Wow! That is the first word that comes to mind when thinking over this incredible first week on the friendly island. The amount of real-world knowledge, friends, and amazing experiences I have collected over the course of seven days is surreal.
From the moment I landed, I became immersed in my beautiful new surroundings and a plethora of diversity. I knew the island's phrase, "The Friendly Island" held truth the moment I walked into Sapphire Sunday afternoon. The entire staff was so accommodating and helpful to any of our needs.
We started our month long trip bright and early Monday morning with an island excursion. Our guide, Eva, led us around the island and showed us various cities and towns located throughout the island. It was a great way to become acclimated to our new home!
The diversity in language, people, and attitudes was apparent depending on which part of the island we were at. When passing Maho, I could tell it was an area for nightlife due to the many bars and lounges that lined the street. Whereas, Marigot had many small restaurants, markets, and attracted many tourists. I also noticed the difference in how advertisements are displayed on the island versus the United States. On the island, advertisements have minimal wording and large pictures that feature the product due to both French and Dutch being the major languages spoken on the island. In the United States, advertisements often have more wording and smaller images. This is a topic we touched on in content marketing and intertwines with international PR as well.
In International PR, we discusses the importance of diversity, inclusivity, and being cognizant of language barriers when crafting campaigns. Being on an island with such a diverse range of people has given me knowledge and made me aware of my presence as an American on the island. I feel as though I have mad many out of class lessons pertaining to international PR this week. For example, in the United States, it is often accepted to speak loudly and openly about certain topics at dinner. However, the Cupecoy area is known for being more laid back and reserved. This is a lesson that I learned and realized the act of adapting to a certain culture can be translated from something as mundane as meal to a large public relations campaign.
I realized from our first excursion the differences between the French and Dutch parts of the island. The Dutch side was physically smaller than the French. However, more of the Dutch side was rebuilt after Hurricane Irma than the French side. Yet, many people who travel to Saint Martin are still from France. In content marketing, I was researching various social media tactics, such as TikTok and Instagram to see who the island's social media was targeting. Almost everything I found was in French. This shows that the island relies heavily on French tourists.
On Friday we had our second excursion of the week. It was such a relaxing day and a great way to see different parts of the island via boat.
We stopped at a local restaurant on the French side of the island for a delicious lunch and got a taste of authentic cuisine. It was so nice being able to swim and explore parts of our new home.
The week was so incredible and I have already created life-long memories with such great people and professors! I can't wait to continue learning and vivre la vie!!
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