white beam as your original topic of discussion from all your experiences and ideas, then as it enters the prism, your mental processes refract and bend this, and OUT!, on the other side, come the array of different possibilities of where your story or article may lead you--and trust me, it's more than just 7 paths!
To conclude, I have a quick picture of some Saturday lunch which my sister and I prepared a while ago... The photo would have been taken on the patio table, if we owned one..., or any table for that matter, so for the time being, our laps suffice. homemade Burgers FTW! I hope you have enjoyed reading this winding post of mine! May you all have a wonderful, delightful week! "Klein Saterdag" today; halfway to the weekend! "As long as we are not merely living only for the weekend" as my sister noted in the car this morning... each day has its own potential, and it's our own choice whether or not we realize it. <3
1 Comment
Hendrik
3/9/2015 11:19:06 pm
Here I was hoping for a mention of Pink Floyd or something when I saw the Dark Side of the Moon album cover.
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AuthorHi there, my name is Judete Fourie. I am a twenty-something-year-old writer living in Stellenbosch in SA's Western Cape. Follow my day to day adventures that involve wine, wit and braaibroodjies. Archives
June 2017
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