Text: RIALIEN FURSTENBERG. Photographer: SEAN BRAND. L eap ove for A sweet shy smile, cute dimples, adventurous personality and one final rose … We caught up with the gorgeous Marisia van Wyk who won the heart of The Bachelor SA season 2’s Marc Buckner. [PAGENO] 12 Get It Joburg Get It Joburg <strong>West</strong> <strong>July</strong> <strong>West</strong> <strong>2020</strong> [MONTH] [YEAR]
Her journey started with 22 other women who competed for one man’s heart. In the end, the youngest, shy and conservative blueeyed Marisia did not only receive the final rose but beau Marc’s heart as he slipped the stunning pear-shaped one-carat diamond ring from Jack Friedman on her finger (not that finger yet!), asking her if she would please continue building on their relationship with him. There was a lot of gazing deep into each other’s eyes, romantic dates and lips locking … sigh … and we cannot be happier! Marisia grew up on the <strong>West</strong> Rand but nowadays she finds herself in the Mother City working as a speech therapist and audiologist, all while completing her master’s degree in speech therapy. This brainy beaut is also fluent in five languages … English, Afrikaans, French, Tswana and sign language. We chatted to her about the show, being a redhead, and mindful living. Though I haven’t been all that lucky with love, I took the opportunity to compete in The Bachelor SA … I had this feeling in my heart. I did do my ‘homework’ on Marc and found out he is adventurous, loves the outdoors and is passionate about people … all characteristics we have in common. They say beautiful things happen outside your comfort zone, and I enjoyed stepping out of mine. I didn’t know what to expect and enjoyed getting to know the women and Marc. I never thought I would come out a stronger person, but there were so many life lessons to learn. The biggest misconception about The Bachelor SA is viewers believing that what they see on television is how a particular person is in real life. But what they don’t realise is that they are only seeing a version of that person. I don’t believe in labels or boxes … watching the show has confirmed to me that people are limitless, bigger than boxes and labels, and there is beauty in diversity. My favourite (and most memorable) date with Marc has to be when we went horse riding. The moment I fell Marisia & Marc’s 5 tips for mindful living: 1. Spread love and gratitude: Become mindful of giving and accepting love and gratitude 2. Develop a healthy lifestyle: Make time to create healthy and nutritious meals and create an exercise routine that fits your lifestyle 3. Get in touch with nature: Spend time outdoors and with animals. We enjoy hiking with our fur babies, Luna and Siobhan 4. Be productive: Set daily and long term goals and reward yourself for achieving them 5. Be positive: Surround yourself with positive people and feed your mind with positive thoughts off the horse our relationship reached the next level. It can be regarded as the worst moment … who would want to go crashing to the ground on a romantic date? However, it was the moment I was most vulnerable and fragile, and experiencing Marc’s concern and care made me realise how deep my feelings for him have become. We’re taking the relationship day by day as it is still young. This journey has been challenging, but because of it, we’re stronger today. My proposal ring has the words ‘stronger together babygirl’ engraved on the inside. It’s so good to look back and see where it all started and how far we’ve come. For now, we just enjoy being a couple publicly (after keeping our relationship a secret for so long!) and dreaming about the future. I strongly believe couples should set aside a special time without electronics and distractions. Every day I look forward to our coffee time … just us, a warm cuppa, healthy snack and love. I’m still shy, but not afraid to voice my opinion. When there is a song in my heart, my mouth will testify to it. Many people do not know that I’m a redhead. I think blondes may have more fun, but gingers are beautiful and unique. My mother always told me that because I had red hair, I had iron in my blood and that makes me emotionally and mentally stronger than most. My roots are still red and I do believe it is true. My best characteristic is that I’m an emotional being. For many years I thought that it was my downfall. But I’ve learnt that being emotional means that you are strong enough to acknowledge your feelings and emotions, instead of shaming them. Life is about grabbing opportunities and not waiting for things to happen. Make it happen yourself. I put myself out there, and it turns out that challenging yourself can bring a lot of personal growth. We cannot wait to hear what is next for this darling couple! But for now, they’re looking forward to hiking with their dogs and taking a road trip as soon as it’s possible again. [MONTH] [YEAR] <strong>July</strong> Get <strong>2020</strong> It Joburg Get It <strong>West</strong> Joburg [PAGENO] <strong>West</strong> 13
Change language