Hello Everybody!!

I just finished my trip in Puerto Rico, and I must say that it is BEAUTIFUL!!! I enjoyed myself so much and am definitely planning on going back there! We arrived in San Juan on Wednesday, and left on Friday evening. In my three days I did several fun and interesting things.
Wednesday I participated in an art tour to see the work and personal home of Samuel Lind who is a well-known Puerto Rican artist. He is very well known in PR and sells a great deal of his pieces and work in the states! After this tour I was able to sit down and enjoy a traditional Puerto Rican dish…..Rice with Crab! It was interesting to say the least…..kind of good, but the crab still had lots of its shell which I then had to pick out of my mouth and teeth…….not so good! This lunch took up about 2 ½ hours……..way too long, but I guess this is just another cultural difference….in the states we are always in such a big hurry to get things done, and in PR (and probably many other places) people take the time to just sit back and enjoy each other’s company………I can appreciate this, but 2 ½ hours is still too long for me. After lunch, I was able to do some shopping around old San Juan. The buildings and architecture in PR is beautiful…The streets are made of a blue cobblestone and the buildings are all painted beautiful colors! In the evening I participated in a welcome ceremony given to the SAS students by college students at the University of the Caribbean. There, we were able to see some traditional PR dancers, listen to authentic music and eat delicious PR food! After a few hours at Sr. Frogs, I was ready to come back to the ship and sleep!
Day 2 was for the most part a shopping day….I did manage to tour some of the beautiful forts here in PR like Fort Cristobal….The scenery here is so beautiful….the water is a clear turquoise and the weather can’t be beat! I was also able to visit one of the catholic churches in old San Juan….It was beautiful, and I was also able to meet a missionary named Hilberto who was born in San Juan, but lived in New York for most of his life. After scolding us (my roomie Celina and I) for not being able to speak “our” language, he told us about some of the work that he has done and about some of the people he works with in San Juan. This visit was very refreshing for my spirit and I was glad that I was able to visit Hilberto and his church!
Day 3 consisted of BEACH DAY!! WOO HOO!! We went to a beach called Isla Verde, and had a great time tanning and swimming in the warm and beautiful ocean! I loved it there…We ended up getting a little sun burned, but eh’ oh well it will turn to tan eventually! :) We had dinner at an authentic PR restaurant and it was delicious! I had some shrimp and rice and beans (my favorite). I am surprised at how expensive Shrimp is in different countries….One would think that being closer to the Shore and having a greater supply of it, that it would be less expensive…..hmmmmmmmmmm………
Since PR is part of the US (kind of…it gets complicated) I was able to call home and talk to the fam and to Seany boy! PR is a great vacation place because it is tropical, full of culture, yet still convenient, as most people speak English and the currency is the US dollar!
I am now in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean near the lesser Antilles…..for the next 5 days…..I have been feeling the rocking of the ocean really bad today, and am scared because when we reach S. Africa, we are supposed to hit some really choppy waters!
I finally have my schedule figured out, and I like my classes for the most part! I have soooo much homework though……..I feel kind of overwhelmed and like I won’t have enough time to do it! Otherwise everything is going well! I was able to sign up for some more trips for Cape Town, Port Lewis, Chennai, and Penang. I also signed up for the Great Wall trip….no body wanted to go with me, so I guess I’m on my own for that one! Scarry!! The ship food is kind of WOMP, but yesterday was taco day!! It was soooo good! I love taco day! I guess I am going to try and get some more homework finished now! I hope all is well at home! I miss you all and love you very much!
~Val