Time: 0849 The governor of Puerto Rico has arrived on-board. Time: 0856 I think the governor is speaking in Spanish. Time: 0904 That wasn’t the governor before. He’s speaking now. He greeted us in Spanish and we all responded in unision. Then he switched to English. He’s speaking in English now, describing Puerto Rico’s cultural identity and how it fits into its relationship with America. He says most Puerto Ricans consider themselves Puerto Ricans, but they also consider themselves part of the United States. The impression I’ve had so far was that this is some how different from being Missourian and American. We learned in Global Studies that the governor beliefs Puerto Rico should remain a common wealth, neither trying for statehood nor demanding independence. The number one industry in Puerto Rico is manufacturing. It’s the top producer of pharmaceuticals, including Viagra. Time: 0913 Now Roberto, the SAS student from Puerto Rico is speaking in Spanish to the governor. The governor says Roberto can be a great San Jaun tour guide because he used to work at a bar next to the governor’s masion. Time: 0916 The governor has left. Immigration steps: v Go to the faculty lounge v Pick up a copy of your passport v Speak with a costum person v Wait until the ship has been cleared v The 1st three trips have priority for leaving Life long learners, faculty and staff and the dependent learners are the first ones to leave who aren’t on a trip. Location: Aft deck Time: 1020 Cate, Stephanie, Sarah, Noupor and I are waiting fro someone to get back from her room. Meanwhile, we’re discussing skirt fabrics. We’re all done with check-in. Location: Hallway near garden lounge Time: 1029 The ship has been cleared. Whoo-hoo! Cate just returned and we’re ready for the cab. Location: Near fort, on a hillside Time: 1306 We’re sitting under a tree and the scenery’s beautiful. Location: MV Explorer, Level 6, Aft deck Time: 1736 Everyone decided to come back to the ship early to give themselves plenty of time to prepare for tonight. I’ll change clothes of course, but I didn’t realize the welcome reception was a big deal. I think most people simply aren’t use to walking and need a rest. We walked back to the ship, because we really weren’t all that far, but the taxi driver in the morning had scared us by saying it wasn’t safe and there was not sidewalk. There was a perfectly safe sidewalk. Feb. 8th Location: passing convention center, tour bus Time: 0828 I’m on my way to the Ponce Indian Ceremonial Center: Notes from tour guide: v Most of the houses have iron bars on the window because the houses were built by wealthy Spaniards in the 1500s and the Spaniards wanted to keep as much as the elements away from their house as they could without blocking out the breeze v Now everyone has windows inside the bars v Mangrove trees have red roots and absorb salt water v The mall looks like other American stores v Puerto Rican bank is the number 3 bank in world trading v There are 78 cities in Puerto Rico v Apples and bananas are grown all year round v Pineapples grow on the North side of the island v I can see banana trees v African tulips grow on trees v Bamboo grows an inch a day v Tania Indians smoked tulips in their pipes to help them meditate v Coffee beans and pineapples grow in the mountains v No shark attacks since the 70s because Puerto Rico now has designated shark mating areas and people no longer dump fish v Every town has a church or a cathedral v I can see mango trees v 80% of the world’s whales are in the Caribbean sea v Olympic park w/swimming pool museum v Banana plantation v I see burnt land Location: Ponce Indian Ceremonial Center Time: 0958 I can see a big red ponce sign. Our guide was an archeologist technician. He said that they did the hard work while the archeologist were in a tent, taking it easy. In the Indian society, married people were the only people who wore clothing. Time: 1232 We’re leaving the center now. Location: road from the center Time: 1234 Notes on the center: The main part of the tour focused on a volleyball like game. The Indians would play it w/rubber balls, which probably weighed 3-6 lbs. The missionaries recorded them as 4-25-lbs. They sent out seminaries who probably compared it to a cannon ball b/c the two balls were roughly the same side and the seminaries wouldn’t have had any exposure to rubber The Indians also used plants as a Halluciagian Wives were buried w/their husbands. The tour guides gave a hilarious account of his prediction of how people got the wives trashed first and then buried them alive. Indian men were typically 5’3”. Time:1243 Notes on the tour: v The Ponce sign is so distracting, it causes accidents v Louis Serville, a former governor said he wouldn’t die until Puerto Rico was a state. He died a few years ago at age 101. o His wife started a museum w/their art collection. Location: Ponce, outside cathedral Time: 1502 Notes on Ponce: v All school children wear uniforms v Our lady of Guadalupe appeared here v The first telegraph message in Puerto Rico was “Dinner is ready” sent by Alexander Grahm Bell to his daughter Location: San Juan Time: 1945 I’m riding the bus to Bioluminescent Bay. Time: 1926 I just saw some people playing basketball on a lit court. Feb. 9th Location: Port, U.S. customs and Border Patrol building, Rio Camuy caves, line Time: 0804 We’re waiting for everyone to board the bus. I’m learning these Semester at Sea expeditions are nearly always late. Location: along harbor, in bus Time: 0817 Notes from bus trip: v Sometimes the harbor has 15,000 vistors v Puerto Rico will host the Pan American games- 2010 v The Caribbean sea can be up to 80 degrees warmer than the Atlantic ocean v The Caribbean sea is tourquoise green v “You can do anything in Puerto Rico. Just don’t get caught.” –tour guide v The cave has been around since 1,000 B.C.. o Archeologists have found utensils and art v We’re passing through the town of Catania o Founded in 1927 § It’s known for the Bacardi factory · Bacardi comes from Puerto Rico v Most people start work at 9am in Puerto Rico v Beautiful museum here was a private hosue v Ponce has a coffee museum o There you ride through a coffee plantation v Yellow rice uses tayto as a food color o Salt water blackens it v Fandangos at Christmas time, start after 10 pm, eat and drink in houses o In country people still walk v Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed on this side of the island Location: Countryside Time: 1531 Highlights from the cave: v Bat Gauno makes the cave wall white v Natural spring supposedly makes you younger v I hear there’s really a fountain of youth around here v We spent a lot of time waiting On Ship Feb. 11th Time: 0658 I’m standing in line at the Registrar’s office to drop one class and add two others. I came to the computer lab at 0530 to check my e-mail and I discovered 5 people hanging out w/pillows. As a line started forming, I decided to claim a spot. The line weaves through the union. The people near the front are watching Mr. Deeds on a portable DVD player, but I think the battery just died. Everybody who walks by does an ‘aw man . . .” double take. Feb. 13th Time: 1947 We changed time zones two nights ago. I was worried that I had messed up the scan-a-tron for the sale form, but I hear lots of people were added to unwanted courses, so I’m not a failure! Feb. 15th Time: 1651 On ship notes: v Triangular toilet paper v Quite an experience on the elliptical I’m not really used to the service. Feb. 15th Location: 5th level, pursuer’s square Time: 1055 We’re waiting for the tour guide. A guy from the pursor’s desk introduces us to a deck cadet. The guide holds a tissue to his face because he cut himself shaving this morning. In the bridge, there’s one long row of equipment and one short row. The navigation officer charts the route on an electronic chart. He also marks the chart on paper. The course line is red. Cubby holes like dorm mail boxes line the wall behind the desk area. | 
