JHB West - July 2020

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 West 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] July Get 2020 It Joburg Get It West Joburg [PAGENO] West 13