Leaving London was a decision I will always recall as exceptionally tough. Without realising, one year rolled into another and seven years later the sense of familiarity I derived from my life in London surpassed the 20 years I had known of life in South Africa. It wasn’t just the end of a year for me but the end of a seven year era, which in the space of a few weeks, culminated in Christmas parties, farewell parties, heartfelt goodbyes and an entire suitcase of winter coats.

Maybe I have been lucky, but life in SA fell into place with relative ease. The things I worried most about – a place to live, a car and a job – were the easy part. The real challenges came with the territory. I was thrown into a very traditional, old South African corporate culture. Although it was a disappointment and a challenge, it was not a set back! Really making an effort to re-acquaint myself with faces from the past also had its challenges. Having to figure out what and if we still had things in common. And the hardest challenge was accepting that to make it work and to figure out where I fitted in, I quite simply needed to put my life in London behind me with the fondest of memories.

Being back in SA comes with an underlying sense that with all the harsh realities, the crime and the poverty, if you look hard enough something great could be on its way. There are solutions to be found and countless problems to be solved, but it comes with a knowing that if you want to be a part of the solution you can. That if you want there to be much more than just you, your life and everyone else who lives like you, there really is something bigger than you and it needs you.