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

Resident Assistant

I like helping people; I think mostly everyone does. In the future I want to have some profession that involves helping people, but right now I’m a resident assistant, where I help people all the time! I think being an RA is giving me so much insight to different things in life: how to work with people, plan a program, get to know individuals on a personal level, how to handle unexpected situations, etc. For that reason, I am thankful for my job!

What does it take to be an RA? So many things! Interviewers look at how responsible you are, how you lead, how you interact with others, and, most importantly, why you want to be an RA. After multiple interviews, both group and individual, games, and “what would you do in this scenario?” questions, housing and residence life sends you “the email,” where you find out if you got an RA position, alternate position, or no position at all. Last year, I got the good email: we hope you accept a resident assistant position in Milton Daniel for the 2010-2011 school year. Needless to say, I was ecstatic!

Being an RA in Milton Daniel is so different from being an RA any other building—mostly because we are interlinked with the honors program. Honors professors come in and out of the building, and that’s completely normal. We are actually all celebrating Halloween together! It’s really great to work with and get to know the faculty so well!

Like any profession, there are pros and cons. Here’s the positive!

• I got to move into a brand-new, beautiful building at TCU and, since I’m an RA, room & board is my compensation.
• I get to work with 24 lovely & beautiful freshmen : )
• My hall director and staff are here to support me, whether I’m stressed with school or need help with anything
• I get to decorate a bulletin board and my whole hall (I love anything that involves being artsy!)
• I get to know the housing and residence life & honors staff, and they are awesome!

Cons

• I have to live alone
• Stuff happens! During RA training we learned how to deal with so many things: residents who have been drinking, are depressed, have eating disorders, having conflicts with their roommates, and much more. Turns out, this happens in real life…and sometimes at the most inopportune moments.
• Sometimes friends don’t understand why being an RA is so time-consuming, which is frustrating.
• Technically, I’m always on duty whenever I’m in the building. It’s my responsibility to handle a situation I may see.

I love my job despite the cons (I would have peaced out ASAP if I didn’t!) and I know that it’s preparing me for my professional life. I feel so blessed that I was chosen to be an RA because I know (or hope!) that I will be positively influencing my residents and I’m here to mentor them. Whenever it gets tough, I tell myself that I was chosen for a reason. Helping people can wear down on you, but at the end of the day it’s what I love to do and it’s so rewarding!

“I have found the paradox that if I love until it hurts, then there is no more hurt, but only more love.” Mother Teresa

Study Abroad

In high school, I traveled with a group of students to Costa Rica for 2 weeks—and the experience was amazing! I stayed with a family in Heredia, where the family consisted of a mom, dad, and older daughter. I took classes at the local school, but the fun parts were the random trips made with everyone from the group. We hiked a volcano, visited the beach, went ziplining through the rainforest, visited the coffee factory, and so much more! Although those activities were great, interacting with the Costa Rican community was probably the most impactful. Here’s a clip of someone juggling fire on the streets of Heredia, Costa Rica:

My host mom was so smart and well-traveled, which was something I would have never expected. Everyone on the block was related to my host family, and these relatives hosted some students as well. Because of that, we took trips to other people’s houses and got to meet the whole family! I loved how everyone knew everyone and just living the Costa Rican lifestyle for 2 weeks was great.

I came to college with the intent to study abroad for a semester in Spain because of that trip. I knew exactly when I wanted to go—second semester of my junior year. I remember telling everyone that that was my plan, but thinking at the same time that Spain was so far away. Well, junior year is snuck up on me, and study abroad then became a not-so-sure adventure.

The reality that I would be away from everything I know and feel safe with finally set in and I started not wanting to go to Spain. Sure, I had been in a study abroad program before, but that had only been for 2 weeks; Spain would be 4 months. The excitement for the adventure was gone, and I felt sure that I would never go through with the experience.

I’m currently enrolled in a study abroad seminar, (I figured I would go through with all the study abroad preparations just in case I changed my mind!) where we are constantly discussing different cultures and the experience of adapting in an unknown world. We’ve had a handful of speakers come to the class, telling us the importance of being globally aware. Although these speakers have been great, the most influential people I’ve come in contact with are the students who have already been abroad.

People who have been abroad are so passionate about study abroad and miss being in the country a lot; I have yet to hear a horror story about the whole experience! Because of their stories and positive experiences I have finally made up my mind to go to Spain! Don’t get me wrong, the whole being nervous about everything is still there, but I know that I would regret not going to Spain. To me, it’s so important to be culturally aware and experience such a different lifestyle; I’m even achieving a certificate in international studies because this is so important to me!

So, if you have ever been to Spain, or just have some good advice for going abroad, please let me know!

Shakira

Shakira is my favorite artist, period (although Jack Johnson is pretty high up there!). Although I have a mild obsession with all her songs, I’m also amazed at how awesome of a person she is. In case you are wondering who Shakira even is, I’ll give you some background info!

Shakira is from Colombia and is of Lebanese, Spanish, and Italian descent. Her name means “thankful” in Arabic (so cool!) She’s an only child but has 8 half siblings from her father’s side. She was first introduced to the doumbek, the drum often used for belly dancing, at age 4, which greatly influenced her popular and well-known dance style. She was rejected from her school choir because her vibrato was too strong and, according to the class, she sounded like a goat!

Her parents declared bankruptcy when she was 8, and her family sold many of their belongings in order to get some money. She was really upset about this until her father took her to a local park to see orphans who lived there. Upon seeing those kids, see declared that she would find a way to help the kids when she became famous.

Shakira has released 6 albums to date: Pies Desclazos, ¿Dónde Están Los Ladrones?, Laundry Service (first English album), Fijación Oral Vol. 1, Oral Fixation Vol. 2, and She-Wolf and is about to release Loca.

In 1995 Shakira founded the Pies Descalzos foundation, a Colombian charity with special schools for poor children all around Colombia. She, as well as other groups and organizations, fund the foundation. She is also known for performing at various benefit concerts. She’s an international UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) Goodwill ambassador. She’s received numerous awards from “Humanitarian of the Year” to Top 50 Most Charitable Celebrities by OK! Magazine. She recently opend a $6 million school in Barranquilla, Colombia (her hometown) and was asked to speak at the University of Oxford to talk about her work with children and education.

After knowing all of that, I can’t imagine anyone NOT liking Shakira! I guess I’m slightly biased since I’ve always been a fan of her music. I went to her concert recently and just through her performances anyone can see how dedicated she is to her fans. She performed over 2 hours straight and there was not one moment where I was not entertained. Here are a few songs that I highly recommend:

-Ciega, Sordomuda

-Si Te Vas

-Underneath Your Clothes

-Estoy Aquí

-Whenever, Wherever

-La Tortura

****Once I started this list I realized how I wanted to put all her songs on here. Basically, just listen to all 6 albums—you won’t be disappointed!

Through both her performances and philanthropies Shakira shows her dreams to help people and change the world positively. There need to be more people like her in this world!

“Walking gets too boring when you learn how to fly.” Gypsy-Shakira