Sunday in paradise

The view from the balcony of my room is spectacular! You can see the resort grounds, with the ocean in the background. What a wonderful way to enjoy a Sunday, meeting friends and colleagues from all over the world. Nurses from 33 countries will be attending the International Nursing Research Congress in Cancún this week. Many of our colleagues arrived yesterday or early today and have already registered. And today, there was a pre-Congress workshop hosted by the Caring International Research Collaborative (CIRC).

To expedite the resort check-in process, the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) has arranged for a special resort registration area for new STTI and WANS participants arriving at The Moon Palace Resort. , Once you are escorted to your room and drop your luggage off, you are welcome to explore, enjoy the wonderful sights and, of course, the STTI staff is ready in the convention center to register you for your Congress and/or WANS attendance. The relaxed mood today was evident. Some, tossing cover-ups over the swimsuits, took a break from the pool or lazy river to pick up registration materials. Nice swimming break.

Pre-Congress workshop sponsored by CIRC

Tonight, we took a resort bus to the Brazilian restaurant in the next lobby. There are three lobby areas on site. At this restaurant, you start with a salad buffet and then are served meat after meat after meat, until you turn up a red card near your plate indicating you can eat no more. And then, of course, you have dessert. Homemade coconut ice cream was the dessert of choice at our table. And, since this is an all-inclusive resort, the bus and everything else was included in our reservation. I didn’t even take my wallet.

Tomorrow is a big day. It starts with the opening plenary, "Integrating Policy, Practice and Research: An Important Strategy for Improving Global Health," followed by special sessions, symposia, concurrent sessions, poster presentations and exhibits! Late tomorrow afternoon, we’ll celebrate with the International Induction Ceremony, followed by a special "Welcome to Cancún" reception.

Cynthia Vlasich, MBA, BSN, RN

Director, Education and Leadership

For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.