Cold Link Africa March/April 2018 | Page 23

EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN after about an hour and a half’s drive, where we bought ourselves a ticket to ride the tram to the Dubai Mall. Currently the tallest building in the world with a stretch of 829.8m, we were astonished by the tall building next to the mall, the Burj Khalifa. Everything inside the mall is state-of-the-art. LED screens on the roof simulating a night sky of stars, shoppers walking past a huge aquarium while doing their shopping, and taxi drivers driving miniaturised versions of Bentleys, willing to transport you around the shopping centre for a fee. We went into the underground aquarium / animal sanctuary inside the mall where we saw a wide variety of animals and insects. We witnessed the dancing fountains in all its glory and all the luxury The 11-hour flight to Abu Dhabi was Tyrone Bunce’s first time leaving the country. Inspection, inspection, and more inspection. Only once the final document was signed by both the shop master and our national technical expert, Bob Vuletic, could competitors proceed. sports cars on the promenade waiting to be parked by the valet. Then it was back to the hotel to pack up. After sleeping for about half an hour only, we were up at the break of dawn and waiting in the foyer with our luggage to be transported to the airport for the long flight back. We had breakfast at the airport and I have to say, I prefer the McDonald’s we have here in South Africa. After an entire day flying from Abu Dhabi to Johannesburg and then connecting back to Durban, at long last, I was back home. THE FUTURE It really was one of the most amazing experiences one could have. Now to see what the future has in store for me. All I know is, there is still a lot of work to be done for us to reach the same level as some of the countries out there. Then again, that is the reason for this competition, to promote skills among our youth — our future. We need to build a better tomorrow with the experiences of yesterday. To any young apprentices, don’t be afraid to enter this competition — you might just surprise yourself. And if I can leave you with one piece of advice: TRAIN! Practice as much as you can with everything you can and once you think you have perfected it and feel confident, practice it some more! This competition is in a whole other league. COLD LINK AFRICA • March | April 2018 WANT TO GO TO RUSSIA? The next WorldSkills competition will take place in 2019 in Kazan, Russia. Applicants must be 22 or younger at the time of the competition. Do you think you have what it takes? The regional and national competitions will soon kick off again — we will keep you posted. You could very well be off to Russia to represent our country. Start training now! CLA www.coldlinkafrica.co.za 23