I Left My Heart (and one pair of shoes) in Puerto Rico

By Karen Hudson

Since I’ve been home for more than 72 hours, you’d think I would have time to process the experience that was Puerto Rico. Yet the more I talk to people, I find that when they ask the inevitable question, “How was your trip?” all I can say is “amazing!” or “incredible!” The truth is this trip was a once in a lifetime experience and I doubt I will ever find the right words to describe it.

It wasn’t just the activities. It was absolutely amazing to hike and swim in a rainforest and kayak – okay, Patrick kayaked and I fought epic battles with the mangrove trees – in the Biobay. I’ll never forget the exciting things we did, but those experiences would have meant nothing without the people I met on this trip.



I didn’t fully realize what a risk it was to travel with total strangers for two weeks. It didn’t hit me until we met for our first on campus class. I silently panicked about how much money I had just spent without thinking things through. What if I don’t get along with these people? I’ll be stuck with them with no possibility of escape!

I shouldn’t have worried. After the homesickness faded, I didn’t think about home as much as I thought I would. I missed my family and friends, of course, but I never felt lonely. I always had someone around. That would have made me crazy at home but it worked wonderfully in Puerto Rico. I was having so much fun that I lost track of days of the week. I had to rely on my trusty BlackBerry to tell me if it was Friday or Sunday. Our tour guide in Ponce, Francisco, told me that was the ultimate sign of having a great time.

Every time I posted a picture on my Facebook page, my friends teased me about this class. When I posted a status update about doing homework, my friend Marie joked, “Calculus – calculating the time it takes to get the perfect tan.” Other friends asked if I was getting college credit to tour the Bacardi Rum Factory. Of course, our curriculum stretched way beyond that. We had lectures on the bus about the rich history of Puerto Rico and classroom sessions about the history of travel writing. We took tests and worked on group projects. Most of all, we learned about ourselves and each other, formed new friendships and discovered a new way to see the world.

When I transferred to OU in August, I vowed that I would take advantage of every opportunity to study abroad. I wanted to live in a new culture and experience the world outside of Oklahoma. One of my friends spent a semester in Europe and I was envious of his stories. Nathan saw Julia Roberts do a photo shoot for InStyle magazine in Italy. A woman in Ireland did his laundry for free because he was from Oklahoma, the home state of her favorite country music star, Garth Brooks. I wanted memories like that.



Now I have them. I can’t imagine a New Year’s Eve that will compare to the exclusive party at La Concha, which we attended thanks to Saint Vincent, the patron saint of parties. I’m usually a pretty reserved person until I’m comfortable with people. New Year’s Eve was the night I finally let go and let myself enjoy this beautiful new place with an amazing group of people. I danced, sang and stopped worrying about looking foolish. That’s when the fun started. I even attracted the attention of a man who spoke little English, other than, “Do you have Facebook?” I think he’s still searching for the girl in the blue dress named “Kren.”

When I returned to Oklahoma, I told a friend that my biggest regret of the trip was not taking enough pictures. I took over 1500 photos but I feel like I missed so many of the moments that made the trip so unforgettable. I wish I had pulled out the camera when we were singing on the bus or hanging out on the patio at Hotel Melia. I wish I had more pictures of us dancing on New Year’s Eve. My friend reminded me that I would have missed out on those memories if I had been more focused on taking pictures instead of living in the moment.

He’s right. I got so much more out of my time in Puerto Rico than I ever imagined possible. I learned that I’m braver and stronger than I ever knew. I realized that I can’t wait to finish school and embark on a career that involves lots of travel. I fell in love with seeing the world. I’m counting down the hours until my next study abroad trip in May.

My friends and family are excited about the things I bought home. My niece loves her seashell necklace and my mom loves her Puerto Rican coffee. I treated myself to beach time and shopping in Juana Diaz. I have a great new tan and tons of gorgeous, hand-crafted jewelry. My favorite souvenir however, is the new group of friends who are more like family. I never realized that it was possible to form such a strong bond so quickly. Thank you – each of you - for the trip of a lifetime. I will never forget any of you or our time on the Island of Enchantment.

Travelers vs. Tourists

By Kali Carter

Centuries ago, before Lonely Planet guidebooks and the Travel Channel, people traveled to places not knowing what they might find. Often times, trying new things or venturing off the paved trails lead to the most hidden and unbelievable treasures. In fact, some of the world's best discoveries came about by accident. When Columbus set sail for India, he discovered America. When Alexander Fleming was looking for a cure for the flu, he had no idea a contamination in the Petri dish would create penicillin. When I traveled to Puerto Rico for a travel writing class, I too was not prepared for what would turn out to be a life-changing experience.

For as long as I can remember, I have done my research on every place I have traveled to. To be quite honest, I am not sure I know how to travel without creating iteneraries or organized plans. This summer, though, I traveled to South America for my first study abroad experience. For the first time, I was not in control of my plans. For the first time, things went wrong. For the first time, I immersed myself in a different culture. For the first time, I actually lived. It was not until Puerto Rico, though, that I figured out why.

On the television show "No Reservations," host Anthony Bourdain travels off the beaten path to find the hidden treasures. He lives by the philosophy that anyone can read a guidebook or pick up a map, but in order to truly experience a different culture, it is necessary to stop reading and start living. One of the best ways to do this is to ask the locals. The locals know where to eat, where to shop, and where to hang out; they also understand the customs better than any guidebook. Anthony Bourdain travels using the concept of the anti-conquest. The anti-conquest is a term coined by Mary Louise Pratt to describe the idea of innonence in traveling.

Like many tourists, I take pictures of what I see, especially when someone points out that a particular building, statue, landmark, etc. is of historical importance. Most of the time, when I return home and look through my pictures, I cannot remember what the picture is of. On New Years Eve, my friends and I met a French man named Vincent. The next day at the beach, there was one moment in particular that our entire group was checking their individual cell phones. I watched Vincent's reaction and asked him why he was smiling. He told me texting and checking cell phones were a very "American thing to do." We proceeded to have a conversation about the need for instant gratification. One thing that stuck with me throughout the conversation is what Vincent called life through a lens. He said many people spend their time travelling by taking pictures or videos, which distracts them from the real picture and learning about what they see. He said it is easier to pay attention when we have to rely on ourselves, instead of technology, to remember the information. Until this moment of clarity, I always thought capturing the picture digitally meant making a memory, but I finally realized the memories are made when time isn't wasted getting the camera out.

At one point during our stay, my friend Lauren and I walked around the streets of the city, when we stumbled upon what appeared to be the Rodeo Drive of San Juan. The street lined with upscale stores like Cartier, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci, is also home to the famous La Concha hotel. In two consecutive nights, my friends and I saw celebrities Ty Pennington and Benicio del Toro. Although meeting Benicio was a trip highlight, the most fun we had on a night out came in the town of Ponce at a local attraction called Hollywood Cafe. If I wanted to see celebrities and shop at expensive stores, I would have spent my winter break in Los Angeles. Personally, I would rather buy a purse from a street vendor or a souvenir shop.

On our last night in San Juan, our entire group went out to dinner to commemorate our last night. This was also the day before my 21st birthday. In typical tourist fashion, we could have easily gone to a popular tourist spot like Senor Frogs or Hard Rock Cafe, but we tried a local restaurant called Raices, which had some of the best mofongo (a local food) on the island.

In the end, Anthony Bourdain got it right. Although the tourist hotspots almost always guarantee a good time, nothing really beats trying new foods and getting the authentic island experience. I have done a lot of traveling in the past 21 years of my life, but what I learned over the past two weeks is a new way of traveling I will take with me the rest of my life.