A Little Reflection

Hey everyone!  I've been home for almost a week and I could not be happier to be writing this post while sitting by the Christmas tree and listening to "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" Pandora. I thought I'd do a little looking back on my semester in San Juan, Puerto Rico to wrap up this blog.

First of all, I want to say that I did in fact have an awesome time. I know a lot of my blog posts and tweets made it sound like I was miserable down there, but I have a tendency to vocalize the negatives more than the positives. Living in a "city" without a car was more than frustrating at times, but it taught me to have patience. It taught me to also appreciate my car, which is currently on its way to my mechanic. Figures that as soon as I get home, the check engine light goes on! Haha... well at least I know how to survive without a car now. Relying on trains, buses, and overly expensive cabs was something I don't miss, but not ever having to worry about a sober driver was awesome. We sure met some interesting people while using public transportation. Oh PR!

The beaches were by far my favorite part of the experience. They were absolutely beautiful.  We mostly went to Isla Verde. There was a great beach bar there and every time we went, the bar tender was surprised to see that we were still on the island! My parents and Paul stayed in Isla Verde when they came. I also liked Pinones, a beach where the locals went. I liked it there because there weren't any hotels and it was pretty and quiet. We went to Ocean Park on one of our last days. I wish we had gone there before, mostly because you can get there by taking a train then walking for about 20 minutes. I'd take walking two miles over waiting for the bus.

Old San Juan was also awesome. We went out there most of the time at night. There are tons of shops and restaurants there. The streets are cobblestone and the buildings were painted bright colors. So pretty! There are also two really cool Spanish forts there that were fun to explore. Most of the cruise ships dock in OSJ, so if anyone ever goes on a cruise, there's a good chance that you'll get to walk around there. I was disappointed in the Bacardi factory. Sure you get two free drinks, but the tour was all mock production, so we didn't get to see anything actually being made. I did get 2L of rum for $20 though! I can't complain about that.

One thing I wish was different about the experience was that we didn't get to interact with the students at the university that much. UPR was only a short walk or train ride away from our apartment, yet we only went there once as a group. We had class in the hospital or apartment with our own professor from UConn, so we were not affiliated with the university at all. I think that in the future, they may change this. I was initially nervous about studying abroad because I knew I would be with the same 13 people every day, but lucky it worked out.

Speaking of which, our group could not have been any better. I have never been good at keeping friends, and I feel like I have 13 new sisters after this semester. I really wasn't that close with anyone in the beginning of the semester, but friendships grew quickly. A bunch of us had been in the same orientation group when we were seniors in high school and I knew a few others from class, but I had never hung out with any of them on a regular basis. My apartment was crazy and so much fun. As my family knows, I can get manic and loud and maybe even annoying, but my roommates not only put up with me, but even joined in. We would play off of each other and laugh at things that probably no one else would find funny. ([{inside joke}]) - just to name a few of our highlights throughout the semester: sprinkle cheese, fourteen sisters, throw it on the ground, YOUR F****ING FAT!, Maria JUST came!, and of course, the wheelchair. I miss them already. I know that I will be friends with these people for along time, if not forever. A bunch of us even met for drinks two days after getting home- that's how much we missed each other! We all come from such different backgrounds and it was a great life experience to live in such close proximity with each and every one of them.

So, here I sit, finishing up my last blog entry. I am looking forward to going back to work at the hospital and my capstone semester at Uconn Health Center in OB. I have spent a lot of time with my family and Paulie and have eaten wings, pizza, Chinese food, and of course I've had my share of GOOD beer. It's been real, Medalla, but I don't ever need to drink you again.

Happy Holidays to everyone! It's been real!

Catamaran Cruise and Snorkeling

Hi Everyone!

Last Saturday, we went on the best excursion of the semester. We set sail out of Fajardo on a catamaran cruise to spend the day soaking up sun and snorkeling. I knew it was going to be as great day the moment we were greeted at the boat, called The Spread Eagle II, with pina coladas. There was an open bar but the drinks, although tasty, were weak so no one got too out of control.

Our first destination was a small island not inhabited by any humans off the coast of Puerto Rico. The water at the tiny beach was crystal clear and absolutely beautiful. We snorkeled around for about an hour and saw all types of tropical fish and even some sea urchins. The only other snorkeling experience I had before this was in St Martin and we mostly saw small fish, star fish, and urchins. After snorkeling, we relaxed in the water before heading back to the boat for lunch.

Our next destination was a coral reef near a different island off Puerto Rico. Apparently there is a vacation resort on this island- talk about remote! The coral reef was amazing... I literally felt like I was in an aquarium. I am kind of scared of sea creatures but luckily the biggest fish I was was only about a foot long. We saw all sorts of fish that I had only ever seen at pet stores or aquariums before. After snorkeling for a while, we put our gear back on the boat and jumped off the boat while taking pictures. We got some good ones! Swimming around without goggles or flippers felt so liberating. One of my roommates tried to do a fancy dive off the front of the boat, but wasn't too successful (AEB picture below). Naturally, when he slipped, I screamed, calling attention to people swimming around is. Oops! Sometimes I can't control my screams when things go wrong! 

I really appreciated the time that I had with my classmates this weekend. We have all gotten so close this semester. I have never had good luck with making friends, especially in college, so I am extremely thankful for the relationships that I've built over the last few months. Spending time with them and seeing my roommates every day is something that I will miss when I go home. 14 sisters <3