The Great Trek - Amsterdam

I keep wanting to write, but I’ve been struggling with how to frame high school, so I’ll continue parking it. Today, however, 4^th July 2023, marks the 1-year anniversary of my arrival in Amsterdam. It was during one of my discovery strolls in the early weeks, that I started thinking “how did I get here” which actually started this series of blog posts.

 

I keep getting asked, so Amsterdam, how is it? It must be amazing. I always seem take a moment to answer this, even when I don’t intend to. It sure does present an opportunity for a story doesn’t it, so here we go.

 

A few years ago, I had made up my mind that my time at my old job was coming to an end. I had a good relationship with my then boss, Tim, who I also considered a friend. Those who know him will know that he is one of those persuasive types so I stayed on a little longer, because, after all, I didn’t really have a solid plan that I was leaving for, just the way I like it sometimes. In 2021 I told him that this was actually it. It started to feel like work, I wasn’t sure there was much more I could add to my role. (Un)/fortunately Tim had decided to move on first and good for him because as the CEO of Wesgro, you have a fixed 10-year limit and it’s time to step. Always good to leave when the applause is loudest they say. In my mind if nothing at all he really raised the profile of Wesgro. The spirit of and the calibre of people that worked there was a reflection of the atmosphere his sort of leadership created. After he left, I was asked to step in as CEO till the board found a new one. There was no part of me that wanted the role, but it was a pleasure to serve for those 4 months or so, it also reinforced that I was correct in my initial assessment, it isn’t for me and I was very ready for the next person to take the role that I held, to different heights. My plan was to leave at year end, 31 March 2022, but before I left, the head of one of the key portfolios that reported into my role also decided to leave, our CEO was new, and I am sure she and the team were more than capable of filling the role without me, but I wanted to leave after we had recruited for that role before I left. I left at the end of April 2022 after almost 7 years in the job. When I first got there my plan was a year or 2 tops. Good work, good team, good times, good vibes…I was indeed blessed!

 

In 2018 or so I had changed my LinkedIn settings to show me jobs in impact investing and in the Netherlands. In 2019, after a visit to Colombia, that idea was shelved. The new plan was to move to Colombia in 2020, teach English, travel South America, learn Spanish and learn how to dance for a year. I would be 44 then, pretty arb age so why not right? I even bought an online course to qualify as an English teacher on Udemy. Roll on 2020 and we all know what happened there.  Oh well, 2021, 45, that is a serious age man, so the plan was then to quit and investigate a few opportunities in Ghana and SA for a year or 2. 

 

Owing to the changed settings in 2018, LinkedIn notifications would regularly pop up stating “30 new jobs in the Netherlands”. I generally ignored these notifications. Then one day, late in December, working from home on a glorious summer afternoon, a notification popped up and this time I clicked on it, scrolled down and saw the job titled investor relations, Goodwell Investments. I read the job description, read about the company and I was like I know zero about investor relations but it’s selling no? I can sell. What sold me though was what the company does. It spoke to my why. I had my own plan, which was to take a time out, so I wasn’t under pressure but this opportunity really was speaking to me. I submitted my CV and a wee video. Had a few conversations and next thing I had an offer, but I had to move to Amsterdam.

 

Roll on a year…how is it going…

 

In my mind I am very clear. I am a child born of the African soil, I say this not for drama, but through my many travels, it is where my soul feels most at home, the blood of the Ashanti royals run through my veins. The knowledge of the Bantu and the Afrikaner circle my mind because for so long I lived amongst my people. I did not to leave my continent behind. I am not chasing a passport (but ey, if the opportunity to not have to apply for a visa ever again is possible, I'm in) I left not in despair. I left not to seek personal wealth. I left not to cater for a family. I left not because of fear. My decision to leave is to find a way to be part of creating that inclusive world a world where no one has to hop on a boat to seek the life of a slave so they can send money back home to their families. Enough of that nonsense. My continent made me. Every opportunity I have every cent I earned. I earned at home. I do not and will not take it lightly. Sure, I had to do the work, but my continent, where my people lived, is who I am.

 

How is it going? Loving it is what I will say.

 

Although that it has been the easiest transition ever. From getting my visa, to my residence permit, and a place to stay (well up to now because now I have to move again, but alas it won’t kill me). My initial housing arrangement fell through when I initially got here, but a friend was happy to house me for a few days which became a month.

This has been one of the biggest challenges I’ve had in a while (shows what a sheltered existence I have lived 😊)

 

Ego… I have come from managing a team of 36 people, hell even 120 people for 4 months or so, to being snarled at for not entering things correctly in our CRM system. Having presentations and trips organized for us, to having to do the hard yard on my own. Amazingly humbling if I am honest, it has been good for personal growth. 

Network…. I had a pretty hot network back in SA, now I have to build a new one which is hard if you aren’t at school, a little older, not playing sports and have no children. 

Net worth… Due to the role I now occupy, I currently earn less than what I earned at Wesgro (even with the currency devaluation) but thanks to some financial engineering (30% tax ruling) the take home is a little more, but the expenses are a few notches higher. But I’m all about the saving life and without kids to look after my old ass in 18 yrs (retirement age) I need to make sure that I’m doing the most and is save less here than there and I do less here 😊

General… dude you should be doing your own thing like you planned, you know people back home, you should always be able to hustle a gig and continue living a pretty sweet as existence and you are almost 50, is this the time to be hopping countries to be living this life? Oh let's not even mention the food...sheee.

 

But then I smile, like I did right now after typing all that.

 

How this role and I found each other doesn’t happen every day. How everything has just slotted into place from May 2022, when I came here so we could feel each other out, till when I moved to Amsterdam in July, has just been darn simple, it was like moving next door. 

 

Supremely blessed to have this opportunity to work where I do, and do what I do, for real! I work at a place where the leadership, I’d say, believe in the potential of Africa and Africans more than many Africans do. Our teams in Nigeria, Kenya and SA are all run by locals, and composed of local staff members… I work with a bunch of people that are not here to make a name for themselves or take names, but rather people that choose to spend their time working to create a better world, a more equitable and inclusive world, a world where the average human can live a humane life, where we all have access to quality basic goods, services and job opportunities. Every day I am at work, I believe that if we do our jobs well, we will positively impact the lives of people in Africa, not as saviours but as partners who believe in the ability of the great, tenacious minds who come up with these innovate, African solutions, to African problems… Through work, I feel I want to be part of changing the narrative of how the world sees Africa. We don’t do ourselves any favours sometimes, but man, the rest of the world gets a lot of breaks we don’t get. America is a daily warzone, the gun violence is crazy, riots/protests in France are like an Oprah show giveaway, yet we are like bleh, there is a war right on our doorstep here in Europe with a person who has nuclear weapons that could cause continental disasters. We have the UK that was recently playing musical chairs with their Prime Ministers. We almost had a ‘coup’ in America. We think we have healthcare issues, you get sick in the Netherlands and see how you can get treated, at least back in SA if you have medical aid you are sweet as. 

 

So how is it going? It’s a beautiful thing…I am exactly where I’m called to be right now and I am grateful for the journey. Here’s to the next year!