An Inspirational Story
Preview: I want you to know a little bit about me. I want you to know my name, the country where I am from, the origin of my passion for languages, tourism and travel, economic challenges I have overcome as an international student, my work experience and studies overseas. Hopefully, this story will uplift you and motivate you to see that regardless of obstacles that may come your way, if you stick with your goal, you will succeed!
My country of origin
My name is Fareste Innocent; I was born in a middle-class family in Anse Rouge, a province from Gonaives city, the fourth largest city of Haiti.
Source of Inspiration and Motivation
As I grew up I saw English speakers from other countries that worked for Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs), The United Nations and other religious organizations. Sometimes they stayed for a length of time but their nomadic life, motivated me to become a world traveler and a polyglot. I knew then that if I were to accomplish my goal I would need need English. I started to learn English by myself and then when I felt comfortable enough I started to study Spanish. In a short period of time I could communicate in both languages comfortably. I recognized that I had a talent for languages, so much so that I was able to teach English and Spanish in a secondary school in Haiti before finishing my own secondary school. After I finished secondary school, my parents decided to send me to the Dominican Republic to pursue a university education.
My Journey In the Dominican Republic
English teacher Unapec (Languages school)
With hopes for a better future, my parents decided to help me move to the Dominican Republic to pursue a better education. Unfortunately, things were not as easy as they thought they would be. They were not able to help me start university because of the high tuition fees, accommodations and the increased cost of living. So I had a false start and was not able to immediately start university.
Because of this I decided to teach French and English at a language institute. After a few years, I saved enough money to go to Unapec University in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. I studied English, German, Portuguese, Italian, Chinese and Korean there. I also worked as an English teacher at Unapec University at the language school.
My first Journey in the Hospitality Industry
Languages Instructor – Melia Caribe Tropical Bavaro
In search of a better opportunity to explore my language skills, I found a job in a five-star- resort called Melia Caribe Tropical in Punta Cana as a language instructor & translator. I worked there for four years. My duties were to teach English, French, German but I also taught Spanish to foreign workers who wanted to improve their Spanish. I also helped the event department as an interpreter for events requiring a specific language. I also translated documents from English to German or French for the management. Although I was changing the lives of my students and loved my teaching duties, I wanted to work in a position where I could provide customer service that would help me showcase my language skills.
Managerial Position in the Hospitality industry
Assist Guest service manager- Iberostar Dominicana
In search of a position where I would not have to teach but could focus my time on team management and customer service, I started at Iberostar Dominicana Hotel. It was a new experience because I had a lot to learn about leadership. I was able to meet different guests around the globe, which allowed me to practice my languages. However after a couple of months, I realized that this was not what I was looking for and decided to apply as Travel Advisor for TUI PLC.
A Journey as a Travel Advisor
Tours Sales Representative – Punta Cana hotel
During my experience working as a travel advisor in different hotels for Tui Travel PLC in Punta Cana, DR., my job was to promote tour clients and was able to move to various hotels to meet my clients or other clients from around the globe.
Due to my outstanding performance with the company, I was assigned to go to Bali, Indonesia, for three months as a travel advisor; I was able to stand out with my language skills in the hotels where I was working in Bali and improved my sales because of my multi languages pitch – when I came back to DR I found a better job to work on board a cruise. It was at this time that I knew that my dream had come true.
Working on board Celebrity Cruises
Junior Guest Relations Officer – Celebrity Cruises
Working for a cruise line was my dream job; it allowed me to travel to more than 70 countries around the globe at next to no cost to myself. It also allowed me to learn about different cultures because I was able to interchange with varying crew members from around the globe, which allowed me to tailor myself to their cultures and exceed the expectations of the guests coming from these countries and speak with them in their own language. As a result they were always impressed and wrote good recommendations about me. After working onboard Celebrity Cruises for three years, I decided to resign and came to Canada to Study Hospitality management.
My Journey in Canada
As an international student in Canada, my Journey was arduous financially because of the high tuition fees per semester and high price of accommodation and food. I had additional challenges because international students are not allowed to work full time, which made it a bit difficult to make ends meet especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, I had to request financial aid to finish my last semester.
Despite this I graduated from Hospitality management in 2021 at Algonquin College Ottawa, Canada. I did not return to working on cruises because of the pandemic. At the time the hospitality industry was deeply affected by the pandemic. For this reason, I have decided to stay in Canada indefinitely.
I am currently working at Chateau Laurier hotel in Ottawa, Canada in Guest service. My Position allows me to speak in different languages, enabling me to assist colleagues and other departments when they need translation assistance in a specific language. It also allows me to meet world presidents, prime Ministers, diplomats and celebrities. This has enabled me to practice my language skills.
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In Summary
My story proves that no matter what unexpected circumstances may occur during your journey, if you are determined, have a plan and stick with your goals, you will eventually succeed.
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