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About Our Quest
Whether you believe in God, luck, Buddha or the universe's predetermined path, destiny has a way of catching one unaware.
I could not have predicted that my brother would marry his high school sweetheart and live happily ever after, that I would find my soul mate at Newlands, that my best friends from school would marry, that the financial services company where I worked would bring friendships with a bond stronger than a sisterhood into my life, and least of all, that I would one day call America home.
As 12th generation South Africans—from German, Dutch and Scandinavian ancestors—the United States did not exactly seem like the logical first choice.
Yet, the US Greencard Lottery in 2000 changed our lives irrevocably.
At e.tv in Cape Town, South Africa, Dawid used to be in his element behind the 32-channel broadcast audio mixing console (pictured here with former colleague, Alli). These days, work no longer consumes him. He can be found creating designer furniture, cycling in the forest or by the river, mowing the lawn on a tractor, chopping wood for winter, or just listening to music.
Unlike many people who leave their countries of birth in search of greater opportunity, our yearning to start over was largely based on a desire to see more of the world, and to see South Africa and our heritage in context. With more than 8,000 miles separating us from our country of birth, we have a newfound appreciation for the umbilical cord that ties us to Africa's vast mountain vistas, the endless sky and the wind-churned ocean.
Although we are physically removed from family and friends, we have found new ways of holding up the mirror to each other's
lives and sharing key events. Armed with a cable internet connection, a webcam, digital camera and instant messaging capabilities, we feel closer than we could have dreamed.
A former South African colleague once warned that we would struggle to find a desolate, silent place to observe the night sky. Again, destiny stepped in, enabling us to live in quiet seclusion, surrounded by one of the most populated metropolitan areas in the United States.
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