While this week began with a restful Memorial Day, the remainder was packed full of action consisting of longer classes and exciting excursions.
On Monday we celebrated Memorial Day with some much needed rest and relaxation. For the first part of the day, we soaked up the sun by the pool, chatting about our excitement for the upcoming excursion. The girls and Raj scheduled a sunset horseback riding session at the most Southern point of the island! Even though many of us had never ridden horses or had very little experience, you would have never known. We looked like real cowgirls (or cowboys) out there!
Our leader, Davy, expressed his excitement for our tour. Because the island is in its off season, Davy and his team's days are much more quiet. On a normal day in the high season, the day will be filled with five to six tours per day, in comparison to just one or two tours a day during the off season. While he enjoys and appreciates the busy days during the high season, he also cherishes the down time that the off season brings him. This is yet another example of the positive mindset that the majority of the islanders have.
Tuesday was when all of the action began. In Dr. Hayes' class, we began to learn how to navigate our way through Sprinklr, a platform that provides important information about consumers in order to improve marketing, advertising, and engagement. Mastering the ins and outs of Sprinklr will not only help us succeed in our assignments here in the Caribbean but also in the real world with our future jobs.
After our classes that morning, we went to Simpson Bay to go on a Rhino Tour. On the Rhino, the boat not the animal, each pair each other to the snorkeling location. With our snorkels and our life jackets, we dove in and looked at all of the wildlife. It was so exciting to see all of the different colorful fish that I forget actually exist in real life. On the way back, each boat zoomed back to see who would get back first. After my partner, Mac, almost threw me off of the boat, twice, we decided to take it easy and stay towards the back.
After a regular class day on Wednesday, we hit the water again for our all-day Catamaran boat tour around the island. I had been waiting for this day for the entire trip and let's just say that it did not disappoint! We saw so many cool places like Donald Trump's house and even the house where one of Drake's music video was filmed. The deckhands then dropped the anchor at the same snorkeling place from Tuesday. We slid down the slide and jumped from the top of the roof into the water. We slowly made our way back towards Simpson Bay at the end of the afternoon. We capped off the day with a quick trip to see Top Gun. 10/10 recommend. While I was sad to see such a wonderful day come to an end, I was so thankful for the core memory that was created.
On Friday, in Dr. VanDyke's class, we continued to talk about Campaign Planning. Towards the end of class we talked about Corporate Responsibility. It was a really interesting concept that I had never thought much about. This idea was interesting to me as there never really is a clear or right answer. Each company handles the idea differently. However each company goes about the idea, it is so important to really know your consumers and understand their wants and their needs.
Lastly, we concluded our busy week with yet another fun event. We went to the highest point on the Island for the annual Elev8 party. In order to get to the top, I had to overcome my slight fear of heights. We made our way to the top on a couple of chairlifts. Once we got to the top of the mountain, we were surrounded by people of all different backgrounds and languages. Whether on vacation, studying, or just coming to their favorite local party, everyone came together to enjoy the music and the conversations.
I'm so excited to celebrate our girl, Kendall, tomorrow and to see what our final week on the island has in store for us!
-Ellie Slawson
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