…to my African blog! The grand adventures started back in 2016 as I spent six months travelling through a few different countries on this wonderful continent. After a little time in London topping up the bank account, I’m back!
Thanks for following my experiences and reading my random thoughts!
No, I have not retired from writing this blog, although it has been absolutely ages since I shared any stories on here – I guess it has been because of returning to the same places and doing many of the same things for a while… but now there’s something new!
Earlier this week I climbed Ol Doinyo Lengai (which means Mountain of God in the Maasai language) together with my eldest nephew, Valdemar. And it is this experience that has provoked my immediate retirement from climbing mountains.🤣
Lengai is a 2,962m high active volcano in northern Tanzania – a four-hour drive from Arusha, if that helps place it – and it had been on my bucket list to climb since 2021 when I flew over it on my way from work at Singita, it was such a spectacular sight!
I did Kilimanjaro alone, and didn’t feel like doing this one on my own, so I persuaded my nephew to do it during our 11-week travels in Kenya & Tanzania.
Hadn’t thought much of the challenge in the weeks up to the climb, apart from organising all the practical stuff like transport and accommodation, so a couple of days before I started feeling quite unprepared – not really done any research or exercise but felt like I’d be stubborn enough to get through it… I can now share that I totally underestimated the effort this climb would take – I knew it would be steeper than Kilimanjaro, but didn’t realise exactly how steep! 😳😫
Anyway, let me start at the beginning…
We had a really beautiful drive from Arusha to the Lake Natron area and the Maasai Giraffe Eco Camp, where we were staying. It’s green and lush here because of the rains and it was a lovely contrast to the red gravel roads. We saw a few giraffes on the way in and in general it was just lovely being back in the Tanzanian bush – had been a while! As we came closer to camp, the red roads turned grey, coloured by the ashes from the volcano. The last serious eruption which affected the region was in 2007-2008 but it is also currently in a smaller eruption state since early 2023.
We settled in at camp and tried to rest as much as possible – but sleep didn’t come easy so when we left camp at 23:30 we had just slept around an hour and a half. We had been a little concerned about the weather, as it is rainy season but it was clear with the just-over-half moon shining bright in the starry night sky.
We started our climb at 00:25 – headlamps on and spirits high – but we were only about 50 minutes in when I realised I should have really done some serious training for this climb – it was tough almost immediately… well it was for me, Valdemar was cruising it!
We had just brought one rucksack so we could take turns carrying it but after my first stint with the bag just lasted 15 minutes before I needed a break, Valdemar took pity on me and took the bag back and he carried it the whole way up and down again – felt super guilty, but I have to admit that without him and his support and just general presence I would have never made it.
Anyway, back to our ascent – first off we had to go through quite a grassy area filled with all sorts of different plants – one had a lovely minty smell. After a while the greenery started thinning out and it became rockier but also steeper… it was a lot of manoeuvring on rocks with smaller and higher steps up and the walking stick that we had with us came in very handy!
We had quite a few breaks along the ascent and I felt that I was slowing progress a lot, but our Maasai guide, Peter, assured me that we were setting a good pace to make it to the top for sunrise around 6:30am.
Around 5am we reached a place where Peter said we had to rest for a a little longer – from that point we were around 45-50 mins from the top and h advised that we would not want to reach the top too early because the of the cold wind – temperature on the top was around 10 degrees Celsius.
Anyway, as we sat there we started feeling quite cold even though it was a relatively sheltered spot – our sweaty clothes felt cold in the wind and I guess that is also why I am writing this with a little sniffle and quite a few sneezes! At this point Valdemar asked me – have you regretted this? And I wasn’t sure what to answer… so just muttered I won’t regret anything when we have finished!
At 5:30am we set off on the last bit of the climb. It says online that the steepness of that last part is 45 degrees – but it felt a lot more than that! 🤪 At one point I was crawling on all fours and started thinking ‘how the hell are we getting down again?’ It was a laugh or cry moment and a slightly hysterical laugh came out!
Valdemar was as sprightly as at the beginning (youth!) and even overtook the guide to get to the top first – I was a very proud aunty! We later talked about the added adrenaline we both felt as we got closer to the crater rim.
Earlier on in the ascent, it has started raining a little bit and our guide could see that it was a raining a bit at the top, but as we reached there, the skies were clear again and the view was the most spectacular thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life!
We could see Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru, fantastic view of Lake Natron and the spectacular sunrise as we were looking all the way into Kenya. But the crater itself is what blew me away!
We even saw some eruptions of Magma whilst we were up there – was unbelievably special.
After about 15-20 minutes enjoying the view it was time to think about the descent and the happiness that I had felt quickly disappeared – the happy tears turned into despairing ones and I must admit that I for once in my life wished that I was super rich so I could just call for a helicopter!
I can tell you that the descent felt like a special form of torture to me. The first steep part I spent mainly in crab-like crawling – I am not embarrassed to admit that I was scared not just for me but for Valdemar as well… one slip could have turned into a serious fall… I shouted to him ‘if our mothers could see us now, they’d both be very cross with me for putting you in danger’ – he just laughed and said ‘I’m 21 years old’!
It took us five and a half hours to ascend but over seven hours to descend and that was all because of me. Valdemar could have been down a lot faster but about two hours into the descent my legs just started feeling like jelly. I had no confidence in them holding me up, especially on the parts with gravel and rocks where it was easy to slip and slide so I walked slower and slower and I felt all of my 47 years and more! During the last hour on the volcano I even had to take the guide’s hand to keep me supported so that we could go at a little more than snail’s pace!
Anyway, I don’t want to dwell too much on the absolute hell of a descent… we made it in the end and were both so relieved when we could take off our shoes in the car and inspect the damage. Even though we’d had a lot of big toe pain most of the way down, there was no blood, the nails all intact and just one blister for me, so not bad! We were utterly exhausted though from the physical exercise, the mental battle and the lack of sleep… and as we drove back to camp, we both looked to the top of Lengai and Valdemar said, ‘it’s hard to believe that we have just been up there’ and it really was quite unbelievable and an experience that I will remember forever and getting to do it with my nephew made it even more special! 🥹🥰
No, it’s not my age… I wish! It’s the number of countries I have explored across the world until now, and my 40th country is Kenya.
Greetings from central Kenya – more precisely from the Ol Jogi Conservancy, not far from Mount Kenya National Park – where I have started a new contract 😃. I was here back in April for a week of ‘discovery’ and will now be back here regularly over the next 12-18 months to upskill the wonderful people who work here and further elevate the guest experience. It’s a very special property, something which I have never seen before and doubt that I will again – take a look!
In terms of wildlife I have also been incredibly spoilt. I have seen some different species of very known animals – this is the Grevy’s Zebra, which is different because of the much thinner stripes, their large, round ears and its stripes do not continue under the belly – so beautiful! And how cute is the baby?!?
I also saw a different species of Giraffe – below is a reticulated giraffe – take a look at this distinct pattern with much thinner white lines and the much darker colour than other giraffe species! And how about that view!
But most of all I was very excited to see the Sothern White Rhino and I was so fortunate to be able to see them at feeding time in April. Since there had been a long drought in the area, it was necessary for the conservancy to find a way to feed the endangered rhinos… it was a very special sighting! I also learnt that they are called white rhino, not because of any colour difference from the black rhino, but because of it’s wide jaw, as they are grazers (the black rhinos are browsers). And apparently it was a ‘lost in translation issue’ – wide in Afrikaans sounds like white!
But let me talk a bit about the work I am doing here. It is a slightly different brief to previous contracts, because it’s not ‘just’ training. The owner has also asked me to look at the operation. This lodge was originally a family holiday home and has never really been set up as a business, so there are a few things to adjust in how they do things – and that makes it a very exciting project for me indeed!
Many of my contacts and ‘students’ in Tanzania have asked me ‘how do you see the comparison between Tanzanians and Kenyans?’ and the other way round with my new ‘students’ here… there is definitely a little rivalry which makes me chuckle.
In general, I don’t see a huge difference in terms of the cultures – I am sure some of the tribes are very different but I have not been her long enough to experience all the nuances, however there is an evident disparity in terms of the education & English language levels – both are much higher here in Kenya!
That has also meant that I have needed to change my facilitation approach a little. I can jump straight to some of the more complex topics without a lot of explanation before and I do not have to worry so much about using simpler English! It has taken me a little while to adjust, but what a great learning experience for me!
Anyway, I am looking forward to spending a little time in the Kenya-out-of-this-lodge before heading back to Denmark at the end of June. I am curious to see if the quite colonial, subservient behaviours I am seeing here on the property are also obvious out in the ‘real world’. It has been so apparent and I am not sure if that is because of the large presence of white Kenyans… 🤔 different cultures and their origins never cease to amaze and intrigue me!
Well, that header is obviously a lie! I am still my usual disorganised self who procrastinates too much, tries to multitask too much and enjoys a lovely glass (or cup) of wine. I meant to get a Happy Christmas & New Year blog written in the bush, but that obviously didn’t happen, so here I am – back in Denmark and finally prioritising this on my to do list!
Being back at Singita for what was my shortest visit so far was a little odd to be honest. My remit there was quite different this time – I was doing a lot less facilitating and training myself and instead focusing on coaching and Train the Trainer activities for some of the management team members to be able to deliver my content to a new group of learners going forward.
And that is because I have decided not to take on this new group. It has been three years so far working with this wonderful company and I have enjoyed every moment of it – what an opportunity… but I am phasing out my on-property work with Singita. I will be back there in a few months, but after that I will mainly be focusing on services which I can do from anywhere like consultancy, training programme design & development, train the trainer and plenty of coaching.
This will allow me to find new clients to start a new journey with… which I am very excited about! Anyway I digress…
Christmas in the bush! Of course it was always going to be different without the usual traditions and my family – but it was a very good different. I had chosen the camp where I wanted to spend Christmas and it was based on the fact that it’s my favourite of all the Singita camps in Tanzania and that three of my promoted students are now running that camp as a Tanzanian leadership team – and I wanted to celebrate that with them!
They were also very excited to have me there and to understand a little more about what a Danish xmas entails – it’s a different day, there’s weird food, we dance around the xmas tree etc. But of course, none of that would happen – or…? I did celebrate Christmas on the 24th & there was a little weird food!
The day started with a cup of tea with the beautiful sunrise & bird song. Worked in the morning and then took the afternoon off to pamper myself a little with a bath & a bottle of bubbles.
In the evening, I helped get ready for the guests to come for a Christmas Eve celebration and then I made risengrød for my dinner! (a rice pudding with a butter, sugar & cinnamon topping)… which I cooked half in the kitchen to the joy of the chefs and half in my bed, which made the chefs think I was crazy!
And that was that – I was in bed relatively early after chatting a little to my family – but I had thoroughly enjoyed my day!
New Year’s was a non-event – I worked and was in bed by 10:30pm!
In between the work and the festivities, I was also super lucky to get out on a few game drives and I just love every single one of them as much as the last one… I never tire of being in nature and experiencing the animals up close. I can absolutely understand how much the guides enjoy their work – so amazing!
But no more bush or animals for the next couple of months at least… I am wrapped up warm here in Denmark and just hoping to see the sun once in a while in between the hours and hours of grey & dark skies.
The reason for choosing to spend winter in northern Europe is because my mum is having a back operation, so I am here to support, cook & clean etc. I am happy that I will also be able to do some coaching work from here, so that the bank account does not suffer too much.
At the same time I am working on ideas for drumming up some new business – Ooooooh I am bad at marketing & selling… but working hard on becoming more comfortable with it. Ideas welcome… my sister suggested sports betting as a secondary income, but I think I’ll pass – haha – so other ideas, please!
I have arrived back in the bush for another stint at Singita. It has been the longest break from here… 6 months! And it has felt like it, has felt like I have lost touch with my students here a little and have been sad to see one of them leave… but am so happy to see everyone else here again! Re-connecting with friends and the beautiful nature.
But let me firstly share some reflections from the past month in Zanzibar.
THE WORK
Eeek, it was a little tricky to get used to a new place, new people, new challenges, new everything! Not just from a work point of view, but also personally… I have no network or friends in Kendwa, so it was a little lonely at first. And from a work perspective, a resort is much different than a bush lodge, so I had to dig out all skills to adapt to this new situation.
But the work was super positive. The group of learners was much more diverse than I have had to deal with before… seven different nationalities (and the majority not Tanzanian) in the group of 16 managers, but they all had one thing in common, they were so happy to have an opportunity to learn something new. Here’s the resort if you’re a little curious to see where I have been working: https://www.zurizanzibar.com/
We worked on various management & leadership skills both in workshops and through coaching (am so happy about how much coaching I get to do and how much better I am at it after my certification btw) and we kicked of an initiative to define new company values – so exciting! Actually managed to do a lot in four weeks, but of course there’s plenty more to do, so have submitted a proposal for another contract in the new year – keep your fingers crossed for me!
TOURISM IN ZANZIBAR
Many people have been asking me about the number of tourists in Zanzibar etc. And I can say that I was quite surprised of the amount of tourists on the island. Not so many people out and about in Stone Town and on excursions perhaps, people might tend to prefer the perceived safety of the resort instead, but so many flights in and out every day – many more than I have ever experienced before. Many carriers are now flying direct to Zanzibar (they have opened a new airport terminal as well) including Air France who recently added the route. Plus there are all the charter flights, too.
I was also quite shocked of the amount of construction work and opening of new resorts that is happening… and there’s talks of a skyscraper and artificial islands as well… WTF?!? Seems they are looking to turn the beautiful island into a mini Dubai, it’s frightening to be honest.
This property is being built just a few hundred meters from Zuri… and is supposed to be able to have 1,000 guests (I have not checked this fact, but Booooo anyway!)
Of course, I understand the financial motivation and there are many considerations to make, but I just think it will ruin the magic of Zanzibar and it’s rather heart-breaking… because it really is such a lovely place, I have always felt so grateful for my times there – it is a real place of solace for me…
But now it’s back to bush life… and of course that is also super magical, said hi to a few giraffes & zebras this morning and enjoyed a dramatic storm yesterday afternoon. I will be spending Christmas here in the bush – my first TZ Christmas and am very excited for that… And feeling very lucky indeed.
Kilimanjaro beer, amazing sunsets & a great workshop… that sums up my last few days!
I arrived in Zanzibar on Sunday where I have started a new contract (a nice surprise) and have been very excited to get to know a new group of learners & a different type of hospitality business – resorts are different, different challenges, different types of guests etc. On top of that it is a more varied group of people so that is interesting too.
It is rather strange to be in a place where I don’t know anyone… normally I’m in places where I have a few friends around, but at least i get plenty of alone time!
It’s been over four months since I was last in Tanzania, can’t quite believe how fast the time went in Denmark & UK over the Summer, but at the same time it feels like forever since I was here, maybe because I had some lovely experiences along the way with quality family & friend time, which I really cherished. 😊
It was also great to have some virtual coaching & training and learning design preparation to keep me busy-ish on the work front and of course that also helps with the bank balance!
There was also time for plenty of reflection & self-doubt. How much longer can I continue living in a suitcase without a real sense of belonging anywhere? How can I make my incredibly emotionally & mentally rewarding work become more rewarding financially? What is the right ‘work, life, family’ balance for me?
But for now I will enjoy the smell of the Zanzibar air, the welcoming & wonderful Tanzanian people and the warmth on my face as I focus on this contract.
Oh how I wish I could go for some long walks in the beautiful nature here – nature is very therapeutic for me and I miss being properly ‘in it’. Of course, I am so lucky to be in these surroundings, but obviously too dangerous to fully immerse myself with the wonderful wildlife around – not even possible to have a little wander when in camp as there are too many lions around at the moment.
That’s probably because there is not a lot of game for them to eat! Sadly, the great migration has not yet reached us here at Grumeti game reserve, they are still in the national park, as there has been enough rain around there. I was hoping to be able to get a glimpse of the massive herds of wildebeest again this year, but as I am flying out of the bush in 3 sleeps, I will miss them.
Yes, I must admit that I am counting down the days. I arrived in the bush on the 28th Feb and it has been a hectic few months. Even before I started work, I got sick – am 99% sure it was Corona, but since I could not get tested, I cannot prove it, but had a lot of symptoms which are not there for a normal flu. Anyway, all very mild stuff, so I recovered quickly, finished my isolation and got to work, and haven’t stopped since.
On top of my usual work with the middle management team, I have started doing some work with the kitchen team here, has been interesting to work with a new group of people… and no, I am not teaching them to cook or bake – we are focusing more on management and leadership skills, which is a first for this group. Most are excited about learning new stuff, others don’t like change or being told that they need to develop new skills… This will always be the way, but am confident that they will see the benefits after a while.
And, it looks like I will be back here at Singita later this year – plans so far are actually that I will be spending Christmas here, which would be interesting.
Have however started working on a transition plan for me to be here less but still make sure that learning continues… it’s a longer story which I will share more about when I know more, but it does involve me teaching others to facilitate quality training here and putting together structured programmes for them to follow… so that is super cool! The more people who are able to focus on training and development, the better!
But yes, so many things that I have missed in the past three months. Will be spending a few days in Arusha before flying back to Denmark, and I cannot wait to go to the supermarket, to cook my own dinner and to enjoy the culture and walk the streets in ‘real’ Tanzania!
Not sure where to start to be honest, we are almost a third through 2021 already and I have neglected my reflections here on the blog, so there seems to be too much to cover. But let me start with the grateful part!
Work here at Singita is going so well. Out of my 14 students, 9 of them applied for a promotion this month and they were all successful with either an interim or permanent position. I am so incredibly proud of them – when each of them told me the news, I just couldn’t hold the tears back as I saw their excitement and pride. This is the result of all our hard work for the past two years. They did so well in the interviews and out performed many of the external candidates with their skill and knowledge levels. I am super grateful for the opportunity to work with these individuals and to be allowed to be a part of their lives and their development.
I am also grateful to be in this magical place… I often have to remind myself that it is not ‘normal’ to walk out of my door into a herd of impala, or to chase away baboons from the breakfast buffet or to coach someone with zebras watching or just to spot the most wonderful wildlife on a drive. Definitely not normal, it is truly special… I am so incredibly lucky!
The frustrated part is mostly self-inflicted. My coaching business was launched and I tried to do too much too soon. For once I decided to not procrastinate and just go for it, and it is not working out as I envisaged. Even though I have hired a Virtual Assistant, I am still struggling with the admin and creativity. I hate every single minute of self-promotion and ‘sales’ activities so the business model I went with is just not working… I am back to the drawing board and will make a few changes to it over the next few weeks and months, in particular around group coaching.
In the meantime, I am still excited about doing one-to-one coaching – have loved seeing the progress of many of my clients, so no frustrations there and I will keep doing that!
Oh and I write a little newsletter every two weeks which I really enjoy. Maybe you fancy signing up for it and encouraging your friends to do the same? I am trying to get to 100 subscribers before I leave the bush – thanks for your help! Here is the link: https://berkanoboldcoaching.com/newsletter/
In other news, I will be returning to Europe on the 1st June for a few months, since my Zanzibar plans are also on hold. Yeah, am not really rocking ‘entrepreneuring’ at the moment, but for every failure is a learning that will make me stronger, right?
And am really, really hoping that I can get to London over the Summer. I miss everyone and everything there! Cannot wait to meet in the park, at the pub or a restaurant with delicious food for a long overdue catch-up!
It’s been a long time since my last post and quite a few things still had to happen in 2020. I was in Zanzibar at the end of November where I was told that the education minister had turned down my application to work there – disappointing! Then it was back to Denmark, where I became auntie for the fifth time – joyous! I had a lovely Christmas with family – wonderful! And finally celebrated my eldest nephew’s 18th birthday – how old?!
I stayed in Denmark until early February and it was so great to have some family time, especially grateful that I was able to support my parents during a tough and dark January.
My wonderful nephews and nieces
And in spite of January being quite a drag, even at the best of times, I decided to start 2021 with a bang! I launched my new coaching business. My life coaching qualification was meant to ‘just’ add to my skillset and be a plan B if the Africa hospitality work didn’t work out because of the dire state of hospitality at the moment. And although I haven’t given up on Tanzania and the work I do here, I do believe that I have to re-think a few things and I will take this year to do that. So I decided to just jump in and launch a new brand for my coaching.
Berkano Bold Coaching for Leadership and Change was born! I have had a solid start to the business with some one to one coaching clients and a nice group of people in a leadership coaching programme which I ran from Zanzibar in February.
Website is not quite ready – give me another week – but you can search for Berkano Bold Coaching on Instagram and LinkedIn to find out more about my new ‘baby’.
Now I am back in the bush, however. This is my third year at Singita, I cannot quite believe it actually. It’s been two and half years since I started living in a suitcase and even though the longing for a home is growing every day, I am so incredibly excited about the next three months. It is a significant year for my students here… it’s the year we will try to realise what we have been working on; promotions that they are truly ready for… into roles that they will succeed at and be respected for.
Bring it on!
I am out of the bush again. This was my fourth stint working at Singita, Serengeti. I said some sad goodbyes yesterday, but hopefully it won’t be long before I see all their smiley faces and hear their happy voices telling me Karibu tena (welcome back).
My students there are the most wonderful and inspirational people, I am so lucky to be part of their incredible journey of developing into successful Tanzanian leaders… I am so proud of them! They let me push them far out of their comfort zones, they share their lives with me and I am so grateful for the their trust and the confidence they have in my ability to help them reach their goals.
My work with this group has helped me stay focused on my purpose & passion during what was a very different stay to usual.
I arrived in the bush with a ‘broken heart’. Finding love had not been on my priority list for quite a while, but all of a sudden it just happened – I was wondering if it was a Covid miracle. For the first time in years I fully embraced vulnerability and I opened my heart. I am naturally an all or nothing person, so I knew I was risking a lot by doing that, and unfortunately the gamble did not pay off, no such thing as miracles…
Over the past couple of months I have had to process what happened and try to heal my ‘broken heart’, and I have reflected on what that actually means. Of course, our hearts don’t literally break, so what is it that hurts so much?
Thought I’d try to ask the always ‘reliable’ internet doctor – apparently there is a thing called broken heart syndrome (who knew!) which shows itself through shortness of breath and chest pain. And I guess that is sort of true with the initial shock of whatever happens to ‘break your heart’.
But I think some very strong emotions would ultimately be the cause of these symptoms. The feeling of rejection, the feeling of not being good enough. The self-doubt and self-blaming; what did I do wrong? what if I’d done or said this and that differently? The feeling of having been lied to or taken advantage of. The sudden and excruciating feeling of loneliness.
The overwhelming emotion for me has been that of rejection. It felt like my vulnerability, my heart and my unconditional love was not good enough! But of course it almost always boils down to either ‘not the right person’ or ‘not the right timing’. I have concluded that this relationship probably suffered from both of these conditions. And I have come to terms with the rejection and come out the other side with the help of my rewarding work and some really incredible friends. During this healing process they have listened for hours, supported me, been a shoulder to cry on, built me up, checked in with me across several time zones and drunk wine with me. I am so fortunate to have these wonderful people in my life.
I think the below sums up how we keep going through tough times pretty well – definitely inspired me to move on and stay brave!
Laugh, even when you feel too exhausted.
Smile, even when you’re trying not to cry.
Trust, even when your heart begs you not to.
Sleep, even when you’re afraid of what the dreams might bring.
Keep going, even when it feels like the world is against you.
And, even when the memories pinch your heart, remember that because of the pain of all your experiences, you are the person you are now.
What makes you brave is your willingness to live through bad life experiences and hold your head up high the next day.
So don’t live life in fear. Because you are stronger now, after all the crap has happened, than you ever were before it started.
“It takes courage to follow a dream and resilience to make it a reality.”
It has now been just over two years since I left London to live my dream in Tanzania. It has not really turned out as I had expected or planned… However, I feel that I have been building up resilience to keep going through these changes and any adversity both in my personal and professional life. And am trying to always keep in mind something my life coach said to me back in the day – ‘keep your toes in the now but your eyes on the horizon’.
I think that I’ve mentioned before that Tanzanians are very resilient people and so good at doing exactly what my life coach shared – and I really admire that. This year has really brought a lot of challenges to the local communities; one person losing their job, affects whole families and whole communities, so the financial strain is huge.
Unfortunately, it also seems that there are mental issues. We heard about a teenager committing suicide in the closest village to here – a child of one of the staff members. I am puzzled how this child even knew about how to hang himself, it is absolutely not something that I have seen as part of this culture before – sad, sad story.
And there have also been many emotions around the general election which took place yesterday. Many of the people I have talked to mentioned that they would not bother to vote, cause it is all very corrupt and it is sure that the incumbent will continue for another term… I, of course, have no opinion on this, but it does seem to be inevitable – all social media platforms have been blocked for the past couple of days for example, not the actions of a fair and democratic state.
In spite of all these challenges, people have such hope and a really positive attitude – they just keep going and try the best they can!
So yeah, that also inspires my own resilience efforts and experiences. Even though my professional plans have had to change – several times, I have really tried to focus on the positive things that change can bring. I have for example started a life coaching qualification, which is super interesting and will help enhance my skills and services in the future. I am grateful that I still get to work with my amazing students here in Tanzania and loving being able to enjoy the wonderful nature.
The uncertainty of the future has however caused me to procrastinate quite a lot more that usual. Making the final commitment to Tanzania in terms of work & resident permits and finding a place to live etc. has naturally been on hold this year, but at some point I know that I have to go all in, to really be courageous to try to make my dream happen!
So, towards the end of November I will head to Zanzibar to speak to my lawyer, discuss the options with him – things might change with the elections, so it’ll be useful just to do a temperature check… oh and to spend some time on the beach of course!
BETINA IN AFRICA 