My first week on the friendly island has been an exemplary experience. From learning about the culture and history of St. Maarten to diving into the classroom, to making some new friends, I can already tell that the rest of the month will be filled with amazing adventures.
We began this week with a tour of both the French and Dutch sides of the island with our driver and friend, Andre. We got to hear about the foundations of the island’s history as well as some facts about the rich culture of the island. We stopped in a few place such as Marigot, the capital of the French side, where we were able to do a little shopping and enjoy some authentic French pastries. This tour was a great way to also learn about excursions and activities on the island. A majority of the advertising for tours, water sports, etc. are found on billboards and flyers or through word of mouth, so it was helpful to get out and see those ads. We ended our tour at Sunset Bar and Grill where we enjoyed good food and great company while watching airplanes take flight from the airport next door.
Tuesday was spent getting to know our particular area a little more. We had the opportunity to explore the different parts of our resort, the Sapphire Beach Club, as well as a market near Cupecoy Port. The market is very convenient for essentials throughout the duration of our trip! Next, we spent some time at Mullet Bay Beach which is regarded as one of the best beaches in St. Maarten. After a long day, I headed to back to the resort to get ready for dinner at Fat Tony’s in Jordan Village. The steak was amazing!
Wednesday was an early morning for the UAIC crew because we had a catamaran tour! The boat left from Simpson Bay and we set off for an amazing day of bonding, swimming, and fun! A special thanks to the crew who were amazing and made sure our day was special.
Thursday morning began with class where we got an introduction to social media marketing from Dr. Hayes and began some secondary research with Huff. My small group was tasked with researching the perceived customer awareness, loyalty, and attitudes of consumers towards Sapphire Beach Club. Later on, we enjoyed a sushi dinner at a restaurant called Naruto where we sat on the rooftop and basked in the view.
Friday morning’s class gave us some deeper insight into the platform we will be using for social media analytics called Sprinklr. We also finished up our initial secondary research. That evening we spent time celebrating our friend Elsa! We ate at an amazing steakhouse called Jax to commemorate the evening.
Saturday was spent relaxing and taking a breather from our very eventful week. However, we had to celebrate our friend Theresa’s 21st birthday with a special dinner at a restaurant called 3 Amigos.
Sunday was another relaxing beach day where I and a few others decided to take a look at Orient Bay. We soaked up some sun, ate some fish tacos, and splashed around before coming home to prepare for the upcoming week.
This trip has been nothing short of special in just the first week of our arrival. I can't wait to see what the next 3 weeks have in store for us!
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