Expat Women: Tanya, it is not everyday that we interview someone who was in the Virunga Mountains in Rwanda during the filming of Gorillas in the Mist, was on set during Out Of Africa, starred with Hollywood Legend Jimmy Stewart in A Tale of Africa, and even had a Japanese film made about them which showcased their upbringing in Tsavo without the conventional trappings of Western childhood. What an amazing start to life.
Tanya: Yes, I was born in Denmark, to an English father and Danish mother. They took me to Kenya when I was just two months old. My father had actually spent most of his life in Africa, after my grandfather hired a RAF bomber and pilot to fly his whole family (himself, his wife and their five children) to Africa after the war ended in 1945. This was the beginning of my family's love affair with Africa. It has been thanks to my father, who has gone on to become a highly-respected film-maker, that I have been on many movie sets and met some very famous actors. I have been privileged to spend most of my life in Africa, with the beautiful nature and the wildlife, and no matter where I travel to, Africa always seems to draw me back.
Expat Women: At the age of thirteen, you were sent away to boarding school in the UK, at Bryanston School in Dorset. How was your first expat experience?
Tanya: Ever since my brother and I were quite small, we were told that we would be going to boarding school in England when we were thirteen, so it never came as a shock to us, which was important. Boarding school was so different to my life in the Kenyan bush, and vice versa, that I learnt to lead a 'dual life', not able to really mix the two worlds, so instead, I learned to cross over between them seamlessly and draw positive things from both sides. This 'duality' has helped me in my professional life, traveling between continents and meeting people from many different backgrounds.
Expat Women: Did you go back to Africa after you finished school?
Tanya: Yes. I spent the next few years involved in a number of exciting projects, including running eco-safaris and co-writing the narration for a TV documentary entitled Keepers of the Kingdom about the role played by elephants in the ecological balance, which was sold to Survival Anglia and broadcast worldwide. I then went to study law in Edinburgh, Scotland, but Kenya drew me back again, so I never completed my law degree. Instead, I managed a chain of eight retail outlets in hotels along the coast and I started my design company, Afromania Ltd, which designed and wholesaled stationery products. Over the next eight years, I built my company up to become the dominant "fancy " stationery supplier in East Africa, exporting throughout the region. Then I became restless again, and while my employees ran Afromania, I went to live in Australia for a year, to get to know my step-grandmother, Ethnee Holmes a Court.
Expat Women: Your family is connected to the iconic Holmes a Court family in Australia?
Tanya: Yes, Ethnee (mother of the late business tycoon Robert Holmes a Court), was married to my grandfather, who was killed by African bees before I was born (true story). Getting to know Ethnee was a way to discover a little more about my grandfather, Charles Trevor. My father was also soul-mates with Simon Holmes a Court (Ethnee's son and Robert's younger brother, who died/disappeared in mysterious circumstances) and it was also interesting to learn more about Simon and my father through Ethnee.
Expat Women: Where did you go next?
Tanya: I returned to Africa then to volunteer for two years for the African Environmental Film Foundation. This involved a lot of travel around East Africa, and to the US, UK and Switzerland for fundraising. In 2001, I met my husband, Ian. Together, we have travelled with our work and at play to Chile, the US, France, Spain and Tanzania, living also in the Highlands of Scotland for three years, while Ian worked for the British Army (although Ian spent most of his time in Afghanistan). I travelled to New York a lot in that time, pursuing my design work. I learned so much and I have now brought those learnings back home with me to Kenya.
Expat Women: From your multitude of expat experiences, what tips do you have for our expat women?
Tanya:
1.
You can be happy anywhere (well, almost anywhere). It is an attitude of mind, and a matter of looking for the good things that different places offer instead of dwelling on the negatives.
2.
Take what you have learned in one place, adapt it slightly and make it work in another place.
3.
Respect the indigenous culture in each country you visit/live in. Each place has different norms, and if you want to be happy there and be accepted by the people there, it is important you learn and respect their way of life, and
4.
Even when you live tucked away in paradise like I do, if you are able to, you should still travel as much as you can because the world moves so fast and it is good to keep up!
Expat Women: Tanya, thank you very much for sharing some of your fascinating life with us. We look forward to catching up with you again in the future, to learn about your next round of adventures.
