Latino Language, Pedagogy and Culture Immersion Institute in Puerto Rico

7/31/09
All week long people have been preparing for our free weekend. I came here with no plans, and until last night, was still uncertain as to what I would be doing. I cannot lie and say money is not an issue for me. Truthfully, there has to be a reason I am taking time out of my days here to write these. Remember, money is the exact same here and although some things are cheaper, it is relatively comparable. Also, I already paid for this hotel with the cost, and two other young women were also staying. I also decided to stay because when I return to Puerto Rico, the chances of me coming to this side of the island are very slim. And we really have had little time to explore this town that has been my home for a week and will be for almost another.

Because I did not venture to farther away places on the island, I am going to be collecting the positives and negatives of the places other participants visited. Many people prepared for their free weekend before arrival, while others joined together and planned during the week. Some of the places people are going are: old San Juan, Vieques, Ponce, El Yunque, and San Juan. I am slightly jealous I did not experience the east coast with the exception of the airport, but hopefully will have a chance to visit again.

Today after Spanish class, we went back to the hotel and called the Budget car rental place. A few of the travelers gave the driver a few extra bucks to have him take them to the rental car place. Budget is convenient because they bring the car to you and it was a decent price. After the car arrived, we took off for the beach. We had heard from several natives that the beach Tres Palmas has amazing snorkeling. On our way to the beach, we discovered an outdoor festival in Rincon. Rincon is the city only 5 minutes away from our destination. As we walked around, we realized we were by far the only Americans.

At the festival, we browsed around the artists displays. It was very similar to our craft fairs and music festivals. I enjoyed this spontaneous stop, along with my encounters and discussions with the common folk here. The prices were not inflated and the objects were not touristy. It was here I was able to buy most of my gifts to take back home. I also bought myself a lamp made out of carved bamboo. It is truly beautiful, the artist was incredible friendly, and it was under thirty dollars. The gentlemen and his wife cut down bamboo, dry it out, sand it down, and use it to make jewelry, lamps, candle holders, and many other objects. It was amazing to watch him intricately burn designs into the side of the bamboo, and then carefully and diligently cut out other areas. Everything was either hand carved or engraved. It is in objects like these that you truly are taking home part of the culture.

According to the natives we have met here and the three that traveled with us born here (two teachers and our professor,) there are many festivals around the island. The festivals usually celebrate a saint from the Catholic Church. This festival was in the center of Rincon, and included music, arts and crafts, food, and of course, alcohol.

After leaving the center and getting lost, we stopped at a gas station for directions to the beach. It is always interesting and challenging to talk to people not from the more touristy areas. In Spanish, the women directed me to another beach because Tres Palmas was closed. The beach was beautiful, back a very small, narrow road. We were lucky though because we were the only people on it. A rock formation on the beach was decorated by these small insect looking like creatures, with crabs scattered away in fear.Once again, a beautiful encounter with untamed nature.

On one last note, I really do stand out here. My red hair, freckles, and blue eyes are a magnet for older Puerto Rican men. It still astonishes me that light skin is superior. It is very similar to the racism you find in the United States, except here in Mayaguez, I have seen only a few, very dark skinned people. From my experiences here so far, it seems that the people working the better jobs typically have lighter skin. This is probably one of the reasons Hillary Clinton won by such a large margin on this beautiful island. It also was brought to light when a teacher here, about to be married, was talking with an older Puerto Rican woman. The woman made the comment “Be careful you don’t tan to much at the beach before your wedding.” Weird how we tan for months before a wedding and they purposely do not!