On Monday, we began our week by diving right into our first group assignment, a Client Profile of Vacation St. Maarten. My group, Island Gworls, consisted of Sierra, Cat, Mary Kay, and myself. In this assignment we worked together to get to know more about our client, Vacation St. Maarten. We were able to assess both our client's successes and their opportunities as we studied their website and their social media platforms.
We were originally planned to take a trip to Marigot on Tuesday but we were thrown a slight curveball due to a scheduling mix up. The girls seized this opportunity to get to explore Philipsburg even further.
We worked our way up and down the streets of Philipsburg stopping here and there to talk to locals that recognized our group from the week before. I browsed the nearby markets trying (and mainly failing) to negotiate the prices with the local vendors. I left with a cute little coverup so I consider the day a success!
Of course we couldn't go to Philipsburg without stopping by Juggie's! Juggie was so excited to see our group and even let my friend Kate experience the hustle and bustle of working at his bar. As I drank my milkshake, I had the pleasure of talking to the sweetest elderly man named David. David moved to St. Maarten from Westshire, England when he was twenty-one. Within weeks he fell in love with both the island and a beautiful young woman, and they have lived here ever since. From his favorite remote locations to his experience with Hurricane Irma, he told me all about his life on the island. His love for the St. Maarten was so evident. This sweet conversation made up for the excruciatingly hot bus ride!
On Wednesday we headed to Marigot where we hiked up to the top of Fort Louis. Once we got to the top, I snapped a few pictures of Dr. Hayes and Mac hitting the crane.
Thursday morning we presented our Client Profile to the class. It was interesting to see each group's style and personality show through in their keynote. After spending each afternoon at the beach or by the pool together, it was fun and different to see each person in an academic environment, presenting their ideas to the class. I also enjoyed hearing new ideas and different approaches that our group had not thought of.
We ended our week on a high note at Topper's Rhum Distillery. On our tour, Kate and EB were chosen to cook for the group. They cooked chicken and pineapple with rum poured over the top. We tried Topper's famous rhum cake and it definitely lived up to the hype. Our afternoon ended with a nice dinner at Topper's restaurant overlooking the bay. It was a perfect way to end our second week on the island.
-Ellie Slawson
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