Anneke with a guest in the apartment.
Photo: Change of course
In The Turn follows Dutch people who pursue their dreams abroad. In the first episode of the last season, 58-year-old Anneke embarked on an Egyptian adventure. There she faced setback after setback and the camera crew left her disillusioned. We saw last night how she is doing now The Roer Om: how are you doing now?
Together with her dog Dana, Anneke left Den Helder for Egypt. She had really wanted to go abroad for years, because she said she was born in the wrong country. She hoped to earn a living in Hurghada by becoming a hairstylist, but unfortunately few people seemed to be waiting for a cheerful color in their hair.
She therefore switched to plan B: call center work. She first had to undergo three months of training in Cairo. But that also came to nothing. The training was very difficult for her. She found it very intensive and was disappointed that she had to leave her dog alone for twelve hours a day. And then she also felt excluded by her colleagues.
“I’m not in a good place here. I’m out of place. I don’t belong here. And maybe that means end of dream, end of Egypt, end of everything,” she said at the end of the episode. She made the decision and returned to Hurghada. It certainly wasn’t happy endingbecause that did not answer the question of how to put bread on the table.
Anneke shares update in Het Roer Om: how are you doing now?
In The Roer Om: how are you doing now? Anneke looks back on her first months in Egypt. “It was one big drama and one big valley of tears. Everything failed. I was in ruins financially and mentally. But now all opportunities are open to me.”
Five months later, Anneke still lives in her apartment in Hurghada. She was able to extend her lease at a discount. Life is smiling at her again, because she has found a job. She goes to work for a local tour operator. “I’m going to show a group of tourists around on a boat.” She came across this via Facebook. “I thought: I’m just going to try it. As you know, I have tried everything and everything has failed. I was hired immediately. I’ll start tomorrow. I find it scary, exciting, but also very fun. I am really looking forward to it.”
She also manages an apartment, where she helps holidaymakers check in and out. It’s not a lot of money, but it’s enough to get by. She has given up her dream of providing people with a bright hair color for the time being.
‘I will never live in the Netherlands again’
She has also adjusted her diet slightly. “After my first can of Red Bull, I simply have breakfast with oatmeal porridge. I think everyone thinks I just drink energy drinks and smoke cigarettes all day long. But I’m not that unhealthy, I’ll switch to cola in a moment. I don’t drink water, that’s true, but cola consists largely of water.”
All in all, she is happy that she did not throw in the towel. “I am very proud of myself. I’m proud that I just persevered. It is of course easy to give up and I have often considered quitting and returning to the Netherlands. But there was an angel on my shoulder. We will stay here, we will fight for it and that is a good thing: I am happy here and will never live in the Netherlands again. This is really my country. In five years I will still be living here.”
You can turn the tide: how are you doing now? watch it again via KIJK.
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