The Rainbow Nation Quotes

“If a rainbow could be embodied through the personification of architecture, the Bo-Kaap would be exactly that – a rainbow captured through the lively paint colors of the homes in all shades of bright hues that most of us would never have the courage to paint our own home’s exterior with. Yet collectively these colors create a space of warmth, and the understanding that you’re home – home is where the Bo-Kaap meets the end of any rainbow. A place of happiness...”
― hlbalcomb

“In that moment, I felt sad just thinking about leaving South Africa, and the people that I had met along the way during my cross-country adventures. In such a short space of time, they had filled my heart like they say in Afrikaans, propvol, meaning to full capacity, or to the point that there’s no space left – propvol meaning that not even a small cap full of something could fit because the space is chockful and completely stuffed.

And that is exactly how my heart felt – propvol, stuffed with little South African remembrances and an endless string of little moments held together by the names of people, locations, or Afrikaans words or phrases combined with tasty meals enjoyed around dining room tables, outdoor living spaces, and confined places like the inside of the Land Rover while driving down the coastline of South Africa.

Propvol, and yet that wasn’t enough….”
― hlbalcomb

“In my short time in South Africa of only a few days, I have learned two things about South Africans. First, they are collectors of little moments. They love to collect beautiful memories that they can treasured for a lifetime. Second, they are bookends people. First impressions and last impressions kind of people. They remind me of Dr. Maya Angelou’s words when she said that people will forget what you said, but that they will never forget how you made them feel.” I think she was describing South Africans – bookend people: Strong beginning and lasting endings…”
― hlbalcomb