The right turn
2019 has been an eventful year. Edwin is doing his master’s degree in business administration (MBA) and hopes to graduate in December. AS Installation Architecture and Advice existed for 15 years now and is a profitable consultancy. The past year has been a bit quieter, but the prospects are good.
Then on May 18, Edwin falls over with Mendel’s scooter in the meadow behind the office. Just a stupid fall while almost standing still. Kirsten and the children laugh at him from a distance, but soon see that something is not right. 7 broken ribs, broken collarbone, collapsed lung. At home under anesthesia (bad trip from the ketamine) because of the enormous pain. The first 9 days he gets a pain blockage on his chest. So he can handle it. But then things go wrong. A lung hemorrhage lands him in the IC in critical condition for 9 days. Surgery twice to get a lung drain. Then 3 liters of blood was drained and after the 3rd surgery the last liter of blood was taken out. Only then did his body have time to start working on recovery. Besides health and family, nothing else is important anymore. And as the doctor said, his body took the right turn and slowly recovered. The doctor predicts that the healing process will take about 1.5 years. After 3 weeks he is released from the hospital.
Edwin’s task at AS is, among other things, to make acquisitions and that is not yet possible After consultation with the staff it was decided to terminate the contracts. Fortunately, they have all been able to find a different job. The projects have been completed and Edwin can now work on his recovery. The first months were tough and difficult. Everything you’ve built up in 15 years has been broken down by a stupid fall.
The office has been empty for months and yet some money has to come in again. Where to go from here is what kept us thinking all the time. During the summer holidays the plans have become increasingly concrete. A lot has happened, we both had surgery several times. But the new decisions we have made are a result of the events of the past year. All this has made us realize that life can be very relative. So enjoy every day and do things that make you and others happy
What made us very happy now?
Years after our first Africa trip in 2007, we still look back on this holiday with a happy feeling. We had really unique experiences in the beautiful nature there, the wild animals and cultures. Have been fantasizing about living among the wild beasts for years. You can always start a B&B in France 😊.
We have had an Airbnb in the old office on the first floor of our house for 2 years now. We enjoy the many different foreign contacts. Kirsten loves to be able to practice her old profession a bit in this way. (Working in healthcare). In November we made our Africa inspiration trip. We visited several lodges that were for sale. With and without a broker. We have learned a lot about what we can and cannot do and what we will or will not do.
A new direction
We have never been as busy as in recent months. Edwin has resumed his MBA studies and has started his final thesis. Fortunately, he was able to change the subject and hopes to hand it in on May 8.
We have visited various holiday fairs to get inspiration. Also went to the emigration fair. If you have entered your details there, you will be followed. We were called by the television program “het roer om”. We have not addressed this.
But we have completely changed our course and will leave for South Africa on 11 May if corona permits.
We have taken over a lodge from Italians who would like to return to Italy. We are going to live in the middle of a wildlife park, surrounded by bush and wild game (including giraffes, zebras, nyalas, civets). We are going to live on the Hoedspruit Wildlife Estate. Half an hour’s drive from the Kruger National Park and the Blyde River Canyon.
The current lodge has 4 rooms for 8 people. The current owners now live in the house. We will also convert this house into suites. A honeymoon suite and a family suite. In total there will be 14 beds. The wild animals come up to the pool. This is truly a fantastic experience. Mendel and Sophie are going to live in our house in Bennekom and run the Airbnb. Ruben hopes to graduate this year and does not yet know what his home will be. The dogs come to Hoedspruit on May 11. We are really looking forward to it.
YOUR UNIQUE SAFARI EXPERIENCE
This is the slogan of our Bush Lodge. We are so thankful that God has guided us in the way we had to go for the past year. It was sometimes hard, physically and mentally. We have sometimes closed old roads with pain in our hearts, but new roads have emerged. We enjoy His creation so much. It is a unique safari experience and we found it in Hoedspruit in The Baobab Bush Lodge. We would like to pass this on and show it to the people around us, to new guests. Enjoy all the beauty around you. Enjoy all the beauty around you freely. How special is that.
Do you want to experience all the beauty that South Africa has to offer? Enjoy the overwhelming nature and wildlife in the immediate vicinity of the Bush Lodge. From here go on a safari in the Kruger National Park, for example, or a beautiful walk in the area.
For an unforgettable holiday that you will look back on for years to come, you are welcome at The Baobab Bush Lodge. **YOUR UNIQUE SAFARI EXPERIENCE**
Goodbye en see you, Edwin and Kirsten Autsema