Fifth Semester Party!!
To celebrate the end of Basic Sciences, every class at AUC holds a Fifth Semester Party, a formal gathering of the friends and colleagues you went to classes with everyday during your time on the island. This semester, our Fifth Semester Party was at the Westin, one of the nicest hotels on the island with one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve been to. Irene flew in from Miami just that afternoon, just in time for the occasion. She had just gotten done with Basic Sciences from her program at Barry University (even took her finals that day!), and I was finishing up my Basic Sciences here at AUC. It was a night of celebration for both of us.
Like many other students, my friends and I booked a room at the hotel (which our class reps got us at a discounted rate for the party), so that we could enjoy the party and the resort to the fullest. Plus, we didn’t want to drive home to the other side of the island after a long night.
The dinner was nice, being in the ballroom at the Westin Resort. Irene wore her new black toga dress and I wore a purple shirt and tie Irene picked out for me. There was plenty of food, dessert, and an open bar. After dinner, there was a slideshow of pictures from our class taken throughout the past few semesters… the memories. Afterwards, the DJ put on some music and the strobe lights above the dance floor began spinning.
After an hour or so of dancing, my friends and I decided to go check out the beach and the pool. As long as I’ve been on this island, this night was actually my first time being on a beach in St. Maarten at night. As others decided to hang out at the hot tub or pool, Irene and I went to go lay by the beach. The weather was perfect, with a gentle breeze and clear sky. The sand was especially soft and fine, unlike many other beaches I’ve been to. That night happened to be a meteor shower, and we saw quite a few shooting stars.
We stayed out there until 1:30am or so. By that time, the students from the ballroom were starting to migrate to the pool. Nothing’s better than a midnight swim with your class. As Irene and I called it a night, the party continued…
The next morning, we had Brunch at the Westin. It’s probably the nicest buffet I’ve had on the island, with a breakfast bar, an omelette station, seafood bar, sushi bar, desserts galore (with chocolate fondue fountain), a roast beef/tuna steak carving station, pasta bar where they make any kind of pasta you like, an Indian station, and Thai/Indonesian station. The food all looked so alluring that I wish I had more stomach space to fill it all.
Throughout the semesters, our class reps have raised enough money to make our party free, which is amazing, considering in previous semesters the tickets have usually been around $50-60! On top of that, we got discounts for anyone who booked a hotel room for the night as well as discount for the famous Sunday Brunch. Nice job Jubin, Kwasi, Harley, Andrew, and other reps who have made this possible! To all other class reps… better start fundraising!
Irene and I had an awesome time at our Fifth Semester Party. After two years of hard work, this was our time of celebrating the end of this phase of our journey, together, as a class. In the next few semesters, we will all be dispersed throughout the United States and the UK. Some of us will cross paths again soon, while others we may not see again until graduation. To all those who have made it thus far, congratulations! I wish you all the best in the semesters to come. And thanks for such a wonderful two years!
