For those who want to know how it is to work in Africa, for
those who want to know what it is to work in a place where people have a
completely different culture… this is a real, but daily story, of how I work in
Zanzibar.
I have written it before: people àre very nice and
friendly here. But friendliness has not always much to do with working and
knowledge.
As an (over-organised) European, you just have to be
patient… and don’t loose your smile in such situations…
So this morning… I arrived at hotel “La Gemma dell’Est”, a 5
star resort in the Nord of the island. As all hotels, they have security at the
gate checking who comes in and who goes out of the hotel. As I wear a uniform
and I drive always the same car, most hotel guards already know me by now and
let me in.
In La Gemma dell’Est it is a bit different. I was stopped by
the guard.
Guard: “Good morning. How are you?”
Me: “I am fine thank you.”
I never ask “And how are you?” which is actually a bit rude.
But if I ask, another question from his side
will follow (And how is the work today?) and then another (And how is
your family?) and another… and there will be no end. And most of the time I am
in a hurry.
Guard: “How can I help you?”
Me: “Well, you could help me by opening the barrier.”
Guard: “Where are you going?”
You should realise now that the gate of La Gemma is already
100 inside the territory of the hotel, so there is no other possibility than
going to the hotel.
Me: “I am going to ‘The Royal Zanzibar’.”
That is the hotel nearby…
Guard: “Why do you come here?”
Me: “For fun, I just come here for fun.”
It is clear the guard has not understood anything. He looks
at me.
I tell him: “Ask me a ‘good’ questions (I cannot use the word ‘intelligent’,
that is too difficult for him) and I will
give you a good answer.”
And the guard: “Yes madam, so how can I help you?”
Me: “Well, you could help me by opening the barrier.”
Guard: “Where are you going?”
And of course, I do it again: “I am going to ‘The Royal Zanzibar’!”
Guard: “But this is La Gemma dell’Est. Why do you come here? “
Me: “As I told you, I come here for fun.”
All this time I have my uniform, my name tag and behind the
front window of my car there is a board with the Thomas Cook and the Neckermann
logo.
Fortunately, the guards colleague comes to the gate, he sees
me and asks the other guard to open the gate.
He opens the gate, but in his eyes I can still see the
questions:” Can I help you? Where are you going? Why do you come here?”
When I leave the hotel, about 45 minutes later, he opens the
barrier spontaneously. But the question marks… they are still in his eyes…
