Farley Hill Park, St. Andrew
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have in life and where you are from. When you
are in the richest countries you experience a
mind blowing shock at times and its difficult
to believe that you’re actually experiencing
this level of indulgence and opulence and
you realize how unevenly wealth is distributed
worldwide. It’s a blessing and a curse sometimes to see so many places and travel so
much. Because you know you’re going places
and living a l ife mo st never wi l l, but
b eing in a different country every other week
or sometimes even every day, can be so
exhausting and you miss out on so much
from your personal family life (funerals,
weddings, graduations, birthdays) and
maintaining lasting relationships or having
a healthy love life. It makes it terribly difficult
to just be human at times. I get homesick as
well and miss my family and friends and my
own bed! Liberia and New Orleans remind me
so much of Barbados in many ways. It’s like
the same people ended up in these places.
The cuisine and architecture are so similar
and in Liberia you even see their equivalent of
Tuk Bands, ZR’s and rum shops with men playing
dominoes. On my first visit to Liberia, President
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (first female elected
Head of State in Africa and a Nobel Peace
Prize recipient) bestowed upon me the honor
of being a Global Ambassador for Liberia. I
feel pretty attached to this country and all the
political and financial matters that still affect
them today, President Sirleaf has made great
strides in restoring Liberia and developing it
beyond its original prestige. I also love Tokyo,
Beirut, Sweden, Madagascar, Dubai, and the
Island of Borneo.
Polo & More: If you had a Crystal Ball when
you were younger, would you have foreseen
where you are today??? or has this been a
nice pleasant surprise? that you still have to
pinch yourself to see if it is real??
Shontelle: I most certainly would have seen
myself where I am I’m sure. But on this
journey I have numerous times had many
pleasant unforeseen experiences like my
song “Battle Cry” being chosen to be on President
Obama’s “Yes We Can” soundtrack for his
campaign before his first election and him
personally signing a copy for me (I still can’t
believe I sorta kinda helped the first black
President of America get elected! Unreal
to be a tiny part of World History), touring with
Beyoncé, working in studio with Bruno Mars,
meeting Lionel Ritchie, Sadé bringing her son
to my concert, sitting front row at Alexander
Wang’s NYFW show as the plus one of John
Dempsey (President of M.A.C./ESTEE LAUDER/
TOM FORD COSMETICS) and being the
personal guest of Prince Azim of Brunei in his
home for a week. Without a Crystal Ball, as a
child, I have always seen myself much greater
and successful than I am now. I have a lot more
to accomplish and much farther to walk. This is
barely scratching the surface; Just the beginning.
To be continued...