Leaving Puerto Rico

Latino Language, Pedagogy and Culture Immersion Institute in Puerto Rico

We had a little time in the morning to walk around before we had to head to the airport. Camilla and I explored the Miramar neighborhood of San Juan, where our hotel was, and then got some lunch at a local restaurant for one last fix of amarillos (sweet plantains) and rice and beans before leaving. We went up to the lookout deck on the top floor of the hotel and said goodbye to beautiful Puerto Rico, and then loaded our bags in the bus that would take us to the airport. I was very sad to leave Puerto Rico. Even though I came home with about fourteen mosquito bites, I would have liked to stay for a few more days (or weeks, or...). It really was a fantastic trip, and I hope to go back someday.

As I watched out the plane window as we took off, the coastline of Puerto Rico disappeared within a couple minutes. A few hours later we touched down in (comparatively) chilly Philadelphia. My first two doses of reverse culture shock came before I even left the airport. The first thing was the happy realization that we had hot water, soap, and paper towels in the bathroom. Most of the public bathrooms in Puerto Rico were lacking at least one of those elements, and sometimes all three.

The second bit of reverse culture shock was not so happy. I was standing about two feet away from the baggage carousel waiting for the bags to come out, and suddenly a bunch of eager Americans crowded into the space right in front of me, so that I couldn't even see the bags. Welcome back to the States. Oh well. I used my newfound sense of Puerto Rican laid-back style and waited for the crowd to thin out. It's time to get back to my regular life, but I learned a few things in Puerto Rico that have changed my way of thinking.

posted by Jerika at 11:38 PM

who should I talk to about student teaching in Puerto Rico?
About to have BA, and my target is Elementary.
Thanks, this is hard to find info!

By  Anonymous, at August 28, 2008 3:01 PM