Touchdown in Cape Town

By Tara Clampett

It has been an extremely challenging month for all of us working in Florida! Mid-March we were busy finalizing release dates from Boca West and plans to go up north or to go home. Then, over a few days, everything changed. Covid-19 made the world and certainly, the hospitality industry come to a standstill. Suddenly airlines started discontinuing travel, the northern club visa extension process was suspended and many of us started feeling extremely anxious.

Our HR director, GM, Executive Assistant, and Workaway International advised us that the safest option was to go home. While this was heartbreaking for many employees who had plans to go up north, we knew that they had our best interests at heart and wanted to ensure that we get home safely.

Over the next six weeks, the Workaway International team worked TIRELESSLY trying to get flights back to SA as more and more airlines started discontinuing travel. We had our suitcases half-packed, apartments half emptied, waiting for final confirmation of a flight. When we received confirmation of the charter flights, we all felt a huge sense of relief. We were going home!!!

With our gloves and masks on, we headed to Miami airport. The usually busy airport was eerie, no one around besides the staff to assist us and the Country Club employees. As we arrived, we were met by Cedrick and Annie who performed a health screening. We then went on to receive our tickets and head to the boarding gate. The process was smooth and surprisingly quick. Before I knew it, we were off the ground. The Ethiopian Airlines crew were fantastic and so accommodating. Finally, after about 21 hours of travelling (including our refueling stops) we were on South African soil. As we landed, the entire plane started cheering and clapping – we were HOME.

Upon our arrival in Cape Town, our temperatures were taken before we collected our luggage and headed to the buses that were to take us to our quarantine facility. We were going to stay there for the next two weeks. Despite it being midnight, all the airport staff were so friendly and welcomed us home with true South African hospitality. We arrived at our hotel in the CBD, met by more friendly staff who got us checked in and to our rooms in no time. It is now our third day at the hotel, and I am so grateful to be home and taken care of by the incredible staff at the hotel. They bring us coffee at 6 am with huge smiles on their faces – I hope they know that we appreciate them so much!

Upon our arrival in Cape Town, our temperatures were taken before we collected our luggage and headed to the buses that were to take us to our quarantine facility where will stay for the next two weeks. Despite it being midnight, all the airport staff were so friendly and welcomed us home with true South African hospitality. We arrived at our hotel in the CBD and was met by more friendly staff who got us checked in and to our rooms in no time. It is now our third day at the hotel, and I am so grateful to be home and taken care of by the incredible staff at the hotel. They bring us coffee at 6 am with huge smiles on their faces – I hope they know that we appreciate them so much!

I would also like to thank the Boca West and Workaway International teams for the hours they spent ensuring that we get home safely and that we are taken care of. We are all so grateful to ALL of you (Barbara, Lironne, Mr. Linderman, Mr. Mayville, Annie, Cedrick, Elena, Pio, Charlotte, and Lucy).

While it is strange to be home without the freedom to see our families, go to the stores and enjoy the outdoors, it is a time to reflect and realize that these are small “luxuries” that we have always taken for granted. Here’s to making the most of the next few months in our beautiful city and appreciating every moment we have with each other!