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“My mom instilled self-confidence and self-worth in me. She was the first person in her immediate family to graduate from high school, despite having to take jobs as a babysitter and working in the field. Every evening, after leaving the field, she would take the time to make sure her schoolwork was prepared for the next day. I remember her once telling me that she was working in the field when President Kennedy was assassinated. Despite only having a high school diploma, she was still fiercely confident and carried herself with pride, even if others saw her as bougie or stuck-up. She believed in her worth, and she passed that resilience on to me. I grew up in that same small town, and as a matter of fact, I was called some of those same names like bougie, stuck-up, sadity, and others. Mind you, I grew up economically challenged, but I didn’t know it at the time. My mom is a true black queen; that’s where my royal blood comes from.”

Even though I grew up economically challenged at certain times in my childhood, I was always taught to hold my head up high and be proud and self-confident in who I am. I was also taught that once my foot crosses a threshold, I am where I am supposed to be and I belong in that space, and not to let anyone make me feel ashamed of myself for being there. That I belong there just as much as the next person. My mother instilled a sense of self-worth in me; she also taught me that no man or woman is better than me, that I am equal to everyone else, and I should feel comfortable from the outhouse to the White House.

And speaking of the White House, one summer we took a vacation to visit our cousin in Washington, D.C. She happened to work at the White House, so as a young kid, I actually got to bowl on the President’s bowling alley. It was one of the highlights of the trip. Now, there aren’t too many people alive who can say that they have actually gone bowling on the President’s bowling alley, inside the White House in Washington, D.C. as I have.

As a young kid in a rural small town in the middle of nowhere in South Carolina, I always knew I wanted to travel. To Paris—Paris, France, that is, not Paris, Texas— Paris captured my imagination. Despite people constantly telling me, “You might go to Paris, Texas, but you’ll never go to Paris, France,” my mother always reassured me: “You’re going to Paris, France. You’re going to see the Eiffel Tower, and the Arc de Triomphe.”

The first time I saw them on the Mona Lisa was back in 1989. It wasn’t in a special room; it was in a hallway with a little lady sitting beside it. I was standing there by myself right in front of her, all alone. We were staring at each other. I’ve been back to Paris many times and seen her several times since, but it’s never the same. Now, it’s with hordes of people with long queues just to get into the Louvre Museum. Everyone shuffling for a position just to try to get that perfect shot. How I wish for the good old days.

So this morning while I was still asleep my assistant arranged for breakfast, outside on the terrace of my great suite here at the Fairmont Orchid Kona Hawaii. The setting could have not been any better. I had the Japanese meal and my assistant had the American breakfast. Of course we had champagne, everything was great until guess who showed up.

I all most wet my pants …lol

Many years ago before the Olympics were to be held in China. I thought I would be best to visit the Land of the rising Sun before it, really open up to the world, So off I went. For the sake of keeping things interesting, I will cut out the boring parts.

Before I embark on a trip aboard I do a lot of research in to local culture and local scams. Because I would never want to offed anyone and i most certainly don’t want to get taken. Boy oh boy  would I be in for a big surprise, but in the in the end I would have the last laugh.

It all started when we were walking around Tienanmen Square and these two collage age kids came up to us a boy and a girl. and began to talk to us. i had read that some of the younger Chinese do this to practices their English. after talking to them for awhile, I ask them if they knew where any of the Olympic shop where because I wanted to get some souvenirs  to take back home. it took a bit but soon we found one and I wiped out my credit cards and parched my items. at that moment they ask if we wanted to get some tea to warm up so we said yes that would be nice and they knew just the place.

We walked though back alleys and stores in and out of restaurants the up a set of starts to this room in the back of a long hall way. The people inside were very nice as we sat down and the tea ceremony started. The young lady doing the ceremony was very knowable as she move on from one tea to the next explaining how it would taste in our mouths. About the fourth tea something did not feel right to me, and I saw eight more tea box off to the side still to come, when I just wanted one cup.  At the end of the ceremony of 12 teas we are given a bill equal to almost three hundred america  dollars.

To which I say bullshit what kind of scam is this. The two Chinese kids say the menu is on the wall when u walk in.  Which it is, written so big that it just look like the ugliest wall paper you ever seen.  That prompt me to say you to are in on the whole thing. Well I hope you have money to pay for this because we don’t have any. The girl say back to me, we don’t have any money but they take credit cards. I then say I don”t have any Credit Cards. knowing full well they knew I just used them in the Olympic store. so we sat their just looking at each other for a bit. I said call the cops we are not paying but I did feel bad for the young lady that spent over a hour now explaining the different teas. So I took out a fist full of money and found what was the equivalent to ten american dollars and gave it to her. even though she was in on it she was good and spent the time to in lighted me about the different teas. i picked up our stuff and walked out and told the kids to bill me.

A couple of years ago I was able to go to Russia to knock off another intercontinental hotel. In my quest to stay in a hundred different IHG unique propriety. After arriving at the Moscow intercontinental and relaxing in my suite for a while. I decide to go down to the club lounge. After having dinner and dessert i ask what was going to happen to the rest of the individual warped cupcakes? I was told they had to be thrown in the thrash,I told the staff to put them in a bag.

And off I went down the streets of Moscow. Trying to hand out cupcakes to the homeless. but on ones would take one they just look at me like I was crazy. then i realized it was because i m not Russian so i took one out of the wrapper and eat it if front of them. the next thing you know I had handed out all of the cupcakes and was on my way back to the hotel with as smile on my face.

Having been bless to travel all over the world  try and find some way to being a little to at least one persons life while i am visiting their country or city.

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