Chapter VI: A new car, a new job and the Apartheid Regime
Yes, 1980 was a year of great upheaval for me. A new car was needed. An old sports car: Opel Manta. Because there was no speed limit in Germany during this time, I was mostly alone in the left lane of the motorway, the German Autobahn and mostly at night. 200 km/h - no problem.
In East Germany, the German Democratic Republic, everything was very different anyway. Speed limit 100 km/h and highway patrols at any corner.
After my return from Moscow I was really surprised at how quickly I got a visa for East Germany every time. I visited my "Lola" there as much I could. The border controls limited themselves to an absolute minimum. "We have to control you a little. It's our duty", whispered the two border police guys one day. "Have a nice stay in our republic!" I was able to explain the reactions very quickly; after all, I had flown from Berlin to Moscow "on the line of German-Russian Friendship"... .
And then came the big day in business. I had my job interview. To my great surprise, a young lady came up and said, "Please come, the publisher is waiting for you already". The publisher? I was actually expecting an interview with the Human Resources Director. At this point in time, I didn't see my future boss becoming my great mentor. He was a lawyer and responsible publisher of the law department. Besides, there was a Department of Medicine and a Department of Religion in this international publishing house based in Berlin, New York, and Amsterdam.
My travel plans to South Africa were not a hindrance. I was able to start my job as Editorial Assistant for law magazines on January 1, 1980. I have never studied law in my life.
October 1980 I traveled to South Africa - more precisely from Berlin to London and then by British Airways from London to Johannesburg with a stopover in Kenya with its snow-capped Kilimanjaro.
Lisa waited for me. One of my penfriends from all over the world. She had moved from Austria to South Africa. In January 1972, I received her first letter from Vienna. Now in 1980 we should finally get to know each other personally.
Not in Austria but in South Africa - a country with the Apartheid policy.
Apartheid (Afrikaans: “apartness”) is the name of the policy that governed relations between the white minority and the nonwhite majority of South Africa during the 20th century. Although racial segregation had long been in practice there, the apartheid name was first used about 1948 to describe the racial segregation policies embraced by the white minority government. Apartheid dictated where South Africans, on the basis of their race, could live and work, the type of education they could receive, and whether they could vote. Events in the early 1990s marked the end of legislated apartheid, but the social and economic effects remained deeply entrenched.
It was an unforgettable trip in a camping bus to gold mines, wildlife, desserts and visiting the different tribes.
On my return flight I remembered a very specific country. One of the stewardesses was born there as she told me: Philippines. Well, the Philippines was getting closer and closer into my life. I guessed it after several conversations with this wonderful Filipina.
(To be continued!)
