The return home (for at least a few days) was accomplished yesterday, and I'm already wishing I were back. Friendly people. Beautiful surroundings. Gasoline for about $2.25/gallon (once converted from metric). I was even beginning to remember a bit more Spanish, though I was nowhere close to keeping up with conversations, much less thinking in it.
There's a brightness to the area which doesn't exist here. Okay, since Her Horribleness blew through, there are one or two houses around here that have, shall we say?, unique paint colors on them, but the vast majority of us have wandered back into the realm of "studied bland". While I refused to return to the same neutral beige, I couldn't quite bring myself to go over the edge into something truly different like aqua or lavender or brilliant yellow. Wouldn't have been able to get away with that in San Juan! Lime green! Hot pink! Blazing orange! Purple! (hmmmm.... couldn't have used that as a color suggestion during the kitchen remodeling at church if I'd lived in San Juan.) The brighter, the better. Of course, there were places painted white and grayed with age, but the area as a whole was vibrant with color!
Here's a pic of the Presbyterian Church located near the Governor's Mansion:
Their folkloric dance is bright and creative, as you might guess. On Thursday, a group of us went to watch a free performance of their more contemporary dance history, which included salsa and the mamba. On Saturday, we went back for a taste of their older dances, which are blended with the Spanish influence and that of Africa. Wonderful! And the music and musicians were a delight!
Do you like plantains? It's a central part of the diet and is available in some form at almost every meal. While mofongo is pretty bland (to my taste), I really liked the sweet plantains a lot! I often get accused of not being particularly adventurous in my eating, and it's sorta true. So I wandered onto the wild side, for me, and tried something different at each meal. I will have to admit, though, that I couldn't bring myself to eat cabrito.
And, while I'm not particularly into alcoholic beverages, it was impossible to not visit the Bacardi Rum facility. An interesting experience. Next time you're in San Juan, take the tour. It's free, and you get two tickets to taste some of the various rum drinks. I tried the mojito ... not my cup of rum. And sipped a bit of peach rum. Better, but I have a feeling it's an acquired taste. *shiver* And, of course, you must see the drunken palm tree! (Well, not really, but I thought it was appropriate. *chuckle*)
Casa Bacardi
One visit we made was to a local worship service at the church our committee member attends. It was in Spanish, but we had an interpreter. I didn't quite get all of it, but managed to understand bits of it, even in Spanish. The pastor invited one of my compatriots to give a welcome on behalf of the committee and then asked me (!!!!!) to give the benediction. I very wisely did not attempt anything in Spanish, even though they had a benediction printed in their bulletin. One of the fascinating things to me was the building: the doors had no glass in them! Summer, winter, spring, fall - it's open to the elements. The eaves are apparently wide enough to keep those nasty horizontal rains from getting in, but still ...
All in all, in spite of having to take a break for our meeting, it was a very good trip. I can't wait to go back! And next time, I'll be sure to make plans for seeing the Camuy Caverns, the Arecibo Observatory, the Rain Forest, .... maybe next time, I'll plan to stay a bit longer. Adios!
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