A house is nothing without its caretaker. The same is true at the International Conference Center Karimu. Alexander Bese loves seeing old things become as good as new. Wycliff press officer Ramona Eibach visited him at work.
The floor is covered, and there is a smell of fresh paint. Alex is working with enthusiasm. "This conference room needed it," he explains. Where he is currently working, the difference is clearly visible. The Karimu caretaker shows me door frames he has restored. They look like new. "I love bringing old things back to a like-new condition," he says with a smile.
He takes me on a brief tour of the conference center, listing what he thinks needs improvement. Among other things, stains on the paving stones bother him. When he points them out to me, I notice a few patches of moss and think of my driveway at home: it is covered in it. I had considered that normal. We walk around to the back of the house. Here Alex has already gotten rid of the moss. It looks as if it has just been freshly paved.
Open Eyes for Areas Needing Improvement
"I walk through the house with open eyes: where does something need improvement or repair? Because I come from a trade background, I notice a lot of things." The trained roofer had already helped his older siblings build houses as a teenager. "The trade was in my blood from birth, having grown up in a craftsman's household." At just 22 years old, Alex built his own house. He initially remained true to the trade in his private life. In his logistics job he was content and never thought about switching elsewhere. Twice he was approached by a Wycliffe staff member about the vacant caretaker position at the Karimu International Conference Centre. "When I received the second call, I realised that the job at Karimu had become a true matter of the heart for me. I then completely surprised my employer by taking my remaining holiday and handing in my notice."
Conference rooms are his core business: maintenance, repair work, setting up tables and chairs for groups. In the guest rooms he repairs whatever has broken.
Sometimes Alex also deals with emergencies. He helps out when, for example, keys have gone missing. What he enjoys most is the positive working atmosphere and the fact that he can bring in and express his creativity. "In our courtyard there was a neglected patch of lawn. Now it's a flowerbed that makes the area inviting."
A characteristic that also shows in his private life. "At home I'm exactly the same. My son asked me if I'm as fussy at work as I am at home." When asked what he doesn't particularly enjoy, he laughs: "I hate scraping out silicone joints and emptying ashtrays takes real effort." But then he's smiling again. "It's so wonderful to see what I can achieve. I'm simply inspired by that WOW effect. My goal is for things to look new again and for people to enjoy them and feel at home in our building."
Author
Ramona Eibach, Press Officer of Wycliffe Germany