It was a convention made to order- 84 degrees, no humidity, the warm turquoise Caribbean, a private sugar beach, spectacular panoramic cliff-side views, delicious food, fun, and sun, sun, sun and more sun! Did I mention the sun?
We had 73 people attend our convention with the majority taking advantage of the El Conquistador Resort’s luxurious amenities and vacationing for the entire ten days. Puerto Rico was such an amazing experience that it was difficult to leave – even more so when we learned that it was 40 degrees and snowing in Kyiv and everyone knew that winter was just around the corner in the US. Oh well…
The convention had great events and excursions planned every day. On Sunday, October 25th, after coffee and pastry at the orientation, many members embarked the ferry to our private Paradise Island and enjoyed swimming, jet skiing, snorkeling, or just relaxing in the warm sun with no cares in the world. Paradise Island featured the Iguana Café with tasty sandwiches and cold fresh juice smoothies. Our company included six feet long iguanas, ten pound bunnies, and chickens and roosters that mingled among us looking for handouts as we ate.
On Monday, we played cowboys and cowgirls as we rode horses for two hours just outside the El Yunque Rainforest. Everyone showed off their horseback riding skills as we galloped throughout the countryside. Two brave souls even “frolicked” in the stream. No casualties except for some sore bottoms.
Tuesday, the morning and afternoon was spent at Paradise Island or the swimming pools, but the evening had something more unique planned for us. Just a few miles from our resort is a bioluminescent lagoon at Las Cabezas de San Juan, which is one of two bioluminescent lagoons in the world. After sunset, we paddled our two-man kayaks about a mile through the mangroves to touch the waters that glow with singe-celled din flagellates organisms. The moonless night made this such an incredible wonder of nature to experience.
On Wednesday, we toured the forts of San Juan and the city of Old San Juan—the oldest city in the U.S. We strolled through Old Spanish cathedrals and forts where we learned how the Spanish built and defended their city. We enjoyed some shopping and lunch in Old San Juan’s finest restaurants.
On Wednesday evening, we ended the day with a private dinner at the Strip Steak House. The filets were perfectly cooked to order and the desserts were culinary treats.
Thursday morning was the long awaited tour of El Yunque—the largest rainforest in the Caribbean and a designated National Park of the U.S. We all donned our camping gear and hiked for two hours throughout the waterfalls, foliage, and animals of the rainforest. Truly, El Yunque is a remarkable and unforgettable experience.
The UABA sponsored a welcome cocktail reception with an open bar and hor d’oerves on Thursday evening. It was an evening of great fun where everyone was able to renew old friendships and develop new ones.
On Halloween, Friday, our seminars started with a breakfast buffet followed by four lectures on various legal topics. The seminar finished by noon and everyone headed out to Paradise Island or to the swimming pools.
That evening the El Conquistador Resort sponsored Casino Night, where members were treated to free gaming lessons on blackjack and Texas hold-em poker. We were then able to put our new-found skills to a test where the UABA featured a Texas hold-em tournament.
Congratulations to Leonid Vlasov for winning first place and to Walter Lupan for taking second place.
On Saturday, the morning consisted of a breakfast buffet and concluded with the seminars by noon. The UABA gala banquet kicked off with a cocktail reception that evening with an open bar followed by our annual banquet. Three scholarships of $1,500 each were announced to Petro Kostiv, University of Michigan Law School, Iryna Ivashuk, University of Florida Levin College of Law and Volodymyr Hirnyk, Pace Law School. Petro and Iryna attended the convention and banquet and addressed the membership with very inspired messages.
The convention concluded with closing remarks and a group photo. The big topic of conversation was where and when the next convention would be! |
