Reality teaches you to appreciate.

By: Dawn Scales
June 1, 2007

It's the day after arrival back into the continental United States from Puerto Rico when I'm forced to recon with reality and attempt to start my car. I say a silent prayer and proceed to insert my key, I turn it and a false hope takes over my body. The sound of cranking spook my nerves but after seconds of time flew by I realized it wasn't turning over.
Next option: Walk.

Having too much fun at club Nuyorican in Old San Juan. Quick, hide the pina colada!

I think to myself maybe this is a blessing, "Relying on a piece of metal to get me about town only cripples me."

After walking almost every where in Puerto Rico the breeze and not so scorching weather here in Norman seem to be a blessing in disguise. Twenty minutes into my walk sweat starts dripping from my forehead and of course the arm pits. Let me remind you, I'm not walking for my amusement. I have to pick up a pay check from Burger King and meet with my boss Angela at my other job, News writer for the College of Arts and Sciences. I'm writing a special piece about my experience in Puerto Rico for their magazine Kaleidoscope, which isn't hard at all. I'm sure I could write for days about my experience.
About to pass is a Norman public transit bus with the words Lloyd Noble printed on the top for everyone to see. I figured it was heading from Lloyd Noble to the south oval of campus. I waved it down, not thinking it would stop but it did. I entered to find myself the only one riding and immediately asked the old white haired man what bus I would take to go to Wal-mart. I had to purchase some Cd's to copy all the Puerto Rico pictures I had stored on the Mac laptop Gaylord College had provided during our stay in the Caribbean. He said Alameda and suggested he could call and have it wait for me, fore it was leaving in less than 5 minutes. I said thanks but I had to take care of some other business first. I thought to myself, he was a nice little man.
After picking up my check and making it over to the Arts and Sciences building, only to find Angela was on lunch break, I headed over to catch the Alameda bus. I stepped onto the semi-packed bus and sat down. The bus pulled out of the south oval and I finally realized two blue eyes were peering up at me. The eyes of this three month old baby girl made my face light up, while her mom jokingly said to her, "It isn't nice to stare." At the moment I didn't mind. Only after I noticed her gaze hadn't parted my face nearly 10 minutes into the bus ride did I begin to feel a little bothered. I had spouted all the baby talk and smiles I could muster. Pleasing babies unless it's mine, so I'd like to imagine, seem to be a hard chore for me. Finally I was at the stop for Wal-Mart. After crossing busy 12th street, purchasing three blank Cd's and making my way back over to the stop I found myself sitting next to a guy I thought looked mighty familiar. Nevertheless I proceeded to make conversation as if I had never seen him before.
He looked African so I started off with, "Where are you from?"
"Angola," he replied. "Do you know where that's at?"
"Yea, Africa."
"Good, I've had some people ask me what city is that." We both shared a laugh and I told him some people are just ignorant.
He asked me what I thought of the weather, I said it wasn't that bad.
"It's hot," he said. "But not hotter than you." I thought to myself, it's probably hotter in Africa but of course I didn't voice that. I just told him that I just got back from Puerto Rico and the weather is noticeably hotter there. Only seconds later did I realize he was voicing a cheesy pick up line. I took the compliment and tried to move on as quickly as possible.
"So are you taking summer school?"
"Yea, history and math. Are you?"
"Well the trip to Puerto Rico was a class but other than that no I'm not taking any classes."
From there I asked him what his major was, which was petroleum engineering but he expressed to me that he would rather be majoring in civil construction. His father, is apparently controlling his decision and he added that people in his country are overly concerned about money. I felt for him. Especially after co horsed questioning when he brought out the fact that my major was journalism, I love what I do and the trip to Puerto Rico only enforced my convictions.

"We are total opposites. You love what you do and me on the other hand, I don't," he said in an accepting tone.

Top: Enjoying the water at the Camuy
Caves.

Bottom: Dianne and I making music with the local vendor along side the beach.

Why I Want to Va a Puerto Rico! (I'm good at Spanglish)

By: Haley Hernandez
I will graduate with a minor in Spanish and last summer spent six weeks in Chile and Argentina. My experience last summer changed my life because it taught me a lot about myself and other cultures. I feel like the trip to Puerto Rico is my opportunity to combine journalism and my Spanish. Most importantly, I’m eager to learn about travel writing because that’s an important aspect of journalism but not a course available during the regular school semesters.
In the future, I plan to work for a television news station. No matter what station I work for, I know the importance of being bilingual and having worldly experience on top of excellent writing and reporting skills. I think the trip to Puerto Rico will not only help me work toward these goals but teach me so much more than I can even imagine.
This past fall semester as an intern at OU Nightly, it became clear that I want and need more hands on experience to know what I am good at and what I like. I am a firm believer that the best education is not always in a classroom and hope that I can have the privilege to study in Puerto Rico this summer to give me a journalistic experience that will help me to accomplish my goals by furthering my education in ways that are not possible sitting in a classroom.
I commit myself completely to everything I do and especially to furthering my education. I am a hard worker and I make it a point to learn from every experience. I would not take the learning experience in Puerto Rico lightly, instead I would use the two weeks as an intense training for what I want to do with my future.

Camuy Caves

By: Dianne Lee
Parque De Las Cavernas Del Rio Camuy, or more commonly known as the Camuy Caves was the highlight of our Wednesday tour on May 23. It is the third largest cave system in the world. The cave was en route from San German to San Juan. It was mid-morning when we reached our destination. The caves were located deep in the middle of the forest, about 200 feet down where a trolley would shuttle us to the cave’s entrance. We waited for nearly an hour before hopping onto a trolley, which descended through the narrow winding roads carved out in the forest.

The moment I stepped into the Camuy Caves, I was squeezed through a narrow passage. Droplets of water from the numerous stalactites protruding from the ceiling fell on my head. After a brief maneuver through the passage to avoid the droplets, the entrance opened up to reveal a dimly lit cave as tall and as wide as a Carnival Cruise Lines ship. Of course I would have known the measurements of the caves had I been standing near our tour guide, Minerva. However, my hands were already slipping into my purse to pull out my faithful Canon SD600. I stood still and absorbed the majestic beauty of the caves. Stalactites hung from the ceiling, tiny hills sat on the uneven ground and sunlight streamed into the cave from the two huge opening. A thong of people past me, but I was rooted to the ground, as I attempted to hold the camera still for a couple of seconds to allow as much light to filter into the camera.

A view of the opening from inside the cave.

A couple of pictures of the same spot later, I was satisfied and proceeded slowly through the slippery ground to catch up with my tour guide where I soon learned that the caves are homes for bats and blind fish. The tour guide led us out of the second opening and we were greeted with a heavy downpour of water falling out of a blinding bright light – the sun. Nearby, a stream of pristine water flows over a sharp but bumpy slope where tourists humored themselves trying to find the best way to drink the water. I cupped the water in my hands and brought it to my mouth, only to have it spill all over my cheeks and chin. In the end, I only managed to gulp down a small amount of water with a taste of hand sanitizer that I had rubbed on my hands earlier. I decided to forgo the water experience and instead, captured silly pictures of others in the middle of their water quest. A short while later, the group retraced our steps out the first entrence and left the wonders of the caves behind as we returned to the real world.

Drinking in Puerto Rico must be a hobby!

By: Dawn Scales
Friday May 25, 2007

I woke up tired after a long night of partying on the town in San Juan. We were awakened by our room phone, which rang twice as Kendal slowly turned over to pick it up. It was our wake up call from the front desk that we had requested the night before. I laid there not wanting to get up but I knew it was a must to jump in the shower and get ready as quickly as possible for today was the day we would visit the TuTv channel 6 television station and Casa Bacardi, which I and others had been looking forward to visiting even before we had landed in Puerto Rico. It wasn’t a secret. Two free alcoholic beverages was enough information to get me there. But let me not get side tracked, let’s talk more about the station.
The station was not strictly television, housing a radio station as well. One station was devoted solely to classical music and the other was a form of entertainment targeting the older generation. From wall to wall were up to date equipment that would more than likely amaze radio personalities in the states. Let me not speak for others but it definitely impressed my little socks off.
Maritley Lasant, manager for public relations, was kind enough to explain the dynamics of the radio control rooms and shortly after Osualdo Perez Torres, director of the station, whisked us around the corner and up the stairs to show us the new master control room, which they had been renovating for close to a year and a half, Osualdo said. The room was state of the art, filled with the latest technology. Flat screen TV’s massed the far wall as we walked in, computers and ingesting equipment outlined two outside borders of the room.
As pretty and high tech as it looked it wasn’t actually working yet, next Thursday would be the first day they drop their old ways and begin a new. Dana Rosengard, one of our accompanying professors, asked some good questions and comments. Insinuated that this was now basically a one-man job. Jorge Jay Norate, master control assistant, objected and said they were not updating in order to reduce the people working there.
“It is intended to reduce the people errors that occur and speed up the process, but I don’t doubt that could happen it’s just not our focus,” he said.
After leaving the new master control room we entered into what will soon be the old one. After seeing the previous room this room seemed extra rickety and filled with outdated equipment that worked okay but not as efficient. After visiting the technical side we were able to go down and see a live show in the studio. I was amazed. The set was colorful and modern, very reminiscent of Puerto Rican culture and there was also a live band. From working in the newsroom on campus I know how things are basically run, hectic and busy. I definitely saw that but in the end things seem to come together and come out close to perfect. That’s exactly what happened.
A bartender was on set to show the viewers how to make pina coladas. Well after throwing in all the fruit and mixing it together the hosts had a chance to taste it. I literally thought one of them was going to get a brain freeze from drinking it so fast and in such large quantities. She couldn’t even talk for wanting to taste more. Shoot, the way she was sucking on that straw had me wanting some.
That was a nice end to visiting the station because shortly after that we were entering the gates of Casa Bacardi. Immediately our tour guide, Jose, was giving us two pink tickets for two rum drinks of our choice and a green ticket, which was our ticket to taking the tour.

Wes, Kendal and I show off our drinks in front of the Casa Bacardi gift store.

I learned a lot about the man behind the alcoholic beverages branded Bacardi and also how much risqué marketing goes behind supporting such a product. I felt like I was literally in the club during more than half the tour.

The bat symbol that brands every bottle of Bacardi is represented as a sculpture.

What is a Territory?

right: Alcaldia (mayor's office)

By: Haley Hernandez

Before I got to Puerto Rico I wondered what it would be like to be surrounded by the exotic Caribbean culture but technically still in the same nation. Although the culture is quite different from anything we experience in the United States, when people speak to me in English and I pay for things in American dollars, I don’t blink an eye and question which boundaries I’m within.
Today, Monday May 21, I had an interview with the vice-mayor of San German about this sensitive subject of whether or not Puerto Rico wants to become a state. Prior to today I tried to get opinions from nice people I’d meet from Puerto Rico and ask how they felt about this topic. Nobody responded with indifference. With most people that I questioned, it was obvious with their reaction that I struck a nerve of passion within them. I’d be answered with an eager positive response or with a jumble of frazzled English as people searched for the right words to tell me specifically why Puerto Rico should remain independent. So as I sat in the press room of the Alcaldia (Mayor’s office) I took some deep breaths and hoped he’d respect my desire to become more educated on this subject instead of shunning my questions which I’d already experienced others doing quickly when I brought up politics.
“In your opinion, do you think Puerto Rico should become the 51st state of the United States?” I asked.
Vice Mayor, Damien Morales gave me a patient smile as he explained this “ancient” and continuous question that floats over the heads of the Puerto Ricans on a daily basis. He said he believed the ties with the United States were strong enough as they are and felt they should remain independent.
However, the story takes on new meanings every day. I came into this excursion having very minimal information compared to what I know now. Every day I learn something new that changes the angle of the story. Either people telling me they didn’t want to be a state because they didn’t want English to be the main language spoken here or they wanted to be a state because they felt protected and wealthier as Americans. I’m enjoying learning more about this with each person I meet. Nonetheless, it doesn’t change the group’s question of “what is this?” Are we studying abroad, or not?

Point and Shoot

By: Angela Fetty

Monday, May 21, 2007

Puerto Rico. There were dozens of ideas polluting my head about what the relatively small island of Puerto Rico would hold, and my anxiety was mounting. The possibilities were endless: a new culture, an opportunity to speak Spanish, meet new people, travel to an exotic place, and eat scrumptious food.
Well, this island and culture have consumed me. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of fascinating places and buildings to visit, and that is just the beginning.

San Germán de Auxerre Parrish
overlooks the town of San Germán's
main plaza and was built in 1688.

Today was one of the group’s ‘unstructured’ days, a day when we were not ushered around a town by a knowledgeable tour guide, but a day when we created our own adventure and everything was left up to circumstance.
The up-and-down trek to la plaza was excruciatingly hot even at 9:30 a.m.; while the sun pounded down on the back of my neck and shoulders I regretted not wearing my cute khaki hat with a built-in sweat band.
Puerto Rico, due to its rich religious roots, has gorgeous churches varying in color, size, and age, some have dramatic staircases leading to the giant painted wooden doors, resembling a climb to heaven, others are quant and less picturesque. In la plaza de San Germán sit two churches on either end, appearing to be in constant battle for beauty and attention, these probably are the most photographed buildings by the tourists who pit stop in Puerto Rico’s oldest city. The less dramatic and smaller church has been converted into a museum of religious artifacts, but was closed because Monday appears to be a relaxation day for many people in town. My small, bright, pink camera now possesses fantastic pictures. The museum church contrasted against the brilliant blue sky with its clay flowerpot colored walls and dozens upon dozens of stairs ascending to the dark wooden arched doors. The church across la plaza is situated atop a hill and what people may think of when they imagine a Spanish inspired Catholic church, it’s tall steeples, cupolas, and awe-inspiring crosses reach up to caress the sky, while the faded file folder colored walls with eggshell white trim attempt to attract members for their daily congregations. My love for photography paralyzes me at the outside of the churches for only minutes, until I capture that perfect picture, then my interest and attention dwindles quickly, there is no need to enter, and I must move on.

As the hours escaped me, the day was partially over. Returning to my simple aqua blue dorm room, on the campus of La Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico, I collapsed in the plastic wrapped bed and desired to take a longer than average catnap. But, the need to read, meet for class, and write this blog weighed on my mind.



La Porta Coeli is a symbol of the city of San German. It is the oldest religious structure outside of San Juan and was built in 1606.


Now, I sit in the courtyard reflecting on my adventures with the music of crickets echoing in my head, and the mosquitoes, which are not afraid to attack even with what is supposed to be OFF! (I’m assuming this is what I am supposed to yell when the spray does not work and they land on me to suck out all my life) jetting around my exposed skin. I cannot think of anywhere I would rather be and I have frame worthy photographs to always remember those beautiful church exteriors.

(More to come about other Puerto Rican adventures)

The first day in Puerto Rico

A passing view of San Juan as the tour bus was driving through the city.

By: Dianne Lee

Palms trees swayed in the breeze. Outside the San Juan airport, the buildings were short and white. I started sweating under the thick, humid air and I found myself wondering why I was in Puerto Rico. I escaped the heat from Malaysia, my home country, only to find myself thrown back into the same environment. Suddenly, the vision of cool, dry air vanished. I was hot, uncomfortable, and sleepy. On top of that, I was dressed in a bright red shirt similar to thirteen other students and three professors that reads, "University of Oklahoma." The signal was loud and clear. We are tourists on a mission - travel writing.
Minnette Veléz-Conty, corporate communications manager of American Airlines, mentioned that Puerto Rico's economy depended on tourism and medical services. Judging from the friendly shy smiles of the Puerto Ricans, they seemed curious, yet at ease with the sight of foreigners.
After a brief meeting/lunch with Veléz-Conty, a mini bus whisked our group away to Ponce. I was exhausted from the night before, having staying up the night before to pack my luggage, and fell asleep on the bus. Soon, I was jolted awake by the constant banging of my head. I cracked one eye open reluctantly, and realized that the scenery had changed from the dusty, colorful San Juan city to a winding road of valleys and mountains. The sun was setting behind the mountains and the picturesque view gave me enough motivation to take out my camera and snap a couple of photographs.

A sun setting over the mountain.

Near evening, the mini bus stopped in front of a quaint little hotel, Hotel Melia, which was located on a side street in the Historical Zone that also included the “Parque de Bombas” of 1883 (Fire House), Serrallés Castle Museum, and the Plaza Las Delicias. The hotel itself had an interesting history. Hotel Melia is a family busines started more than eighty years ago by a Spaniard, Mr. Bartolo Melia. Today, the ownership falls into the hands of the third generation family. The hotel had a colonel touch in its architecture and its surroundings excluded a warm ambience. But perhaps, the most exciting news when checking into the hotel was the free wireless Internet connection.

The first view of Hotel Melia and the manager rushing out to greet us.

Standing outside my hotel room, I was greeted with the view of the Cathedral, El Vigia Cross and the Serrallés Castle.

A view from the hotel's corridor.

I did a quick exploration of my room excitedly, and found the toilet seats ‘sanitized’ as written on the piece of paper holding the toilet seat and cover together. I removed the paper, lifted the toilet cover and was repulsed to find a thin black hair sticking on the top of the toilet seat. However, I quickly got over the image and refreshed myself before heading to a nearby restaurant with the rest of the group for our first Puerto Rican dinner.
The sidewalks leading to the restaurant opened my eyes into the restored colonial architecture stores and homes. There were wooden or metal doors, intricate designed grill gates, tiny balconies and tall white columns. Some of the buildings were abandoned and covered with creepers, others were restored and painted in bright colors of pink, yellow, purple, blue, etc. The buildings emanated an enchanted feeling and I was left transfixed by the walk through time.
Fifteen minutes later, we reached the restaurant. It had an outdoor patio, a bar, and an indoor dinning area. Different kinds of animal skins and wooden signs with Spanish words adorned the walls.

A wooden sign that was hung up on the wall in the restaurant.

I flipped through the menu and ordered salmon with almond sauce, but found the best part of the meal to be the fresh bread roll dipped in olive oil.
With our bellies full, we strolled back to the hotel and headed to a nearby ice cream store, King’s Cream Helados, which served ice cream with a smooth and icy texture. I licked my almond ice cream cone guiltily after the heavy meal and checked out a majestic looking fountain before heading back to the hotel for a long hot bath and heightened anticipation for the second day.

So...I'm not from around here

By Wes Ward
May 19, 2007


During the early hours of the last night in Ponce, a few of us decided to investigate the night scene. So today began with a bang at a popular nightclub called "Bar Code" and the surrounding establishments. Throughout my life I have always believed most Puerto Ricans to be admirable dancers and in search for another celebration. We quickly gathered that many Puerto Ricans rarely act in such ways in the southern portion of the island; the partiers are mainly focused in the north and this division has existed for some time. This inspired new inquiries that had to be considered and realized.

Picture 1: View of Ponce from Seralles Castle.

We ran into three gentlemen, Felix, Norman, and Louis who shared their insight into a world of taboo concerning Puerto Rican politics and the differences between north and south. Like many places throughout the world, Puerto Rico too is geographically divided among its people.
The three men each expressed their hopes and desires for the future of Puerto Rico as a state and concluded this to be the majority belief among all native. Their main concern seemed to be that of humanity and its incapability to rid itself of discrimination and the dire conditions it imposes upon others. Each of the three men stated hopes of one day becoming annexed into the United States because of the opportunities that have already been created. They have become unimpressed and disheartened by the process in which D.C. has incorporated and functions. Very few living on the island represent the alternative idea of becoming an independent state. Remaining a commonwealth is rarely associated with enthusiasm that thrives on this Caribbean island, but remains the harsh and unchanging truth in which they live. Puerto Ricans continue to debate and voice their opinion daily in hopes of one day become a true state.
Later that day I found myself fighting over possession of a bath towel in my room and soon discovered that the towel I had been fighting over was indeed a floor mat. I obviously know the truly important things over which to fight.

Picture 2: Puerto Rican man carries his belongings down the street.

Puerto Rico + Travel Writing: A Journey to Take

I'm eating an ice-cream cone on the plaza in Ponce. This was on our first night in Ponce and the ice-cream was a tasty treat after a long day!


By Chelsea Young

I imagine travel as exciting, humbling, and an experience worthwhile. I have always longed to travel outside of the United States, but have not had the opportunity to do so. I find other cultures and landscapes fascinating, and believe there is a greater world beyond that of my own to experience, communicate about and understand. Time and time again, while reading travel magazines or the newspaper’s travel section, I find myself drawn to the writing and eye-catching photography that accompanies each article. I strongly believe that participating in the “Communicating Culture: Travel Writing in Puerto Rico” program will give me a way to combine an interest, travel, with my area of study, journalism.

My experience in journalism is newspaper and magazine writing and design, and I would love to enhance that knowledge by learning the techniques of travel writing. I particularly enjoy creativity and using visual elements to tell a story, especially the way photographs and page design contribute to the form of journalism found in travel writing. Traveling another country and discovering its culture, while learning the techniques of travel writing would be of tremendous benefit in my exploration of this career track. The Puerto Rico journalism program would be rewarding in many ways, but perhaps the greatest would be deepening my knowledge of a subject I am passionate about and which may become a lifelong pursuit.

The Why's of Wanting to go to Puerto Rico

By: Dianne Lee

I am interested in the program because this is a once in a life-time opportunity to study abroad in a different culture. I have always been intrigue by cultures and this will be one way to gain more exposure about the world around me. The fact that I am from Malaysia also encourages me to take advantage of the courses offered here to enrich my student experiences at OU as well as to open up opportunities for me in the future as a travel writer.

I have traveled widely in the past to countries such as Australia and New Zealand. Taking this course is just another great way to put two of my passions together – traveling and writing. This will also give me a great chance to take my traveling experience up to a higher notch, where I could apply my writing skills to good use instead of being a mere tourist.

Besides that, this is the only study-aboard program that is relevant and suitable to my major. I have always wanted to study abroad, even after coming to America, but the duration and time have always been inappropriate. As this will be my last summer, I feel that it is time to take the leap and apply for this program because it will greatly benefit me in the long run.

In conclusion, I believe that JMC 4970/5970 is a fantastic program to be in because I will have the chance to experience a different culture and learn to write about it.