1st island on the tour…(can’t believe I’m writing that).
This place is beautiful and relaxed and hot and…ya. We jump off the plane and walk out into the airport to grab our bags when we are met (very happily) by free samples of Cruzan rum! Seriously this stuff is like juice…
Met by Marybell Martinez (the enthusiastic and loving person we met in DC not 3 weeks earlier). She brought us down to perform for the incoming freshmen, and we literally leapt at the chance. On the way to the hotel (tucked away on the east end of St. Croix), we met Mark, our driver for the rest of the week. This dude is a riot.
As we settle in, we realize how tucked in we are in the island. The only food (aside from very expensive hotel food) is at the casino a few hundred yards down the road. Even that was very expensive bar food. We have learned 2 things: “island time” exists and things are pricey on a remote-ish island. So, we called in a favor from Mark to take us out.
The van shows up a few hours later and we hop back in to hit Christiansted, and we are to be joined by new island residents Liz and Andrew, enjoying the fruits of the rum capital of the world :). We hit up the McDonalds where Aaron had a solid 45 minutes to befriend every girl behind the counter (later to wave goodbye in stereo, or surround sound as it were). We ate expensive burgers, Liz lost her wallet, and we shook off the jet lag.
Next was a waterside bar where we put back a few. Afterwards, we found a dance club (with some slamming music, but no dancing). Apparently people don’t start dancing until ~2am….we’d left at 1:30. Ready to go, Andrew (our new friend) inexplicably disappeared before getting into the van (where Mark was sleeping in the back). After a wait, sweating away any alcohol we’d managed to afford, and after Liz convinced Andrew to pour himself into the van, we rumbled back to the hotel.
The morning’s breakfast buffet was fantastic (with incredible hot sauce) and we spent the day rehearsing in the clean, pleasant rooms. It was becoming clear how much we might drink on this trip. Rum is really the only thing we could afford (and readily available). Plus, we are literally on vacation with people we love to hang out with…I love this! Can’t believe it.
One problem, Jordan’s passport is STILL not in. We gave him a week before the trip (albeit, not a lot of time) to get his passport before we hit Orlando. Now it’s down to the wire and Mr. Pharaoh [sic] is passportless and cell service is nigh absent/internet is spotty/service is slow/this is a territory/we are busy…oof. More to come in the next post!
Anyway, Day 2 is an island tour. We, of course, are late but get to see some beautiful sights. Rehearsal. Drinking. Swimming. You get the picture.
Day 3 we hit the campus where we meet Julian, Malkia, and the inimitable Dr. Williams. It is clear the Dr. Williams is protective of her students and will have none of our BS :). Julian heads up a men’s club on campus and we got to chill with him in the dorms as we changed/napped/got ready to sing. The sound check was surprisingly great as Mark (yes, the driver) is running sound. Not knowing what to expect, I was a little suspect of the setup, but quickly changed my expectations. As the group of new freshmen filed in, I got a little bit of that “I’m not having this” feeling from them. But hey, they are freshmen and my expectations are admittedly off here.
Sure enough, we were VERY well received by the Cruzans (sp?). People singing and dancing with us. Can’t wait for the videos. Stay tuned for those!
Tomorrow, it’ll be off to St. Thomas on a very early seaplane flight…