Well I've had a lot of stuff going on for the past week and a half. I had moved out of my house in Cayey. That was a really weird feeling since I had been living there for 5 months and then it was all just over. College is a weird time. I mean, I haven't lived in the same place for more than a year since I moved out of my parents house Freshman year. And it's been crazt here because I lived in the house for 5 months, and I just spent 10 days with my friend Adriana and her family, and now I'm living with Maria and her brother for the next 2 months. I'm thinking that my apartment at Green Bay will last for at least a year and a half, but I don't plan on really settling down until about another 3 or 2 1/2 years. Once I graduate, I'm probably going to have to save up some money before I come back to Puerto Rico to practice my Spanish again for a year or more. I'm thinking after that I'm going to settle down in North Carolina or something. I've alway had an interest in North Carolina so I'll have to take a vacation there to see if that's really where I want to settle down. Although knowing me and my wonderlust-filled spirit, I may never actually fully settle down. I mean just the other day, Adriana commented about how she didn't even see me as the type to want to get married. I mean that I am looking forward to in the far future. I don't need to get married anytime soon. I mean, I don't even have a boyfriend yet!
But I should touch on the week and a half that I spent with Adriana and her family. First of all, I would just like to say how greatful I am that they were willing to take me into their home, give me a bed and my own room, feed me, take me places, and just everything else that they did for me! I got to experience what a real Puerto Rican family is like. I think I gained about 5 pounds though because all I did was eat! Every time Adriana's mom saw me she wanted to give me food. I mean I'm not complaining too much; I never would have been able to try half of the food that I did. One thing I was extremely excited for was the fact that I got to try pasteles! I had been hearing about them for a pretty large portion of the semester and everyone told me that I most likely wasn't going to be able to try one... BUT I DID! They weren't actually anything like how I thought they were going to be. The texture threw me off a lot. I wasn't expecting them to be as gooey as they were. They were soft and mushy. And I didn't dislike them, but I wouldn't actively go out of my way to get them again. I did really like the empanadillas and some pumpkin ball that I tried. Pretty much everything here is fried though. My stomach learned that the hard way. Probably another reason that I most likely gained 5 pounds. Oh well. I guess I'll just have to work out a crap ton once I get back. But I also got to go to my first lechonera. Ironically, Cayey is known for it's lechoneras, but I never went while I was in Cayey... So Instead we went to one near Mayaguez. And I got to try Puerto Rican cake (which I like so much more than the cake from the states!); it's a lot more moist than cakes we have in the states. |
But it was pretty much like a second Semana Santa for me because I was doing a ton of stuff. We went to the beach a couple times which was really fun. But I got a ton of bug bites all over my legs which was not all that fun...
We also had a couple rest days which I was totally fine with because I kept getting car sick every time I got in a car it seemed. Although we did go on a couple night car-rides to show me around and stuff. But then we had some fun at Castillo Serralles:
We also just explored Mayaguez a little bit. As well as the surrounding towns. Adriana says that she has done the most with me than she has in a few years. Which I guess makes sense; I mean, I haven't done many touristy things in Green Bay or New london. Although New London doesn't really have much to do...
We also went to the Bacardi House for our last day. So the original owners of Castillo Serralles were the makers of Don Q rum, and now the Bacardi House is obviously where they make Bacardi rum. I didn't realize that Bacardi was originally made in Cuba. But in other words, my dad should be very jealous, because all he did here was taste different rum drinks. And I got a free drink at the Bacardi House, so he can be even more jealous.
And finally tomorrow was the day that I said goodbye to my wonderful host family and said hello to my last 2 months in Puerto Rico with Maria. I definitely learned a lot with Adriana and her family. Her parents spoke little English so I was forced to speak Spanish with them. I actually think I ended up learning a lot. Even if I don't feel like I'm learning a lot, I know that I am. And her family said that my Spanish is really good. They went as far to say "perfect," but I know that isn't true. I just can't wait until it's actually easy. I'm still having problems understanding what people are saying all the time when they talk, but I plan on listening to a lot of Spanish music and TV shows. And I'm going to try and keep it up once I get back. I know 7 months (and 7 months with a lot of English being spoken) is not going to get me fluent.
But apparently I'm a really fast learner because everyone has said how amazed they are at how much I have learned in the semester. So I guess I can't argue with everyone. I know I'm more confident having conversations with people: it just takes me a little bit to think about what I want to say. So once I come back I hope to, without a doubt, the return to the states fluent. I think I can get pretty close by the end of the summer if I really push myself. I have a plan, so let's just hope that I can stick to it! I have a lot of books that I can read in Spanish, and I also want to write an essay a day, as well as talk in Spanish with Maria and her brother. I should also skype my friends that went to the states for the summer. Because of course they'd go to the states while I get to stay. None of them went to Wisconsin though, so I wouldn't have gotten to see them anyways. But I definitely want to make everyone, and myself proud, so don't be surprised if more Spanish becomes incorporated into my blogs!
It's really easy for me to codeswitch when I'm writing, but speaking is another story. Sometimes it's easy, and sometimes it's still pretty dificult. But I do have to keep in mind that when I arrived here, my Spanish was at a pretty basic level. I have always felt behind in Spanish, and now I feel like I'd be at a pretty impressive level back in the states. I just really can't wait for the day that I'm fluent. I know I'm a perfectionist, and impatient, and had unrealisticly high expectations for this trip, but that's just who I am. When I'm really passionate about something, I want to be perfect at it as soon as possible. But either way, I know that my family and friends are proud of me for what I did/am doing. And I should be proud of how far I have come as well. I know I tend to second-guess and doubt myself a lot. I'm working on it.
But I should probably start getting some stuff done before Maria gets home from work (now that I finally have a blog written). I don't know if I'll end up writing an essay--I guess it's still early--but I would like to get pretty far on my book today, and I have a workbook that I could be working on. But Maria came home from tutoring yesterday and she said that she actually has people coming! She also said that I could wipe the floor with them when it comes to Spanish grammar. That's really weird to think about. But then again, I guess there are the English-speakers that have horrible grammar in English. I guess I should be proud that I supposedly have pretty good grammar skills in both languages. But I'm ending this here. I'm going to try and continue blogging more, and hopefully starting my tarrot journal again... But here's one last picture in dedication to my wonderful host family.
But apparently I'm a really fast learner because everyone has said how amazed they are at how much I have learned in the semester. So I guess I can't argue with everyone. I know I'm more confident having conversations with people: it just takes me a little bit to think about what I want to say. So once I come back I hope to, without a doubt, the return to the states fluent. I think I can get pretty close by the end of the summer if I really push myself. I have a plan, so let's just hope that I can stick to it! I have a lot of books that I can read in Spanish, and I also want to write an essay a day, as well as talk in Spanish with Maria and her brother. I should also skype my friends that went to the states for the summer. Because of course they'd go to the states while I get to stay. None of them went to Wisconsin though, so I wouldn't have gotten to see them anyways. But I definitely want to make everyone, and myself proud, so don't be surprised if more Spanish becomes incorporated into my blogs!
It's really easy for me to codeswitch when I'm writing, but speaking is another story. Sometimes it's easy, and sometimes it's still pretty dificult. But I do have to keep in mind that when I arrived here, my Spanish was at a pretty basic level. I have always felt behind in Spanish, and now I feel like I'd be at a pretty impressive level back in the states. I just really can't wait for the day that I'm fluent. I know I'm a perfectionist, and impatient, and had unrealisticly high expectations for this trip, but that's just who I am. When I'm really passionate about something, I want to be perfect at it as soon as possible. But either way, I know that my family and friends are proud of me for what I did/am doing. And I should be proud of how far I have come as well. I know I tend to second-guess and doubt myself a lot. I'm working on it.
But I should probably start getting some stuff done before Maria gets home from work (now that I finally have a blog written). I don't know if I'll end up writing an essay--I guess it's still early--but I would like to get pretty far on my book today, and I have a workbook that I could be working on. But Maria came home from tutoring yesterday and she said that she actually has people coming! She also said that I could wipe the floor with them when it comes to Spanish grammar. That's really weird to think about. But then again, I guess there are the English-speakers that have horrible grammar in English. I guess I should be proud that I supposedly have pretty good grammar skills in both languages. But I'm ending this here. I'm going to try and continue blogging more, and hopefully starting my tarrot journal again... But here's one last picture in dedication to my wonderful host family.
Bueno, estoy en Caguas hasta agosto. Hoy fue mi último día con Adriana y su familia. ¡Muchas gracias a ti y a tu familia por acogerme! Experimenté muchísimo: la cultura de una familia puertorriqueña, la comida, el lado oeste de Puerto Rico y mi primera lechonera. Aprendí mucho español también (y les prometo que la próxima vez que los visite, mi español será perfecto y no voy a ser tan tímida). ¡Gracias por toda su hospitalidad y generosidad! Y si quieren visitar Wisconsin, les daré la bienvenida con los brazos abiertos :)
XOXO Ericka