Tom around the world: Maui, How it all began.
Door: Tom Zeegers
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Tom
01 November 2013 | Verenigde Staten, Kahului
To road so far…
Where to start a story is always difficult, perhaps the best way for this story is to start at the beginning. This story starts somewhere in April 2013, I had just decided that I wanted to go abroad for my internship. After talks with friends and family I had decided on a few favorites; London, Edinburgh and Sydney. The next step was an orientation meeting with my study advisor. She could help me with finding a good company and also coach me when and or if I get the internship. My study coach was Helma Harmsen and we had a very interesting chat.
The new game plan
When I walked into Helmas office she was helping another student, she seemed calm en friendly. I was excited and a little bit nervous. I was nervous because I sort of forgot that a part of our talk would be in English. Normally the English language is not really a problem for me, but now I was scared that I would make mistakes and that my dreams to go abroad, would go down the drain. Luckily the English part was really easy, and after a brief talk she started looking over my resume. Then she brought up Hawaii, I was surprised to say the least. She talked about Kanaha Kai Maui, a big surf store on the north shore of Maui, and told me that I would be a perfect fit. I was sold on the idea of going to Hawaii! I think it is fair to say that this ‘chat’ changed my entire game plan.
After the talk with Helma I did not take me very long to write a letter of application to the company, after a few days the owner called me up and after a short but good chat he invited me to come to Maui. I could not believe I was going to Hawaii! But I was not there yet, first I had to get past my last exams and get my hands on a J1 visa. Luckily I passed all my exams and the months quickly passed by. After fighting allot of red tape and bureaucrats I also got my hand on a J1 visa. I booked my flight 2 days after I received my Visa in the mail. I was finally ready and after talking to my parents about the financial part of the internship, I was set to go!
Kick the tires and light the fires
As my plane took off I thought of all the people I was going to miss these coming months. Luckily there is such a thing as the internet, and we can all stay connected. During my trip I had a 12 hour stop in South-Korea, It was a nice opportunity to stretch me legs. After a mad dash true the city I was back on the plane and heading to Maui again. Time flies when you are having fun. I arrived on Maui in the afternoon, I was tired and the jetlag was not doing me any favors either. After renting a car I was off towards my new home, Dagmar and Bart (owners of the company) had offered me to stay in their cabin until I found something else. The cabin was located in Haiku, a really astonishing place to live. However it was located in the middle of nowhere, and I am a creature that needs social interaction. So after some searching on the web, I found a new place. An apartment building near the beach and also close to my new job. Let’s just say, it did not take me long to move.
A home away from home
After my travels and settling in, my first day at Kanaha Kai Maui had finally arrived. I met Dagmar early in the morning and she gave me the grand tour of the company Bart, the owner of Kanaha Kai, was away on business. And I met him later in the week. The company is located on the north shore and is most known for its good service and wide range of products. They mostly specialize in Windsurfing and Stand up paddle boarding (SUP). Since it’s not a very big company, it did not take me very long to meet all the employees. Officially 6 people work for Kanaha Kai, however some people of HotSails Maui, occasionally jump into the fray. HotSails is a company that shares the building with Kanaha Kai; it designs sails and is one of the biggest suppliers for Kanaha Kai Maui.
So far I have been treated as a long lost family member; everyone is really friendly and is always ready to help. The people that work there are very passionate about what they do and will gladly share that with all who visit. Compared to their competition on Maui the company is much closer to the beach. Only half mile stand between the shop and Kite beach and even Kanaha beach is less than a mile away. The company was founded in December 2004 by Bart & Dagmar de Zwart and Jeff Henderson. They all have been in the industry for over 30 years, and that gives them allot of ocean sport experience.
Where to start a story is always difficult, perhaps the best way for this story is to start at the beginning. This story starts somewhere in April 2013, I had just decided that I wanted to go abroad for my internship. After talks with friends and family I had decided on a few favorites; London, Edinburgh and Sydney. The next step was an orientation meeting with my study advisor. She could help me with finding a good company and also coach me when and or if I get the internship. My study coach was Helma Harmsen and we had a very interesting chat.
The new game plan
When I walked into Helmas office she was helping another student, she seemed calm en friendly. I was excited and a little bit nervous. I was nervous because I sort of forgot that a part of our talk would be in English. Normally the English language is not really a problem for me, but now I was scared that I would make mistakes and that my dreams to go abroad, would go down the drain. Luckily the English part was really easy, and after a brief talk she started looking over my resume. Then she brought up Hawaii, I was surprised to say the least. She talked about Kanaha Kai Maui, a big surf store on the north shore of Maui, and told me that I would be a perfect fit. I was sold on the idea of going to Hawaii! I think it is fair to say that this ‘chat’ changed my entire game plan.
After the talk with Helma I did not take me very long to write a letter of application to the company, after a few days the owner called me up and after a short but good chat he invited me to come to Maui. I could not believe I was going to Hawaii! But I was not there yet, first I had to get past my last exams and get my hands on a J1 visa. Luckily I passed all my exams and the months quickly passed by. After fighting allot of red tape and bureaucrats I also got my hand on a J1 visa. I booked my flight 2 days after I received my Visa in the mail. I was finally ready and after talking to my parents about the financial part of the internship, I was set to go!
Kick the tires and light the fires
As my plane took off I thought of all the people I was going to miss these coming months. Luckily there is such a thing as the internet, and we can all stay connected. During my trip I had a 12 hour stop in South-Korea, It was a nice opportunity to stretch me legs. After a mad dash true the city I was back on the plane and heading to Maui again. Time flies when you are having fun. I arrived on Maui in the afternoon, I was tired and the jetlag was not doing me any favors either. After renting a car I was off towards my new home, Dagmar and Bart (owners of the company) had offered me to stay in their cabin until I found something else. The cabin was located in Haiku, a really astonishing place to live. However it was located in the middle of nowhere, and I am a creature that needs social interaction. So after some searching on the web, I found a new place. An apartment building near the beach and also close to my new job. Let’s just say, it did not take me long to move.
A home away from home
After my travels and settling in, my first day at Kanaha Kai Maui had finally arrived. I met Dagmar early in the morning and she gave me the grand tour of the company Bart, the owner of Kanaha Kai, was away on business. And I met him later in the week. The company is located on the north shore and is most known for its good service and wide range of products. They mostly specialize in Windsurfing and Stand up paddle boarding (SUP). Since it’s not a very big company, it did not take me very long to meet all the employees. Officially 6 people work for Kanaha Kai, however some people of HotSails Maui, occasionally jump into the fray. HotSails is a company that shares the building with Kanaha Kai; it designs sails and is one of the biggest suppliers for Kanaha Kai Maui.
So far I have been treated as a long lost family member; everyone is really friendly and is always ready to help. The people that work there are very passionate about what they do and will gladly share that with all who visit. Compared to their competition on Maui the company is much closer to the beach. Only half mile stand between the shop and Kite beach and even Kanaha beach is less than a mile away. The company was founded in December 2004 by Bart & Dagmar de Zwart and Jeff Henderson. They all have been in the industry for over 30 years, and that gives them allot of ocean sport experience.
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02 November 2013 - 09:38
Gerrie Laarakkers:
Tom I have read your mail, but an other time I prefer it in Sambeks -
03 November 2013 - 19:07
Trudy:
Hee Tom,
We hebben je net even gesproken en gezien op skype. Ik heb net je verhaal gelezen. Zit heel leuk in elkaar en is heel prettig om te lezen. Ik kijk uit naar je volgende verhaal.
Een hele dikke knuffel en pas op voor langs zwemmende haaien.
Reageer op dit reisverslag
Je kunt nu ook Smileys gebruiken. Via de toolbar, toetsenbord of door eerst : te typen en dan een woord bijvoorbeeld :smiley
