I had the opportunity to chat to a fellow teacher who recently arrived in China. He is still finding his feet. He came to China alone but his wife will be joining him soon. This is his story. As a South African, we have all felt the need to travel and experience life in a different country. We have always thought that the grass might be greener on the other side. However, leaving family, friends and loved ones behind has its own challenges and if you are not mentally prepared for it, the loneliness alone will get you on the first plane back to sunnier shores. As I’m a married…

“Let us do a test drive out to the local monastery” Niall suggested. Niall was an Irish gentleman who my wife Jackie and I had become rather friendly with during the two-day journey through the treacherous Leh-Manali pass. We surveyed our motorcycles for existing damage before proceeding with the rental. The Royal Enfield is a remarkable machine with a timeless vintage design. As I kick started the bike and engaged the throttle, several roaring revs sent an explosion of goosebumps up my arms. The entire region of Ladakh now seemed ripe for exploration. We set off south-east toward our destination of Thiksey monastery. Along the way, we got acquainted with…

From the streets of Zhejiang, China, to exploring the future. That is the life path that Nyameko Ishmael Bottoman has chosen for himself. Centuries ago, people took to sailing ships to explore their world and to seek a better future. They were brave adventurers. Now, with all the lands known, explorers have taken to exploring the virtual world. They are talented, technically-enabled people and also brave.  For the next 18 months at least, Bottoman, 37, will be a digital nomad, living in Thailand. Before that, he lived in Ningbo, which gave him a chance to explore Hangzhou. More accurately, Bottoman is an internet content creator. That means he is testing…

Being cold has two meanings: not reacting emotionally to things that have emotional importance to others, and standing out in the freezing cold, wearing too little, shivering too much and just waiting. And waiting. And waiting. You see, people get up to strange things in the cold. Some people like to make, then throw snowballs at each other, some people like to skate – ice skate I mean – on any vaguely thick bit of ice that they can get their teeth into (not literally) and some people like to go for a sauna and then a swim in the nearest piece of ice-cold H2O that they can get to…

As a research assistant studying in the field of neuroscience, which delves into the complexities and ambiguities of the human brain and consciousness, my fascination with intricate networks has grown substantially. This concept is not confined only to the field of complex biological systems like the human brain, but also percolates to various sociological phenomena, adding a dynamic element to scientific exploration. Such a perspective led me to closely observe the constantly evolving terrain of South African science which interestingly navigates between the poles of progressing contemporary science and upholding indigenous knowledge. Assimilating indigenous African knowledge systems with scientific advancement… In the labyrinth of networks, whether they be neural or…

Visions are often meant to be seen as a mental image of the future: people talk about having visions, about seeing visions, about having an image of what might be happening, either in the present or in the future. Well, that’s the eclectic use of the word. Another use of the word vision implies that someone can imagine something different – a change that they can bring about using various resources and individuals to create a new reality, and this is what we talk about when we consider leadership for example, but the same applies to individuals whose only leadership opportunities relate to their own lives or those of their…