Traveling and Tourism

By Maddy Payne

Looking back on the trip, I realized there was never a dull moment. Our tour guide and driver were both great and made sure we experienced Puerto Rican culture first hand. I tried street food – shrimp empanadas – in Luquillo at Los Kioskos, and I dined at La Mallorquina in Old San Juan, the oldest operating restaurant in the Americas. I met with the famous Puerto Rican painter and sculptor Samuel Lind. I explored the Cueva María de la Cruz, a historical cave archeologist Dr. Ricardo E. Alegría discovered in 1948. I took a day and explored the city of Caguas, where I was given the opportunity to watch women hand-make Puerto Rican cigars. The list goes on, and everyday was filled with something new and exciting to experience.

This trip gave me the opportunity to be more than a tourist. I was able to immerse myself in Puerto Rican culture and learn a significant amount of information in only 10 short days. I am thankful for what I learned on the trip: self-sufficiency, flexibility and an appreciation for differences. Although there were some challenging times on the trip, I definitely made lasting memories. On the plane ride back to Houston, I sat next to a nice man named David. He is from Isabela, Puerto Rico, a region on Puerto Rico’s northwest coast, and he told me there are 78 different cities in Puerto Rico. Unfortunately we didn't get to that many cities this trip, so I guess I'll just have to go back and keep exploring.


WORDS: 256

Los Kioskos in Luquillo, Puerto Rico. 

Samuel Lind, Puerto Rican painter and sculptor, shows us his art pieces. 

Exploring la Cueva María de la Cruz. 

Check out:

https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/samuel-lind.html

http://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/luquillo-kiosks/

http://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/loiza-cave/ 

Email: maddy.payne@ou.edu

Website: maddy.payne.weebly.com

Twitter: @maddypayne397

Back Across the Pond-by Marley Harris

Sitting at home, reminiscing of Puerto Rico, I cannot believe I was just there yesterday. As I stepped off the plane here in Oklahoma City I was quickly reminded of reality as the bitter cold hit me with a gust of wind. The beautiful island of Puerto Rico was behind me. It now all seems to be a giant blur and my wonderful memories are now a dream. As I am loading my pictures on to my computer (I only took about 500), my screen is filled with such beautiful color. Greens, blues, whites, pinks, my screen has the essence of paradise. While reminiscing threw all of my photos, I begin to realize just how vast the Puerto Rican landscape was. This tiny island that is apart of the United States, has such a unique history, culture and landscape, that I feel as though I am two worlds away from Oklahoma.

Since Puerto Rico is made of over 60% mountains and hills, there is little land that is left flat. Houses gripped on to the side of these mountains. I cannot imagine being able to live in one of those houses that is hugging on to the side of it so tight. The views are breathtaking.

It always made me laugh when I heard people on the island talk about “these winter months in Puerto Rico.” As if to call 82° F winter, and to call that cold. Since Puerto Rico is located in the Caribbean and near the equator, the temperatures stay about the same throughout the year. Seasons slightly differ from one to the next. This is what helps make Puerto Rico so appealing.

*All photos were taken by and belong to Marley Harris

Check out these cool links to learn more about Puerto Rico and where we visited!

http://www.samuellind.com/

Map

El Yunque Rainforest

About the 2009-2010 class: Why we were there, and why we will return

Created by Dr. Meta G. Carstarphen of the University of Oklahoma, Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, this class offers six(6) credit hours through an intensive immersion experience in Puerto Rico. Students from multiple majors learn to use the professional tools of journalism--research, interviewing and writing--to report on their experiences with diversity, culture and travel.
The 2009-2010 class is the 4th installment of this course and this blog reflects student experiences from their travels between December 29, 2009 through January 11, 2010. Dr. Carstarphen (Dr. C) and Guest Lecturer, Dr. Federico Subervi (Dr. S) from Texas State University in San Marcos, TX led this year's exciting class. Dr. Subervi is a "native son" of Puerto Rico and has brought a great deal of enthusiasm, insider perspectives and just plain fun to our class adventures. Who knew he was such a good cook?
Our intrepid graduate assistant was Ms. Jocelyn Pedersen, who is finishing her Masters degree in Professional Writing from OU and is a contributing writer for The Norman Transcript newspaper in Norman, OK.
Last but not least, the logistics of this rigorous, challenging but enjoyable schedule of activities were coordinated by Mr. Pablo Espada of Logistics PR (http://www.logisticspr.com/).

Just Do It

By Clint Sloan

We stood there in the middle of a large crowd, accompanied by the sounds of crying children and the presence of signs warning about the Swine Flu. We stayed stationary for about thirty minutes, and then started to move slowly toward the large boat. It was time to go to the island – the beautiful island of Vieques.

Vieques would be a place of beauty and amazement. The Puerto Rico tourism industry bragged about Vieques’ beautiful white beaches and snorkeling opportunities. The island was also home to one of a handful of bioluminescent bays in the world, a bay that glows when the water is disturbed. Even though the tourism industry would brag about these attributes of the island, they would attempt to hide the island’s dark history.

The day after we got settled in our hotel, I picked up a map of Vieques. I noticed that the eastern and western parts of island stated “restricted area.” The island’s middle section was the only region containing residents of the island. These facts struck my interest, and the next day I would find out exactly what happened on this island so many years ago.

During the Korean Conflict, the U.S. Navy used Vieques for training exercises. They required all residents to move from the eastern and western parts of the island to the middle. According to Roberto Rabin, a member of the Committee for the Rescue and Development of Vieques, “the fifty years that the Navy has been operating in Vieques can be classified as a half century of environmental disaster.” The bombing has contaminated the soil and the air. This contamination has caused the people to be more susceptible to diseases; the morality rate for cancer in Vieques is 34 percent higher than in Puerto Rico. Also, 45 percent of Viequenses have toxic levels of mercury. This left the people of Vieques in an unprecedented position; they are now isolated residents fighting the world’s superpower.

The people of Vieques took the streets in protest of the U.S. Navy’s continued bombings of the island. Even though they were protesting, it looked like a fiesta filled with food and dancing. They continued protesting for many years, and it all seemed hopeless.

But a man was killed because of one of the U.S. Navy’s training exercises, and the people became even more furious. Finally in 2003, the U.S. Navy decided to halt all military exercises on the island and have been trying to improve conditions on the island ever since.

This trip has helped me realize that life is truly a precious gift. A lot of Puerto Ricans continue to live in poverty. But despite this, they seem to be full of life. We have everything we could ever want in Oklahoma, but most people seem to be unhappy or not content with what they have. The people of Vieques know how precious life is. Even though they did not have much, they stood up to the world’s largest superpower. If you want to do something, just do it. Remember, everyone dies. But not everyone truly lives.