We continue our tradition of starting the new year in a different country. Last year, we kicked things off in Indonesia; the year before, in Mexico. Each time, it is my pleasure, obligation, and honour to bring home some learnings and notes to self—and, of course, to share them with you. This time, we begin the year exactly where we all came from: Africa.
A huge shout-out to all my friends who have been recommending South Africa to me for quite some time now—thank you for the inspiration. After spending more than three weeks in this incredible country, I’m taking more than just memories with me into 2026. I’m taking ideas. And since ideas only really come alive when shared, here we go.
There will be signs – or the great denominator
You’ll encounter street signs here that are entirely new—some weird, some cute, some outright creepy. That may sound like a minor detail, but I find it endlessly fascinating. For the practical purpose of road safety, communication must be reduced to the absolute minimum. And yet, these signs reflect how profoundly unique life in South Africa can be (please, please check under your car before driving off—you might be sharing space with a penguin).
At the same time, the language of street signs reminds us how universal the communicational basics are, once we get down to what really counts. Not just in driving, but in human interaction too: an open smile, a hand reaching toward the heart when saying thank you—powerful gestures that need no translation and act as denominators in the cacophony of all imaginable and known languages.
Maximum intensity – or Douglas Adams says hi
Everything in South Africa seems turned up to the maximum: light, flavours, colours, the size of fruit. Walking around, I kept thinking that it must have been South Africa Douglas Adams had in mind when he wrote—while pretending to describe faraway worlds:
“Men were real men, women were real women, and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri were real small furry creatures.”
The adjective that has been popping up most in my mind these weeks has been generous—whether interacting with people, looking at the landscape, or savouring fruit that seems to know no season here, as you encounter peaches, watermelons, grapes, and everything else at the same time. It feels as if everything is growing sunny side up, with both sides facing the sun.
Paradox not only in contrasts – or losing yourself to find yourself
If you have the bad habit (as I do) of arriving at the end of the year depleted, with dopamine receptors grilled to medium rare, you may realize that starting the new year properly requires a full reboot. Jumping from one meeting to the next, rotating through topics that must be closed before the clock strikes midnight on December 31st and the whole world seemingly turns into a pumpkin, makes you extremely efficient in the short term. It also makes painfully clear how much recharging is needed between the years.
South Africa offers a million and one ways to do exactly that: strolling along endless cliff paths near Hermanus; losing yourself in the mountains around Montagu or Franschhoek; marvelling at the skyline near the Cape of Good Hope; or observing wild animals on safari. In doing so, you are doing much more than letting go. Nature here pulls you so close that you almost dissolve into it. And that, it turns out, is a very good thing. Because sometimes, losing yourself is the only way to find yourself again—bright, breezy, and full of beans. Just as the doctor ordered.
