Latest / Babes, how did you get here / From Booked & Blessed in Jamaica to Sleeping & Starting Fresh in Dubai

Transcript

From Booked & Blessed in Jamaica to Sleeping & Starting Fresh in Dubai · Babes, how did you get here

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Take me back tell me a little bit about your childhood when I was very shell sort of shell turd
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It was home school church cuz I sang in the choir
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Me and my sister's it was home school church. I wanted to be a doctor. Yeah, holy. Oh, God
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The girls made fun of me
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First of all, I had double routine
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Double what double routine. So basically my mouth is small. So I have my so I have my teeth were crony
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Okay, so I had like fun back from the top my key nines were protruding. Okay, and then I had it at the bottom as well
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So people used to make fun of me. I remember
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Like you could see them. I could see them in the corner of my eyes. Oh, oh, are you at this point?
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Dreams were bigger than Jamaica. Yeah, man
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And it's not even me alone seeds a lot of persons
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I remember when I got the first like kind of like the first confirmation that I was supposed to come
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to the back my sister had a conference and we were supposed to all get up and introduce ourselves
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I got up. I was like I don't believe like I don't I don't feel like I belong in Jamaica
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And everybody was like, oh, okay
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The perfect key when she picked on me and she was like
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I see an international, you know, opportunity for you elsewhere and literally before that I literally prayed and I
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Because I really wanted a solid confirmation and she didn't know that I was doing
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That I was planning to do anything
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You mentioned that a part of the bigger dream is to bring
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Students in Jamaica to come abroad and and see and get that exposure
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I often say that I fell in love with Jamaica when I left
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And like a date don't get along. I've always loved Jamaica, but like that deep like feeling the need
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To talk about Jamaica every single day feeling the need to let people know something about Jamaica that they didn't know
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To broaden the spectrum to challenge or stereotype like I genuinely feel like it's my life's work
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Right, and I only felt that when I left and I'm just wondering from your experience do you
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One believe that you have seen Jamaica differently having left and if so why and two is the goal to always stay away
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Yeah, it feels like no more than ever people are chasing new countries new lives and new beginnings
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But very few speak honestly about what it really takes to start over again when nobody knows your name
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I am April Jackson traveling the world speaking with interesting people who have chosen a life elsewhere
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Today, I'm speaking with Shafawa Hilton a beauty therapist educator and entrepreneur who left everything behind in Jamaica to chase her dreams here in Dubai
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Her story is about patience purpose identity and what it really takes to bet on yourself yet again
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But first I have to ask babes. How did you get here?
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Ciao
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Well, I mean, I just felt like I needed a change I needed a change and I didn't want to go to the US
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Okay, I can't do with a snow
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I didn't want to go to you to the UK. I can't do with a snow. I can't do with a cold
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So I was like this is a perfect place
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As well as my aunt lives here. So it was even better for me. So
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Had you visited Dubai before never really you moved here without ever being here never visited
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I was like, yeah, let's just do it
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I had a friend who was like, you know, the best thing to do you have to visit see if you like it and then I was like no girl
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I'm with the friend. No, just go all in
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Just jump. Is that normally your character? Yeah, just just do it. Just do it. Just get it over with
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I don't think I could ever move anywhere with never having visited. Well, obviously I've never like
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Jump time move anywhere else for the first time like these boats
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That's what's usually how I am like I have to suck myself up. Okay, so I would be like to my clients and then to my family
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I was like I really want to move somewhere because I have to I feel like I have to
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Say it all alone in order for me to actually do it
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So I'm like sucking myself up and I tell my clients, you know, I think I'm gonna move
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I think I want to go somewhere else and I feel like that does something to me. It did something to me
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Um, and I was like, yeah, I'm gonna move to Dubai
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So you get here, you get off the plane. What is that first impression?
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I was like, I know I'm gonna have to do this all over again
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And the first time it really hit me was when I literally had I think
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700 you I seen my name and I was like boy, my country insurance, you know
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I wouldn't miss you much more than I have in my hand man. I said wow
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My breakfast
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Man said boy, I guess I guess it won't belong to you know, but I
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I just have to do what I have to do. I have to see it through
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But the journey is
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It's ghetto
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It's ghetto
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but
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As I said, I know that god didn't bring me here
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Just because it's nice and it's shiny. I wanted something new
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And so you know, I just felt like I want to be where the one to reside and I want to be inspired by that
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So
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This is this is where it's gonna be for me
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Take me back tell me a little bit about your childhood
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Well, I was very shell-tired
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shell-tired. It was home school
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Church because I sang in the choir
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Um me and my sister's so yeah, it was home school church
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And then my mom opened her her business
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Um home decor business and that was where it was until wordy to go home
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But even before that
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You know, she would sell stuff from the back of her car
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So I was used to seeing entrepreneurship from from back then and then my dad
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He also is in the music industry. So for sure
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I've been seeing entrepreneurship from my idea of any as
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Jamaica would call it, you know and in terms of your career pursuits when you're young. What do you want to be?
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I wanted to be a doctor. Yeah, uh-huh me too. And then I realized I can't do blood
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Listen, I like someone. I like the sciences. I was like this is ghetto. Hell no, I ain't doing no sciences
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And I and I didn't love math. Okay, so I was like no, this is not gonna work
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But then I think
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When was it like I started I think I was like in high school and I started to like make up
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And then you know, I was like on YouTube and I liked I liked to see the girls transform
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Um, and so it started in college when I was when to you take back in Jamaica
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And I was like yeah, I'm gonna do eyebrows
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I'm gonna do these girls eyebrows because I was seeing the girls eyebrows and they needed to be
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Ah, yeah, no, let me fix your eyebrow. And then I was like yeah, I should do this
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And I started to shave the girls eyebrows charge them through into Jamaica dollars. That's like probably
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probably a dollar right yeah
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And yeah, and then I started to shave it and fill it in and
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Yeah, the girls loved it. I was known as the
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The eyebrow girl on the UT campus and then I started to do makeup
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Yeah, so I learned from YouTube university. Yeah, man, you know, and then I got certified in that and then I went on to work on travel program
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And I decided that I wanted to do something
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um
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That you know like if the girl is don't want makeup, they're gonna want something else. Okay, you know
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So I was like yeah, maybe I should do lashes and micro bleeding
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So I went and I did a one day lash course
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One day lash course and then I did a 2D
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micro bleeding course grateful
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I my first um, I actually was taking up my friend in florida
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And I'm telling you I spent like 10 hours in her eyes. I'm sure her butt's still hurting her right now
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I see that every time
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Yeah, man 10 hours and I was just I just had a knack for it. I wasn't the best but I didn't give up right as I finished started to
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To write as I finished the training. I was legit in somebody's eyelash. Yeah, man. Yeah, how for
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That's all you have to do it's right. That's all you have to make sure that you don't forget what you learned by yeah
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I mean, it wasn't the best
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Looking back. I'm so grateful for that course because it it it start me where I'm at
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But honestly if I had more money, I would have invested in something longer something more thorough
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You know because usually you know when you have the money and you invest properly the first time
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It saves you a lot of time and you're able to make money faster sure. Yeah, so when you said you went for a work and travel program
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2017. What was that for?
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If uh, uh, what is a work and travel program? Okay, so in you take you
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Have you had the opportunity to go to the US to work. Oh, I didn't know that. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. So yeah, I have a hub of your money
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But I don't know. It's not something that's like um compulsory
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But it's usually people who you know, they really want it
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It gives you a whole different opportunities like you can go there and you can work for four months
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You know in the summer and then like
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Your comeback. You can help for pay a school fee. I did that. I helped mommy pay a school fee and
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It also helped me to invest into the courses. Yeah, man, so it helps a lot to make on then you graduate you take yeah and then what turn next step
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What was my next step? Yeah, I I was doing internship in in
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In college and I was like, yeah, no, I can't I
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I saw her the true to employees and I was like, no, I I want to be
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The I don't want to have to do this. Okay, so I was like, yeah, no, um, so I started my business
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I mean, I was doing it from while I was in college from the $300. Yeah, man
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But they know I was still in college when I came back from the work and travel program
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So I was doing lashes. I was doing makeup on campus for graduate shot and girls love that
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I was making money in college. Okay
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You know, I'm so happy I had those skills. So yeah, yeah, yeah, and then I just started my business
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started my business and then
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So I went to a expo and I was one of the vendors there and
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One of the top like it's a top school back in Jamaica and I don't remember her name
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What she had asked me
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It's a makeup school. She she owns a makeup school. She had asked me. I was doing a demo
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I was doing a demo on how to make her blade eyebrows, you know, and the girl
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The young lady said to me, have you ever thought about teaching? I was like, no, I was like I should teach and she's like
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You're so thorough, you know, like you I think you do a really good job. I'm hearing that from her
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Cuz she's like the owner of one of the top makeup schools. I think it's face face to face our face place
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Um, I think her name is Sharon
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Trust me, man. When she said that to me. I was like, yeah, no, let me let me see what that's all about
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And then I I started the sassy university
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Um, you know, where I teach individuals to do lash extension on micro bleeding and that was in 2020
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COVID
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That was when I had my first class and I was like
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Everybody was telling me shafa do keep the class because you know people that might tell you for come off of the road
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This time like everybody was running a pandoh because of COVID
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And they were like don't keep the class because and I still kept the class and I had my first five students and
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They came and they learned and I was like, yeah, no, I can't do five days anymore. I need to do seven days because I am I
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respect value
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I
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Love when people can get value from something that you are offering
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So I realized that you know the five days wasn't working the students were still asking me like a question
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And I was like, yeah, I'm gonna do seven days and I'm gonna do internship
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So I was actually the first person to do so much these
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And do the internship, you know, so that was really the difference that I was trying to bring to the industry back in Jamaica
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But the problem was the Dalidam
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Them couldn't afford it
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I was probably one of the more
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You know premium premium
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Um, academies back in Jamaica because everybody was doing one day or two day and try to
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Yeah, and they're trying like four hundred five hundred U.S
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And that's cost effective, you know, it's short. It's cost effective
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But because I sell products I see the girls come to me and they're like
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They don't know what they want. They don't know what to get. They don't know the name of the products because
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You know, and I was like, yeah, no, I need to make sure that
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I
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Bridge this gap and I offer something different so the girls can be better
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You know, um, and the the work can be better across the board too. So yeah, I was really trying to do something different back in Jamaica
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So I realized that
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I keep that the most that everybody loved the curriculum. They loved that. It was so much days and whatever
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They were like, oh, it's so expensive
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And I'm like, yeah, babes. It is what it is and I'm not I wasn't going to drop my prices because I know my value
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I once you know your value
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You can't it's this when you start to get the itch that you need to leave
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Yeah, I mean, I always felt like I didn't really belong there really yeah, I was like why especially
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I don't know if it was because I was trained in the states and I was exposed to how the girls like really
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You know
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When I used to do lashes in the states the girls are booking their refills before
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Back in Jamaica when I tried out with the Jamaicans, it was so hard
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It was it was it was not the culture back in Jamaica for that, you know, I don't know if it was you know, but
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That that was just my experience
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But yeah, no, I had a good run though in Jamaica
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My premium services like my clients loved it and honestly, I went back to Jamaica the other day and I really
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I was like I'm so grateful to God that I was like my clients really
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I it allowed me to see
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Oh valuable I
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Well, I was I am because I was I started to really I really didn't start I started to lose it lose
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The spark as in being here being here. Okay, hold on. So you come here november?
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No, I come here. I came here in October you come here October you go home after Christmas
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I know I I went just to visit okay, the family business. I'll be right in December
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So that's you've been here for about two months before you go home
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And when you say you're starting to lose it here. What does that mean? Yeah, because honestly, you know, you come
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No clients back in Jamaica. I'm booked. I'm probably booked so the plan was to come to Dubai to work and to be
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In the same industry do lashes and makeup. Yeah, okay. Well, you know, it's new
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I had to prepare my mind
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For that right because if I didn't prepare my mind for that, I'd probably lose it and to prepare for that leave
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What are we doing? I know you're not doing research on Dubai because you're like head in going
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Medellin research. Okay, you did the research. Medellin research. Okay
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As in my research girl
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Um, I still have more research to do sure we all do but what are we what is the prep before
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You actually get on a plane. I know you said you told friends and I love the fact that you say that you told people because
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There's really two like philosophies on this right some people say don't tell people your dreams
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And I'm with you. I feel like sometimes when you speak things into being yeah, it forces you especially if your character
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Is to not look like I'd yet, then it forces you to live up to what you said exactly and I'm with you on that
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For sure, so you've told people I get that what else are we doing to prepare for that actual move? Um
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Trying to save. Okay
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So we're getting as many clients as possible and saving as much as possible to give you a little cushion. Yeah, when you reach
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I don't feel like you can't always you can't ever save enough. No, I agree. Yeah. I feel the same way about children
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Yeah, you never have enough money. Yeah, you can never prepare for children
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You can never prepare. I'm trying to be the perfect wife
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Yeah, like I perfect move doesn't happen. Yeah, did you have a goal in terms of financially before you said I'm getting on the plane
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I wanted to leave with with one million that never happened. I almost know. Honestly
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I almost made I was at eight hundred grand. Okay, no lies, but you know, I don't know. Right when I go
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Try to try and sort it back into you
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But it's still impressive that you had a you had a goal. You had a financial goal
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And then you like the time has come. Yeah, and then you realize that boy you need for put certain things in place before you leave
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What are those things? Um
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I had to like run ads in order to getting um
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students and
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Clients for Dubai for Dubai. Okay. No, no, no, well not for Dubai because I didn't register as it. Okay. I didn't register the business here as it
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Right. I will be doing that. Sure. What they know, you know
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It's it's it's a lot of
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Expenses
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Can you have to still be keeping up with your life back in Jamaica?
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Um and taking care of those expenses
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So when it's time to save to come to a whole other country. It's it's a lot
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Yeah, it's it's a lot. So you get here are there any culture shocks in terms of adjusting anything that's very different from life in Jamaica
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I don't know. I was hoping for the main to be more more like gentleman, but like
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You know, I was hoping like that though. Can we talk on chivalry just for a second?
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I mean, I'm gonna make me that office seat look a little more
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I hope because if you don't feel it you don't understand so even I remember as in England and I was shooting a show
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And the producers were talking about when they go to have dinner with their husband
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Right that they go halves with their husband. Oh, I say
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Sorry, and she said to me yeah with her husband she said honey
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When I go to dinner, I don't look on the bill because my dad told me that that was rude
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It's not mine. So why am I looking on it? And she turned around and she said to me
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April, I thought you were forward thinking. I thought you were independent and progressive
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I'm surprised that you hold these views. I said sorry
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Pardon, I don't know where you come from. You know, but even if we are not together intimately
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My friends in Jamaica male friends will pay for the meal
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Like it's just and it's not people have this whole idea in this new world of like modern
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Feminism which I think has taken a turn that it the root of it
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Wasn't supposed to be what we're currently experiencing and I say to people all the time that just because
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We have the same manager or the same director, right? You can have your HR manager
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You can have your sales director
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And you can be on the same level in the pyramid of the company
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But HR does HR and sales does sales and this is how I feel about
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Shiffleery when I go home and somebody's offering to carry my heavy suitcase before I need to ask
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That's another thing
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If you ask me
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Then I'm done today when I come and I bring the suitcase in the security he does come and to be fair to him
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He did ask but to me the fact that you asked yeah, I'm already over it. Yeah, you shouldn't ask you should just just just
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Just help me
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You see my struggle with the school kids when you're asked for I don't know
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I have I have to save me shot my apartment too. I was like
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Can't like I have the litter like the main see me struggling and
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How I um when I see men are on I want them to start doing all that I'm like oh such a I'm helpless
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Yeah, like I just want I like to see when men are doing money stuff, you know
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So but what I did find over here. Yeah, so the first time I ever came to Dubai
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I want to say it was about about 10 years ago
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sometimes and I made it a mission
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To hang out and meet Arabs, which in Dubai is difficult, right?
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I swear the population here is 75% expert or something ridiculous, right?
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So and what I found is me and my Arab Arab men
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They understand they understand right and like so I've made friends we'd go to lunch
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We go to dinner and I loved the the importance of family. She'd go to dinner
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It's extended family cousins blah blah blah one man. It's clearly his turn to pay for everybody's dinner that day
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Because they know that the next time I'm talking like a table of 13. Oh wow, right?
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Everybody's opening door shivlery is not dead and the reason I raised this is because obviously in a place where you have so many
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Foreign people bringing their foreign ways. Yeah, I find that that has diluted
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Dubai shivlery maybe so my question to you is have you found the local
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Vibe the local community because maybe that's where the shivleries babes. Honestly, I gotta tell you
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I don't feel like I want to know
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I
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I have been
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My first
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When I come to Dubai
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I'm trying to my my body is trying to adjust
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It's all I've been doing is sleeping as I'm dropping her back in the Jamaican. I don't sleep
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Where's you know like I'm I'm usually fully booked
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Here, remember I'm gonna my client tell you not to be yet. Yes yet
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So I'm enjoying this thing called SLEP
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Yeah, I always didn't I didn't know that what that was before
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So I've just been enjoying sleep
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And yeah, I gotta know I had to take up a job
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It's for stability purposes because
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That's new
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I remember when the person offered me the job
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I was like oh my gosh, like okay, so I guess I don't have to do a resume, right? Because you offered me cut
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corporate corporate world like remember I'm our own entrepreneurs. I live with them
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The in college of entrepreneur come out entrepreneur. So for do up resume
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Boy, I must say 10 to 3 days because mess a wall like I try to find my own resume couldn't find it
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But it's it's it's refreshing
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It's rough because you have to learn a lot of things
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um
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But
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I'm taking pointers for my business when I'm actually ready to start it back here and I love that I'm able to learn
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New jargons and stuff like that
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But it's new
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Because you know, you actually are own employees
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I'm
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It's usually
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Just me
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So it's it's exciting. It's a new journey and I'm I'm I'm embracing everything that comes with it
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So you say that someone offered you the job as a newer with friends. How did so actually went out to
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The said restaurant and you know my friend was the I was like, hey, you know, say my friend introduced me to
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One of the managers there and team and you know, he was just like, I mean, I was telling him
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You know, um, I like it here and team. I mean, I come up on a fancy visa. I like you guys, you know, cuz
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When you get your visa here in Dubai, everything is attached to it, you know, posing and stuff like that
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So
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Yeah, and he's like, well, if you want to, you know, start working here until you know, you get down your feet
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And you know, just let me know and I was like, yeah, I'll think about it
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Has me I say I'm gonna become here for that, right? You know, I mean
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But I prayed about it
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And when I prayed about it, I got confirmation that you know, I should take it
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And you know when my mom, you know, was helping me to pray about it
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She was like, you know, this is so full circle because when I was just starting out
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I was in the hospitality industry
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And that was what I had used as capital for
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my beauty business
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And she was like, yeah, like this just feels so full circle like
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That's how God started it all but then and this is like how he's starting it all but no
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And I was like, wow, I didn't even look at it like that
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So I'm just grateful. It just seemed so surreal
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Was there any part of you and I say this completely from the perspective of I tell people all the time
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In nowadays people kind of look down upon employment in a way that I find quite toxic
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You see these memes that say if you work for so-and-so building their dreams, imagine what you could do for yourself
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No, no, um, I was that girl you were the look down person yeah man, but it's saying no, no, no
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So we're meant by no
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Sassivorecity is making sure that you leave the night to five
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Come on, we're on top of you. We're not even like you like we're we're about that life back in Jamaica
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So but not a lie. It's the truth. I was like, yeah, um, because you you you're able to make more money doing
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What I did versus cuz girl like hold on
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I have a lot of questions if they love if they love their job. They're like no, they don't love their job
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Do you think everyone can be a business person? No, okay, so we agree on that part. I I think people have fun no so
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Actually actually teaching some teaching some of my students very I say boy
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So then you would have someone in the cut old feet
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Because then it's it takes a level of tenacity to be an entrepreneur and a lot of people don't have that
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them don't have the stick to itiveness
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And I'm telling you
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I realize that with some of my students that I have and I know that once you put your mind to anything you can do it
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What's on everybody cut old feet people just want make sure say them get them peer check at the end of the month and that's it
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but
26:44
It's not for everybody precisely, so we agree on that part. Let me quickly answer you said you have sisters
26:49
How many two are they also entrepreneurs? Well, basically my sister just started her music career and my
26:56
One of my sister my other sister. She's a designer, but to they both work in the family business
27:02
But this is my point right so growing up we can we can agree also that growing up with the family business with those influences
27:10
Definitely shapes, but the adult that you become yeah, and not everybody has that opportunity and the reason I feel that really
27:16
Interesting is because I believe I am this way because of my dad and growing up in his business and just being around it and being
27:24
You know working on the weekends and the summers and and he's made me this way for good or for bad
27:29
I blame him all the time you can't get all accredited and I take the stress because in all honesty
27:34
I wish I could have a job
27:36
And people think that I'm being facetious when I say that and and I'm not I wish I could have a job
27:41
Because I do think that there is one. I think I'd be very good at it. I'm competitive
27:46
So I believe that I would work my way through a company. Yeah
27:50
Which then also comes with reward. Yeah, right whether it's that promotion that bonus
27:54
I love the idea of having security. Yeah, and like you say when you get your paycheck at the end of the month
28:00
I love that, right? I will
28:02
Tell everybody I have been underpaid my entire life because I've always worked for myself
28:07
Yeah, the idea of being able to get a bigger paycheck from somebody sounds amazing to me
28:12
but unfortunately
28:14
The idea of reporting to someone and asking for a few days or asking for the flexibility
28:21
I just I can't it doesn't it doesn't sit with me and I want to make it really clear that I'm not knocking it
28:27
I do genuinely believe that for some people
28:30
That is the best path and one that we should celebrate right at the end of the day
28:34
I tell people all the time that I could never have the pleasure of living up my dreams having restaurants
28:41
Had it not been a team that was willing to really support me
28:44
And you always have your core team that are like your ride or diet and then you have your auxiliary
28:48
Yes, I know you're here just for the tips. That's cool. Ben right because I need you to that's fine
28:53
And at least we're clear about the relationship
28:55
But like I look back at my career and without people who
29:00
appreciated that they were going to help me make my dream happen
29:03
It would never have happened and so I think that in this world where we're just saying to people if you're not a business owner
29:09
Essentially you are doing nothing
29:11
I just think like why why are we doing this? No, so I mean
29:15
I
29:16
Love the fact that some of my students were nine to five curlies
29:22
It's just that
29:24
Usually there is a longing for something more
29:28
They want more freedom, but you know, and I was able to give that to some of them
29:34
There is a beautiful
29:37
It's beautiful when there's balance
29:39
You know because I'm ex I'm going to explain I can't wait to receive my first paycheck
29:44
Like God know like I have not experienced that in
29:48
Such a long time from college days
29:50
So like when I'm a friend for this new night of high school because I like it's been so long since I've done that so
29:58
You just have to recognize the beauty in things and accept it for what it is at the time
30:04
And I think that's just what I'm basking in right now
30:07
The journey of acceptance was there any part of you that felt that you were taking steps back
30:12
No, I got confirmation through prophecy
30:17
um
30:18
So
30:20
No, I just know that it's going to get better and it's always refined first when I was starting out
30:27
I used to take so long to do the girls eyelashes and I get faster
30:32
You have to start in the mode first before you can walk out
30:36
um
30:37
It's not going to be easy breezy beautiful all the time
30:41
and
30:42
It never started out like that for me when I first started when I was just starting out and so I can't expect it to be
30:50
All nice melee roses right now. It's gonna be rough. I'm gonna be stressed. I'm gonna be broke
30:56
Um, but it comes with it
30:59
And I can't wait to look back at this interview. I can't wait to look back at or convo and be like them. I did that
31:07
Yeah, is it your faith that always keeps you positive or have you always been a positive character
31:14
What is it that contributes to your ability to be able to see that this current situation is temporary
31:21
And you're looking forward to to so much. I think it's like my mantra
31:25
But for life, I always see the good in the bag
31:30
I have to because if I don't make a model
31:33
I can't afford to model
31:35
That ain't cute
31:36
So I always anytime something is going wrong
31:40
I see the good in it and I give a thanks for that
31:43
And I try to
31:46
Um, you know like help somebody else when you know, I see that they're going on the same road or even
31:53
I always try to give my unsolicited advice through my social media or through students who come like that trains with other people and come in
32:02
You know, I love to make somebody else's life easier and give them advice because I don't want them to have to go through the same thing
32:08
I went through, you know, if I can make a life easier by helping you with that. I'm going to but
32:16
God has kept me grounded, you know, I come from a strong Christian back
32:21
back grown
32:23
And so yeah, it's it's just him. How is your advice your unsolicited advice received in general?
32:31
Um
32:32
usually
32:35
Based on what my students tell me
32:39
it
32:40
So what I try to do at first is I like when I'm starting off the course, I'm like, you know, listen
32:47
My heart you know
32:49
I'm going to play but just know that it's coming from a place of love and I'm only telling you this because I want to see the better
32:57
um, you know from you
32:58
Um, so sometimes I know that they can get in their feelings, um, but
33:04
It's for the better
33:06
Do you think that you will have to change or tailor? Yeah, man. Oh, yeah
33:12
Yeah, yeah, man, because what you're saying
33:15
Yeah, man, because Jamaica. I'm not sure. It's true. I'm gonna refine the thing I like a bit
33:19
It's true. You're not even lying. You know, I
33:21
I realized that because the people here are like the culture is different
33:25
The people here are more calm. They're more like
33:29
It's just different like I don't know what it is
33:32
But the people here
33:34
I don't know what it is. They're just so much more in mellow
33:38
That's my experience. I don't know about anybody else. I what about you like have you experienced that?
33:44
I feel like the rest of the world is a lot more mellow than we are
33:47
I mean being in the UK for example
33:49
I say to people all the time for me the emotions are just here when I'm happy them stay so yeah
33:54
Them sad them stay so angry them stay so at least publicly right and then we find that privately
34:00
People are losing their minds, but they never told you that yeah
34:03
And I tell people all the time that as Jamaicans a lot of us
34:08
Most of us where are emotions on our sleeve and we're happy you know
34:12
But when we're angry also know yeah, and one of the things I love about
34:16
Being home is the straight talking I find it super refreshing because I just like to know where I stand
34:23
And some of the things that I hear people getting quite precious about like I remember I was listening to a radio interview
34:28
And they were saying home
34:30
People's comments on a woman's body
34:33
They're you know tired of it in the western world because women shouldn't be judged all the time and how it can constantly cheaper
34:39
Where you and I laughed because I do understand that perspective
34:43
And I laughed is because the minute I put on wait and go home you step off the plane somebody going say oh you've been eaten
34:50
I'm only though you get fat. Oh, you're so fat. You get grown
34:54
If we're down, what are we nobody cares about your feelings. Yeah, and to me
34:58
You know, I was thinking this morning. I can't remember why this thought popped into my head
35:03
But I was like
35:04
People's up. Oh, I do remember I saw an article. There was an article written about the fact that I don't give my kids gifts
35:11
For Christmas because I don't believe that at this age they're five they don't need presents right a lot of times
35:16
It's the adults in the room trying to either show their worth to the other adults
35:21
Or that's how they're showing love and I appreciate don't get wrong. You know my dad's love language is gift giving and money and baby
35:27
I like it, you know
35:28
But at the same time I feel like when they're this small
35:31
That's not what they need to have as their foundation for like holidays. I prefer it to be people rather than things
35:36
Anyway, there's this article about ex-Mr. Jamaica universe doesn't give gifts was the title and in the comments
35:44
People are like oh miss universe's bar has clearly gone down
35:48
How was she ever miss universe or someone was like is she not too ugly to be missing? It was all of this
35:52
Oh my god, and I found it really funny. I love it. I like people are I was like oh you don't don't worry
35:59
Don't listen. I said no, no
36:01
Strangers taking the time to speak about me. I think I'm flat-to-advanced, right? Like I take it as a compliment
36:07
There's no such thing as bad publicity
36:09
But honestly maybe because like I was just Jamaican as 19. Are you exposed to all that act from a long time people talking good bad
36:17
Ugly. Yeah, and again going back to the Jamaican harshness. I'm like that's from people you know exactly right let alone like the stranger
36:23
Exactly, but the thing that came to my mind is what is beautiful about a million and one opinions is that it doesn't change fact
36:30
So a million and one people can say that you were too unattractive to be mr. McUniverse
36:35
But babes I was still mr. McUniverse
36:37
Right, and that's how I kind of feel about the world in general
36:40
It's really easy to get torn and pulled into people's opinions particularly as so many of us interact online
36:46
And everybody will voice their opinion. Yeah, but opinion doesn't change what is true
36:51
The fact that yeah, and I think that again, unfortunately now people seem to be quite fearful of truth
36:57
We're trying to you know
36:59
Package it in a way that is a little bit more palatable. Yeah, that is a little bit more nice and nice where I'm just like tear off the band
37:04
Yeah, and done and that's why I as I say like when I'm starting out I say listen here
37:09
I'm going to tell you how it is but just know that I'm telling you from a place of love. I plan to do that here when I start classes
37:17
but I
37:19
Feel like the locals know how the Africans are here
37:23
Blight Africans they taught their mind. Yeah, I don't know and the Jamaicans too
37:28
Um, so they say they know if they're coming to do a class with you know, I
37:32
Jamaican don't suppose to
37:34
No, say you're gonna get a little out of culture
37:37
Like a flavor and spice. I do think that we as Jamaicans have a way of delivering as well. I will say this like
37:44
There's just charisma. Yeah charisma. Yeah, for sure
37:47
So when I say other people do certain things or say starting to oh, that's so nice
37:53
Because they don't have like they look as spice. Yeah, but I plan I do plan to finish it and take it on or not
37:59
You know, I do plan to I have to it's growth
38:03
So
38:04
Anything wrong is it fair to say that you felt that your dreams were bigger than Jamaica. Yeah, man
38:09
Really? It's not even me alone. See it's a lot of persons
38:14
I remember when I got the furt like kind of like the first confirmation that I
38:20
Was supposed to come come to the buy my sister had held our conference and
38:26
uh
38:27
We were supposed to all get up and introduce ourselves
38:32
I got up
38:33
Mark you the the prophet that was was was talking
38:36
She wasn't there as it and she you know, I got up and I said hi. I'm chef
38:43
um
38:45
I do remember what else I told him what I did and they were like tell us a phone fact
38:49
I'm like, I don't know a phone fact at the time, you know, I was like I just don't believe like I don't I don't feel like I belong in Jamaica
38:57
And everybody was like, oh, okay
39:00
The perfect cave and she picked on me and she was like
39:05
you
39:08
I see an international
39:11
You know
39:13
Opportunity for you elsewhere and literally before that I literally prayed and I because I really want
39:20
Solid confirmation and she didn't know that I was doing that I was planning to do anything
39:26
She wasn't there when I said I don't feel like I belong in Jamaica and she said that and she was like you are going to
39:33
Right, we're going to sore and
39:36
I believe it because I just felt like I grew Jamaica and it's not a bad thing. It's just
39:43
Sometimes you just
39:45
You just get big. I hear both of those things. I just have to change a shirt
39:49
The reason I ask is because I left Jamaica just over 10 years ago
39:53
To be in a reality show in the UK and I applied from Jamaica
39:59
And I knew they were going to pick me people always say period
40:01
He really know, but I knew because one you take the black box you take the woman box
40:06
And then you tack on mr. Mika. I knew it was a marketable thing
40:09
And then when people meet me they think I'm going to be a bitch on television
40:13
Because I speak my mind
40:15
But they don't understand there's a time and a place. Yeah, right
40:17
And so I knew that it was in my favor once I got the in I was confident that I could I could do the rest
40:22
And that was that was the plan right to get there do the show do the restaurants and get on TV and I look back
40:30
And I don't know if I was correct in my belief that my dreams are too big for Jamaica
40:37
Because every time I go home especially more recently
40:40
No, there is an energy that things are happening there is an energy
40:44
That there are opportunities. Yes. I see people doing amazing things and I think
40:51
I still have a question mark. I still have a question mark on whether it was the right thing particularly because
40:57
The move to England what I realized is that the ceiling was a lot lower than I had expected it to be
41:04
And to be fair, I wouldn't have known that
41:07
Unless I had experienced it
41:09
And I do really believe that everything happens for a reason
41:12
And so I smile because I still don't have a definitive answer
41:16
On this whole traveling around speaking to different people
41:19
In hopes that the universe would kind of just lead me to to where I'm supposed to be
41:23
Yeah, but I do often question
41:26
Should I've stayed?
41:28
But I then think
41:30
I had always wanted to do this show
41:32
I'd always wanted to open restaurants and if I had never left perhaps I wouldn't have explored those things
41:38
You have to look at the good in it
41:40
Look at if you would have been able to do all of those things if you were back in Jamaica
41:45
Would you have met the people you you've met and the connections
41:50
Yeah, we'll see when I talked in a few years we'll see if you also think then
41:55
No, I don't I feel like this is the right decision
41:58
Yeah, why do you go to somewhere like Miami closer to home you still have hot weather you have a Jamaican community?
42:03
Do you see what that man is going on with? I'm good
42:08
Cool. Yeah, fair enough. Yeah, I know
42:10
But it wouldn't have been by though, but I can't deal with the young man. Okay. Yeah. How is the commute?
42:16
Where do you go to get from from Dubai to Jamaica?
42:19
Oh as in the flight the states. Okay, so you go via the states. How long does it take?
42:24
um
42:25
Well naturally from Jamaica to to
42:29
To the to to New York. It's probably like four three and a half were always and then New York to here and then New York to here to to Dubai my first
42:39
Time I just flew straight from New York to Dubai and it was like 12 12 was
42:45
Stretch mm-hmm. Yeah, man. Do you think you would have come here if you didn't have an aunt?
42:54
you
42:56
You mentioned that a part of the bigger dream is to bring
42:59
Students in Jamaica to come abroad and see and get that exposure
43:05
I often say that I fell in love with Jamaica when I left and I'm just wandering from your experience. Do you
43:12
One believe that you have seen Jamaica differently having left and if so why and two is the goal to always stay
43:23
You