A year Seychelles – R–review
Hoday, it's almost exactly a year ago, when I was in the plane of Condor in the direction of Seychelles rose. In the of Luggage, a large suitcase with summer clothes, dresses, Flip Flops, Bikinis, towels, sunglasses, cosmetics, all sorts of things that you need in a tropical Paradise. Also with this I had drove an extra Dose of excitement, happiness, curiosity, courage, fear, ignorance, Worry, and also a few tears in the eyes – Yes my feelings on a roller coaster. In that Moment, I found myself in the Transfer between my old and my new life, somewhere in 10,000 level. With the aim of: Uncertain.
I didn't know what to expect.
What is it like living in the Seychelles? This is how I imagine it? What can I expect? I eventually get boring on the island? I'm with the foreign culture right? Also, I had ventured the step into self-employment. What do I do if the work on a permanent and to me, in the worst case, the money runs out? And to make matters worse, I'm also still on my own, friends and family far away in Germany, although always available, but this is not the Same.
One thing was already clear: When I meet new friends learn, so this is not to compare with my favorite from Germany, I know in some cases over 20 years – even though I've met lots of lovely people, I've included closed already deep in my heart – my Seychellois family. I also asked me whether the weather is annoying. How is it like to live in a 365 days of summer? And what if it is enough, then at some point?
What if the life on an island of crazy?
All of this were my thoughts. My carousel in the head. There's also this longing for my beloved Seychelles was but. A longing that was unbroken. And since this drive was easy to pull. Finally, I had to this time, the Chance, all the opportunities, especially professionally. What I had to lose to? I'm young (almost at least), had been in Germany anyway, no apartment, and I wanted to since I was a child, to live always by the sea. The Abundance has bothered me already for a long time, always I tried to keep my life minimalist. The money I invested pork rather be in travel or in my Savings, as in clothes, decorative stuff, or other stuff, the made fast. I was never the type to the output on the weekend, 150 Euro for Parties and then the whole Sunday hungover in bed. I wanted more from life, wanted to get out in the world, in the nature, the sea, wanted to experience stunting with all your senses rather than home.
Now after a year of Seychelles as I can draw a conclusion. I have experienced UPS and Downs, learned a lot, especially about myself, but also for me still strangers, Seychelles culture, behaviors, thought patterns, values, and also holiday-makers. So much I experienced never been in a single year and learned. I was able to observe, study, learn, and sitting without in the University.
A year Seychelles // a year of live, where others spend their holidays
Live where others go on holiday? How do you imagine, when one of the tourists was always himself. This is a question I could not answer to me in advance so at all. Today, I don't know, it is not so easy to live in such a place. Tourists come and go, but I'm always here, I'm the constant. And this is even after a year still a strange feeling. On La Digue, the smallest main island of the Seychelles, is also a point more extreme than on Mahé. On La Digue everything is only 10km2, a mix of vacationers and Locals like nowhere else on the Seychelles. People spend the most wonderful time of the year, sometimes even of life. Everywhere I look in the beaming faces, two to three weeks, then almost everyone is gone again, back home in everyday life, back in Germany.
Every day I see tourists on the streets, in the supermarket, on the beach, on the ferry or Take Away. Most are German, after all – and I don't know if anyone is aware of – are the Germans the main traveller to the Seychelles, mostly couples, honeymooners and families. And that's how I feel sometimes, indeed, as in Germany, I can at least speak the language, even if I already sometimes have problems word finding.
Many talk to me and say simply "Thank you" to me, call my name on the street, or watching me from a distance and whispering. This awareness is not what I was expecting. I am of course proud of that, because to me it shows out there, there are people who read my Blog and my reports are helpful. Strangers bring me all of a sudden things from home: chocolate, cheese, gummy bears, or nuts, or because you read it on the Blog. There were times this year, since we had a month-long supply of nuts at home all eaten, of course. But this is my life, because the vacationers are my readers and make the Blog what it is.
Nevertheless, you can imagine it is a leisure difficult, I would even say that you can't imagine, when you live in a place like this. The daily conversations are mostly superficial. Questions such as “so you live in the Seychelles, how did you do that?” or “How do you earn your money?” or “What are you doing all day?” I get asked almost on a daily basis. Many envy this step, while others can't imagine but even.
But what is really behind a emigration, only to see the least.
All the Fears and risks I carry by yourself. I have no employer that pays me the same amount every month on my account. I have but also all freedoms, it can easily go two weeks to Germany and work from there, for a couple of days friends to visit Mahé or other Islands, like the other day, after Félicité, Silhouette or Bird Island. But I also have a compared to Germany, poor health care, the daily challenge of a foreign culture – what is not at all easy to live far away from Germany, with all the habits, whether positive or negative. I, too, am always the foreigner and will always remain, even if the Seychellois take a very good. My family, my friends, and, Yes, kind of a last piece of security, all of the 7,500 km and 9 hours of flight away.
A year Seychelles // “happiness is not always where it is.“
This has been recognized Eckart von hirschhausen. So, he says, the brain fools us into thinking exactly that, namely that happiness is not always in a different place, just where one is. The fuel in our brain, the curiosity, her shadow was the dissatisfaction. Thus, the diagnosis of a modern big city people sounds “Ripe for the island” but the island residents were also occasionally, “Ripe for the mainland”. The dose make the poison. Three times in the year something other than life in prison. And in fact, there is suddenly a Demand to the cities in me that I never had. I wanted to go where nothing is. Now it is Vice versa, at least if I have after a few months, the nose full and me 2 to 3 weeks to Germany am. I am looking forward to the traffic in cities, cities trips, filled supermarket shelves, long hours driving a car, cinema, German TV, shopping online or even shopping, and much more. The watch also my other German friends here, the part for several years in the Seychelles life. As an Expat you have to break out of here, just once in a while.
Also deer says Hausen, and, therefore, he hits it on the point: in the Same way a worker could go into the forest to have a rest, it helps a island inhabitants, other make there holiday. This applies not only for expatriates but also for Locals. Yes, you are aware that you live in one of the most beautiful places of this earth, but the same not to see, just from the point of view of a vacationer, this is simply not possible. Also, if you know the life like this? Many are bored and end up in the worst case, the drug or alcohol swamp. Because that is the reality. A trip somewhere, can't afford often.
A year Seychelles // It can be hard to be easy.
In the Seychelles you have nothing, you just have to be easy. You have to be satisfied with the simple, beautiful things of life. For me, the sea, the nature, the sun falls including sunsets, reading, thinking, writing, Hiking, rock climbing, snorkeling, with my Beach Cruiser on the island of nozzles, spending time with my boyfriend, with the children of the neighboring families to play, island-hopping, friends on Mahé to visit or to do things we have never done this before, especially the one that makes no one else. These are all simple things there are here, so to speak, for free, if you live in the Seychelles. So I have to give myself satisfied. And also so hard now, for some vacationers like to listen to, to spend here are probably the most beautiful time of the year (perhaps of life), so I can say that it is sometimes not so easy to be easy. Then you would suddenly be more, more than the simple things of life.
A Year Seychelles // Culture Differences
As I was always on vacation here, I never came across this so much, but the cultural differences are big, very big even. Ok, the surprise anyone now, but I feel the actually daily. And by that I mean particularly the values, as well as the orientation and attitudes of the Seychellois. Also I had to learn and I often say: Just because you have learned in your German culture, it means that that is correct. Many of the things that I had to rethink, because they were just so right, or they are not appropriate. The music was not so easy, now after a year of good work.
What strikes me again and again is the the helpfulness of the Seychellois. There's not a day that I don't watch a Local it really is, how he help appeals to lots of passers-by, and without ulterior motives (mostly at least). This also happens to me. For example, the other day, when I got on Praslin for a rental car and the company has discontinued holder, then simply personally at my destination, because he has to see me at the bus stop waiting. For this, he wanted no money, I gave him 50 Rupees, about 3.50 euros.
Thicker than water is in the Seychelles, blood, much thicker. Family is always over everything. And also, if you think that the people Concerned have not so good relationship. There's only a neutral “Bonzour, commanding ou sava is? (Good day, how's it going?), no hug from mom or dad, no emotions, but when it comes down to it, there are then all of a sudden all of them. Then they stick together.
A year Seychelles // a year's Creole kitchen
No, you don't get out of my ass. Quite the contrary: I love the Creole dishes. I love fish, octopus, curries, tuna, lentils, bread, fruit, Kasawa, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, Papaya, Mango or Golden Apple Chutney, bananas, coconuts, Papaya, Bouyon bred, Bilembi, Bigarade, water-melons and the would be the ingredients for our daily diet. Kind of monotonous, would not now think of as outsiders, but it is entirely. Because the Seychellois are in the kitchen, very creative and I can't remember ever having a meal in the same preparation eaten.
So it is not at all monotonous. Nevertheless, I wish to myself and to other ingredients that there is not here then but. The is on La Digue is particularly difficult, as there is really only Necessary for (About)life. Because you have to be satisfied with what shop is the only official supermarket or in the little Indian in the offer – and that is not particularly diverse.
A year Seychelles // a year in the summer
Spring, summer, autumn and Winter. What if there is suddenly only one season? A year in the summer... because you have to think a few seconds about it. No Seasons Of The Year. I don't see any leaves falling, so quite a few, but that's not the Same, do not see snow flakes falling from the sky. I don't need a thin jacket, not a thick jacket, no jacket. Also I can't be happy here in the Winter to the spring and the spring to the autumn. There is finally an entire year of summer and sunshine.
After a year, but I also know There are many here, however, the seasons of the year, even if the be slightly different than what we know from Germany. I don't like by the way, the time from June to October, especially, then it's not so hot, mild to medium-strong Wind is blowing, you sweat so much. The weather is not perfect for photos, but photos anyway, I have enough. The sky is often cloudy, rain is usually only of short duration.
Coconuts grow all year round, but many of the other fruits, there are seasons, such as the Golden Apple or the Mango. Also in the forest you will notice the different times of the year. In the time of the Southeast monsoon, everything prospers and to grow then all of a sudden within a few weeks of complete paths.
A year of summer is in the Seychelles a year sweating. Two to three Times a day for short cold shower is quite normal and the sweating, you can't be yourself, you have to accept that. Now I think about it, I accepted it, even when the in the beginning difficult is much.
And what I also noticed: I like to suddenly rain. In Germany, I was always stupid, then I had to stay at home, have looked, for example series or articles written. Here are the looks different. If it rains, then that's kind of really nice. Then it is not so hot, you can leave your home without sweating (we have no air conditioning) and when the rain patters on the corrugated tin roof, then that's how Meditation is, only much better.
A year Seychelles // and I love you still
Every day I realize that I've done everything right. I live on a beautiful island in the middle of the Indian ocean. I can live my dreams and there is always a way. And if a door doesn't open, then it was not my door, then I try another.
A good friend with much more experience of life, said to me: “Accept and release” and that fits to every Situation. If I'm a little annoyed, then I accept it, and will not let go of it, so I'm annoyed. Life is much too short to piss around. The may also be times when the supermarket shelves are here, on La Digue once again empty and a week of no chocolate, cheese or other things that I want in this Moment. Or I get angry about the daily 5-10 mosquito bites on the body. Or the fact that the artisans require weeks, until they come at all. Change can be many things, but the thinking that you can change.
And if that still is not enough, I go to the sea in my hammock, look at the horizon, listen to the waves and tell me how small my problems actually are, when I look at this gigantic ocean in front of me to look at.
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