Changes

My last blog was a short one about that I was so busy with work and getting to know the island and the people.

I have been here now for 1,5 months and the first month I was so busy that it flew by so quickly. Now I have some time for myself and enjoying this beautiful place. And now I also start remembering home and especially my life back there. I have to admit that I miss my job and colleagues there but I keep reminding myself why I came here. I am making new friends and people are starting to get to know me. That means Im starting to get familiar with people and getting to know the ones I can depend on. Its a great feeling to see that people appreciate me and have the same vision about life and want to work together on that. So Im working on some things that I will tell you all about when there is more clarity.

Life in Africa is not always easy and that is exactly what I wanted, but it also means that it brings difficulties that you don't have in Europe. The fact that I have to travel one hour on a very uncomfortable dala dala to get to a bank (and then can not get more then $200) is an example of that, but that is the life here and I am very easy in adapting. Things are the way they are, can't change anything about it....so you will not hear me complain.

I travelled a bit around the island and saw some different towns then the ones I spend most of my time at. The north of the island (2,5 trip in the dala dala) is a very busy tourist area, with broad beaches and lots of 'western' restaurants. A good place for relaxing, but not my cup of tea. Stonetown is not so big, but very busy. It has beautiful old buildings with a lot of Arabic influences. Small streets and a great vibe. The area Im staying in has small towns with lots of kitesurfing and diving. Its cosey and a good mix of local and tourism. Its still very authentic and you are not constantly overloaded by tourists. The local people here are very friendly and always willing to help, although a lot of them don't speak English. But my swahili is getting better... ;)

The last few days I visited Dar Es Salaam and Bagamoyo. Dar Es Salaam is a massive city at the coast of Tanzania and Bagamoyo is one hour from there and is a good sized town that is very lively and lots do see, like the history and especially (slave) trade that went on at this side of Africa from Arabs and Europeans that came here from the 12th century.

Dar Es Salaam was a great place for shopping and there I felt like I was in the 'real world' again. Its very busy with business and therefore big buildings, lots of hotels and 'western' shops and restaurants. Subway and KFC made me feel right at home :)

But then we went back to 'our' island and the simplicity and relaxed vibe there. Although shopping, transport and life are harder here it is a great place to live and especially a great place to enjoy life and to relax. Im now working on some changes and trying to built a future here. Nobody ever said life is supposed to be easy and with hard work you can always get where you want to be!

Miss you all and hope to keep in touch!

xxx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nieuwe blog is in de maak...

My African mentality is starting to show....pole pole....slowly slowly...as it comes to writing my blog. My laptop doesn't connect to the internet anymore, so just a small update (without pics) written on my phone. 

I definitely feel at home on this beautiful island! New friendships are built and I'm working in a network of people around me. This wasn't my goal, but it happens as time passes. Great people that I can rely on. This doesn't mean I don't miss my friends and family, but I see my future here and only depending on myself is not an option here and having good people around me means more fun and more possibilities! I am thankful for this!

I now have some time to get to know the island a bit more, and it makes feel even more at home! It's beautiful nature and the freedom of everlasting summer are amazing! Walking barefoot all day long is what makes me a happy person and I enjoy every moment in the sun!

Hopefully a real blog with pics soon!

Love you all! 

"Pole pole" Africans and European guests

19 December....6.00 my alarm went off.....and unlike the days before, I was eager to get out of bed! 7.00 the breakfast shift starts and the assignment for the first few days is observe the restaurant in breakfast service, preparation and the purchasing system. The comments about some issues I made a few days ago were all solved. Today I just wanted to get to know all the staff and see how they work. Surprisingly at 8.30 the chef, sous-chef and the pastry chef called me (their shift starts at 15.00 today) for a meeting. So this cooperation is off to a good start.

The first days are mostly getting to know the hotel, my colleagues and the way of working here. The first days and weeks on any new job are always a bit chaotic, because of learning the system, new people and the most important for me here is to find the issues that need attention. The first week I was confused and a bit lost because the "system" here is so different from what I am used to. In Europe everything (especially me) is so structured and digitalized, here it feels like they go with the flow and small paper with notes are everywhere! Of course I am used to some of this because of my work at BeHoCa in Mombasa, but this is a business and much bigger too. It is my job to make things go more smooth, quick and accurate. To bring the two worlds of "pole pole" Africa and mostly European guests together. So from the second week, when I started to get the work method and saw the issues, I started to really check on people and correct them where things don't go so smoothly. Two words I have to keep in my head: Repeat and check!

I have to say, the guests love this place and so do I. Its so calm and relaxed, the food is great and the location amazing. Everyone leaves here with a smile on their face and completely relaxed, that is what all we want!

From Christmas until after New Years the hotel if full, so that is around 90 people as guests here. The whole week we served buffet and offered entertainment. It is a lot of work but the guests (and us) enjoyed! For Christmas and New year we had a buffet on the beach followed by a beach party, so after the hard work the staff could relax and enjoy too. Both evenings we had a lot of local boys joining in on the dancing, it was great to see how much fun they had! Me personally, I had two great evenings with guests, colleagues and friends, and to be able to walk New Years night barefoot on the beach at 2AM is one of the most amazing things for me, this is happiness!

The long days and short nights are worth every second! Even though it's not always easy, I love my new job. I realize that it is going to be hard at times, but like all of you know I love to work hard and I love challenges! Sitting on my ... and do nothing is not for me. I do try to relax and enjoy too, but as long as the hotel is full and attention is needed here, I will focus and work hard to keep improving!