Boricua hasta en la luna!
I just wanted to provide an update for the blog about the island and its road to recovery from Hurricane Irma. Currently, Puerto Rico’s main airport is up and running and many families are coming from the United States to help, as well as others are taking their chances to leave. I can honestly say there is no excellent news; except that the people are not losing hope. I am a supervisor at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, and I always find many visitors who have just come out of the island. I stopped one family of six, and I asked them how they were doing and if they were planning on staying in the states. They responded no, and that although the island was in bad shape, they would not abandon where they grew up and basically the only thing they knew. Many families like to remind me that they are just here for vacation or trying to find a seasonal job to send money to their families back on the island. It brings such a huge smile to my face to see that our country is more united than ever and that we are really trying to move forward and make the best out of the situation.
Baila la calle!
There’s no better representation of positivity or happiness than dancing! It is almost impossible to dance while being sad. Puerto Ricans enjoy dancing like so many cultures in the world, but will even be found dancing to no beat or music at all! Our blood is always pumping and ready to bust some moves at any celebration. Salsa, merengue, Anza, Plena, Bomba, and Cha-cha are some of the most common dances observed world wide that have originated from the island. One very popular form of dancing that is not fully derived from Puerto Rico is reggaetón. The popular island beats mixed with the bum-da-bum-da metric are very hard to resist nodding your head or shaking your body to. Over the years, we continue to incorporate different dance moves from around the world into our traditional sounds of music in order to keep good habits alive. You will even see grandma getting down to some modern-day music! We do not limit our dance time, some parties are literally spent dancing the night away, ending at five or six in the morning. Here’s an attachment of a video shot in the streets of Puerto Rico, so you can experience the dance party island and maybe even get up and break it down yourself: https://youtu.be/VMp55KH_3wo
Manos a la obra!
Puerto Rico is one of the most aesthetically pleasing islands in the Caribbean. The architecture in the city originated from the Spaniards so every building is just amazing to look at. Even the graffiti around the island is vibrant and motivating. The culture is so mixed that you can trace different techniques to diverse cultures. Most of our artistic pieces derive from very challenging times in our culture. When it was officially announced that the island filed bankruptcy, one of our famous doors of Puerto Rico, which had a colorful Puerto Rican flag painted on it, was painted in solid black and white paint. I used the picture earlier in the blog. Many were moved by the brave move the artist took, because it really symbolized the feeling of our nation. Locals make it a habit to go visit the door and take pictures with it; to show we still stand by our lands even in the toughest of situations. Another well-known painting is El Velorio by Fransisco Oller. It represents a lot of ideologies and feelings we go through as humans when a loved one passes away. The best stories sometimes come from the most difficult situations, so embracing the struggle and creating something beautiful out of it is something we should all follow in example.
Camera’s out: Camuy in!
As I mentioned in my About section, I am focusing on the positive vibes the island has to offer even through these challenging times. Our people are the bright light at the end of the dark abyss we call time. Which helps me introduce my next topic: the Rio Camuy Cave park. This park is home to over 200 caves; ready for anyone to come explore. The breath-taking view in and all around them is really something that will put tears in your eyes. Nature really takes the win with the aesthetics! The brave souls who are up for the adventure are strapped up with useful tools through the caves and a guide who will watch out for the safety of the caves and the explorers. The caves are also home to many unique animals, so we must keep them feeling safe in their homes. After all, I’m pretty sure no one wants swarms of bats flying at them because they took the wrong turn! I can honestly say the park brings so much peace to everyone who encounters them because they promote the beauty of life. They help take you out of your stressful, mosaic life and arrive at a happier place. You will find yourself astounded at every stop! Make sure you write the following down on your bucket lists: explore the third largest cave system in the world; Rio Camuy Cave Park!
La Feria: The Park
La Feria: The Park is one of the most celebrated events in Puerto Rico. Our people light up the streets with their personalities and creativeness to create an event that attracts people worldwide. Just like any fair, Puerto Ricans provide delicious food, thrill rides and a friendly environment for everyone to feel comfortable in. Aside from that, they have dance-offs in which you can win distinct kinds of prizes, as of this year a Ps4! Puerto Ricans also bring their own creations and sell them at a very low rate, so you can take a part of the island adventure home since you can’t take our people home.
Things that go hop in the night
When in Puerto Rico, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with our friend El Coqui. They are very small, harmless, brown and gray colored frogs that light up the night with their distinct noise. Their high pitch croak reflects the origin of their name as you can hear in the video attached here: https://youtu.be/LZUOiZG84c0
The ‘co’ of their croak serves as a warning sign for males who may be too close in to their territory and the ‘quí’ noise acts a pin to their location attracting females towards them. The best time to meet our friend is during the late night because they are nocturnal animals. Once you do encounter a Coqui just remind yourself they are harmless creatures and are approaching a spot in the endangered list; admire them and walk away please! Another fun fact about the Coqui is that they have the longest life span of any frog: six years as a matter of fact! They represent our culture as much as any festival or beach would so say hello to your new island neighbor cooooooooo-quuuuuiiiiiiiiiii!
Dinner’s Ready!
Here in Puerto Rico, we only serve five star meals every day. Our appetizers are always plantain based. We could have some fresh tostones, or plantains that have been fried twice and smashed. Mofongo: plantains that have been fried and smashed into a cup form that you can fill with shrimp, chicken or vegetables or simple maduros which are just sweet plantains fried. Our main entree is hot, steamy yellow rice with delicious slow cooked pinto beans and the meat of your preference. You can add some pasta salad to the side or just a super green tossed salad. For dessert, save some space for a slice of flan or tembleque, a coconut filled dessert that’ll leave you speechless! Buen provecho mi gente!
People, people, people!
To brag about the island’s beautiful, tropical get away setting would be way too easy, so I’ll just attach a video that will speak for itself! I’m here to tell you guys about the most uplifting, go-get-it, reach for the stars type of people you will ever meet: Puerto Ricans. Puerto Ricans will take you in as their own the second they meet you. The first thing they will try to do is feed you, because well, their food is de-li-cious!! Once they stuff you with their island flavors they will make you feel at home and in the mood to party with their upbeat music and live festivities. We always have a family gathering or festival somewhere to release our party moods. No matter the situation they will bring out the best in people and try to promote a family setting in which everyone feels comfortable in. You’ll always hear a wepa around every corner and meet the friendliest of smiles island-wide! 120 Seconds in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: Island of Enchantment
As most news has informed everyone, Puerto Rico was hit by a category four hurricane on Wednesday September 20th, 2017. The hurricane left the island in pure chaos; its residents with out electricity and some even with out homes. It was reported that this hurricane has been the worst ever to hit Puerto Rico in an eighty year time period. Here are some pictures from the hurricane. Although it is a rough time for the island I do want to point out that the people of Puerto Rico have not given up. As you can see in the first picture here we are still holding our heads up, smiling because we survived. Communication is slowly enhancing, I finally spoke to my grandmother two days ago ever since the incident. She said she was okay and that she was praying for the rest of the island, she’s going to do what she can to help around. She got together with a few of my aunts and they sang a Marc Anthony song that reminded us what beauty it is to be a part of the island. In the upcoming blogs I will focus more on that!
Puerto rico 