Arrival in Puerto Rico

Well I have arrived successfully with a little frustration, but safely, so all is well. I am checked into my housing, started work and now find myself acclimating to the warm and humid weather. It is very beautiful and a major change from the social and natural environment of Petaluma. Don’t let me get to far ahead of myself here, I should probably start at the beginning.

Travel was the most difficult part of the process only because of the cancelation of my reservations on two occasions. Once that was settled, things went as smooth as they could have. It is always a minor event when you pack 140 people on a tin can with jet engines. Travel was delayed by 2 days due to one cancelation and then almost for at least two more due to the next. The first trip was very smooth to Newark, New Jersey. I was fairly tired for good reason and I was almost able to nap a little. I was sat next to a very kind older gentleman and was able to finish my first two sudoku puzzles. I usually do not have the patience to finish them, Life is just to busy. The flight was a perfect opportunity to do some puzzles, reading and socializing. The flight from Newark to Aguadilla was shorter, but not quite as pleasant. It was a red eye so you would think that people would sleep, but kids don’t always understand that concept. Now imagine if you will the Joy of a sitting right next to two young girls that giggle, speak loudly and try to get everyone’s attention at the sight of anything. To top it off, the family only speaks Spanish and the parents do nothing to keep their kids quiet. They eventually fell asleep but they succeeded in a marathon time of about two hours. I understand the excitement of being on a plane as a kid, but I don’t believe my mother ever let me be loud like that. Regardless I was not able to sleep. My plant landed at 0215 and my sponsor picked me up. I did not report until 1000 that morning so I was able to get some sleep.

The first day of work went well. I was able to meet everybody, do some check in stuff and get a feeling for how the clinic feels. I will let you know in a couple of weeks, but from what I have seen it will be a great place to work. Let me get to what you really want to hear about, the scenery and weather here, I suppose.

It is nothing short of stunning. A vivid blue and green graces the water, clouds race across the sky providing a nice contrast but rain has not fallen. It is hot enough to be comfortable in shorts and a t-shirt and there is something innately peaceful about swimming in the surf. Our housing area rests on the cliff that rises above the beach. Greenery adorns every cliff and the water is constantly bombarded by the water as the waves crash into the shore. From our view, all you see is water, that deep blue and green. Close to our trail down to the beach is a cave that looks as if the waves have been carving it for a thousand years. The surface is smooth with an innumerable amount natural carving on the surface. The sand ranges from the light sand that barely hold your body weight to the heavy sand that is like a solid walkway.

At the water there is a stretch of rocks following the coast that is covered with what I would call underwater moss. In the crevices that have distributed themselves along this formation you can see the small sea life protecting itself from the movement of the water. A small lagoon is created on the opposite side of by the waves that seldom break over. And if that is not enough, the sun shines down all day while a slight breeze follows you anywhere you go. When you make the plunge into the surf you feel like you can just float there for hours, never worrying about the cold.  As for the rest, I shall let the pictures do the work.

To say the least, it is absolutely awesome so far. It will defiantly be an adventure, but to be at a place like this is a humbling experience to the beauty and power of nature.