Pleasant in Puerto Rico

It seems it has been quite a while since I have last written and I feel an update is in order. I have not been to the usual coffee shop lately (found a new one that has whip cream straight from the Heavens) so unfortunately I don’t have any new pictures to add.
As for a short update of what all is going on, Garrett will be getting here in 10 days and I’m super excited, but I think that the lady that we tried to rent a beach apartment with ripped us off. I’m hoping no but not sure, especially since the only hotel in San German costs around $80 a night and I am car-less. Pretty stoked about taking him to the beach  And as for my momma, she is coming during my spring break and we’re gonna rent a car and travel a bit. I want to show both of them the Bioluminescent Bay and obviously the ocean. Since mom is coming during my spring break the town will be empty (it’ll be a weekend anyways so what’s new) but at least I’ll be able to show her around.
Onto life. I do not have one particular story to tell as nothing major has happened since my last post, so I suppose I will just tell a few little things I have done. My roommate and I have been hanging out quite a bit, which I’m loving, and she even suckered me into going to a school dance. There was a meringue band and it was so much fun, though all of the girls had prom dresses on. Ack! During the week and weekends to go what is called “chinchoriando.” This is pretty much going from bar to bar, but not like Louisville’s bars. These things have no AC, and open front, and pool tables. We usually prefer to do this during the week since there are literally less than 20 students that stay on campus during weekends, but on Fridays and Saturdays we just get too darn bored and start walking. I usually target a pool table and convince someone to play me…I have yet to win (obviously Uncle Chuck’s billiards teaching when I was little didn’t pay off too well. Glad I didn’t target professional). But through this I have met a lot of new people, like a girl Lisbet who lives in the 2nd floor, and Angel the office worker who has an attitude and cracks me up, and Jean who lives on my floor and thinks it’s way too noisy also. It seems I have also met a ton of music majors and they invited me to go to their orchestra performance last night. Oh it was fantastic! The music sounded great, there was free food afterword, I met a ton of families and I even got to go celebrate the end of their concert with them. The celebration consisted of playing pool at a local bar, and I had a blast! Some of the other girls were at a surf competition in Rincon but I didn’t have a ride. Concert was way cool though!
Other than these things there is not too much going on. Classes are the same and we’re approaching mid-term time but my teachers are being lenient enough when it comes to language barriers, and I have even picked up some boriquen (Puerto Rican Spanish) but this is manly cuz when we are “chinchoriando” everyone thinks it’s funny to try to teach me new words. Nevertheless I am learning more! The last thing I really have to mention is Puerto Rico’s “drink of choice” which is Coca-Cola. Perfect for me! But now, off to study. Two quizzes tomorrow along with some other homework, and I still have to walk and buy some milk so I stop taking Sarahi’s!!!

Parguera, Puerto Rico (& Maricao...but it didn't start with "P")

A good portion of this weekend involved me laying in my bed feeling like death had come to poke his finger in my side and giggle while I lay in misery. The two parts of my weekend that I do want to write about are the times that I got out of bed and had what has probably been my favorite weekend here thus far. And after re-reading this, I apologize for it being so long…I got excited.
I’ll start with Saturday night in Parguera, PR. Approximately 15-20 minutes from San German is Parguera and the “Bioluminescent Bay.” No matter how sick I am, the idea of glowing water will always get me out of bed. Upon arriving in Parguera with Kristi, Holly, Bobby (friend of Kristi) and myself, we were surprised to see quite a night life. There bars blaring music, kids running with bubbles (doesn’t quite match the bar scene but whatever), tents set up with artisans selling their crafts, and hundreds of people walking around having a great time. So we cruised through the artisan’s stands and eventually made our way to the ferry. A ferry/boat was required to see this so called “glowing water.” We all opted for the smaller boat owned by Johnny Boat’s (grammar intended) and were set to leave at 9:15 pm. By 9:45 we finally began boarding, slightly frustrated but ready to go.
At this bioluminescent bay there were floating houses where people were having a grand time, small islands people can swim at during the day, and quite possibly the view of every star in the sky. Cruising in the boat we kept looking at the water and after about 15 minutes we were disappointed and thinking that the tour was over. We had seen a few “Edward Cullen” sparkles, as I like to call them, but hardly anything to advertise as glowing water. About this time our boat pulled up to another one of Johnny Boat’s boats and a teenage boy jumped overboard! As soon as he did, we all realized why. In the water there are microorganisms that are only activated with movement. When he began to swim, all of the water around him lit up neon green. The only real description would be those glow necklaces you get at pep rallies or skating parties. We all began flicking the water and sure enough! Green water! It was glowing, sparkling, speckling, and doing everything else that you could imagine! Almost looked like green lightning bugs just hanging out. When it was time to go, the boat took off and where the motor was it resembled a swamp movie. All of the water coming from behind the boat was green and glowing; no lights on or anything, just glowing water! It was by far the most spectaculous thing I have ever seen nature-wise (Sorry Dad, I’m afraid it even beats the beaver’s nest and the spawning rituals of crappie).
The remainder of the night we ate a Mexican restaurant and then headed back. So now we go through a slight time warp to Sunday night (speaking of time warp…apparently I’m a nerd for liking Star Wars over reality TV. Or Titanic.) I met this guy the other night, Hector, who owns one of my favorite cafes downtown. All weekend he kept telling me that there was some art and cultural festival this weekend that I couldn’t miss. It sounded like St. James, so right down my alley. The more people I talked to, the more awesome it sounded. Sunday rolled around and he sent me a text saying he was gonna go if I wanted to come, but at the time no one else was up for the journey except for me (and my momma taught me good…I don’t travel with stranger, I only take their candy). So disappointed I went for a run and just worked on some homework. Around 4 pm he sent another text saying that he got a late start and was just getting ready to go if I wanted to. My roommate, Sarahi, had showed some interest in it, so she decided to come with me. I was back to being super stoked.
After getting picked up by Hector and his friend Jaime, going through a curvy car ride in which I thought I’d lose whatever I had eaten, and parking, we were finally at the festival. Hundreds and hundreds of people walking around, a stage set up with live music, and tons of artisan booths and food kiosks were what greeted me. We looked around at every booth that was there (at least once) and continued on to eat some fried plaintains and empanillas with some freshly squeezed orange juice while watching some of the bands. I had a blast.
Sarahi always tells me that it’s very hard to understand when we speak English quickly but I never really understood until last night. While some people were ‘able’ to speak English, I was definitely the only one there whose first language was English. But nonetheless I asked everyone to continue speaking in Spanish and if I had problems I’d let them know….maybe. Wow, so much harder than I thought. And to make it even more challenging, Sarahi (from Mexico) would discuss the differences in words between here and there. Example: biscocho in Mex. is “sweetheart, darling, etc.” while here it is “cupcake.” And unfortunately there are a ton of these words.
After several hours at the festival in Maricao, we all had our fill of music, art, and fun. Ok, not really, it was actually just getting late. So we hopped in the car and on the way out we saw some guy get run over by a car. No joke. This drunk girl was driving and ran this guy over. So he’s laying on the road, his friends are trying to beat the crap out of her, she’s trying to get the heck out of there, and the cops show up at just about that time. We decided to leave…ok, we decided to watch for a few minutes and then leave. The drive back was not nearly as bad and before calling it a night we went to Risa’s Café for a bit to grab a bite to eat and hang out. After a much needed midnight snack, Hector drove us back to the dorm where we proceeded to pass out in our beds. Not only do I love glowing water, but I love festivals. This weekend was so much fun, and I must toss a ‘thank you’ out there to Tylenol Cold Multi-Symptom relief for allowing me to move from my bed. More adventures to soon follow.

Pictures Part 2 in Puerto Rico

Playing in Puerto Rico

I am hoping to add some more photos soon, but it seems the lack of internet on campus is preventing it. Neverless, I wanted to write a bit about my weekend, and one of the first major adventures I have had while here.
Each month Ricardo takes the exchange students on a field trip and Friday was our first one. We got up early and drove to Cabo Rojo to go ocean kayaking. There were chickens running around everywhere and I really wanted to make one my kayak hood ornament then snack on him around lunchtime. Really, what's better than friend turned feast? Continuing, the kayaks were doubles so we got paired up. In my kayak it was myself and Kristi (Louisiana/North Carolina). We started out kayaking around the little bay and eventually ventured out a bit farther, though often times had to form a single line so we would not hit the shallow reefs. The water was so clear and we were at one of the top 5 nicest beaches on the island, Buye. You could see 10-15 ft down, as well as the reefs. I must admit that I was a bit dissapointed, as I thought that all reefs were very brightly colored. I suppose I just read "The Rainbow Fish" a time or two when I was little.
Moving on with the day, we got out several times and swam around the area and even stopped at a spot where we climbed up this hill and overlooked the whole bay/area. It was amazing! We had to be careful walking though as PR has these huge cacti that grow in places and if you step on a prickle, you pretty much get a first class trip to the local hospital.
After kayaking (and being ridiculously worn out!) we left and went to eat at a local restaurant where I got my typical white rice with beans and amarillos (fried plaintains). We all crashed in the bus on the way home and went to bed around 7 pm.
Lucky for us the adventure did not end on Friday though! Saturday was the 98th anniversary of the Inter schools in PR which was being celebrated in Guayama. A few of us decided to go to this (actually eveyone but Holli because she had sun blisters...ouch). The morning only frustrated us all and made us want to quit. We got to the bus on time (6:30 am) but didn't leave until 7:50 am. On the back of the bus were who we called the "Screamers;" a group of middle aged friends that screamed every chance they got. Especially when we hit any bump. Naturally, the bus broke down and we had to switch, but eventually made it there. The campus was gorgeous! Clean, new, close together, and internet everywhere. They even had little courtyards for the students to work in. But they had tents set up everywhere. There was a center stage where bands played all day and friends danced the salsa, and this area was considered the middle. The tents to the right were all free goodies (nabbed them all) and the tents to the left were food vendors and artisans. I did buy myself a new purse. I just couldn't resist. It was very hot that day, shocker, but fun. We got free lunch, music, drinks and food, and there was even an area for the kids...or me. They had free cotton candy, popcorn, face painting, video games, moon jumps, other inflatables, and a kid's stage. We didn't stay in this area long as we went to watch a jazz band with Sarahi and eventually the closing finale where we all got free cupcakes. While here we met a new friend, Jone, who goes to San German and is pretty darn cool. He wants to teach me to skateboard, but Mom, obviously you didn't read this.
At the end of the day we reloaded on the bus, in front of the screamers again, and headed home. Slightly toasty from the sun, as we expected to be indoors, but all around a great day. We even stayed awake on the way home to see some scenery. It was a great weekend and I'm glad we got to head out of San German and see some stuff. And to end, I've never really been good at conclusions so....the end.
Oh, and there are no football chanels here so I got to watch Titanic instead. Darn you, Jack.

Puerto Rican Pals

In the past few days I have had an adventure or two that I would’ve preferred to skip, an ice cream bar that I would prefer to have again, and a class or two I’d love to drop. But the real reason I’m writing is to share my news.

On Monday I got a call saying another girl was supposed to have my fridge and that I needed to take it to her. Frustrated beyond belief I told them I’d figure it out that night. I was reluctantly preparing to surrender my fridge, but first went grocery shopping with Holly (California) and Sarahi (Mexico). At the very least I needed to buy some other food to snack on since my morning milk and cereal ritual would quickly disappear. While shopping, Sarahi was telling me how much she didn’t like her roommates. They are 3 girls who are best friends, and don’t include her in anything. More often than not you can go in the first floor lobby and she will be there watching TV, admitting that she tries to avoid her room during the week. I told her that since I don’t have a roommate, if she wants to, just bring her stuff on down. She didn’t really say anything so I didn’t think too much on it.

After shopping and finally hauling our stuff to our rooms, she came up to me and asked if she could move in, to which my response was, “Of course!” Since it was later in the evening she brought the food over that she bought and put it in the fridge (she was the girl who was supposed to get it) and decided to move the rest of her stuff tomorrow. While I was extremely nervous, I was pretty darn excited too. I talk to Sarahi quite often and I really like her. The first day that we met we made a pact that if she said something wrong in English, I would correct her, and if I said something wrong in Spanish, she would correct me. I decided to teach her what a spork is. Everyone needs to know what one is!

On Tuesday I helped her move all of her stuff over one room, and she got all settled in. Since there is no internet in the dorms right now, we just hung out and talked about family, boyfriends, school, pets, etc. I’m really enjoying her being my roommate and glad that it happened. So in summary, the new addition to room 506 is Sarahi, who loves dogs, the beach, art, dancing, and singing. She is a music/art major and is joining a jazz band while here and teaching Holly and me how to salsa (cuz Lord knows I can’t dance to anything…at all). And the main goal of room 506? For us to actually get homework in a class and to stop sleeping til noon. And what about the Coca-Cola addiction? Ah yes, it’s her favorite drink too. :)

Pictures in Puerto Rico

I haven't taken a ton yet, but here are some of what I have for all to see!

Pleased in Puerto Rico

It'll be a short post today, but it was just a great day! I got up, put on my pants and found $5 in my pocket, got a fridge that I was 100% not expecting, got my classes switched around so I have a new schedule, got an id photo taken, got my mailbox all set up, went to class, loved my 2nd class (Acquisition of Teaching English as a 2nd Language), did my homework, got grocies I CAN REFRIGERATE, and am now messing around online wishin' her silly boyfriend wasn't at work tonight. :)
A few people asked for my address, so I'll go on and post it on here in case anyone wants to send letters, presents, etc. I hope everyone is having a great day (and for you Kentuckians complaining about that snow storm, I would have loved being in snow today...so darn hot!)

Alexandria Bivin
PMB 219
PO BOX 5100
San German, PR 00683-9801

Puerto Rican Peanuts

I learned a very important weekend lesson my first Saturday here; getting bored and eating the majority of a can of peanuts, then followed by some peanut butter, then ending with an apple and peanut butter does not present a very enjoyable experience in the morning.
Regarding the weekends here, saying that the majority of people go home is an understatement. There are less than 20 people that stay on the weekends and the rest go home to visit family. The good part about this is there are less girls screaming from the fifth floor to the first floor trying to get people's attention.
Some of our girls went on a trip this weekend to Ponce, about an hour from here. Kristi and myself hung out here, as the details were a tad too sketchy for us. All of the girls may now be planning a weekend to San Juan this coming weekend, but I feel like a chicken for being the one hesitant to go (and the poor one who doesn't wanna pay for a hotel room). With no classes on Friday the weekends last a bit longer, which will be nicer once I get to meet some more people. This weekend consisted of chilling in coffee shops and bars, walking around downtown, catching up on the Office online, oh yea, and that thing called homework.
Other than that not too much has happened here. Ricardo is planning a group trip to the beach on Feb. 5th, so everyone's pretty stoked about that. I've tried to start taking some pics, but don't have enough to upload yet. Hopefully soon.
And as an ending, while no surprise, it is still a good 2 million degrees here and the coke in the shower trick is not as successful as I was hoping.

Problems in Paradise

While the island is stunningly gorgeous, it seems some problems have arose since I have been here. Perhaps it was when part of my luggage got left in another city and I had to return to the airport to get it, or when I walked into my room and realized that there was no AC and no fan. Either way, I went to classes today and realized what could've been the worst thing in awhile...I could not understand anything the teacher was saying. And not just in one class, but both of them!
As it turns out, the Spanish I have been learning all of my life is "mexico spanish" which is formal and actually uses the tenses that have been drilled into my head for so long. Now the problem with Puerto Rican spanish is that they are not formal at all. In fact, it's similar to Kentucky english...whatcha doin'? i'll see y'all later, etc. In summary, I did not understand a thing today and am now stuck on what to do next.
In other news, the city I am in is gorgeous. It's very hilly and green. The students all seem very nice, the ones I can understand at least. The campus buildings are very spread out so it's definitely a nice walk to get place to place. And the hills only add to the excitement. But the view outside my window is easily my favorite thing so far. There is an older building to the left with a forest surrounding it all, red flowers in many of the trees. To the right you can see the buildings of downtown, more trees, and the campus church, which has a steeple that completes the scenery. Dorm-wise I have no roommate and am in a 4 person dorm with a shower that has 2 temperatures: scalding hot and freezing cold. It makes it fun to switch back and forth between the temperatures really quickly during bath time.
But back to the scenery. The majority of downtown San German is comprised of older building and cobblestone streets. There are some restaurants, a few bars, etc. The majority of shopping is a short drive away in Mayaguez. You can catch a ride there on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, but that's about it. It's absolutely gorgeous here, though the heat could be a little less. :)
In summary, this is the start of the trip, who know where it will go from here.