Some South Americans come to the United States by plane, I came to the United States by way of a broken heart. Little did I know, that what I thought at the time was one of the worst moments of my life, will turn into the most wonderful experience and decisions of my life.
Born in Lima, Peru I spoke Spanish, but I had a passion to learn to speak perfect English as well as to become a successful professional one day. The irony of the story is that in the pursuit of my dream, I studied four years of English grammar at the Britannic School in Lima and ended up going to New York in 1979 for the first time and could not understand the every day English used in New York.
I realized then that in order to get up to speed with my ” New York ” English, I needed to practice with every day folks, and so I found a job as a live in baby sitter with an American family in Long Island. I was only 19 and this was really a fun and wonderful experience. I kept asking lots of questions, how do you say this? What does this mean? etc. and I really became very fluent after a few months.
Anyone who was born and raised in a Latin country would tell you that one of our wonderful qualities is that we are very family and people oriented. For us is all about being together and having fun with very little: good people, good food and great music! So it is in our nature to want to make everyone feel welcome around us, and that is part of who I am and my approach about service.
At the age of 19 I did not have a clear vision of where I wanted to go and it has taken me a long time to figure it out, I have worked in a diversity of positions from live-in babysitter, housekeeper, in hotels as front desk clerk, cashier, reservations, credit manager, operations manager, director of sales, etc. all of which have brought me to understand that what I love the most is to take care of people. It doesn’t matter what I do, it is all about doing the right thing by our clients, giving them great service.
Having worked in the Hotel Industry for 15 years, I realized my passion was “service.” Having become the mother of my wonderful boy Stefan and because I am a workaholic by nature, I realized that I could not balance the demands of working a management position in a hotel and being able to spend quality time with my son. So I made a conscious decision to find a less demanding job. It is how I ended up into another aspect of the Hospitality Industry, what is known as Corporate Relocation or Corporate Housing.
After working as account executive for Marriott ExecuStay for a year, I was blessed with the opportunity of becoming a partner, part owner and President of First Choice Corporate Housing Group, which we opened April 1, 2004. This new venture has been both, extremely challenging and rewarding, filled with all kinds of experiences, all of which make me a better and stronger person day by day. First Choice gives me the opportunity of doing what I love the most, take care of people in their need for a temporary home, making sure that while our clients will be away from their family for a short or long period of time, we can in a small way, give them the comfort that they are working with a company that understands how important it is for them to be relaxed in order to be able to do their jobs and give a better performance.
It is for that very same reason, that I decided to get my Real Estate License as I knew it would be in our clients’ best interest if we were able to offer them not only the short-term housing solutions, but permanent homes as well — thus giving them full service!
I am personally very excited because with this added knowledge, I will have endless opportunities to make a positive difference in people’s lives and to meet lots of people and make new friends. And so, as part of my dream has come true in a way I’d never imagine, I not only speak English, but I am an American Citizen and live in this beautiful land of opportunity, I continue the pursuit of my other dream, to be a successful professional. I am not where I want to be yet, but it is by continuing to educate myself, hard work and perseverance, never giving up, that my dream will come true one day. Never give up your dreams.
