It was one Summer I taught at Girls of Destiny Summer Camp with young ladies who wanted to be a better version of themselves. One Summer Camp the programme co-ordinator approached me to come on board to volunteer at the Girls of Destiny Camp and teach them on napkin folding and that one of their pillars at the camp is Etiquette. We did napkin folding for a few years. That Summer Camp as we the volunteers prepared, I told the co-ordinator Mrs. Chacha, I want to teach the young ladies something different and is Table Etiquette. She said go for it. So that summer camp I named the session “GUESS WHO IS COMING TO DINNER”.
I set the place up in an innovative way to make it fun for the young girls as they learned something new – we discussed Birthday Parties, Picnics and a few other items. We still folded the napkins in different designs. I was napkin out. Napkins add ambience to the table settings.
After my training session that afternoon, one of my former colleagues and her close friend said to me what you have just taught you can put it into a book form. I chuckled. I thought to myself, “was my training that good?” Is it that good that someone thought I can write a book. I did not want to doubt myself. I accepted the charge as coming from God. I remembered telling Nadine & Joylyn I do not know how to write a book. Oh Yes (Oscar Wilde said one hundred years ago, “the world was my oyster, but I used the wrong fork”).
I went to my co-worker Lisa Taffe and said I had to write a book. She looked at me and said do you know how to use Publisher software? I told her that I didn’t, and what is Publisher, not knowing it is a programme. She showed me a few ways to maneuver the programme and it was very easy.
Ever since Nadine and Joylyn told me I could write a book and that I should accept this task as coming from the hand of God, I never looked back.
This is how the journey began. Nadine arranged for a photo shoot for me. The team was lined up: Fritznel Brave, Tamika Bacchus- the photographers, my hair stylist- Lori-Ann Dennie-Bent, Rose Emery- my jeweler and Sophia Cook my makeup artist. I realized this dream is becoming a reality so I had to snapped out of my fears and doubts. I hand to pinch myself. Nadine believed in me when I doubted myself that I can write a book and become a Published Author.
After the photo shoot I did not know what I was into. It was like pinching myself or day dreaming. Is it true I am going to write a book? Lisa gave me 4 pages of the Publisher to start writing. That evening I opened up the programme and did not know what to type. I typed Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, and then Chapter Four saved it and closed the Publisher. Through these innovative ways was my chapters to begin my journey of writing the book and also by much research and by much observations.
Now that I had four chapters for the book, I was so proud of myself as I was progressing. My co-workers and volunteers at the Summer Camp were my Editors at that time. Lisa Taffe, Rosemarie Lake, Pollyana Darrell, Paulina Simons and Mr. Ali Mazhar, who critic the book, our summer students Amanda Boodram, Karmjit Brar.
Now that the Etiquette Handbook is taking shape, I needed foreword writer’s which I approached Gloria Starr, Dr. Pat Francis and Professor Pat Chacha who was able to write the foreword by answering a few questions. Each wrote a beautiful foreword which is in the book.
Even as I share my story, I know you are already convinced to have this Pocket Book in your possession. For those who are thinking to write a book have the WHY’S in mind.
Thank you to the Girls of Destiny leaders for allowing me to fly with my ideas as well as the different teams I had the opportunity to work with, such as the Hospitality Team, Protocol Team and training the Coming of Age group. By using you as my springboard this dream of writing as become a reality.
It was always been said your gift makes room and bring you in the presence of greatness. I started showcasing my talents at conferences, at Summer Camps and Private Events.
“One man cannot do right in one department of life whilst he is occupied in doing wrong in any other department. Life is one indivisible whole”
A quote by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
From corporate boardrooms to summer camps, her message resonates with audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
