|
Rosy was born on a hot, tropical day in January to Roselia Moreno and Daniel Uejbe in Cartagena, Colombia. She remembers a happy childhood in a family that included two sisters. Rosy particularly enjoyed spending vacations on her grandfather’s farm, riding horses and savoring the citrus fruits grown there. "I enjoyed the freedom that the farm offered," she recalled.
When Rosy was eight years old, her family moved to Sinselejo because her mother was offered a better position at the insurance company where she worked. After graduating from El Instituto Comercial y Cultura Femenina, Rosy went on to receive a Degree in Liberal Arts from El Colegio Bife.
Fresh out of college, Rosy and a few of her friends chose to receive training from Revlon. As a cosmetics technician, she proudly performed makeovers for department store costumers, but seeing no real future in that job, Rosy decided to look for another line of work.
At a friend’s suggestion, Rosy went to work for La Voz de la Victoria radio station, as a beauty consultant. For the next eighteen months, Rosy conducted a show called El Mundo y Nosotras, which offered beauty tips and information on women’s health.
In 1976, Rosy married a Colombian Navy Captain – a union that produced three children: Alfonso (26), Fernando (24), and Roselia (23). Unfortunately, the marriage did not work out and, wanting to be closer to her mother, Rosy moved to Mexico City.
In Mexico, Rosy was first employed by Santa Margarita Golf Club as a receptionist. "It was a breath of fresh air. Welcoming guests to the club eased some of my heartache," she said. Rosy quickly became friends with a woman named Joy, a massage therapist at the club, who taught her the "tricks of the trade," including aestheticism and massage.
Rosy moved to Puerto Barrios, Guatemala, where she had lived during her marriage. In Guatemala, she attended hairstyling and floristry classes at Intecap Trade School. After graduating from her courses, she opened her own hair salon and provided massage therapy, as well.
In 1992, Rosy visited Belize in the company of a friend who bought and resold clothes and cosmetics to people living in Punta Gorda. Soon, she began buying her own merchandise and extended her sales market to include Placencia, Mango Creek, and eventually San Pedro. Rosy fell instantly in love with Ambergris Caye and its serene island atmosphere, so for the next two years, she traveled to San Pedro every other month to sell her goods.
During one of these visits, Rosy applied for a job as a masseuse at Journey’s End Resort. Accepted for the position, she packed her belongings and relocated her children to "La Isla Bonita." In just a few months, Rosario found that her services were much in demand on the island, so she opened her own massage clinic and for the next two years, provided therapy to both tourists and local residents.
Feeling that she needed more training, Rosy decided to return to Puerto Barrios to perfect her skills and attended a few more massage and healing therapy classes. Two and a half years later, Rosy arrived back in San Pedro Town to provide massage therapy for the community once again and started out the year 2002 with improved skills and a new attitude.
By the end of January, having her career as a financial backup, Rosy found the courage to open her own gift shop, "Tzolkin," where she sells jewelry, hammocks, paintings, bags, and crafts from Belize and South America. Later that same year, Rosy ventured out and opened the doors to Moncada’s Restaurant. "Moncada’s was quite an experience. Even though it did not work out, I learned so much. There is a saying, ‘What does not kill you, makes you stronger,’ and it did," she said.
In her free time, Rosy enjoys helping her community by volunteering her time to helping people benefit from the Bible as a faithful member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Because she realizes the importance of delivering God’s message, she has been spreading his word since 1980. "I am so grateful to God for allowing me to meet all of the people who, in some way, have helped me to get to where I am today. I will be forever in their debt," she said.
An ambitious "go-getter," Rosy states she never lets anything get in her way. "I am a single mother and I have gotten through life on my own. My kids are educated and doing very well for themselves. I could not be prouder," she ended.
A loving mother and now grandmother, Rosy is fortunate to have found a way to make a living doing what she loves best, making people feel good (inside and out). Content with her life in this "Jewel of the Caribbean," Rosy Uejbe is proud to be a "master of massage" in "Our Community."
|
|
| E-mail: rosy@ambergrismassagespa.com |
|
