Upon arrival in Montego Bay, Jamaica, I am quickly greeted by Dr. Gauweiler, Megan and Camille (my other classmates). Camille and Megan escorted me to the money exchange booth because I did not have a chance to exchange any currency before departure. When I exchanged money, it was interesting to see how many different denominations of bills I received back in return and there was considerable bulk compared to the same amount in value of US dollars (Jamaican dollars, or “J’s” as they are known by).

We then boarded a shuttle bus, and I was a little worried with all the chaos at the airport that something would happen to our bags (possibly a common concern for international travelers). I was happy to see our bags were with us and arrived safely at the Grand Pineapple Resort – our home for the next two evenings.  The Grand Pineapple was adorable-laid out like a little neighborhood village, directly on the beach. I shared a room with Keisha, another classmate.

On Sunday, we had an orientation led by the Great Shape! Inc. team.  It was very well organized and the activities were fun!  This orientation was held at the Beaches resort, and this is where we were able to eat our meals.  We learned about logistics of the school week and where we would meet the bus and our teams, and at what times, etc.  We also were told that at the end of Monday’s school day, the bus would return us back to Beaches, and we would then check in and stay there for the duration of our time in Negril.

More to come…!

http://www.grandpineapple.com/resorts/grand-pineapple-negril/resort-home/