I am currently dealing witg three clients who have really high expectations. I am really so busy and strangely enough...it feels good..//wierd i know//..Anyways..lastweek thursday was a normal morning until something to 8 when my boss mentioned that I am accompanying him to a meeting to see Chief Mandla Mandela, Nelson Mandela's grandson, at the pasr president's birthplace. Mvezo. Evrything about me was screaming unprepared...I was dressed in my faded blue jeans with my sneakers and coat...which added abit of class..boss didnt care anyway..and so with the conceptual model we were busy with the previous day, off we went..Almost three hours on the road...we finally reach the muddy village and everything that could go wrong goes wrong...from all the potholes on the mud road, the Jeep was heavily covered in mud as if we were on a safari...I got out of the Jeep and my faded blue jeans got some mud on them...immediatelty I searched high and low for a toilet..we were already running late but to me and the boss's amazement...there were members of parliament arriving in their suits and smart clothes..either way..I searched for my toilet because the Chief hadnt arrived. I finally get someone to open up one of the rondavel designed rooms for me and am told that their is no water....ladies who work there tell me to let the mud dry and then chip it off...so I go back to the Jeep where my boss is waiting and we pass time by having a much appreciated and mind opening conversation on architecture...More people arrive...and after two full hours...the chief appears out of his 4x4 to greet his guests..boss goes to him too. It starts to rain and i quickly chip the mud off and try and hide the stain with my only prize and smart cloth, my coat. We enter the place and the chief looks at me...I am only filled with gratitude rather than embarrasement. He too, was looking casual with his black jean, coat and sneakers..much like an ordinary person.
We sit close to two hours listening to the various speakers, included are some civil engineers who are proposing a road and bridge...and then the forum is opened to 30 something or so village members who are present..the chief then makes a peach and one director general too and then a concluding speech is then made by the wise chief.
Me and the boss are quite chuffed and surprised but then we are told that our meeting is to include just the chief at Nelson Mandela's home in Qunu... and so we set off as a convoy...the chief leading the way , us behind him and police behind us...after a rainy 45 minutes we arrive at a heavily secured home and are greeted by a policeman who opens up for us. After hours of chilling..we presented and I felt privileged to be in the home of the nobel peace prize winner without any journalist or crowd but up close and personal ...just me and my boss..needless to say..the chief loved our proposal and everything went more than well...and now its back to the drawing board as we are going to expand on the concept and meet up with the chief again.
This is probably the fourth project I am also part of as I will now be busy looking to find ideas to assist in the making of this prestigious project.
( We are to design a museum at Mvezo about Madiba's life and family- one of the company's milestone projects)
till next time
//Yoli//
