After graduating from Grey, army (which I was kicked out of in 1969, honourable discharge, LONG story), Natal and Cape Town Universities, I left SA and have lived in Jerusalem, Amsterdam, San Diego and finally Toronto, for the last 40 years.
I graduated as an architect in Toronto in the early 1980s, where I’ve lived since. I practiced architecture for about 25 years, specializing, for a time, in the designs of buildings for First Nation (Native) communities in the far north (near the Arctic Circle where temperatures drop to -37°C). After a full career in architecture, I transitioned to commercial real estate, which I continue to practice today.
I have two kids: Max, who graduated from medical school in Tel Aviv and is now practicing urology in Alaska. Orli completed her MBA in Israel and lived in Tel Aviv for 5 years before she and her husband moved to New York. She is working for the Brooklyn Nets basketball team. I hope they will eventually return to Toronto.
My kids love visiting SA. I still have first cousins in Durban and Cape Town and after numerous visits, my kids are close to them. They have developed a love for our country. However, they still can’t figure out the subtly and nuance of “ja, nee”, which disqualifies them as true South Africans.