I didn’t think my time in St. Maarten could get much better after the first week, but I was pleasantly surprised to have made so many more memories during the second week. I truly have immersed myself into the Caribbean culture and am enjoying my time thoroughly. Things just keep going up from here!
In Huff’s class this week, we finally started our content shooting days. Liz and I highlighted all the opportunities that St. Maarten has for students. We started the week by taking content of ourselves studying and enjoying class time. Showing our experience studying abroad through The University of Alabama, was a perfect place for us to start. Later in the week we interviewed two American students who are studying at American University of the Caribbean. They helped us gain more insight about the lives of students on the island and how their opportunities set them up for their future careers. It was interesting to learn about how their time abroad here has given them more hands on experience in the medical field. The interview ultimately gave us insider knowledge to aid our content marketing strategy.
While we were getting content for ourselves, we also helped other groups accomplish their pitches. Monday night, a group of us dressed up and went to dinner in Maho. Liz, Kayla, Alex, and I joined Lindsay and Connie at dinner to help them with their weekly content. We decided on Roma, an Italian fine dining restaurant, and took pictures and videos all night to help the group with their weekly pitch. We ate the best Italian food including my favorite, the lobster ravioli. While dinner was the highlight of our night, Mondays wouldn’t be complete without our favorite group activity… Karaoke!
The excursions this week were some of my favorites so far. First, on Tuesday, the group boarded Andre’s bus and headed towards Phillipsburg. I was excited to look around and see more of the city. Upon arriving it was apparent how much the culture of St. Maarten shines through in their cities. Just like the culture, Phillipsburg is colorful and lively. Everyone in town had a smile on their face. I loved shopping in all of the jewelry stores and souvenir shops. However, my all-time favorite activity that the group and I did together was the Rhino safari. I had never been on a Rhino before but if it’s any sort of water activity, count me in!
I learned a few key things that pertain to International Public Relations when doing the Rhino Safari excursion. I had never been on a rhino boat before, so my knowledge was very little. The office advertises a two-hour trip with a break in between to go snorkeling. On the snorkeling the instructors told us that we would see a plethora of sea animals including turtles, fish, corals, etc. Unfortunately, when we arrived, we all realized that the only sight we would see is seaweed. We all agreed that this was false advertising and that it is increasingly important when promoting a product that it lives up to its promises. In international PR it is imperative that there is no false advertising or else it could lead to an unhappy audience. The business or company may have to deal with backlash later. Regardless, I had the best time being out in the sun with all of my friends.
I am looking forward to this week and I cannot wait to check back in next week with many more memories!
Till next time,
Lydon Ross
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