Soft Sands & Sunglasses! SXM Week #1

By: Andrew Jáuregui

We’ve been on the island almost a week, and I still feel like it hasn’t fully set in yet. Everything here is filled with life, color, and character. Perhaps the most beautiful sight on the island is the magnificent beaches. Beyond their beauty, the soothing soft sands pairs perfectly with the calming crashing of waves. 

In class, we were split into four groups, each to be representing a different beach on the island, as well as its surrounding area. My group selected Mullet Bay, which had me incredibly excited, as it’s the beach I’ve spent the most time on so far. However, even with this extra experience, we still have so many questions to answer. One of the largest being the geographic breakdown of who visits Mullet Bay. How many locals are there versus tourists on any given day? Where are the tourists coming from? Do these different groups have different priorities when they are in the area?

We have so much to learn and discover it seems a little intimidating, but I feel that our classes so far have established a strong base for us to build from. To help answer our question, we’ve been learning how to utilize Sprinklr, a social media analytics software that will help us understand who is saying what about Mullet Bay and where they are saying it. It can even give some insight to general audience sentiment! 

While I am incredibly eager to begin applying the knowledge I have learned from these classes and others in a more practical application, the biggest reason I am excited to have this assignment with Mullet Bay is that the beach and I have unfinished business. On the first day we visited the beach, I had a wonderful time tanning on the beach, splashing in the water, and even burying myself in the sand up to my chest! Unfortunately, in what would be a tragic turn of events, I would leave the safety of the sandy shore and enter the waves wearing my sunglasses. I would soon be hit by a wave, not particularly strong, but enough to take off my sunglasses and send them drifting away. Despite my best efforts I never did find them.

It was several days later when we were officially assigned Mullet Bay as our area, and research began. Funnily enough, my initial primary research on the area revealed that Mullet Bay is the top surfing destination on the island, so perhaps it's only fitting that I lose something by being hit by a wave. It was also almost as if the water desired a surfer and had no respect for me, who simply waded around, or maybe I should be more careful wearing sunglasses in the ocean?

Once I feel like I have a full and complete understanding of Mullet Bay and its area and my group finishes plans for our final project, I will purchase a new pair of sunglasses to signify my closure and respect for the beach. For those worried about me not having sunglasses in the meantime, please know that I only lost my cheap spare glasses, and my main pair are still safe and secure, at least for now.

From class lessons to ocean shenanigans, I can’t wait to see what the rest of this study abroad will bring!