Thanksgiving Break

Hey everyone!  Sorry it's been so long. I've been busy with assignments and entertaining family and friends over break.

The weekend before break, we went mountain biking in part of the rainforest. I am a pretty experienced biker, but had never really biked off the beaten path. It was a really good workout and very scenic! My favorite part was riding to a "river" and swimming in the fresh water. Our professor didn't tell us to bring our bathing suits, so all of us jumped in while wearing our underwear... some people were classy enough to keep their shorts and t shirts on but I wasn't about to sit around in wet clothes for the rest of the day. A'int nobody got time for that! (Side note: Juan would not have let that happen! He would have been all over that shit and had us plan ahead to bring bathing suits and towels!) At the river, the guide used clay rocks to put Taino symbols on our faces and arms, making us Taino warriors! Needless to say, we were all pooped from the ride and all needed naps when we got back. It was one of my favorite excursions.

Thanksgiving break was very busy. Meg and Gosi flew in late saturday night and after greeting them with a water bottle full of Palo Veijo (cheap Puerto Rican rum), we went right to Brava, a night club in Isla Verde. Sunday, we went to Isla Verde with a few of my roommates and had some drinks on the beach while relaxing. I showed them Old San Juan on Monday, and we went to the beach again on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was so nice to see a couple familiar faces. I love all my roommates and friends down here, but I loved catching up with my friends from home. They enjoyed the island and had a hard time believing that I'm ready to go home. They only saw the vacation part of Puerto Rico... they didn't see the part where I have to sweat my ass off walking to the train station for clinical while wearing my gross uniform. We also had very good luck with the buses while they were here and they only got to experience waiting an hour an a half just go to go to the beach once. I don't regret coming here and I've really enjoyed by time, but I am 100% without a doubt ready to go home. 

The day after Meg and Gosi left was Thanksgiving. It was extremely hard for me to be away from my family and miss my mom's amazing New England thanksgiving, but once I got myself busy cooking in the kitchen, my mind was taken off of it. I made stuffing, my grandma's cranberry relish, and apple crisp. Everything was good except the apple crisp. Note to self: if you run out of stick margarine/butter, DO NOT substitute "butter spread" that comes in a tub for apple crisp. Everyone contributed something different and it was a success. Other than not being able to watch the Macy's parade, the day went a lot better than I had expected. 

The day after Thanksgiving, my parents arrived! Unfortunately, it was pouring, but luckily the waves were huge, which made my dad really happy. The two of us went in the water and rode some waves. The waves were unusually large for the whole time they were there, which meant lots of body surfing. We went into Old San Juan every night for dinner. My mom did an awesome job picking out restaurants. She even found a good pizza place! I've been deprived of pizza for the last there months. I am now in love with mojitos- I had one every day they were here. We went to El Morro, a Spanish fort in OJS which was really interesting. For the most part, the three of us enjoyed being beach bums at the beautiful Courtyard Marriot in Isla Verde (the same place Paul and I stayed). Today, before they left, my dad and I were doing some last minute body surfing. The tide was really strong and two people had to be saved because they got caught in the rip tide. While we were out in the water, we heard yelling and whistling  When I looked to the beach, my mom and another woman were pointing to a lady who was caught and couldn't get to the shore! We swam over and the lady was clearly in distress. I grabbed her hand and started to get pulled by the current too. I talked to the lady and told her to take deep breaths and that we would be okay. After fighting through the waves and current, my dad and I got her to shore. She was in a lot of distress but I think she was just emotionally exhausted and physically tired because she was larger and clearly out of shape. The poor lady was all alone and was very lucky that the two of us happened to be in the water, AND that we were strong swimmers. It felt good to save a life! Go figure, the first time I save a life I wasn't even doing anything nursing related! So, folks, I guess the moral of the story is to not swim alone and beware of the rip tide! I had an amazing time with my parents and was sad to see them go, but I'll be home in 16 short days!!!!!! 

Now the only thing left is two psych exams, a couple of papers, and packing up all our stuff! December 13th can't come soon enough!