Joy of Retirement

I never thought I'd be happy to not  have to get out of bed for work. I have worked for over forty years.   I have worked 7 day week,  worked three jobs on the go and up to 90hr a week.  I have got up at 5am, commuted 3hrs each way and returned home very late at night. Jobs were plentiful in the 70s, 80s and early 90s.

I have always tried to better myself. I made time to study and obtained academic and professional qualifications. Along the way I acquired new skills and gained more experiences.  I learnt the importance of maintaining good relationship and that we achieve more working with others.

Private Sector

I spent the first half of my working years in the private sector where I was  often the solitary black employee,  and the majority of my colleagues and managers were women. There were no issues. Everyone treated me with the greatest of courtesy. No one refused to work with me and there were no allegations made against me. I was promoted and rewarded.  Managers encouraged and supported me in my endeavour to better myself.  I socialised and went on holidays with colleagues and managers. I got invitations to weddings and  family functions. I met a lot of good people whose kindness and generosity I will not forget.

Public Sector

Unlike in the private sector, I was not the solitary black face amongst many white ones. There were other black employees of African and West Indian origins. Whilst we black employees distinguished each other, our white colleagues and managers seemed incapable of differentiating us. They saw us as a single entity which we are not. Black people are not one people, we are several nationalities, tribes and of different cultures. Other than the colour of our skin, we have very little else in common - we don't speak the same language,  we don't eat the same food and we don't worship the same god.

 Working in the public  sector was a culture shock. Colleagues didn't have to perform to get paid or be promoted. And in some cases they didn't have to turn up for work at all.  I found myself working the same grade and sometimes being paid less than white colleagues who had no more qualification than they left school with and who were not competent to perform the tasks for which they were employed.

I have never begrudged anyone for having anything.  However, some colleagues and managers did not wish me well. From the position of "couldn't do anything wrong" in the private sector,  I found myself in position of "couldn't do anything right" in the public sector.  Issues which began as resentments  and/or jealousy escalated to outright discrimination.  I was victimised for daring to complain about unfair treatment and about being denied promotion opportunities afforded to white colleagues. A white female manager tried her level best to ruin my life - her name and her face is one I will not forget. I had to put up with hurtful allegations in my appraisals, racist letters and abusive telephone calls. I was fortunate enough to have legal representation. I won two employment tribunal claims and the third claim was settled out of court.  I have learnt that in life, no matter how well you conduct yourself, you will come across evil and nasty people. Notwithstanding the two successful claims and the settlement,  the white female manager pursued me after I resigned and got another job.  She passed on to third parties my personal data which she had obtained during the course of my employment with her and made further allegations against me.  

Retirement

In life there will always be changes and every change has to be managed - the world is not as we would want it to be.  Now in retirement I have promised myself to do anything and everything that makes me happy. I am  debt free and enjoying the same lifestyle as I had when in work. I enjoy travelling - my passion. I can say that I have been to all the places I wish to see.  I have met amazing people from all over the world.  It is truly a wonderful world.

I am organising a cruise from Miami to the Caribbean. We're chartering a yacht. It is a challenge, we have a number of Spanish speakers. Although I have been to Spain on holidays and I drink San Miguel and Rioja, I've never bothered to learn Spanish.  I see the cruise as an opportunity to learn another language. I studied French at school and I later learned German for myself. However, I have never used French or German at work - only in  my travel.

I am looking forward to being at sea again. I have been on several cruises, each was a memorable experience. I find cruises to be more fun and more social compared to flying.  There's not much to do on a plane other than to sit and maybe walk around to stretch your legs - turbulence permitting. 

Yacht vs Cruise Liner

Charter offers the benefit of organising your own itinerary,  as opposed to the rigid ones offered by the cruise liners.  Also if there are enough people to share the costs, cruise on  a yacht could work out much cheaper per person compared to the cost on a cruise ship. 

Charter options vary.  For example, you can charter a yatch with a crew. This affords you the opportunity to relax , focus on having fun and on enjoying yourself without having to worry about navigation and instruments.  Alternatively,  if you know your east from your west and you are experienced,  you can sail with your own team.  We had our own team.  It was a good voyage. Everyone got along.  

Below was not an emergency. We were snorkelling. Clear blue sea, good way to have fun and burn some calorie.   

Concorde experience

I cannot talk about my travel without touching on Concorde.  Below is  Concorde arriving at BGI from LHR in 2003.   It was its final flight to Barbados.  I guess Concorde put Barbados on the map.  It was actually a small plane compared to the Boeings and the Airbuses.  100  passengers, single aisle,  25  rows of two leather seats,  either side of the aisle.  

On Concorde, size did matter!  Anyone over 6' would struggle to use the toilet - they'll have to get down on their knees to get in.  And if you are size 14 or bigger,  you've no chance - you'll need to remove the door. 

Concorde was more about  lifestyle and speed. It flew at a much higher altitude compared to other passenger planes, as such it was not affected by turbulence and therefore was able to maintain its very high speed.  For me,  Concorde was no more than a treat - an experience.