Latino Language, Pedagogy and Culture Immersion Institute in Puerto Rico

This afternoon we went to the marine research station in La Parguera to learn about some of the environmental elements of the area. When we arrived on the island we saw a sign that said in Spanish "Don't feed the iguanas," which sounded humorous at first. Then all of the sudden I noticed an iguana walking down the path towards us.

"So," I thought, "there really are iguanas here. The sign was for real." Then I noticed another iguana sitting under the palm tree a few feet away from us. Then another. Then I realized they are all over the island.

We went up and stood on the porch for a while and watched them and they watched us. We were told to watch our toes, as we were almost all wearing sandals. It was like being in a mini Jurassic Park. We never knew when one was going to sneak up from behind.

Our guide, Dr. Juan Gonzalez, had told us earlier that it doesn't rain much in the southern part of the island because of the mountain chain running the length of the island. He said it never rains in La Parguera, except when he says it's not going to rain. Well, it poured while we were there. We were scheduled to have a lesson outside about the mangrove trees, and as he started talking, the ominous clouds that had been thundering decided to let loose. We ran inside and had our lesson in the classroom inside the research center. We were somewhat distracted by the small lizard running under our chairs, but it was a fascinating class. Dr. Gonzalez showed us the documentaries he had done for the Discovery Channel and Good Morning America about the bioluminescent bay in La Parguera. The bay has a high concentration of an organism called pirodinium bahamensis that puts off light when agitated. When you swim in the water, it glows around you! Unfortunately the bioluminescence isn't as bright as it used to be because of light pollution and damage from too many tourist boats.

After our class we went outside to see if we could take our afternoon trip out to the coral reef to go snorkeling. The rain had let up but there was still lightning in the area, so we couldn't go out on the boat. We entertained ourselves by leaning off the edge of the dock and trying to see the fish that lived under it. We called this "Pennsylvania Snorkeling." The boat driver thought we were nuts, but at least we got to see some fish. They were all different beautiful colors, the kind you see in a pet store.


Dr. Gonzalez wanted to show us the mangroves he had told us about, so we had the remainder of our class outside even though it was still raining. Then he took us over to the dock, jumped in the water, and showed us some organisms that were growing along the coast. I must say that was the first time I ever had a prof that crawled around under a dock in the rain. He is so passionate about what he teaches.

We checked the weather and found out there was a huge cloud that was going to cover Puerto Rico until morning, so we decided to switch our plans for today and Monday. We went to Cabo Rojo to see the "salinas," the salt flats where they mine salt. They wait until it crystallizes about a foot thick on the bottom of the flats and then they drain the water into the sea and scrape up the salt with a bulldozer. The salt from here is used to make salt licks for cattle. While we were there we also saw the eggs of tiny shrimp that thrive in this very salty environment. (These are the same shrimp that are commonly known among college students as "sea monkeys.")

For a fantastic end to the evening we went to the light house of Cabo Rojo ("Red Cape"), which is so named because the rocky cliffs look red from out on the ships in the sea. It was perfect timing because we got to see the sun setting over the water. It was absolutely beautiful.

posted by Jerika at 10:41 PM 2 Comments

Latino Language, Pedagogy and Culture Immersion Institute in Puerto Rico

What an amazing afternoon! After class we went to the beach at El Rincon. We had lunch on an outdoor patio at a restaurant right next to the beach, where we could watch the sailboats go by as we ate. We spent a few hours at the beach and it was so relaxing and beautiful. The water was calm, and we were surrounded by palm trees. Usually it rains a little in the afternoon but we didn't have any rain today! It was a perfect afternoon.

posted by Jerika at 8:40 PM 0 Comments

Latino Language, Pedagogy and Culture Immersion Institute in Puerto Rico

I started the day with an early-morning walk with Camilla and Julie. Our hotel is only about a ten-minute walk from the track at the university, so it's very convenient. On the way we drew lots of stares, some friendly, some curious. It was a little uncomfortable attracting all that attention, but it's hard to escape it when you look thoroughly American.

We had our first Spanish class this morning. After writing an introduction about ourselves using as much Spanish as we could, we broke up into the two sections, a beginners' class and an advanced class. The beginners' class enjoyed looking for familiar words in a weekly flyer from a local grocery store (which we would go to later) and sharing their introductions with the professor. In the advanced class we listened to a song and read a story that both addressed the experiences of Puerto Ricans who moved to the United States and had difficulties adjusting financially and culturally. This helped me to better understand the experiences of my Puerto Rican students who move back and forth between Puerto Rico and the US, and I'm looking forward to further discussions on this topic.

After lunch we listened to a lecture on the history, geography, and culture of Puerto Rico, by Michael Campbell, a professor who was originally from the US but has lived in Puerto Rico for over 20 years. It was helpful to hear the perspective of someone who is very familiar with many aspects of Puerto Rico but still comes from somewhat of an "outsider's" point of view.

For dinner we all went to a local Puerto Rican restaurant, el Cacique (a Taino word for "chief"). I think we just about overwhelmed the owner with about 15 of us coming in at once. He gave us a separate room and was very patient in taking our orders as we struggled clumsily with the unfamiliar words on the menu. In addition to my own meal I tasted a little bit of everyone else's around me, so by the end of the night I had gotten to try some typical dishes like mofongo (mashed plantain filled with your choice of meat, pictured), mamposteado (a rice dish), rice and beans, tostones (mashed, fried plantains), and carne guisada (very yummy meat). Delicious!

posted by Jerika at 9:26 PM 0 Comments

A Welcoming Experience

Latino Language, Pedagogy and Culture Immersion Institute in Puerto Rico

On Sunday morning we took a bus tour around Mayaguez to get better acquainted with the city. We stopped at the Brazo Gitano Franco shop where we were invited for a taste test of some brazos gitanos (jelly rolls), for which Franco is famous. They sell them in many different flavors, including standard flavors like creme and strawberry, and some others I wouldn't have thought of, such as guava and carrot. We also passed a large outdoor market where people were selling fruits and juices, among other things, from tents and truck beds. As we drove, our guide, Olga, pointed out various places around town where buildings have become piles of rubble. She said they are tearing down the old buildings in order to build new ones for the 2010 Caribbean Games that will be held in Mayaguez. It sounds like Mayaguez is getting a makeover for the special occasion. We also took a brief tour of the campus of the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, where we will be having our Spanish classes each morning. We didn't get to go inside the buildings since everything was closed for the weekend, but it was still good to get an introduction to the campus.

In the afternoon Olga took us to a beach at Cabo Rojo that was very family oriented and relaxed, with boats anchored close to the shore. We didn't mind when it started to rain (the daily afternoon rain of summer), but as soon as we heard thunder we scrambled out of the water. I was surprised to see that some of the locals stayed in the water even as we watched lightning strike the water off in the distance.

On the way back we stopped to get coconuts at a little place where you basically order through a hole in the wall and they chop the end off your coconut and stick a straw in it so you can drink the liquid inside. I always thought coconut milk was supposed to be white and sweet, but it just tasted like coconutty water. When you're done drinking you can take it back to have it cut in half so you can eat the meat inside by carving it out with a piece of the skin, which took a bit of skill.

In the evening we switched gears for a fabulous dinner at the house of the rector of the university (equivalent to the president of a university in the U.S.). As we entered, we were greeted with glasses of punch and trays of empanadillas before sitting down to a lovely meal of typical Puerto Rican foods out on the porch overlooking the campus. The rector was very welcoming and friendly, the kind of person who makes everyone he meets feel special. He had us each introduce ourselves one by one. We also got to meet the dean and the professors who would be our Spanish teachers, as well as the magnificent Annie, who put the whole evening together. I very much enjoyed chatting with her and hearing the details behind the scenes. It's amazing that even though the rector has a very busy schedule, he took the time to invite us into his home. We feel very welcome here!

posted by Jerika at 6:56 PM 0 Comments

We've arrived!

Latino Language, Pedagogy and Culture Immersion Institute in Puerto Rico

The weather for our flight to Puerto Rico was perfect, allowing us to have a gorgeous view of the ocean below. Overall the flight was uneventful, aside from the mother next to me changing her two-year-old's diaper as I tried to eat my breakfast. Not exactly appetizing.
After we picked up our bags, we stopped for lunch at a nearby Wendy's, where I managed to order in Spanish without the employee responding in English. Score! Well, I guess I should say I ordered partly in Spanish, as in "una papa con queso y unos chicken nuggets", but only because "chicken nuggets" was in English on the menu. As we ate, we pondered how they decide which menu items to put in English and which to put in Spanish.
After lunch we boarded a frigid bus for the three-hour ride from San Juan to Mayaguez, our home for the next two weeks. We were told before we came that Puerto Ricans blast the air conditioning inside to compensate for the heat outside, and so far we have found this to be quite true. When we arrived in Mayaguez we attracted the attention of the locals as our poor bus driver attempted to squeeze our coach bus around the tight corners of the town square. A couple of police and some taxi drivers helped direct us, and a number of other bystanders stuck around to watch. Finally we got settled in our hotel rooms and were free to explore the town on our own.
For supper my group decided to try to find some local Puerto Rican cuisine, but since most of the shops and restaurants were closed for the holiday weekend, we settled for Quizno's for supper and then got our taste of the local flavor for dessert at a little ice cream shop. Another customer helped us with the words for cone and dish so we could order in Spanish. As we ate our ice cream on the square, we watched some elderly gentlemen playing dominos and saw a crowd coming out of the cathedral. We found out that another service was starting soon, so we decided to go in. Listening to the mass definitely stretched my Spanish comprehension abilities as the voices came through the fuzzy sound system and echoed off the high walls and ceiling. I was able to at least catch the main idea of most of it. Towards the end some of us were starting to nod off since we had been up since before dawn and traveling all day, so we slipped out the back and returned to the hotel, discussing along the way what we had each managed to get out of the sermon.
Once back at the hotel, I unpacked my bags and explored the room a bit. It's not exactly a five-star hotel, but with air conditioning, a pool, and free continental breakfast, it still has more amenities than my house. Not bad. The best part, though, was falling asleep. At the end of a long day of traveling, a full night of rest felt heavenly.

posted by Jerika at 5:58 PM 0 Comments

Counting Down

Latino Language, Pedagogy and Culture Immersion Institute in Puerto Rico

"Are you counting down the days?" That is the question everyone asks when you're about to go on an exciting trip. Well, yes, in fact, I have been counting down the months and weeks and days until we leave for the beautiful island of Puerto Rico.
Only a month until Puerto Rico!
Three weeks until Puerto Rico!
Gasp! Two weeks to go!
And so on.
And so, it was with great anticipation that I started this week, thinking to myself, "Only one more week until Puerto Rico!" Then six days, five, four, three, two...Gaaa!
That's about when the panic sets in, when I realize I haven't started packing yet and I still have to run out and buy a such-and-such or a whoozamawhatzit. But at the same time, this is also when it starts getting really exciting, when it starts feeling real: I am going to Puerto Rico!
As a Spanish teacher, and as someone who loves to travel just about anywhere, I've been wanting to go to Puerto Rico for some time now. When I heard about this trip, it sounded like the perfect opportunity. I'll get to improve my Spanish by taking Spanish classes and by being immersed in the language and culture; I'll get to learn more about the culture and education system through school visits and chats with Puerto Rican teachers, so I can come back and understand where my Puerto Rican students are coming from; and, of course, no trip would be complete without a little sightseeing!
But for now, it's time to get back to my packing. I've got whoozamawhatzits to buy. We all know, though, what will be going through my head as I prepare: "Less than 24 hours until Puerto Rico! 23, 22, 21..."

posted by Jerika at 8:30 AM 0 Comments

Coming Soon!

Welcome to the new Millersville University Graduate Studies blog. This blog is a work in progress, so please keep checking back for more information.

posted by Jerika at 4:06 PM 0 Comments