Una Semana para recordar

It was definitely a week or so to remember! Last Saturday, I met up with Aunt Simone and Kyle and we went to Old San Juan. It was a gorgeous day and we walked past El Convento and up to El Jibarito on Calle del Sol. It is a delicious Puerto Rican restaurant- we had mofongo (naturally!... I may have become too fond of it), red beans and rice, pork in plantain gravy and garlic chicken. It was so great to chat with them and walk around Old San Juan, picking up empanadas and fruit (papaya and banana) along the way. The picturesque streets of cobblestone that look almost blue-ish and the colorful buildings look like a postcard around every corner. After I dropped them at the airport, I officially felt like a local as I turned around and drove back into Condado. I then went with Cesar and Lynn to Dorado beach about 45 minutes away where they have a gorgeous house that looks almost like Sandestin. We biked to the beach, passing one of the prettiest golf courses and a huge iguana lounging in the sun. The beach club is unlike anything I have seen before... it is super fancy and there is a wavebreaker of rocks so that there are no waves. We had mojitos and piña coladas and then rode our bikes back, laughing all the way when Lynn's bike squealed each time the brakes were pressed. We changed and went to Alberto's restaurant for chillo entero (an entire red snapper fish, eyes and all!). After, we drove home and I went to sleep! Sunday I went for a run/walk around the lagoon, taking in the crystal clear water! It was a relaxing day and the perfect setup for a week in picking!

Here are pics of Dorado:

In picking, I spent the week working with warehouse guys. It was so funny because they didn't know how to act around me. They had never worked with a girl before.. much less a girl that had bright blonde hair. They finally got used to me and I had a blast with them by Friday. Thursday I had to leave work early to go interview with Deloitte. As I left work, I wanted to go to the frutera for a limber de mantequilla maní so badly. I was thinking about it and wondering if I had time and then I saw Yamalier and Humberto sitting in the cafeteria. They called me over to wish me good luck AND out of a plastic bag, as if by magic, they pulled out a limber. And crazily enough, a limber of peanut butter! It was such a blessing in disguise... it was just an affirmation of such sweet friends I have made here. Friday was also so great- Valentines Day! I got to go to lunch with the Compras team- Kelvin, Zori, Ivanne, Verónica, Jaime and some others in the office. We went to Monchos and had a great time. When I got back, Yamalier gave me a red rose and I decorated the warehouse with it :) the guys were all confused why their "manly" warehouse suddenly had a sign with hearts and said "Feliz Día de Amistad" and had a rose in a makeshift vase (an empty glass Evian bottle) in it. I got countless chocolates from the sweet guard at Oceánica when I got home as well... not to mention my amazing parents sent me chocolate strawberries. Safe to say I need to eat better this week!

Sweet Zori and I at lunch!

My strawberries from mom and dad! You'll always be my favorite Valentines!

The warehouse... with a bit of a woman's touch!

Peanut butter limber! 

Yesterday, Menlyanne, Marcus and Patricia took me to Arecibo to Cuevas del Indio. It was breathtaking... we climbed down a little ladder into the caves and enjoyed exploring and taking in the sights. It was 90 degrees and clear blue skies. The town of Arecibo is truly campo, with horses along the road and the parking lot was a small dirt lot with country Puerto Ricans manning the pay booth. It was so funny- and then we sat on the trunk of the car and ate strawberries with whipped cream before departing for San Sebastián to Gozalandia. To get there, we drove down tiny residential roads that looked like dead ends (which we did run into a few times!) and then we saw a tiny concrete entrance and we drove through a sketchy jungle road to a small parking lot where lots of dogs were wandering. Country folk own the lot and usually, people used to hike through their property to arrive at the waterfall, so they decided to start charging. The waterfall is down a big jungle hill and you turn the corner to a magnificent deep pool with clear green water and a perfect waterfall. You can swim and play in it and it was the perfect afternoon! I cannot imagine a better day.. and cannot wait until the next trip! Today, I went to Second Union Church in Guaynabo. It was amazing.. the sermon was on anger. It was amazing to consider that the majority of times wrath and anger are mentioned it is about God's anger. It is not sinful to be angry about what matters. But, to be angry or spiteful is sinful and it was a great reminder and wake-up call about being angry about silly things or getting frustrated. I am excited for this week and what else is to come here in Puerto Rico!

Indian cave carvings!

Gozalandia is beautiful!

Una Rutina Buenísima

Hola! Buenas noches! I write to you as I lay in my bed and blast the air conditioner... a happy place to be on a Friday night. I am the life of the party, right?? I am so exhausted from this week that hitting the hay at 10 pm is sounding better and better tonight! The past few days have been awesome- I have been working with Zoriada in purchasing. First day... bleh. Second through 5th- awesome. I learned so much. Today I did her entire purchasing order by myself and answered her emails as well. The best part- the people. I learned quickly it is tradition to go around in the morning and greet each person whether you know them or not with buenos días and a kiss on the cheek. Wait for it, Atlanta friends, because I am bringing the cheek kiss the ATL! I made friends who are 23 and 25 in purchasing- two engineers named Kelvin y Jaime. They are lots of fun and we had desks separated only by a piece of glass so we would draw funny faces or write obnoxious notes and stick them on each other's glass all week. I learned how to be extremely sassy from Verónica.. that girl snaps her fingers and talks like she is from the ghetto... in Spanish. It was so funny. I have had a few interesting experiences this week with everyday life- first, it has been raining each morning and I learned the potholes are so deep that oftentimes, when water covers them and someone next to you drives through it, a wave (more like a tsunami) will rise and splash your car with water the force of a car wash. It will leave you without sight of the road momentarily.. and it will occur a lot. All I could do was laugh and turn up the Puerto Rican rap/hip hop/salsa music mix I have fallen in love with :) I also watched as plantains spilled out of a truck bed along the highway and also along the road while I was walking! Today, I went to lunch with the auditoria team and got pinchos picantes. Kabobs of chicken that had spicy sauce made fresh at the roadside stand in Cayey. Couldnt ask for a better day at work! On the way home, I dropped by the frutera in Cayey for a frappe of coco, piña and fresa. As I ordered, the locals all stared at me and suddenly the heavens broke loose. Rain poured down and I sipped my frappe and waited for it to slow down. Suddenly, like 6 puerto rican men ran and umbrellas appeared from heaven knows where. They INSISTED (despite me turning bright red and explaining I did not need any umbrellas, but thanks) I walk under an umbrella train all the way to my car. Talk about paparazzi... I was so embarrassed but I could not stop laughing. Such kind people here :) On another note, my aunt Simone and Kyle are in town! Tomorrow, we plan on driving to Cayey for the lechonera (roadside roasted pig on a skewer, tostones, the whole Puerto Rican food array) and the frutera! It'll be a blast to go with them to see the campo (countryside) and local life! I am really enjoying Puerto Rico- I cannot wait to catch up with everyone when I get back! Stay warm, amigos in Atlanta!

Vida Diaria y un poco de America con el Superbowl!

Yesterday, church was amazing... It flew by and I didn't want it to end. Pastor Elí talked about where our help comes from. It was truly a great reflection time on all God has given me and allowed me to do and also a fantastic (yet not always fun) reflection on just how terrible, how sinful I am, you are, we all are. BUT (thank heavens there is a BUT) it also was a great reminder of how our sin and depravity serves to magnify the glory and perfection and justness of God! I was thankful for conversations with Toby (an old guy at church who I have become fond of) and with Giovanni (who is about 23 and goes to a local college in PR). He is going to take me salsa dancing soon to meet more people my age whoo hoo!! He understands and speaks English but I prefer to try out my Spanish so I'm continuing my immersion :) we had a Super Bowl party yesterday and made pulled pork and had a bunch of people over. Lynn was proud that I poured myself my first ever home-made mixed drink... Big milestone I guess?? I had a lot of fun with them and their friends! Then today I went to work with purchasing... I'm not going to lie- it's boring. It was a tough day for me bc I felt sad without my favorite work friends in audit. But I paid them a visit at lunch and had a blast! They bought me a coco limber yum!!! I am going to go to workout at Combat class soon and hit the hat early! Today I must admit- I sang ballads on a ear-deafening volume the whole way home with the windows open. I think I felt sorry for myself in my new rotation and just let it out...I munched on food, sang my heart out and for some reason was lead to tears. It was quite pathetic but gosh did it feel good and now I'm back to normal and ready for another awesome week! I guess culture shock hit me for a minute or so... Honeymoon was over. But wait, it came back as soon as I saw the beautiful ocean out the window!! :) pictured below is our delish American-style pork and the Super Bowl spread! 

And check out the rain from the balcony!!! It was beautiful! 

Más fotos

Photos!

Tengo Amigos!

The past few days I have truly felt like a local. Yea, it is cheesy and not entirely true that locals do all that I did as part of their regular routine, but I am learning a ton about culture and life here! At work, I got to do a cycle count audit on the warehouse floor all by myself! I was so excited! Yamalier my co-worker was so awesome and patient in teaching me how to do it the past 2 weeks (and in teaching me how to be sassy in spanish!). I also tried an alcapuria at work (delicious deep-fried yuca bread with chicken in it from Cayey roadside stand) and stuffed potato from a roadside stand. Both incredible! Friday, I went to a warehouse in Las Piedras which is about a 45 min drive from Cayey. I had to wake up at 4:30 am but it was well worth it! I got to eat breakfast with Angelly at a place that had delicious breakfast potatoes and bacon and eggs. I also got chai tea, which came in a mini cup and was beyond delicious! In Las Piedras, we counted inventory and saw the Carmela sausage factory. Axel, our supervisor, came too and he is a blast! After, we went to the potato place for lunch with Cristián and I practiced a bit of salsa while we waited by the stand! I got to leave work at 2 since I got in so early, so that was a treat! I came back and ran some errands to Supermax and went for a run to the bridge. I enjoyed an acai bowl at Crush and had a quiet night watching 'What Happens in Vegas!' It was a bittersweet day because it marked my last day with my first rotation (Audit). :(( I do not want to stop working with wonderful Angelly, Cristián, Humberto, Axel, Mirna and Yamalier! They are so, so much fun and have taught me so much about Puerto Rico and of course operations. I cannot wait to have lunch with them this week and go to Culebra and shopping with them soon on a weekend!!! As I left Friday, they told me I now have 3 older brothers and a sister and a mom in Puerto Rico :) So sweet! I just finished making them seven layer bars for Monday because they were so awesome. I also went to Beyond to get my nails done for the first time in acrylic and they're hot pink... when in Puerto Rico, right? Everyone here has bright nails, so I went to Debbie and had a wonderful time laughing with her for a few hours as we chatted, sipped on wine and enjoyed our Friday.. and of course somewhere in there my nails were being done :) Today, I went for a few miles of walking just to enjoy the breeze, warm sea air and see the ocean in the morning. It is so gorgeous I couldn't help but smile all the way. I went to Isla Verde down Calle Marginal today with Patricia and Merlyanne from HR at work. They are awesome. Patricia brought her sweet little boy with her family. We had so much fun just chilling on the beach, drinking delicious Club Caribe Coconut rum with pineapple juice, eating chips and salsa and laughing the day away! Finally, we realized we did not eat yet and headed to a local restaurant for mofongo. I came back and debated going to a bar and salsa dancing with a friend from church, Giovanni, but ended up hanging out with Lynn and making the Seven Layer Bars and some food for the week as well as having so much fun cooking for the super bowl party here tomorrow night!! I cannot wait to salsa with Giovanni soon- should be a blast! Tomorrow I plan on going to church at First Union again, cooking with Lynn and going to the beach before the big party here. I really would love to go to Old San Juan with Patricia to see her friend play guitar at a bar- maybe after the game! I am loving life here- I really am falling in love with the people, the island and more and more with the God who created it all! It truly is the 'isla de encanta.' I am so thankful that I have been able to speak Spanish with everyone the entire 3 weeks and somehow am getting by without feeling as if I am stuttering or at a loss for Spanish vocab or fluency! Thank the Lord! :) The only worry I have is fitting in all I want to do with the time I have left here... things are pretty amazing if that is my biggest worry and I am so grateful for that!

El Día yo me gustó el café!

1-29-2014

Today was an awesome way to spend the middle of the week! I went to work as usual, but got to spend a little time chatting with Isabel the housekeeper before work while I ate my breakfast. She is so sweet- twice a week she comes and cleans, changes the sheets and does all of our laundry. I mean, I have never folded my underwear. Who does??? Isabel does! She goes the extra mile and all with a big smile! J I am thankful for her!

I arrived in Cayey and it was already around 85 degrees by 9 am! I worked cycle counts on the warehouse floor for 2 or so hours using the scanning machine which I think is lots of fun because you get to say hi to all the workers in the warehouse as you see them in each aisle. After, Mirna (my boss) took Humberto, Yamalier and Angelly and I (the auditoria team) to lunch with Heather (my mentor who works in Bayamón). We went to Ange’s which is an awesome little local shack place with a buffet. I am not talking any buffet. Puerto Rican. So mofongo, tostones with mayo-ketchup, salad, chicken with garlic etc. It was delicious… muy rica la comida! From there, we piled in the minivan of Angelly to go to Ponce where the coffee roasters is located and we got a long tour of the plant. It was incredible to hold all the different types of beans and test the quality of all of it! They have an incredible operation and the roads there are country – all surrounded by gorgeous dark green mountains. The hour flew by- we danced (they’re teaching me how to move like a Puerto rican.. which my poor body is physically incapable of! Those hips don’t move quite like the Puerto Ricans!) and we laughed and laughed. I am finally capable of 1. Understanding their jokes in Spanish and 2. Making jokes and being sarcastic in Spanish sooo it made the ride lots of fun! I learned slang: Corrio is yall so I often say Que es la que corrio? (What’s up, yall?) and other things like that. I love learning from them! The coffee plantation was incredible. Super interesting... and I liked black coffee they served fresh! Who knew coffee could be not bitter and have a chocolate aftertaste?? Apparently Puerto Ricans because their supreme coffee (Altos Grandes) is wonderful. 

On the way back, we stopped at a frappe stand near Ponce. It was packed full and delicious! I got strawberry coco and it was piled high of fresh fruit smoothie with honey and pieces of coconut and strawberry they cut fresh and stuck into it. I am telling you- nothing beats the fruteras here. Especially Carlos’ frutera by the plant in Cayey, which is full of fruit and limbers (popsicles made in tiny cups with leche and fruit and honey). They have every flavor imaginable and there are pieces of the fresh fruit in it… yum! It always serves to refresh after a hot day like today!

I drove home today and admired the beauty of Puerto Rico. It is hard to fathom the imagination of our God! He put mountains, jungles and beaches all within a short distance of each other on this beautiful island. I am seeing God each and every day here- in the people, the scenery and the solo time I have in the car. How incredible I have 40 minutes both ways to reflect when I am not chatting on the phone with my wonderful mommy and daddy! J I was reflecting on church that I went to this past Sunday today on my way home. The pastor Elí talked about music- how it has several parts. People must play instruments, each that they are gifted at. Someone must sing tenor, someone bass, someone alto, someone soprano. If everyone tried to sing all, it would not work and would be chaos. However, when everyone sings their part, it is harmony. A union of voices and talents all serving one purpose but unique in sound and structure. He explained how music can calm the soul, can invoke emotions and glorify God. It is also an incredible symbol of the Trinity- all parts are unique yet one (harmony). They work together in perfect union. My encouragement from this is to “speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and Songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord.” Ephesians 5:19. I am excited to see what God reveals to me next as I enjoy Puerto Rico and all that He has given me with this beyond amazing experience! Thankful cannot begin to describe how I feel!

La Vida Loca

It is hard to imagine that I only arrived in PR 14 days ago today. It seems like a lot longer than that.. which is awesome because I feel like I have already done and experienced a lot here! I live with an awesome family, the Rocas. The parents are Lynn (Italian) and Cesar (Colombiano). They have lived here in Condado 21 years and are just absolutely precious. They are so easy to hang out with- I already am sarcastic with them (respectfully so of course... but sarcastic all the same!) and they are sarcastic with me. It is a fantastic dynamic to have... no awkward moments when you feel this comfortable! We go out for dinner, on walks, dancing (yes, salsa and merengue where their friend plays in a band), to the casino (got my poker face down now!) and out for acai bowls (my newest addiction... step aside, Starbucks!).

I started work also... work 9-5. It is in Cayey right now, which is considered el campo o the countryside so it is a gorgeous drive! I will be in Bayamón the last 7 weeks. I work with Angelly who is literally, as her name says, an angel. She is awesome... she has as much energy as me so we giggle and joke around all lunch break and (shhh!) sometimes during work. Humberto, Cristián and Yamalier who I also work with are all young too.. I think they think were crazy. But hey, work's got to be enjoyable right?? I LOVE work. I mean I really LOVE work. I get to do inventory in the warehouse, scan things with this cool scan gun thing, do audits of the Coca-Cola test lab which is awesome, watch bottles being blown on a machine, and basically see everything from planning and forecasting to actual production of Coke and other products to the distribution and warehouse and finally audit it as the forklifts take the products onto vagones (trailers). I even wear steel toed shoes... tempted to buy pink ones and decided maybe that's too soon to be that bold :)

I also LOVE the food. Yes, I will gain the Puerto Rico 15 lbs. I eat mofongo (mashed plantains), tostones (fried plantains), pinchos (spicy roadside stand chicken kabobs), fresh fruit from the frutera stand by work in Cayey, etc. They make frappes of fresh fruit ahhh I go each lunch. and Limbers, which are popsicles made from fresh fruit at the stand that they make in solo cups. I also eat EVERYTHING with mayo-ketchup. It is a genius combo of mayo, ketchup (yes I know that part is obvious) and garlic and oil. It is the island's signature salsa.

I learned to surf and to salsa, to eat like a local and am now working on my phrases in Spanish. Who knew "Qué es la que?" is "what's up?" and "loco/a" is the same as "dude." Things my new friends are loving to teach me... I am sure my Spanish teachers would be proud? I have joined a gym, where I workout to extremely loud Latino music and the teacher yells in Spanish. I am always one move behind in the Zumba and other classes (every class, even weights, involves dancing with disco balls and lowlights) to which the teacher simply responds "oh, gringa." I love it so much!

Driving is another story... nobody follows any sort of rules. They are aggresive!!! I sat at an intersection for 5 minutes (LITERALLY 5 minutes) the other day because nobody lets anybody go. The unspoken rule is to simply go and cut people off. I wait until a small car comes so I can survive the hit and pray I don't get hit (and sometimes actually scream out loud). I am learning the roads though.. take hwy 22 to 26 to 18 sur to 52 sur to salida 32 etc etc. It was quite confusing the first week!

I know this is a long post, so I will stop. I hope to update this regularly with fun stories and new events here in PR! I will also need to update it from fun stories the past week... goodness, I can think of so many to share. For now, it's a work night so to sleep by 11 :) Buenas noches... nos vemos!