Hillary Lee - My experience in the Bahamas

What do you know about Bahamas? For me, it was beautiful beaches, sunny weather, and cruises. Honestly, that was pretty much all I could say about it before this experience. The morning of October 3, 2014 as I was standing in Foggy Bottom Metro, shivering and waiting for my friends to arrive, I received an email from my school’s study abroad office. It read “Congratulations! You've been accepted to Event Management and Marketing in The Bahamas!” I could not believe my eyes. I got in! I got in the program! I was going to go to Bahamas! I was still in half-disbelief until I got another email from my professor Dr. Levy next week. Eagerly, I started my research about Junkanoo – what the program was about. Fast forward to December 27, I got on a plane from DCA to ATL. And delay after delay, ATL to NAS. Let me just tell you, once your plane lands in Bahamas, you will know that you’re in Bahamas. It was sunny and warm, bye bye puffy jacket and hello sun! While waiting for my turn at the customs, there was a live band playing. And as soon as I left customs, pamphlets, maps, and other printed marketing materials. Then, I checked in at the Comfort Suites Inn at Paradise Island. Greeted by a plate of fresh fruits in my room.

Next day, we had a walking tour of downtown Nassau, learning of its culture and history. Valdez, our tour guide,  gave us one tip that truly changed my mindset – a mindset that could have made this trip extremely disappointing – it is likely and possible to wait 60-90 minutes in a restaurant. And let me tell you, that advice kicked in just couple hours later as we were waiting for our captain of the ferry to take us back to the Paradise Island. The captain, who was “on his way” for 30-45 minutes. Next day, after spending all day in the hotel conference room for our lecture, I took up my mission as a secret shopper for a restaurant. Placing a reservation call before, noting the service, food quality, and so on to evaluate and go through the journey in a customer’s shoes. All day I was thinking to myself, “Why do I feel so cold?”

Next morning, I woke up with sore throat and coughs, Oh no… But got ready for the guest lecture with Dr. Bethel. It was a great honor to hear from someone who is truly an expert. If I were to describe that lecture with Dr. Bethel in two word, it would be eye-opening. Firstly, I thought someone who is that knowledgeable in the field might find a group of college/graduate school students annoying, but no. She answered even our most elementary questions with expertise. After this lecture I felt as if we did an entire round of truth of false game. For example, truth or false? Junkanoo started with a John Canoe. Her answer shocked me since everywhere else that I read about Junkanoo prior have said that it was true. However, Dr. Bethel said the true origin of Junkanoo remains a mystery, but John Canoe story remains to be a good story to tell! That afternoon we went to the Junkanoo Museum! Where we learned about Junkanoo in a different perspective! Learning how much work goes into makes the costumes and seeing them in detail really opened my eyes. Creating our own Junkanoo music in the Shack and trying on different costumes also added to the fun.

Morning of December 31, 2014 I woke up with something I have been fearing the entire time I, the flu. There was no denying it, my roommate, Megan, and I were sick with the flu. As I walked to the ice-machine wrapped in a blanket, a cleaning lady saw me, she said “How’d you get a cold in Bahamas? I’m gonna take a picture of you and send it to my friends! Haha!” After the picture, she handed me antibacterial spray. After spraying down the room for our “healthy” roommate, Jen, Megan and I played the waiting game. We waited for Dr. Kelly to visit us in our hotel. He told us we had a flu, but wasn’t able to prescribe any medicines since there wasn’t a pharmacy in Paradise Island. He gave us list of OTC medicines, which we got, and my “I will go to Junkanoo even if I have to drag myself” flew out the window as I woke up 2 or 3 in the morning. Apparently, there was huge fireworks so close to the hotel that someone described to me as “I thought it was almost like a earthquake.” Sadly, I can’t comment on it, as I slept through it. When I woke up, I turned on the TV and Junkanoo was on. Megan and I saw our classmates sitting on the bleachers on TV with their thunder-sticks. As I woke up middle of the night, couple more times, I saw bits of the parade on TV and Mr. Ferguson, whom we met the day before on TV. That is as much I can say about my experience in Junkanoo. Even a month after this experience, I still get a bit upset every time I think about how I missed the Junkanoo.  I was so excited, so ready to experience it. Unfortunately, attending the Junkanoo remains on my bucket list.

January 1, 2015 I was still recovering from the flu. January 2, my group met to work on the group project presentation. Next day, we presented our project and that evening managed to go see the aquarium in Atlantis. Next day, we all headed over to Eleuthera. Stayed at the Hut Pointe Inn – where the room was a lot nicer than my entire apartment back in DC! Evenings, we worked and practiced for our official presentation. Next day, we had a tour of Eleuthera, we went to Peacher’s cave and beautiful pink sand beach in Harbor Island. When we got back to the Hut Pointe Inn, we worked and practiced for our presentation again. Early next morning, we flew back to Nassau. Had the final run-through for the official presentation that afternoon. We presented our class findings at the Ministry of Tourism. It was an amazing experience getting to share what my class found with other people. When we returned back to Nassau Junkanoo Resort many of us went to the beach and to the farewell dinner that evening.

The morning of January 6, I took a taxi to the airport to head back home. You might think that my experience in the Bahamas will end at the airport. But the experience in Bahamas continued. As I was holding on to my checked-in luggage receipt instead of boarding pass and didn’t even realized until the agent asked for my boarding pass to get into the security. I frantically looked through my purse and pockets, I didn’t have it. Another agent on the right had it. I must have dropped it and she saved the day. Think this is now end of the trip? Think again, because I left my passport at the security. Thankfully, another agent had it with her and rest of the trip – going through immigration and customs, boarding the plane, getting back to DC and home – were all seamless.

My experience in Bahamas was simply phenomenal. Not being sick with the flu might have made the trip perfect, but even with that pain point I had an exceptional time and experience in Bahamas. The people I met in the Bahamas were happy, pleasant, and excited for life. They were caring and warm – like the weather. The cleaning lady who laughed at me walking to the ice machine wrapped in blanket, the hotel staffs, people I met at restaurants, people on the street, even the taxi drivers. They were always smiling, happy. So how was my experience in the Bahamas? Phenomenal, I was happy.

Bahama explores

The guys

Practicing for government presentation