Trip to the North side of PR

Us climbing the rope that is connected to a tree root to get out of the cave
Beach in Isabella
Isabella (the whole in the distance used to be a train track that ran through it) We walked through it
Waves crashing against rocks where we swam
Cliff above the water

Me in the Plaza of my town in Guayama
John, Alyssa, Andy, Barbara, Mandi
Me in the cave
View from the cave
Mr. Zayas walking down into a cave

This past weekend we all decided that we wanted to take a trip to the NorthWest side of the island. I had heard of some really nice beaches to go to and there is also caves. Our trip began at about 9 a.m and we did not return to Guayama until 11 p.m. It was a very long day on the rode, especially because I was driving. It was well worth it though. The view on the way there was so amazing.

To get to the caves we had to drive North straight up the mountains. Now there are some caves that are a tourist attraction called the Camuy Caves, but we did not go to those ones. We went to better ones according to Mr. Mendez aka Mr. Tourguide. He is a PR teacher at my school and he loves showing us around the island, which is great! Anyways the caves we went to were very close to the Camuy cave system. It took us about two hours to get there, but like I said the view was awesome. I enjoyed seeing the huge bamboo trees along the road. I never realized how big they were. The trunk is very tall and skinny. The trees are really cool looking too. They are really bushy on the top and kind of fluffy looking. Interesting.

When we go to the caves, we parked at a gas station. There was a dog there. Mr. Mendez said, "

This is your tour giude." I thought he was joking, but the dog actually went with us through the caves and he basically led us through. It was funny because the dog had dug "beds" in the caves in which he probably sleeps at night. When we got done the people at the gas station even asked us how our tour guide was. I think they must take care of him because he sits by the gas station door and they give him water.

We had to walk up a trail to reach the caves. Once we got up there we went inside. I was nervous because of the bats. Once you are in them though you realize how awesome it is. The caves were sooo big. We walked all the way through them, and yes there were lots of bats. They did not bother us though. The dog actually killed one. In one of the caves we reached the top and there was a huge opening. The view was awesome. You could see all the mountains out from it. I have that in one of the pictures. It was so cool!

After we saw the caves, we drove about thirty minutes NW and went to a town called Isabella. I did not know we were going there or else I would have arranged to go horseback riding on the beach. I really want to do that and you can do it in Isabella. Anyways...the first beach we went to was beautiful. Beautiful water and scenery. It was a surfing beach so we could not really swim in the water because it was dangerous. However, there were lots of rocks and cliffs. This one spot had rocks that you could sit in because the rocks formed something like a pool. We all sat in it and then when the waves came crashing up against the rocks, we would get sprayed with water. it was fun.

Next we went to another beach in Isabella, called Jabos Beach. Another great one. Here we ate dinner on the beach at a resteraunt. There were a lot of people and surfers here as well. There were also large cliffs. On the top of them there was a cliff that had a whole in the top of it and you could see the ocean through it. It was very neat. The only bad thing about this beach was that when we arrived a helicopter was flying around and there were ambulances and police. When we went up to the cliffs people were looking down into the water for a man who had fallen off. The waves were very rough and there were lots of rocks below. I know he died; they were looking for his body. It was kind of depressing to know that...

To end our wonderful day we went to another beach in Aguadilla, which was Crash Boat Beach. It is a famous beach; especially for surfing. We did not get here until 7 p.m. The water was so pretty though. It was crystal clear and so calm. We all went swimming. Then they had a long dock going out, so me, Andy, and his dog decided to jump off it (Mendez said it was safe!). It was a blast. We did it a whole bunch of times. I really liked that beach. I will be going there again for sure. It was a really long day, but well worth it. It is so fun going to all of these new places. I still cannot believe I LIVE HERE! You all need to visit!!!

First week of School and more...

Jerry (Andy's dog) He can really surf!
Beach in Manaboa
Hut that Andy made
Mandi, Alyssa, Me, and Barbara

Cafeteria & gym
My sixth grade homeroom class
Teacher Party
Some of my new friends
Big bookbags

Huge Bookbags (above)

Me outside my classroom

My room
The Playground
Going up to the gym and cafeteria
Love the shadow of the palm trees

Luquillo Beach
Graffiti in Luquillo
Andy, Cristina, Mandi, Me
My small room




Well I survived my first week of school in Puerto Rico. Let me just say that school here is a lot better than in Kankakee. The kids are so good and everyone is so nice. It is great. The days go by super fast too. I have three classes of sixthe graders and three classes of fifth graders. The grades just switch every other day. The first day was crazy. We met the students out in the gym and held up signs so they knew where to go. One kid came up to me and said, "I do not speak English." He was speaking English though. He was actually pretty funny though. He was one of those kids who you know by the end of the day. The craziest thing was that the kids bring so much stuff with them to school. They have these bookbags that aren't bookbags. They are more like carry-on luggage. It takes up so much room to because they do not have lockers. They keep them in the back of my classroom. Everyday I have a homeroom class, they are sixth graders. I really like them. They are so nice to me. They tell me I look beautiful everyday and some say, "I love you." They also like to kiss you on the cheek. It is also cute because they call their teachers missy instead of miss and meester instead of mr. I love it though. I took a bunch of pictures of the school so you all can see what it looks like.









Besides school I have been going to the beach a lot. I was supposed to go to San Juan this weekend and some other places, but for right now I love the beach. I would rather go to a beach close by and swim and lay out all day. I bought snorkelling gear and a boogey board. Hopefully I get better at boogey boarding because everyone does it here and it looks fun. On Friday we (Americans) had a party after school at Casa Benny (where the guys live). It was a great time. A bunch of the Puerto Rican teachers came as well. After that we went out to the club. Very long day and night. I think that might have something to do with my sore throat. I need to take it easy. I have been going going going since I got here. It just seems like there is so much to do here, but I need to take a break. Well I will be keeping you all updated.

August 2008

Old fire truck in Ponce
Parque De Bombas (an old firestation in Ponce)
Catholic cathedral in Ponce
musuem in Ponce
Teachers from Guamani

I cannot believe I have been here for almost two weeks now. I have already done a lot in that time. I feel like I have things I should be doing at home, but then someone always asks us to do something fun so we do that instead. I am going to have to make sure I make my lesson plans early so I can play more during the week and weekend!

During the past week I have went to a couple places. One day Mr. Mendez took some of us to the town of Ponce, which is like thirty minutes away from my town. They have a historical firestation there and alot of stores. We wanted to go to the beach there too but it was a rainy day.

Last weekend I went out with Mr. Dominguez' daughter Christina. She is also a teacher at my school. I like her alot. She took me to Doble Seis (Double Six). It is a sports bar in the town. We had a lot of fun and the people there were all very nice. We actually went back the next night too.

I feel like we have been going to the beach a lot, which is great! It is so nice to go in the evenings after work and cool off. It is so relaxing. I could seriuosly fall asleep on the beach and not wake up until morning. I bought a hammock and I love it! Andy (American teacher) and I went to

the beach and cut up a pineapple and found a cocunut and cracked it open to eat. They were both sooooo good. He was saying how he feels like we are doing exactly what our family and friends probably think we are doing; sitting on the beach, laying in a hammock, eating cocunut and pineapple. Pretty rough life here! Ha.