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Puerto Rico

My mom is from Puerto Rico, a 100 x 35 mile island east of the Dominican Republic and West of the Virgin Islands. My mom lived in the US territory until she was 18 years old, but the island is still a big part of our life. Much of my family on my mom’s side still lives in Puerto Rico; we visit every so often, although not as much as I’d like.

We usually stay in the city of Aguada, located on the west side of the island. This part of the island is beautiful! If you have not been to Puerto Rico, I highly recommend going to this side of the island instead of the capitol, San Juan. I’ve only explored San Juan for a few days, but nothing compares to the pure nature that’s available on the countryside. My mom’s family is on the west side as well, so I definitely I have more of a tie there!

Many people do not know much about Puerto Rico, so I will leave you with facts about the territory:

• Plaza Las Americas mall in San Juan is the most profitable mall per square foot in the world
• The port of San Juan is the 4^th busiest seaport in the Western Hemisphere
• San Juan is the oldest city in US territory (older than St. Augustine, FL) and was founded in 1508 by Juan Ponce de Leon
• Piña colada was “born” in PR in 1954
• Puerto Rico has won the Miss Universe pageant a record of 5 times
• PR has the only rainforest in the US—El Yunque
• 86% of the rum drunk in the US is from PR
• Coffee grown and brewed in PR is the official coffee of the Vatican
• PR ranks 6^th in the world when it comes to college graduates
• Puerto Ricans are the only people in the world who regularly applaud when a plane lands and when it reaches the gate (I have definitely experienced this many times, it’s great!)
• Telemundo, the 2^nd largest Spanish language TV station in the US, was founded in PR
• The first Emmy went to a Puerto Rican—Jose Ferrer
• The world’s highest concentration of bioluminescent waters are in PR
• The state of Florida was discovered by Puerto Rico’s 1^st governor, Don Juan Ponce de Leon
• There are more Puerto Ricans living in the rest of the US than in the island of PR itself
• The Camuy River in PR is among the top 3 longest underground rivers in the world

If you haven’t noticed after reading all these facts, Puerto Rico is a beast. It’s such a small island with great achievements, interesting facts, and history. I am proud of my Puerto Rican heritage because it’s so unique and awesome.

Here's a video of my parents getting some coconuts from my tía Laly's tree!

Dogs>Cats

As many of my friends know, I am terrified of cats. There are many reasons for this, but being allergic to cats does not help for sure. Cats are creepy, they purr, they rub up against you, and, in my opinion, are always plotting against humans. These are my legitimate feelings about cats. Dogs, on the other hand, are the most loveable creatures ever! I mean, who wouldn’t want a Lassie as a pet?! They are man’s best friend and just love on you when you need it the most. Dogs are wonderful pets and are just close to my heart for many reasons.

Let me begin with my many examples of why cats are just not as great as dogs. In my first experience with a cat, the cat clawed at my cousin’s arm, causing her to bleed. Not a good impression señor gato! My second real encounter was with a cat named Simba. Simba’s name was perfect for him; he had the biggest fur coat and was a big fatty as well. Simba was my relative’s cat and I met him a few years ago when I had to stay with the family. There was a certain moment I remember trying to enter my room and Simba stood right in front of the doorway. I waited for him to move and after 5 minutes he didn’t even budge! I got tired of waiting and out of fear that he would try to rub against me while walking through the doorway I attempted to jump over him. As I was in the air Simba jumped at me and grabbed my leg! Needless to say I was terrified and can’t look at cats the same way since that experience. I’m pretty sure Simba had some sort of plot to take me down, but I guess I’ll never know.

My latest experience with cats would be last year. I decided to stay with my friend for Thanksgiving break and visit her also during the Christmas break…and she had two cats! I was freaking out about this for the longest time—I didn’t want a cat to attack me in my sleep! So we decided that I would sleep upstairs and I make a barricade so that the cats would not be able to reach me. My barricade was weak and the cats jumped on my head…twice! All these experiences have taught me that cats should not be trusted—they are too sneaky and creepy to be dealt with.

The best pet to have is a dog. I have NEVER had such a horrible experience with a dog as I had with cats. My favorite experience with dogs was when my friend’s dog Nestle had a litter—they were precious puppies! They were curious, playful, and developing their own personalities. It was sad to see them leave to live with new families.

The dogs that have been in my life are mostly labs of my friends. The bottom line is that dogs want love and they love back. They connect to humans on so many levels—they can even detect certain health problems! Cats connect with…well, other cats I guess. They never will with me, that’s for sure!

"We long for an affection altogether ignorant of our faults. Heaven has accorded this to us in the uncritical canine attachment." George Eliot