Viva spring break
Michael Thackrey M'07 |
| Spring Break in Cabo |
Spring break is the perfect opportunity for many to get away from the stresses of school and enjoy some warm weather. Thanks to the generosity of the Madanat family, six first year medical students were able to venture to the west coast for a week in the sun and sand of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. One of the little known side effects of such a spring break adventure is that it also shows many of us just how old and white we really are.
Upon arriving at the resort in the early afternoon, we headed straight to the pool to get some sun and drinks and check out the “scenery”. I knew it was a bad sign when everyone raised their sunglasses as I took off my shirt. This wasn’t too much of a surprise - so I slathered on the SPF 200 and proceeded to burn like Snoop Dogg at 4:20. It wouldn’t have been so bad without the waiter advising me that he would give me two-for-one drinks if I promised to stay under the umbrella. I figured the best way to relieve any worries would be to get sloshed by sundown. Man, I love spring break.
That night, after everyone had convened and sorted out the living situation, we visited the popular local dance club “El Squid Roe”. From the looks of everyone downtown, I never would have known we were outside of the US without the “El” in the title. It was also evident from the beginning that one of the most successful pick-up lines might be, “so . . . have you gotten your period yet?” While I didn’t think we looked much older than the general crowd, apparently we had “grandparent” tattooed on our foreheads.
For the rest of the week our response slowly improved; certainly, it was directly proportional to the levels of our tans. Rather than worry about it, we did actually spend most of the time enjoying the local scenery and activities as well as each other’s company. Cabo San Lucas has some beautiful natural architecture - such as The Arch and semi-secluded Lover’s Beach - both where the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific Ocean. Apparently, clouds are allergic to Baja California, too. The wonderful weather, the great company, and feasts the size of a small country helped make the theme of the week, “Tough life, baby”. The only tough part was deciding what to do next. Of course, when eight people are hanging out you make a party wherever you go.
Our roving festivities definitely made it easier to forget that we were a few standard deviations above the average age. Luckily, we met a friendly group of New Yorkers in their early thirties who joined us out on the town. (Yes, I know it is illegal to put “friendly” and “New Yorkers” in the same sentence.) I guess that more than one had a knee injury limiting her movement, which aided in our feeling more youthful.
All in all, the trip was a wonderful experience. I’m not sure I can take the stigma of blinding an entire foreign country with only my wrinkles breaking the glare again. I guess I’ve got 355 days left to get over it.
PHOTO ALBUM
