Work (Fire Department Bruges)
In 1991 I started working in the Fire Brigade and Emergency Medical Service of Bruges. We have two fire stations, one in the city center and one near the inner harbour of Zeebrugge. Our professional fire fighters also provide transport for the sick and injured, whether they are at home or in public places.
Diving excercises in the inner harbour of Zeebrugge triggered my interest in marine life. Shortly after I started to study Bryozoa. Recently some of us were trained in rescue in safe conditions to help people or animals on high towers, windmills and cranes or in deep trenches.
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Cast away
In 2007, a hundred people were dropped to survive on a remote island in the South Chinese Sea for reality television. I was lucky to be one of them. We had to forage on the local flora and fauna for nourishment. Within one week, twenty-five contestants gave up because they found it boring. I could not understand how a beautiful beach, a warm sea and exotic flora and fauna could be boring. The second week another twenty-five people gave up because of the weather conditions. It was raining every night, we had no shelter and only wet clothes. It was indeed very cold at night. We had to make some shelter and tea of Hibiscus tiliaceus to keep us warm. We mainly lived on fruits of Cocos nucifera and Pandanus tectorius, growing tip of Cocos and several species of fish, seashells of decapods.
I survived the whole 44 days, losing 9 kg of body mass (from 65 to 56 kg). I really enjoyed living on a beach, sleeping among egg-laying turtles, waking up with the sun and the first birdsong. Only being occupied with what you will eat that day and only thinking about how to catch a fish tomorrow, no phone, no watch, living with the tides, I would do it again if I could.
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