Hello Social Manager!

"Hello Social Manager!" I'm starting to get used to hearing this on a daily basis. What a title - Social Manager. I wonder where else in the world you'd find this kind of job description - it's definitely something that makes more sense when you know that the name of the business is FRIENDS. 'Cause friends socialize - right? And that takes some management.. especially when the friends are still getting to know one another and the city.

I've been here just over a month and man oh man is this one interesting set-up. I've met people I never would have otherwise. In this, my home town, Pretoria, I've suddenly become exposed to a world of ideas and interests. From a handful of European countries, FRIENDS is currently hosting some German engineers, a couple of Dutch social-workers, a variety of political scientists, some physiotherapists, a couple of French teachers and a few others that I'm still getting to know. All young, hip and happening, super-driven, uber-focused, hard-working and friendly faced twenty-somethings. 

 It seems to me that the kind of people who decide to go to South Africa to do an internship are really a special breed. A friend of mine who studied in New York said that what makes studying there so special is the kind of people you end up meeting - everyone there is there because they made a mission to be there - they have a plan, a cause and a drive to go deeper, further and bigger. Pretoria is no New York but I think there's something similar at play here at FRIENDS. I like it. Suddenly I'm part of an international, inter-disciplinary group of world-changers. I like my new friends. They inspire me to keep growing, keep thinking and keep putting myself in new, challenging situations. Think I'll need to write a play (my other job) about them at some point.. In the mean time I have a well of dinner conversations to get the inspiration going; not to mention a few fascinating characters!

Looking forward to sharing some more on this platform in the future - for those who are or were or will be FRIENDS.

Signing out
Loraine - Social Manger @ FRIENDS