BETINA IN AFRICA

Even though every day sort of feels like holiday when working in Zanzibar, I have not really had any time away from work since I arrived.

So with class cancelled for a couple of days because of Eid celebrations, I decided to head out of town to a place called Jambiani on the east coast of Zanzibar. It’s not as touristy as the west coast and I found a relatively cheap accommodation option, which turned into being expensive for what it is even though the location is amazing! I literally step right on to the beach when leaving my room. The sound of the Indian Ocean when going to sleep and waking up has been so soothing.

Of course I haven’t avoided work altogether, but I have really relaxed. Each morning I have enjoyed a beautiful sunrise (like I am now). I have read a book! I cannot remember the last time I read a book which wasn’t for work purposes. I have spent time just lying on the beach although I managed to get a sunburn on my stomach 🙄 so that was not a success as such! But most of all I’ve had time to reflect…

I just have two weeks left here before I once again head back to Europe. I feel like time has just gone too fast this time… The main purpose for me doing this volunteer work here in Zanzibar was so that I could get a feel for if I could make this my business base and to then start all the work that needs to go into that… I’ve done some of that work, but I have still not settled on a lawyer and I’m contemplating if I should wait for Brexit to see what my rights are before deciding anything here.

But is that just an excuse for more procrastination?!? Am I just delaying because I’m scared? Or think that the $8-10,000 start up cost is just too much of a risk? Or maybe it’s because I am just really poor at making decisions for myself? If was giving advice to someone else in this situation, I would just say – well, isn’t this your dream, isn’t this what you wanted, so why are you waiting?

On the other hand, the last 10 months have been good research and relationship building time. The main goals of my business will still be the same, but I may go about it in a slightly different way because of the time spent here and the people I’ve met already.

But the decision still needs to be made – I feel like I’ve been standing on the edge of a cliff for a while now and at some point I have to decide to jump or not! Aaaaanyway, will keep you posted on that, for now it’s back to enjoying the sunrise…

I can get very disappointed with myself – happens on a very regular basis actually, and at the moment I am deeply upset with myself for not having focused enough on getting that lawyer that I really need for setting up my business here…!

Often I also find certain situations disappointing – and there are many to choose from here in Africa to be fair. The most recent one is the disappointing fact that some of my female students will not actually get a job after finishing their course, even if they are brilliant, because their fathers or husbands will not allow them to work.

But the disappointment I find the hardest to deal with, is when someone breaks my trust or is dishonest with me. And last week Friday was one of those days…

My students had exam. The classroom is small, so they sit close. I always ask them to not cheat, not look at each other’s answers because they and I learn nothing from that. But they did not listen… I caught so many of them cheating – they didn’t know I saw them, but I saw them. And when confronting them with it, they lied to me – they did not admit their mistake.

Cue a loooooong speech from me about building and breaking trust. About how honesty is the foundation of a good life and a good career and by cheating they are only cheating themselves. The sentence that stirred them the most was probably “I don’t give a shit if you know what a champagne flute is, but I do give a shit if you lie to me!” That was the first time I swore in class… (Yes, really!). I gave them all the rest of the day to come to me to apologise if they cheated of if they helped someone cheat. Needless to say, not everybody owned up, but some did… (good for them!)

So the whole weekend I stewed over this… I was contemplating what to do. Punishment? Consequence? Ignorance? What would be the right action?

The fact of the matter is that the African culture is full of dishonest moments that the locals do not see as dishonest in the same way as we do in Europe. They don’t understand that being late for an appointment is breaking someone’s trust. It is common to ‘borrow’ money from each other (especially if borrowing from someone who has more than you) with no intention to ever pay it back. The culture here is ‘live day to day’, ‘survival of the fittest’ and it will take more than a speech from me to change this behaviour in my students.

In the end I decided to sort of ignore the whole thing and just decided that they will have no more written exams (even if it’s against the rules) – I’m here to make them ready for work, not for school and nobody is going to ask them to do an exam… Right thing to do? Maybe! Did they learn something from it? I hope so! And if they did, that is a more important learning moment than anything that was in that bloody exam. And of course I have forgiven and forgotten and we are learning together as usual. I’m back to being proud of them and being their cheerleader – I’m here to make successes of them after all.

The reality of life in Africa is, however, that I will get disappointed again and again… after a while I’m sure it will no longer surprise me, but I don’t want to lose the disappointment altogether, because that would mean that I don’t care any more…

A year ago I was living a stressful and time poor life in London. Today my schedule includes: reflection time, brunch, four hours of practical exam with my students, picking up plastic on the beach in Stone Town, sunset beer, prep for class tomorrow, a cricket podcast…

A year ago I was earning a handsome salary. Today I will earn nothing except some amazing life experiences (not a sustainable life of course, but am sure you understand the picture I’m trying to paint).

A year ago I was working on a programme about how to measure the success of learning interventions in a rich corporate organisation. Yesterday, I was trying to work out how I can help one of my students, who has reading, writing and English language challenges, learn better. He is really struggling to retain knowledge, but I can tell that he (like me) has ‘service in his blood’ so I cannot give up on him! I see the confusion and frustration in his eyes when he cannot answer my questions, and the happiness and pride when he actually does remember something. Making the materials visual and practical for him is the only way for him to pass this course, so it doesn’t matter if it takes me twice the time to prep my lessons, – but wow this is not my strength. I’m not a qualified teacher with knowledge about this stuff… Google has been working overtime for me! I just hope I can do enough for him.

A year ago I was eagerly anticipating my move to Tanzania… everything was planned and organised with a three year plan. Today I’m feeling quite calm about not knowing what is happening after Xmas.

A year ago I was a stone heavier and feeling all of my 42 years. Today I feel healthy and can at times fool myself to think I’m still 27 (not really!). 😂 Also, still need to work out an exercise routine but can’t do all at once! 

Anyway, all this to say that I find it really surreal to think about the contrasts in my life from last year to now. Of course life is never perfect and I have real low moments still and feel alone at times, but it’s better than it was… it’s more rewarding, it’s calmer and it’s happier.

It’s been a busy first two weeks in the classroom at Kawa Training Center. My 14 students have completed two topics, sat two written exams and done three practical assessments. They have all done so well… and they have welcomed me with open arms. I think some get more out of my lessons than others, either due to English language level (one because of tiredness because they are studying and working and being a single parent) or because of their general learning ability. A couple are really struggling to read & write so I am working very hard to try and find a learning and exam method that will work for them.

It’s so wonderful that I am learning, too and continuing to develop my understanding and skills around teaching in an African culture. It has also been the first time I have had to grade someone’s learning in percentage to see if they pass or fail. It’s difficult!! Yikes, especially when you get to know these young people and understand the reasons for why they want or need to get a job in hospitality.

But I am so very proud of every single one of them (even if not everyone is passing on the first go!). They are trying so hard, they are enthusiastic and they are not giving up when it’s difficult and what makes my heart happiest is seeing how they are helping each other when someone is struggling! ♥️

Now that we are done with the more theoretical part of the course, I am very excited to start teaching them about food ingredients, glasses, crockery & cutlery, about types of beverages and how to set a table for a nice atmosphere – might even do a napkin folding session!! It’ll mean that we get out of the classroom more, I hate being stuck in there – and I am trying to build relationships with different hotels and restaurants to let us come and do some more practical stuff on top of the two field trips already planned.

I find it difficult to explain how much this experience is already affecting me… my students’ stories are heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time and I am so desperate to help them fulfil their dreams of getting employment this year… One of the guys asked me on the second day: “madam, will I get a job if I pass?” (am still working on them not calling me madam – makes me feel super old when they do that – haha) And what could I say? Can’t promise, can only encourage them to work hard, ask lots of questions and take full advantage of the two month placement they get after we finish with the teaching part… oh, but how I hope that it does happen for the majority of them!

Even though I have been staying here a few times before, this is the first time I am actually living in Stone Town… so it is taking a little time to settle in, but feel I am doing alright so far. My flat is very western and modern, even has some Ikea furniture (@elin)! I try to cook my own food every day to save money and I quite enjoy it. There’s also a rooftop terrace to enjoy the lovely weather here!

I live on the fourth floor, so getting some exercise every day – actually my teaching room at Kawa is also on the fourth floor… so maybe the steps will solve my fat thigh problem ‘naturally’. Oh, thanks to everyone who gave advice on this issue! I have found deodorant to be quite useful!

Anyway, the location of my place is also great – everything is in walking distance… walk to ‘work’ in 10 minutes and to the beach in 20 minutes. The only slight downside to here is perhaps that a couple of the fifty mosques in Stone Town are just around the corner, so I am trying to get used to the 5am call for prayer. Already now I don’t hear it every day actually, and even when I do wake, it’s quite soothing and just a nice reminder that I can sleep for another two-three hours. I have also considered if I should try to get up earlier in general as I seem to be quite lethargic in the evenings – thinking it’s because of the heat and humidity.

And I do really enjoy the overwhelming Muslim culture here… seems to bring calm and a gentle community feel… no pork is of course a disadvantage (missing bacon!)  plus can’t buy wine in any of the local shops. But an expat friend guided me to a wine & spirits shop a little out of town, so did a wine & beer run earlier this week, so the ‘bar’ is stocked up for a little while!

Since I don’t know anyone very well yet, I can feel a little alone at times, especially in the evenings as the days are filled with work stuff, but my little local community is really friendly. When I walk into town or to work, everybody recognises me (I guess I stand out!). I greet the guy in the stationary shop, who loves showing off his excellent English, wave at the mama in the corner shop where I get popcorn, smile at the young man in the local restaurant who makes excellent bread and a nod to the old men sitting on the corner with their morning coffee – they invited me to join them and offered me ginger tea when I explained my dislike for coffee. I even have a regular motorbike taxi driver and am teaching the fruit seller a little English every day.

And then there are all the familiar smells… burning rubbish, peeling of oranges, roasting of corn, fumes from the daladalas (mini buses), dodgy drainage here & there, popcorn and the frying of chips… probably doesn’t sound great from where you’re sitting but to me it’s sort of comforting and makes me feel at home. So if I am feeling a little low, I go for a walk. The atmosphere is nice and I always see something which makes me giggle!

Right, I better get on with my day – have some exam prep to do as my students will have their first exam on Monday… has been such a great week with them, but more about that next week.

Have a wonderful Sunday everyone! And really hope that England win the Cricket World Cup – fingers crossed I can find good enough Wi-Fi somewhere to follow it!

 

 

It’s Sunday morning in Stone Town, Zanzibar. Breakfast consists of mini bananas, Kilimanjaro Earl Grey tea, freshly squeezed orange juice and toast with mango jam. Spent a whole day looking for a squeezy-thingy for oranges and was successful even though it was very expensive (£5).  That’s not expensive in my London life of course – but it’s very expensive for my African lifestyle… same as a whole week of lunches at the local restaurant to give you some context.

Spending time over breakfast to reflect and freak out a little. Teaching starts here tomorrow. I am still working on the course design, I don’t know the exact number of students, need to print their workbooks and I am also trying to find a good solution for avoiding inner thigh chafing… For those of you who have fat thighs like me and have worn skirts in a humid environment, you know exactly what I mean – for the rest of you, this probably doesn’t seem like a real problem. But believe me, it hurts! So if anyone has other ideas than baby powder or wearing running tights under the skirt, feel free to message me!

I arrived in Zanzibar on Thursday this week, was supposed to have been Wednesday, but flight was moved… and the travels from Iringa were unsurprisingly a little chaotic and very slow because of an 8 hour wait at Dar Es Salaam airport. That’s the trouble with Iringa, the transport connections are not great to that part of Tanzania yet… 

I did however have a wonderful time in Iringa. Was so nice to catch up with my friends there. We enjoyed picnics, sunsets and long chats about our experiences and plans. I especially loved quality time with Carelynn; she’s my sister in Africa, she keeps me ‘real’ and motivates me to be a better person every day.

My friends in Iringa often refer to me as a workaholic, and I am sure many of you would agree, so it was not a shock to anyone that the 5-6 days of training that I had originally planned to do, turned into more like 10 days. 

This was the third time that I did some training at the Iringa Sunset Hotel in the past 18 months. It’s always lovely to be there. The team is interested in learning and this time it was super rewarding to see some of the improvements they have made because of my recommendations. Made me feel like a real consultant for the first time – haha!

Seriously though, it gives me immense pleasure and a sense of achievement to do what I do. They all welcomed me with open arms because they knew I was there to help them, what a feeling. As usual, I went through some service and housekeeping training. We made job descriptions for key roles and looked at the overall vision for the hotel. 

I wasn’t supposed to do any work with the kitchen this time, but because of my delayed flight I offered to run the pass for an evening since they were really struggling to get orders out on time… some meals taking up to 45 mins to get to the guests. I had three chefs on shift that night and together with the girl who is learning to run the pass in the kitchen, they did an amazing job. Goes to show what people and teams can achieve with organised leadership.

On average the food went out within 23 minutes of order placed including a buffet for 12 people. I was so proud of them all. They really worked as a team and listened to what I said without having any egos (the chef with the huge ego was not there!). It was so much fun and they had a real sense of achievement and big smiles when I shared that stat upon closing the kitchen at 10pm. No complaints, all guests were happy, we were all happy! And I had so much fun! It actually made me even more determined to have my own place to run one day… 

So it was quite emotional to say goodbye to everyone there, but I’ll be back there next year for sure. This is one of the volunteer jobs I want to continue with on a regular basis, the hands-on nature of it, is something I really enjoy.

But now it’s time to get my mind switched to a more formal teaching setting at Kawa Training Center. I’m excited and very nervous (which is the cause of the aforementioned freaking out), these students will be relying on me to be able to get the skills and knowledge to get a job at the end of the course… eeek! 

Will update you more on how and where I live here in Zanzibar when I have settled in a little more over the next week. I miss you all. 

Many people – wherever I am – ask me where I am based or where I live in this new life of mine… I often joke that I am homeless or call myself an international citizen – and both of those descriptions are true, I guess, but neither makes me feel great. However, that is the reality of my situation and the life I have chosen – and yes, I chose this, but it does not mean that it is perfect all the time; I miss having a home! I have lived out of a suitcase for nine months now and it sucks a little.

Of course, not having a home and the responsibilities that come with that, gives me a huge sense of freedom most of the time but it also means that I don’t have a feeling of belonging anywhere – and I miss that!  But I have so many wonderful moments and experiences in my life and I am much happier than I used to be – so I just remember that!

And spending the last couple of months in London & Denmark has reminded me that this is not the life I want – I hear my friends talk about the struggles of corporate life and I am so pleased that I have been able to escape that – it is not for me right now. I can make my own decisions; I don’t have to consider anyone else and I have no responsibilities to hold me back – and that is great!

So, it is absolutely with an excited heart that I am looking forward to heading back to Tanzania on Monday – and even if I am still a nomad and a ‘bag lady’ (see pic!), I do feel like there is a goal and a path to reach it! I just must remember to enjoy the good stuff more than get annoyed with the frustrating elements!

Anyway enough about that, let me tell you a little about why I’m so excited about my next stint in Africa. I have been lucky to partner up with an NGO in Stonetown, Zanzibar called Kawa Training Center. They run a hospitality programme each year and I will be teaching four subjects over a seven-week period:
Introduction to Hospitality, Customer / Guest Care, Food & Beverage Service and Career Development. Will also try to fit in some stuff around Responsible Business now that I’m there! 

It’ll be very different than the training I did at Singita, as these young people will have no experience of hospitality at all, so we’re starting from scratch – which is pretty cool!

Another reason for looking forward to getting to Zanzibar is that I will actually have my own place for almost two months! It will be wonderful to have a temporary home at least and also a chance for me to see if I think I will happy having a base in Stonetown in the future. And hopefully I won’t feel too lonely.

But before I head to Zanzibar, I will have a couple of weeks in Iringa. I will see my wonderful friend Carelynn and all my other friends in that part of Tanzania – I cannot wait. I am also squeezing in some training in my usual hotel there – am looking forward to see how they have progressed since my last visit in November last year.

So even though there’s a mix of emotions at times, my overwhelming feeling is still that I am very lucky to have the life, I have.

It’s been a while since my last blog, I’ve been to Denmark, in London and then back to Denmark. Now I’m in London to spend the next three or so weeks here before returning to Tanzania, but more about that in a different blog.

This blog is about learning! There are so many wonderful clichés / sayings regarding learning… ‘we learn something new every day’, ‘we never stop learning’, ‘making mistakes is just a learning moment’ etc. etc.

Facilitating learning and development for others is my absolute passion, my purpose. But I have also done my own fair share of learning this year… professionally and personally. And there’s been a lot of good stuff for sure, but I’ve also had some totally frustrating and painful learning moments that I would rather have been without. So in the spirit of sharing learning, here are my top three 2019 learning moments so far.

 

A different level of temptation and travel insurance cock-ups

I often reflect on the three theft experiences I’ve had in Tanzania in the past six months. It was the first time I had these experiences in the many years I have travelled in Africa, but it is not very rare sadly. When travelling around or living in Africa, you hear about these things all the time…

The temptation is just so big for people who are living from day to day, trying to take care of & feed their families and send their children to school. And in an environment where there is such a huge gap between rich and poor, it is not surprising that people get tempted. It actually takes a strong person notto give in to those temptations.

I am in no way condoning stealing from others, no matter how much money they have, and I was heartbroken when it happened to me. But I do understand why it happens and also why Tanzania in particular has seen an increase in crime over the past few years… but that is a longer political story which is a ‘discussion’ for another day.

So what have I learnt?

Be more careful? Don’t have stuff that others would like to steal? Don’t go out alone? Don’t trust anyone? Be careful to tempt others? To be honest, it’s a little bit of all of these, but at the same time I really don’t want to live a trapped and paranoid life in Tanzania. So yes, I will be more careful and yes, I will take just what I really need. But the biggest learning has been to get a better travel insurance and read ALL the small print before making a claim, so that I don’t miss out on a £1000 insurance payout again. (Yuk! Expensive learning moment!)

 

Teaching is different in Africa

I expected it to be different of course… but don’t think I could ever have predicted how different it would be. I have had to adapt so much – from one day to the other – both in terms of approach and communication.

What I (and most other westerners) assume is basic knowledge for someone who has attended any form of higher level education, is really not basic for young people in Tanzania. E.g. computer skills are poor, a general understanding of financials is lacking, to-do-lists and prioritising is a foreign concept and they have never learnt about so many other useful life skills. For example…

Giving instructions. First of all, it was tricky to know if the instructions had really been understood as it can be seen as a weakness to ask for clarification. Many think it would be seen as if they can’t do their job. And secondly, the instructions given can just be so illogical because of the way of life there. We went through an activity where the students had to write down their day to day duties on post it notes so we could prioritise them together. My instruction: “Write one activity per post it note”. Nobody did what I asked, even after explaining three times in different ways. In the end I had to demonstrate what I wanted… and I didn’t realise until later that day why it was so difficult to understand. They saw it as a complete waste of post it notes. They are very expensive in Africa and certainly not readily available, so they all happily put all their activities on one post it note in order to save them!

Making it relevant. It is so important to understand the base level of education and the background of the participants to make sure the examples and the feedback you give is relevant and easy to understand. Through daily conversations I learnt about the individuals, their lives, their customs etc. I learnt that it is not custom to ask a pregnant woman when they are due to give birth (a bad luck thing it seems) and I could then use that as an example when we would discuss customs in other cultures and what they can or cannot talk to guests about.

Language. Oh, so many misunderstandings because of a significant language barrier at times. Most of them very funny but they can certainly also cause a lot of confusion. Therefore, so very important for me to use simpler language than I would have done in London but at the same time also teach them new words they could benefit from learning. A tricky balance at times.

Even body language is confusing… try to explain air quotes and when they can or cannot be used. In the end I just told them never ever to use them! 😁Looking people in the eye… can be disrespectful for men to look women in the eye in Tanzania… and for us it’s disrespectful if you don’t!

So, I’ve learnt to spend a lot of time with my students, never to assume they understood me and to show a genuine interest in how they are thinking. In truth, I probably learnt just as much as them during my time there, just different stuff. But how amazingly rewarding. I am still in touch with them all and I feel such pride and happiness every time I hear about their learning journeys.

 

Dealing with illness in the family is bloody hard

OK, so this is not a new learning as such, and of course it makes sense that we find it difficult to deal with health issues of the people you are closest to. But each illness is different in terms of how we deal with it…

Most of you know that my father has Alzheimer’s, this is not just a let’s operate and give some medicine illness – it’s a beast to deal with. Not just for my dad or for my mum as the primary carer, but for the entire family. We all read and hear about these different brain diseases but we never really know what it’s like until we are living in it. It sucks! It sucks big time!

I’m not going to go on about how shitty a disease it is, but instead say that I am learning more and more that we need to live our lives to the full when we can. Don’t put off the things you want to do, never say – ‘we can do this later’ or ‘when we retire…’, and never assume that other people have it better or worse than you. Everybody has a story that you are not able to see…

This was also the reason why I was so extremely proud of my dad when his wishes for 70th birthday presents were to have experiences with family and friends. He gets it now! We have to remember to treasure all the good moments we have together… and he had an amazing birthday party! 😊

 

So yes! Of course, we never stop learning, but I do hope that I can avoid the more painful (and expensive) learning moments in the future.

I have left the bush! Arrived back in Arusha yesterday – it was very weird waking up to traffic noise instead of bird song this morning. Flying back to London this evening and I cannot wait! I don’t mean that in a negative way… I am just really looking forward to seeing friends and family after being in the ‘Singita bubble’ for the past three months.

The period ended on a real high though! Had an excellent learning session with the lodge managers on how they can support the middle management team I have been training and the last workshop with my ten students was so much fun!

They had had a lot of homework to do over the past 10 weeks including a business case, a training plan and a presentation on the Singita core values. They had worked so hard (this was way out of their comfort zone) and when I saw their presentations and the way they were training their colleagues in what they learnt from me, I was so incredibly proud of them!

I have seen a real improvement in their understanding of planning, positive reinforcement and role model behaviours amongst many things. Of course they are not going to be perfect leaders overnight but the progress they have shown so far has made me very happy!

They all got their certificates and then we celebrated! We were out of their normal work environment in a tented camp which was very special. We did a hike, had excellent BBQ and partied a little. I was so touched by their feedback on the programme and on me as a trainer… don’t think I could have had a more rewarding experience.

And best of all was that I did not have to say goodbye. I am returning to Singita Grumeti in October this year to continue training with these ten wonderful people. I am so thrilled!

I have met so many great and inspiring people and have a ton of amazing memories and learning moments to reflect on over the coming weeks. It’ll be easier to write about them when I have been away from it all for a bit, I think… so stay tuned!

See you all very soon!

This week I started working with my last student. He is the head butler / front office manager for a private villa called Serengeti House. If I was rich, I would absolutely rent this out for a family holiday – would cost close to $20,000 per night though, so that will never happen – haha!

Anyway, this student is a wonderful man – he is so enthusiastic about learning new stuff and he is already excited about some intense computer lessons – a year ago he wasn’t able to turn on a computer let alone use one!

There are so many inspirational stories like this. One of the assistant head pastry chefs here used to be a hard core poacher in this area. He was hired as a groundsman, but has worked his way up in the business and is in the top 10 people across all the lodges in terms of learning and development time! What a transformation.
Last night the guests here enjoyed a wonderful BBQ dinner with a beautiful table set-up and local dancers. Was lovely to witness the team in action and see just how special they made the family feel.

For the remaining couple of weeks, I will be doing re-visits at my first two camps, finalise all the reports and design the last workshop. Must admit that I have started counting down the days – looking forward to a two month ‘holiday’!