Egoli; City of Gold

Johannesburg; more often called Joburg or Jozi by locals. This city is my home. 

I have lived in South Africa my entire life, even though both my parents are Polish. People ask me what it's like living in a place with such a bad reputation. In all honesty, Joburg isn't my most favourite South African city but it's home and always will be.

In Zulu, Egoli means place of gold as Johannesburg was built on the gold rush in the 1880s. 

Aerial view of the city

 It's the world's largest city not situated on a river, lake or coastline. When I travelled in Europe, I was genuinely surprised by how many cities are, like Budapest, Prague etc. I just wasn't expecting it because Joburg sits on a plateau.

The city is believed to be South Africa's capital but it is not. The country has, in fact, three capital cities but Joburg is not one of them. Cape Town, our mother city, is one of them though, along with Pretoria and Bloemfontein.

There are a lot of fun activities to do in the city, from zoos to amusement parks, clubbing to gambling, city tours to bungee jumping. 

Sitting in traffic

A view of the highway

I am often asked about the crime that goes on in Jozi. I can't lie and say it's not as bad as it seems. Too many of my friends have had bad experiences, but I will tell you that it's something you get used to. We live very differently to the rest of the world. We are always aware of our surroundings; closed car windows, extra security around our homes; it's something you just live with. And life goes on as normal.

Sunset on my way home

With all that being said, being home for the past two months I have enjoyed living in Joburg. It's not a beautiful city but life here is intense. You are more aware of your race (whether you admit to it or not), taxis rule the roads, football comes second to rugby, you hear five different native languages at any given time, and surprisingly, people are genuinely friendly.

It doesn't matter if you're black, white, purple or blue. Rule of thumb is that South Africans are cool people. We are friendly and laid back. Our history and current political situation is unique and whether we're supporting the ANC or the DA, we all take life in Africa with a pinch of salt... and patience :)

Some people are less tolerant than others but not everyone feels the same. Is that not true for anywhere in the world? I'm a white South African and I proudly have black friends. 

You can't live in Africa and expect it to be the same as Europe or America. It's not. Time flows at a different pace. Life is sometimes backwards. Strife is common. And yet, even with all that nonsense, most people who come here fall in love with our land. 

An early morning in the city

Ending off with my favourite Nelson Mandela quote:

“No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” 

- Long Walk to Freedom

A Day in Berlin

Just before I came home to South Africa, I spent a day in Berlin with my new friends I had made while teaching in Poland. It's a two hour drive from Szczecin (Polish city that lies on the border of Poland and Germany) to Berlin.

The Trabant car was very popular during communism
and can be found all over the city.

Berlin was way bigger than I expected but I was shocked at how much I enjoyed spending time in the city. It has an interesting atmosphere; very touristy in the centre but very cool and only a little hipster :)

I enjoyed taking photos of the city

Because I was only there for the day, my super cool friend, Amanda, played tour guide and took me around the major attractions of the city.

We rented bicycles (the city is too big to walk to all these places) and weaved our way through traffic and people. I was convinced I was going to crash. I haven't ridden a bike since I was a kid and now I had to dodge killing old grannies trying to waddle on the side walk? No one was hurt except maybe my pride; the saying "it's like riding a bicycle; you never forget" is utter bull crap.






Berlin is the capital of Germany and it's largest city. After WWII, the city was completely divided into 4 zones. West was occupied by America, The UK and France, while the East was controlled by the Soviet Union. A wall was put up overnight that separated the sides. In 1989, the wall was brought down but pieces were preserved in pockets all over the city.

"Madness" found on the Berlin Wall

Checkpoint Charlie was really interesting in my opinion. It was one of the crossing points between East and West Berlin. It's found in the American sector and is now a symbol of the Cold War. In 1961, there was a real cowboy-like stand off (only with tanks instead of pistols) on opposite sides of the barrier. It ended peacefully though.

Me sitting on a piece of the Wall.

Brandenburg Gate is a former city gate but now holds more of a symbolic attraction to the city. It has been the site of many historical events throughout history. I thought it quite amazing that it survived two world wars.

I'm such a tourist

Within the city is the Holocaust Memorial that was designed to commemorate the murder of the Jews at the hand of the Nazis. I found the monument quite cold. Previously experiencing Auschwitz, I thought it was quite unsatisfactory. It's only a short distance from the ruins of where Hitler's bunker is buried.

A quiet Saturday morning

I wish I could have spent more time in the city but I'm glad I was able to visit before I left. Berlin is full of interesting places and one can do so much without getting bored. It's history is astounding; granted most of it is concentrated on WWII but I enjoyed it none the less. Ich liebe Berlin! :)

Berlin Hearts You!