La vie française!

If I'm correct, all little girls dream of going to Paris and so did I. Little did I know it would have happened aid the age of 22 and that I would not only visit Paris but live in France for almost a year. So the opportunity presented itself at the end of University and I made no hesitation in reaching for it. Naturally, my parents especially my mom and friends were a bit sceptical and I was often asked "Are you sure you want to do this, to go so far alone?". I said yes, that adventurous nature in me played out and I couldn't resist as I never knew when another opportunity as this would come around...so I packed my bags and I was off to France.

Now, I was an A student in French at University, as I had also studied the language for five years in High School, so there I was thinking, yes I'm good I will survive. I was indeed good in a country whose native language was English and the second language Spanish, but to my surprise when I arrived in France my first encounter with the French natives was quite shocking. I could not understand a word of french I heard and they also could not understand my french...oh dear...
Thank God for good Samaritans, because without the help of an English gentleman I met on the plane I would have missed the next train to my destination. The goodness continued abroad the train. I didn't know that I was to "Compost" my train ticket before boarding the train, however a lovely french lady explained to the Inspectors that I was a foreigner and it was my first time travelling on the train and my french was not very good...merci beaucoup mademoiselle. With that said, my experience in France was nothing short of spectacular. I had the pleasure of working 12 hours per week for a decent wage and had the the remaining hours and days of the week to explore the city in which I lived, not to mention the school holidays, which came every six weeks.

To learn more about how you can travel the world doing what you love and get paid Click Here!

The Good Ol' Days...University Years

I'm sure we all had experiences during our University years that we will never forget! Approximately 10 years ago, I packed my suitcases and journeyed to the capital city of Jamaica (Kingston) for a 4-year experience that I will never forget. Who would have thought that a teenager from Central Jamaica (Manchester)  would have survived the hustle and bustle of the city, not the mention the heat. It was a good thing I was not alone, but I would share this journey with one of my dearest and best friends, sister and often called 'twin' Charlene.

For the first three years of University I chose to live on Halls. This was a very unique but interesting experience for me.  I did not only share room with an awesome roommate who would become a lifelong friend but shared common areas with eleven other ladies.  Hall life taught me endurance, resistance, how to sleep for an entire day, leadership and how to juggle academics plus hall and University activities. The juggling got so bad that I can vividly remember once literally running back and forth from a Circle K meeting to a Hall meeting, as I was on both executives. How could I forget to mention being an avid sportswoman...playing sports like cricket, netball, football, track and field and even basketball...I never knew I had it in me :-). 

As they "say all good things must come to an end". At the end of third year my Hall days were over...fourth year would see me living off campus for my final year of University. This wasn't so bad though as the best roommate ever would again share room with me, and to make it even more convenient we were living literally right across from the Uni :-).

Final year of University was a challenging but great experience. This was the year to complete our major Research Project and make up any grades needed to get that 1st class honours...I was motivated after being invited by my school to the Faculties award ceremony as I had made the Deans Honour Roll for my 3rd year...(talk about utterly pleasant surprise). Fourth year was a wonderful experience, I had five group members, plus 1 adopted group member (Charlene :-)) who not only made our group projects of good quality but ensured that as much fun was packed in-between the work as possible...Our hard word paid off in more ways than one. We completed the year with a bang by receiving the award for best major project display for the SHTM Day and later celebrated with a trip to say thank you to the organizations/individuals' who assisted us with our research as well as a relaxing day at the beach.

Well we all know the popular saying 'All good things must come to an end'...A trip around the Island of Jamaica would cement the last time a group of friends would all be together in one place. Indeed there is nothing like your University years, cherish every moment for those who haven't had the experience yet...it may be that once in a lifetime experience that you will never forget.

So as friends we went our separate ways to venture into the world of work, some to different parts of the island, while others to different countries, which for me was France, but one thing was sure we always had each other close to our hearts.

Love
Lan...next journey La vie française...

The Journey of a Lifetime, Reflections...The Childhood Years!

As promised I will be reflecting on my past in order to take you to the present. As I open the doors of reflection I recall having a very active childhood. I was often described as a quiet child but never failed to be engaged in several activities. Most of these revolved around church. I was apart of the dance team, sang in the choir and was even teaching Sunday School to the younger kids. As I grew this trait grew with me. It became evident during my High School years where I was involved in several extra-curricular activities such as: I.S.C.F., Girls Guides, French Club, Tourism Action Club, Key Club and Badminton Club. I was also a member of the School choir and participated in several Festival competitions. Being involved in these extra-curricular activities honed and developed my leadership, communications and interpersonal skills. They collectively contributed to my personal development and some taught me life skills that were not taught in my academic courses. As I ascended to higher grades I realized that I had a passion for Hospitality & Tourism. This guided the subjects that I chose at the end of 9th grade (3rd form) and would set the path for my future career goal.

I cannot close this chapter with mentioning the friends I met, and for some, reconnected with during High School. There was a group of approximately 12 of us who became friends close friends during 8th grade (2nd form) and can I tell you, we are friends to this day!!! We gave our group an unofficial name "Frenz4lyfe" and indeed we are. Now usually high school friends, especially large groups, tend to drift after graduation but the majority of us later attended the same university or one that was reasonably close to the other. You would think that after University it would happen and we would drift apart, but no, it hasn't happened...the friendship among us is still strong, the bond has been formed and it doesn't look like its going to break, we won't allow it to break. We may not be together everyday or even every week, but we are at baby showers, birthdays and will be at each others weddings (most of us are still unmarried...lol). So cheers to my high school years, to my lifelong friends...

The pic you see is of some of the members of my frenz4lyfe, that was the first overseas experience for most of us. Yes we went to Barbados and Trinidad for a class trip in grade 11 (lower 6th form). Now some of us were not apart of the class but who cared then, our best friends were so pretty much that made us apart!!!
Love always!

The Entrepreneurial Challenge...Please VOTE for me!!!

It's been awhile guys! But I have been very busy trying to complete some unfinished tasks and was preparing myself for The Entrepreneurial Challenge.

Yes my Company, LE MONDE CONCESSIONAIRE & CATERING SERVICES LTD. has been shortlisted and is now one of the top 50 Companies who are competing to win 3 million dollars in the The Entrepreneurial Challenge by Scotiabank Chair and Nationwide FM.

Now I can't do this alone. I really need your help to win. So please visit the link below and vote for the video for LE MONDE CONCESSIONAIRE & CATERING SERVICES LTD.  PS. You can vote as often as possible from different computers or every 24hours from the same computer.

Thanks alot!!! I'll keep you posted and we'll talk soon!
http://theentrepreneurialchallenge.com/vote/

The Journey of a Lifetime!

Over the next couple weeks, I will be embarking on a journey that will take you back in time. I will be doing a series entitled "Reflections - The Journey of a Lifetime", to give you an insight as to some of the experiences I've had, places I've visited and activities I've been engaged in, in order to take you to the present.
So join me on this journey and stay tuned....

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

What a great day to start my first blog! The day that commemorates the day the woman who gave birth to me was born...Happy Birthday Mom! You are indeed my role model. You are the reason for my existence and the force behind the woman I am today. I thank God everyday for allowing you to be apart of my life. Lots of love!