I would like to thank Caesarstone for the wonderful gift that they have given me.
I'll call it a gift and not a prize because a prize would have been R50 000.00, go do with it
what you like...
So the average architecture student would pay his long-outstanding study fees, upgrade
his computer and if there is something remaining buy a Copic and a beer.
So when we were told the prize would be a full expenses paid trip to Israel, I, quite honestly, didn't expect much. More unenlightened and ignorant I could not have been...
Before and during the competition, I admired Caesarstone for its quality, but always felt it was quite cold and lifeless. Having been to the factory, met with the people, and seen the amount of effort and detail that goes into making a slab, I have gained such a great appreciation and respect for Caesarstone. Like Israel the story of Caesarstone isn't a simple one, below the surface flows a deep current of history, passion and most important a love for life. As I was about to discover, the qualities that make Caesarstone such a wonderful, vibrant product is an inseparable part of Israel itself. Here is a dry, old piece of earth that has been the centre of the world's attention for more than 4000 years.
Before the trip I was expecting rockets, desert sand and schwarmas. What we found was a beautiful rich land filled with fertile soil, beautiful cities that inspire life, and history to dream and reflect upon for a lifetime. The fact that Israel is an amazing country is the same reason Caesarstone has become the hugely successful product that it is. The will, not to accept the given, the vision and believe in the future, but most important to have the tenacity to see it through and to make it happen.
Caesarstone encapsulates all that is magical about Israel. The rich colours remind me of the subtle tones present in the Israeli landscape. Caesarstone's incredible eye for quality and precession, are reminiscent of the amazing and long lasting architectural feats of the great Kings of Judea. With this it is also an extremely contemporary product, capable of injecting life into the dullest of spaces.
The highlights of my trip: To experience the beauty of a sun set over the Sea of Galilee, and to imagine that Christ must have gazed upon that very same Sun Set, is indescribable. Tel Aviv has such a contemporary European feel, yet it remains approachable and immensely inspiring. It is a friendly city, a place where one can walk and fill every minute with fantastic new architecture to exquisite fashion boutiques. A city filed with life. A 24hour sensory explosion!
Juxtaposed to Tel Aviv, is Jerusalem, a city unbelievably filled with history and religion. The only place on Earth where so many religions are clamming the same piece of soil, yet each remain respectful of the other (fort the sake of piece). Here is a city that you can gaze upon the tomb of David, walk in the footsteps of Jesus, and in the evening walk in a beautiful leafy suburb filled with exquisite restaurants and quaint little coffee shops. To move on and experience the immense harshness of the desert, and the strange alien beauty of the Dead Sea, is enough to establish Israel as one of the most beautiful and diverse places on earth.
