With 14 suitcases the Van Bemmel family arrived in Fumba Town straight from the Netherlands, ready to start a new life.

Some homeowners buy for investment, others to rent out, you have come to stay?

Petra and Frank Van Bemmel: That’s right. We have no return ticket.

Why Zanzibar, why Fumba Town?

We stayed in Kenya for 3 years when we adopted our two children Darcy, 13, and Sifa, 10. And Frank wanted to live on a tropical island for a long time before he was turning 50. Now we have just made it!

You came with your companies? 

Petra: Yes, we are both independent. Frank runs an online advertising company. I write education curricula for primary schools. Our business fits in a suitcase. But our main reason to relocate were our children, we wanted them to grow up in an East African culture.

Are they happy here?

First we worried, if they would adjust. We specifically bought them a dog to have a companion. But on the very first day of our arrival in May they met a lot of age mates. Now it is us who are stranded with baby shepherd “Boef”.

Sifa: Every two weeks our parents ask us, if we want to stay or go.

And?

We like it here, we have found many new friends.

What does the whole family enjoy most?

European comfort in Africa, good Internet, attentive caretakers. And that the children can play outside all day long without fear. 

You occupy one of the prettiest units in Fumba, a 3-storey sea front house with a pool…

Every morning we try to swim 50 laps. We are only renting here, we bought a bungalow.  An advantage of Fumba Town is that there are many options.

What’s missing?

Frank: Maybe more shopping options. We tried online shopping and I ordered two pairs of jeans from Japan and believe it or not, a few weeks later the post office texted me in Swahili to pick them up.