Coca-Cola International Experience

This summer I was given the experience of a lifetime to be in Haiti, my parents native country. As a Haitian-American citizen, I was able to engross myself in the language,culture, and international experience for the duration of six weeks. The moment I landed I can not express the overwhelming feeling of knowing I would be working for Brasserie de la Couronne - a bottling partner for Coca-Cola. During my first week at La Couronne I was welcomed by the exuberant Marketing staff, along with a tour of the plant.

I later found out I would be responsible for setting up the proper procedures, materials and guidelines for the plant tour that would be implemented by the BRACOUR team upon the final stage of construction. I had assistance from a member of Customer Service, who arranged meetings and tours with the Administrative department on my behalf. Towards the end of each week, I was responsible for setting up a presentation of my findings to the Marketing Director for Coca-Cola, where I would gain feedback on the progress of my project and areas that needed improvements.

I gained an insight of what each department was responsible for and how they could aid in providing supplies for the plant tour. Most of my time was spent in meetings with each department, where I would use the information I gained to structure a portfolio that included step-by-step instructions on how to successfully operate a plant tour. I had one of my proudest moments when I was asked to create a storyboard and script for the production of a five minute video to be shown to welcome guest prior to the plant tour. I met up with the producer and presented my vision for the film and how we could entrust the company to perform at a level that would exceed our expectations.

The producer was not only impressed at all the information I was able to gather on his company, but he also complimented me on my ability to put together something without having a background in media studies. My experience at La Couronne was definitely a cultural shift in familiarizing myself with salutations, greetings, and polychronic methods. I was able to view the international business side of Coca - Cola and some of the challenges or setbacks they face such as: power outages, learning curves, and loss of internet access. I had to be creative as well as think of contingency plans for each area of the project. I was able to think outside of the box and present the material in a manner that would transverse well in French and English. Overall, I had an amazing experience working with Brasserie de la Couronne S.A and being in the beautiful country of Haiti. I will never forget the staff at La Couronne, Executive Villas, and gaining the opportunity of meeting my relatives in Haiti for the first time which would not have been possible if it wasn't for this internship. I hope many after me will have the same memorable experience, and Coca-Cola will continue to support this internship in Haiti for years to come.

How to take a selfie....Lauture Style

Well first let me take a SELFIE. Believe it or not there's a skill to taking selfies. A selfie is your personal image of yourself it can be pictured with no make-up, crazy selfie the possibilities are endless. No matter what you choose ensure that your most comfortable with the end results. I don't take much selfies but when I do I make sure it's done right. Part of the tips were inspired by Michelle Phan's How to Take The Perfect Selfie. First Step in Taking a SELFIE:

1. Find a large mirror large enough to cover from head to toe

2. Find the perfect background. If your taking a selfie in the bathroom please do us all a favor and leave the toilet out of it.

3. Once your ready smile. Adding a smile creates the finishing touches to a selfies.

I've included a few of the selfies I've shared on Instagram below. Enjoy!!

Bathroom Selfie: No toilet just a pretty background that looked appropriate for Instagram.

Selfie that included my sister peeking in the background. Not cool!

Bathroom Selfie: No toilet just bathroom stalls. Keep it classy ladies(:

Thrifting At It's BEST

There's days where you look at your closet and feel you have nothing to wear. Come on ladies I know you can relate. I've had this one dress for a year that I never wore and has been collecting dust in my closet. The story behind the dress holds a sentimental value in that when my sisters and I went thrifting in Trinidad, CO. I purchased this dress for the value of .75 cents. I was hoping to get the dress altered to fit a style however, I never got around to visiting the alteration place. This past weekend I was rummiging through my clothes and decided I would recreate the dress into something more form fitting. The bottom piece to the outfit was actually a dress. I've included a before and after picture.

BEFORE. I cut along the seam and left about a quarter of an inch. This will be important when making the dress appear it was made that way.

AFTER: Whats featured in this look: A.Joseph floral lace top * Nine West shoes * Vintage watch.

Quick Tip: If your looking to alter an article of clothing look to see what you have available. I started off by cutting the bottom piece of the dress and left about half of an inch towards the band.

Green Tea Frapp AKA "The Grasshopper"

So there is one thing I can't live without and that is Starbucks Green Tea Frappachino with chocolate shavings. I found out about this drink on the secret menu on Starbucks three years ago since then I've been hooked. I think its safe to assume the title of this drink came from the chocolate chip shavings as a representation of the grasshoppers legs. I have an unorthodox taste so the fact that it was a green drink really pulled me in. The cost of a tall green tea frapp sums up to $4.25 with tax. Within a period of one month the total cost of consuming the drink 7x would accumulates to $29.75/per month without sales tax.

In hopes to feed my obsession while sticking to my budget, I decided I wanted to recreate the drink so YouTube and viewing the recipe online was most helpful. My process began with going to the grocery store to find the Matcha powder which was the key ingredient to the drink. Match Powder is a green tea powder from Japan that has a fine consistency. Whole Foods had Matcha Powder at an affordable price at $9.99 so the moment I got home I started gathering up my ingredients. I've included the ingredients below. * Please note that the ingredients is not the recipe found on Starbucks but my own revisions!!**

Green Tea Frapp:

*1 tsp of matcha powder* 1 cup of milk* 1 tsp of brown sugar* 1 cup of ice* 1 tsp of vanilla extract*

The recipe listed can be altered to your taste however, each time I make this drink I alter the drink to fit my taste. I hope you enjoy and leave a comment stating if this recipe inspired you in any way to recreate your own drink.

The adventures of Strep

So for the first time I caught strep and it wasn't as bad as what everyone built it up to be. The moment I woke up I didn't feel good so after taking a shower I got the symptoms of a headache, sore throat and dizzyness. At that time I knew I caught the curse of STREP! The doctor prescribed that I take penicillin and keep away from people within 72 hrs. Which describes the picture below.

Out of respect for my sister and cousin I wanted to protect them from getting strep. Since we were going to have a long car ride home they wore mask. What was funny was within two days I gave my sister strep. We had to disinfect the car and trade out my toothbrush. Overall, I don't ever wish this on anyone.

Pie in The Face

Well for an entire month the bus ministry that I'm apart of at my church had a competition. Whichever bus that could gather up the most kids within the time span of a month had the opportunity to pie the bus workers in the face. Well it just so happens that the Carollton route got the least amount of riders. My sister and I got creamed by each child. To keep our outfits protected we wore our fashionable garbage bags with shower caps. Also- it's important to have ear plugs to stick up your nose the block off the smell of the whip cream. Once it gets to your nose it lingers in your nostrils for a while. I've included some pictures to document this moment.

First kid up to pie me in the face and ends up pulling out my earplugs for my nostrils

So the torture begins with my old bus captain in the background laughing at what we will have to endure. Thankfully we were fully equipped with the supplies so the whip cream wouldn't get in our hair.

This is the wonderful Bus Ministry where we pick up kids in the local area and bring them to church. Each child is so precious and unique in their own special way. Although it sucked to have pie thrown at me I would do anything for these kids.

Gingham + Leopard = Perfection

I think what makes a style unique is the fact that you can incorporate different colors and prints into your wardrobe. I recently have been on a hunt for this specific pattern called Gingham. Gingham is a checkered style box look that has been trending since last year according to Vogue Magazine. I personally love Gingham as I think it's a perfect mix between Country Chic and Vintage. I've been on the hunt to get more Gingham prints since I only have a button down shirt. I've worn this short button down several times as it's become one of my favorite pieces. This outfit in particular is a perfect example of mixing prints. I paired Gingham with leopard print and although that might sound like it wouldn't go well together. I have pictures to prove it.

Details of outfit: Gingham button down(H&M), cognac Skirt (Thrifted), Leopard print shoes (Chinese Laundry) paired with accessories of which was purchased at Macy's.

Helpful tips in mixing prints. 1. Go with picking out similar colors. Find a focal point within the pattern to help guide you. 2. Pick complementary colors or patterns that suit you. 3. Don't be afraid to experiment and see what works. You'll never know till you try it on. 4. Lastly, be CONFIDENT! It's your style and no one can tell you how to dress.