SHANGHAI, China – It wasn’t enough for Nicoleen Johnson to bungee jump off Zimbabwe’s 111-metre-high Victoria Falls Bridge.

She had to do it twice.

And the second time she jumped backwards.

Only several feet of bungee cables kept her from plummeting into the gorge below the tourist attraction that also borders Zambia.

Those two jumps from one of the world’s seven natural wonders, part of her solo trek across much of Africa last year, were typical of Johnson.

She takes bold steps without batting an eyelid; but only after meticulous planning and logically sifting through her options.

It was this ‘have-no-fear’ attitude that also prompted her to accept a scholarship to study in China nine years ago – quite a long way from her modest beginnings in rural Bethel Town, Westmoreland.

Just shy of her 33rd birthday, she is now fluent in Chinese, and has completed master’s and doctorate degrees in International Relations at Shanghai’s prestigious Fudan University.

She has also travelled across parts of the United Arab Emirates, Africa and Asia, in between carving out a niche for herself as a trade consultant who bridges the gap between Chinese and Caribbean firms/individuals that want to do business with each other.

Among her clients is S&S Enterprises out of St Vincent, which sells motorbikes. She is also the chief representative in China for Coffee Industries Limited, which she recently guided through the opening of a J$15-million Coffee Mill of Jamaica outlet in Shanghai’s upscale Pudong area.

The business venture was the first fully Jamaican direct investment in this Asian country, and Dr Johnson played a major role in pulling it off.

From power meetings with Chinese government officials, recruiting staff and staging the elaborate grand opening, she had a hand in it all – right down to stocking the shelves with handy bags of Blue Mountain Coffee, Walkerswood and Busha Brown spices. Now, she also manages the cosy coffee shop.

Her professionalism has not gone unnoticed by Jamaican Ambassador to China, Wayne McCook.

“I count Nicoleen as a truly committed, talented Jamaican who has unselfishly given of herself to the cause of Jamaica in China over many years; and certainly for the embassy her support has been invaluable and is deeply appreciated,” said McCook.

“Her command of the language and her appreciation for the culture have been assets that many Jamaican newcomers – whether students, businesspersons, teachers or visitors – have benefited from.”

Johnson believes she is in the right place at the right time and is eager to take advantage of the opportunities around her.

“More and more companies and individuals are looking to do business in China, but due to the distance, language barrier and fear of the unknown, there are still many who are hesitant to venture here,” said the trade consultant.

“My role is to (bridge that) gap, to help make the process easier for my fellow Jamaicans and (for people from) the wider Caribbean. My knowledge of the Chinese language, culture and business environment have placed me in a very unique position.”

Her entrepreneurial spirit, tenacity and confidence have been nurtured, over the years, by various mentors and sponsors, among them educator Dr Alfred Sangster, wellness expert Dr Anthony Vendryes and her aunt, Millicent Grizzle.

But it is her mother, Vina Brown Murray, who has constantly been the driving force; the person who simply knew she would do well. In their home, money was scarce, but positive reinforcement was never in short supply.

“I am really proud to have the kind of mom who has always given me 100 per cent support,” said Johnson, the fifth of six children.

“I remember the first day I came home and told her I was going to China; she never batted an eyelid. All she wanted to know was when I would be leaving. She never expected anything less from me.”

Over the years, she had seen her mother struggle to provide for her family. Working hard was simply a way of life.

“My whole life I have seen her working hard, sacrificing for her children – and she never once complained,” said Johnson.

“She literally raised us on her own. I remember days when she didn’t even have enough money for dinner, but she would always put something aside so that at least I would have my bus fare for school the next morning – no mention of lunch, which I didn’t have many days. She would go to bed hungry just to make that sacrifice.”

Her mother’s sacrifices continued when Johnson earned a spot at Herbert Morrison Technical High School near Bogue in Montego Bay.

“At times, I only had one uniform and every evening when I came home from school she would wash it, and wake up at 4:00 am to iron it so I would have a fresh, clean uniform every day,” Johnson recalled.

“For some strange reason, looking back on those days of struggles, it seemed so natural – as if that was just the way life was. And I just did my best under the circumstances. I never thought of doing anything other than my best.”

But the financial struggle became too much to bear when she told her mother that she wanted to enrol in the University of Technology (UTech) after graduating from Herbert Morrison.

Faced with no other option, Brown Murray secretly asked J Lloyd Whinstanley, the then principal of Herbert Morrison, for help in identifying someone who could provide financial support.

“She knew I was embarrassed to (ask for help) but she put her pride aside for my own advancement,” said Johnson, “and I would not be here today if she had not made that bold step.

“She is a tough woman, a fighter, a survivor and I have learned so much from her strength. Everything I achieve now is for my mom, my family and my dad who all gave me moral support.”

With such support behind her, Johnson shone at Herbert Morrison, where she was deputy head girl from 1990 to 1991. She came away with seven subjects.

Among those who helped along the way, thanks to principal Whinstanley’s willingness to listen to her mother’s plea, was alternative medicine guru Dr Anthony Vendryes. He provided the financial support Johnson needed to make her way through her first few years of studying at UTech.

She started out by doing a diploma in marketing from 1991 to 1994. Through hard work, she was awarded the Alfred Sangster Scholarship in 1993, which helped to defray some of the costs of studying.

She also copped the Excellent Academic Achievement Award and a nomination for student of the year in 1994.

With her diploma programme successfully completed, she got a job as assistant projects manager in the college president’s office. She also set new goals, and began to pursue a bachelor’s degree in marketing. She graduated with first class honours in 1997 and by September of that year was in China.

Johnson’s road to this emerging superpower began, innocuously enough, during a lunchtime church meeting. From a religious background, she would visit the Mona Baptist Church in Papine while she was in Kingston. That day, Deacon Douglas Samuels (now deceased) stood up to speak.

“I will never forget that midday meeting,” said Johnson. “He stood up to testify and mentioned his studies in China many years ago, when he studied for two years; it totally inspired me to follow in his footsteps. I was hooked from that day and God just worked out the rest. Everything just fell into place.”

A few weeks after the deacon’s lunchtime speech, while on the job at UTech, Johnson noticed an ad from the Chinese Embassy in Kingston inviting applicants for a scholarship to study for three years in China.

“Can you imagine? People would call this coincidence. but I knew better,” she said, alluding to her faith in God.

“I applied, and was the only person that got the scholarship that year. Prior to my accepting, they had had no other recipients for three years. So when I got to China I was the only Jamaican studying here for two years before another student finally received the scholarship.”

Getting to China, with no other Jamaicans nearby for support, was just the beginning of a long, hard battle for Johnson.

Learning to ignore the stares of those who had never seen a black person before, culture shock and just plain old homesickness, were all challenges.

To prepare for her stint in China, she had made a trip to the Jamaica Tourist Board office where she stocked up on posters. Her dorm room was her little piece of home – filled with scenes of the island’s beautiful beaches, sunsets and tourist attractions. In addition to keeping homesickness at bay, the posters and brochures were also a way to teach those who visited her room about her country.

A stockpile of reggae music, and care packages from her mom – which sometimes included “her delicious fruit cake, ackee and saltfish, ‘buss mi jaw’ sweets, Excelsior Cream Crackers, jerk sauces, and jackass corn” – helped Johnson keep Jamaica with her. But there were more challenges.

After a year of studying Chinese at Fudan University, she began her master’s programme.

“(The word) ‘difficult’ is an understatement at this point because, one: I had never studied International Relations before, my background is in marketing; and two: when I first arrived in China I did not even know how to say ‘hello’,” she explained.

“So after the one-year Chinese course I was able to travel around and shop, but was certainly not prepared to sit in a classroom with Chinese students and have lengthy discussions about Chinese diplomatic relations with the US or Russia, or about Marxism Theory, Mao Ze Dong Theory, Deng Xiao Ping Theory, etc, in Chinese! So it was a great challenge in the first couple of years.”

Never one to give up, she dug in her heels and got her master’s degree, doing her thesis on The Development of Political and Economic Trade Relations between China and the Caribbean – A Jamaican Case Study.

Then her hard work paid off again, and the China Scholarship Council offered her another scholarship to continue her studies in International Relations at the doctorate level.

From 2002 to 2005, she studied Theories of Development in Developing Countries and then wrote her thesis on New Regionalism in Caribbean Integration.

She chose that topic, she said, because “firstly, further study in my first paper was impossible due to the limited relationship between the regions. And, secondly, there was such a shortage of Chinese literature on the Caribbean (that) I thought my paper would make a great contribution. and my professors agreed.”

The next hurdle she cleared was presenting and defending her thesis while speaking in Chinese.

“I was the only foreign student graduating from the department in 2005 in the PhD programme and later discovered that I was the first person from, possibly, the Caribbean, but definitely from Jamaica, to graduate with a PhD from China,” Johnson said.

While completing her two degrees at Fudan, she became known for organising exciting excursions and get-togethers for the growing population of Jamaican students and their new international friends.

“Nicoleen is an acknowledged mentor to the Jamaican community of mainly students and teachers in China,” said Ambassador McCook.

Johnson, whose circle of friends includes many people she has met at church here in Shanghai, credits God with all her successes.

“God has indeed been faithful and my life is a testimony that He does indeed complete the good work that He begins in our lives,” she stressed. “He has taken me from humble beginnings in the little district of Bethel Town and showed me that there is absolutely nothing that I cannot accomplish when I trust in Him.”

It is this self-confidence and faith in God, coupled with an attention to detail and ability to adapt to any situation that took her through last year’s adventure-filled trip across Africa. She made the trek just ahead of graduating and focusing on her career.

It was during that stop in Zimbabwe that she bungee-jumped from the Victoria Falls Bridge.

“They (had) music playing in the background for each jumper. They started searching for reggae to play for my jump,” said Johnson.

Her logical thinking erased any fear of making the leap of faith.

“I was just being logical about it. I mean, there is a rope attached to my feet, so nothing to worry about,” she said.

“So I shuffled up to the edge with both my feet bound tight and when the guys said ‘5-4-3-2-1 bungeee’, I just jumped. no second thoughts, no hesitation. I have goose pimples thinking about it now. What a feeling! Free falling like that!”

Then she did it again, this time pushing the envelope with the even more difficult backwards free-fall.

“That was scarier; jumping backwards into nothingness. But if I had the cash I would (have gone) a third time. I was starting to get addicted,” she said.

Johnson still wants to go skiing in the French Alps, and see Vienna, but with bungee jumping and trekking across Africa no longer on her list of things to do, she now has her eyes firmly fixed on a new goal. She intends to become the ‘point man’ for Sino/Caribbean business ventures.

“I just wish more companies from the Caribbean would be as bold as Coffee Industries Limited and at least explore this vast Chinese market with all its opportunities,” she said. “I want to see Jamaican products being marketed here. We have so much to offer – our coffee, spices, music, rum, food, and tourist attractions are just a taste.”

And there’s an emerging market in China, she urged.

“Over the years, I have observed that there is a growing generation of wealthy Chinese expanding the upper- and middle-class groups in the society, and with their new-found disposable income they are very keen on exploring new tastes, new cultures, new experiences and we can offer that,” said Johnson.

“My dream is to be a part of that process. I hope to now broaden my clientele as I expand my consulting services in the region,” she said.

Those who know her have no doubt she can do it.

editorial@jamaicaobserver.com

Next: More on Nicoleen Johnson’s adventures