AN INSIDE LOOK...

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I have, for as long as I can remember, found that food is a bridge, a connection, eating is a symbol of understanding, manner of eating an appreciation of culture, even more so, as you are welcomed into a community, a culture different than ours, make the steps to learn and understand the mannerisms by which you embrace your surroundings, which I found throughout the years to be extremely beneficial, a tool to bring me closer to those that I am seating with and dining amongst. In this former coconut plantation, seating on the veranda of the colonial villa, overlooking the Indian ocean, I am clearly aware, of the distance we are from the capital city and how the local mannerism and cultural attitudes play a pivotal role in my success to lead these people, a majority of them from the surrounding villages and towns, to success, the unveiling of the first large internationally branded luxury resort.

 

As the days pass and we embark forward, and more delays and challenges occur, opportunities that enable us to bond the teams, whom we slowly gather and hire from the surrounding towns and villages, it has dawned upon me that this professional journey is a continuation of my own personal journey, one that has taken me around the world. Luckily, I have been blessed to be able to influence people and further their careers, develop their skills and strengthen their own belief in themselves that they are capable of so much more. I sit back, in the capital city, overlooking the rooftops of those colonial structures, high above them, overlooking the Indian ocean, and am filled with a sense of gratitude for the journey I have embarked on. Without the details of the peoples surrounding me, the stories, the history, the unexpected surprises, it would be just another development of a luxury resort, another chapter in my book of life.