SANDALS Negril recently held its inaugural International Day, designed to fit in with Jamaica’s ‘Emancipendence’ celebrations — the name used for activities to mark Emancipation and Independence Day, which are celebrated on August 1 and 6, respectively.
Under the theme ‘Out of many, one people’ — which is Jamaica’s motto — the staff event was a celebration of the different nationalities that define the resort’s cultural landscape.Resort staff members were treated to a colourful mix of fashion, art and music, including rhythms of the local mento band and from countries across the globe. They also got an opportunity to explore the sites, culture and history of the Philippines, United States of America, Canada, Guyana, Peru, Africa, the Republic of Maldives, India, Hungary and the United Kingdom through information booths, complete with sumptuous traditional meal samples.“I loved sharing information about my country with everyone and seeing how happy they were to learn about me and where I’m from,” shared an excited Aminath Ibrahim, an intern from the Maldives.“I liked the idea of an international day because it was an exciting blend of different cultures and great exposure. I got the opportunity to learn about countries I probably won’t get the chance to visit. I was also very pleased to help showcase my Jamaica to others,” said resort photographer and Jamaican Rochaine Tomlinson.Peruvian intern Claudia Werle said that initiatives like the Sandals Negril International Day are a step “in the right direction” for global integration and understanding.“I believe Jamaicans are very warm and friendly, but there are still some things we may not know about each other and we approach some situations differently — basic things like personal space and how you greet someone, touching versus not touching, et cetera. This event is important because it helps us to understand each other’s culture, relate well to each other and get along better,” she said.Outside of the presentations, which had the rapt attention of the scores of participants, the delectable delights, particularly Jamaica’s ackee and salt fish, Africa’s attieke and the Hungarian cake were also hits.“We want our team members to have a greater appreciation of everybody’s culture,” shared General Manager Andre Dhanpaul, who conceptualised the event.“Throughout the year, information on each country is featured in the staff’s daily newsletter as a means of helping to raise awareness about the different countries, and this also helps in our guest relations. We are happy that everyone was very receptive to this, they were willing to step out of their comfort zones and immerse themselves into the offerings of their expatriate colleagues,” he said.Dhanpaul, Guyanese by birth, said that the resort will be undertaking similar initiatives to expose team members to the global landscape and foster staff development.Sandals Resorts International has, over the years, enabled foreign nationals to experience and enrich Jamaica through internships and other work programmes. In addition, the hotel chain also facilitates regional exchange opportunities, in which Caribbean nationals employed within the group swap resorts and countries with their colleagues for months at a time. Sandals Negril General Manager Andre Dhanpaul (right) exchanges information about Jamaica and Guyana with Peruvian intern Claudia Werle, ahead of sampling Peru’s ceviche seafood dish.View the original article here
"Out of many, one people"