hb

My first month in Puerto Rico! It truly has flown by.

I started the month with my parents coming to visit and help me get settled in. I got to assist my mom in cleaning my new apartment, and we all got to adjust to Puerto Rico together. The largest hurdle we all faced immediately is the wall units for A/C, which are only in the bedrooms. One thing about us Harper’s is: we’re sweating. I’m sweating washing dishes, sweating sitting down, etc. That is until, my dad discovers the remote controlled ceiling fan in the living room. Thanks, dad!

Aside from getting settled at home, we also did some light exploring. We went to the following beaches: Playa Punta Borinquen, Playa Crash Boat, and Playa Jobos. Jobos was definitely my parent’s favorite, after I went back to work they squeezed in two extra visits before they left. My mom discovered a love for mofongo, a classic Puerto Rican dish, and dad got to knock some dust off of his Spanish skills. We also visited the lighthouse in Rincón and did some walking around in that area.

Once I was on my own, I spent some time without a car waiting for mine to arrive, so there were a lot of boring days. I did manage to get some movies in! I saw Together and Weapons, both good horror movies, I enjoyed the former more, though! I also have really sweet neighbors, and after hearing about my lack of transportation, they invited me to a classical guitar concert!

Since my car arrived, I’ve mainly been laying out at the beach. In Isabela, there is a really nice walking/bike trail that links all of the beaches, so I just drive along it until I see something cool and pull over. Mostly that has been Moose Rock, where rough surf crashes up against the rocks and sprays upwards, it’s breathtaking. As the tide comes in, it creates these very shallow pools you can sit in, which is really nice because the northwest coast is known for it’s rough currents and riptides. I also visited a pair of waterfalls in San Sebastián called Gozalandia. It was very slippery but SO MUCH FUN! I slipped so hard and suddenly I accidentally dunked my phone in the water, but it thankfully dried and works fine!

For food, there’s a lot of food trucks here, and I honestly haven’t had anything I didn’t love. I’ve eaten a LOT of Puerto Rican food, some pizza, and unfortunately, Chic Fil A.

That’s August in a nutshell! See you whenever I decide to do this again!

All my love,

HB