Victoria, Mahe

I had to arrange some "official" things, so in the last days I was also getting an insight of how is bureaucracy on the Seychelles. I got my super nice national driving license, so here I come left side driving. By the way, I thought I'm gonna change my matchbox car for an automatic one, but seems like there is no possibility for that, so just have to get used to my left handed gear changing.

The driving license and also the ID card can be done in minutes, they have their own camera and printing machine, I was really pleasantly surprised. In Europe I haven't seen something like this. OK, one should also precise, that the volumes are different: on the islands there are in total approximately 60.000 people living.

Going to the bank is another experience, less pleasant as getting the ID card and the driving license. After queuing for at least half an hour, when you once get there then they are already quick. There is no number system, you just have to stand there in the line like as at the passport control on the airport. It took like half an hour to get to the cashier. In the bank seychellois they take it very seriously if you talk on the phone while standing in the line. It is strictly forbidden, just like wearing a helmet:) I got away with my crime as I was talking on the phone and mamma security didn't notice it. The girl behind me was not so lucky, she got warned.

I also paid a visit to the phone operator as I want to cut/exchange the sim card in order to use it with my own phone. After queuing again, of course I need another couple of emails and papers in order to do this, because the sim card is not on my name, but on the agency's. The phone operator is called Cable, the store is rather simple, it doesn't look like anything back home, so there are no shiny phones and gadgets exposed everywhere in the store.

It is funny that there is no language barrier, wherever you go, everybody speaks English. This is so different from Turkey, where you had to speak the language in order to be able to make yourself understood. But somehow it was nice...you felt like a local. Here I guess i have to spend some more time to feel a bit more like a local person. But there are so many foreigners: from Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, South Africa, Russia, France, Italy and soooo on... not to mention the huge Indian population and there are some Chinese also. I guess you cannot really become a local unless you were born here. But as I said, this journey is about how to be a Seychelloise...so let's see;)Read more