08 Mar Getting to Know Other Fellows
In this instalment we e-interviewed some Fellows that took various opportunities outside of South Africa. Here are some of their amazing updates:
Daniel Tate
Daniel Tate
- Which part of the world are you in?
I’m currently based in Oxford, in the United Kingdom.
2. What are you currently busy with on that side? Working/Studying/Self-employed? Please give details.
I’m in the second year of my Master’s degree in International Relations, as a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford. My research focuses on the politics of South Africa’s engagement with regional energy integration projects in Southern Africa.
3. How long have you been abroad?
I’ve now been in the UK since September 2021, although I’ve come back to SA for the occasional vacation and for my Master’s thesis interviewing.
4. Are you planning to come back to South Africa? When and why?
Absolutely! I’d like to return as soon as I’ve completed my studies here at Oxford. I’ve just applied for the PhD in International Relations here, so all things being equal, I would complete the PhD and then return to SA immediately afterward. Why? SA is home. I’m adamant that my personal impact needs to be back in SA, for the benefit of its people, and more broadly, for the continent at large.
5. What are the challenges of working/studying abroad?
I would say the two biggest challenges have been the people and the climate. I miss the people back home in SA, and the UK climate really doesn’t agree with me.
6. What other general information would you like to share with the community about working/studying abroad?
It was when I moved abroad that I became more convinced than ever that I needed to return to SA. While it has been a true privilege to be able to study here, and I’m very happy to have followed this path, living in the UK has confirmed for me that there is something truly special about being back home.
Nava Anvari
Nava Anvari
- Which part of the world are you in?
Nairobi Kenya
2. What are you currently busy with on that side? Working/Studying/Self-employed? Please give details.
I work full-time. I helped set up and currently lead the African philanthropy activities and portfolio of the Princely Family of Liechtenstein
3. How long have you been abroad?
six years
4. Are you planning to come back to South Africa? When and why?
Not at the moment. My husband and I are happily settled in Nairobi and feel we can make a difference here. I find SA to be too censored, it is difficult to have real conversations and work together for real change when you’re constantly afraid of being shot down or ‘canceled’ if one thing you say is misinterpreted. We don’t have that here in Kenya; everyone seems to be working towards building a better future and as long as you’re committed to that sincerely, they’re your allies.
5. What challenges are the challenges of working/studying abroad?
Not having regular access to Nandos
Zayne Imam
Zayne Imam
- Which part of the world are you in?
Today I live in Madrid, Spain.
- What are you currently busy with on that side? Working/Studying/Self-employed? Please give details.
I am currently a manager in the Madrid Office of McKinsey and Company. I spent the last 4.5 years working as the Engagement Officer of IE Business School, where one of my priorities was Alumni Engagement. And today I am the Strategic Initiatives Manager of the McKinsey and Company Alumni Relations Team globally.
Over the years I’ve also worked on TV commercials and other media work here in Europe as side gig.
- How long have you been abroad?
In June I will have lived in Spain for the last 7 years.
- Are you planning to come back to South Africa? When and why?
Today I do not have plans to return (that said one never knows what the future has in store). The reason why is simply because I have slowly been able to build the healthiest (mentally, emotionally, psychologically, physically, and spiritually) version of my life here in Madrid. I prioritize that dearly and it would be difficult to pursue something that might destabilize this.
- What challenges are the challenges of working/studying abroad?
Becoming and remaining a legal immigrant is probably one of the most difficult processes I’ve ever gone through. It’s not so much the bureaucratic paperwork part that is difficult. It’s more the emotional struggle of knowing that everything you build up in the country, prior to permanent residence, could be something you are forced to leave behind if your papers are not approved. Imagining the idea of leaving behind my loved ones here in Madrid and the life I had built was a tough image in the back of my mind for the last few years.
Today is different as I finally have my permanent residence.
- What other general information would you like to share with the community about working/studying abroad?
I love and miss South Africa.
I will not be pursuing Spanish Citizenship today because I feel South African, and I have no desire to change that… And frankly, with the work-from-home revolution in the way we work today, I expect it will be easier and easier for me to spend more time at home.
I think slowly it’ll become very feasible for me to spend a few months home in SA and the rest of my time in Spain.
So perhaps it doesn’t need to be an “either-or” decision moving forward… There’s a new space for it to be an “and”.
Craig Eckleton
Craig Eckleton
- I am in Stockholm, Sweden
- I am working in Transaction Advisory at KPMG (Financial Due Diligence)
- I have been living in Sweden since Sept 2021, apart from a brief return home at the end of 2022.
- I am unsure about what the future holds for me. I miss home from time to time, but I also may decide to move to a different country completely.
- The biggest challenge for me has been the constant cold and darkness for much longer than I am used to. I miss home and the food is an essential part of my life which I miss a ton.
- It’s not always sunshine and roses moving abroad. Think long and hard about the decision, if things aren’t meant to be, it is also ok to return home, because it is home after all.
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