Whenever I travel I am always surprised with how Americanized other countries are and the same goes for my trip to Puerto Rico. It shocks me how many people can speak and understand English outside of the United States. Even the music we heard while in Puerto Rico was a lot of the top American hits such as Justin Bieber or Adele. A lot of popular American businesses can be found all over the island like Wendy’s, Burger King, Walgreen’s what have you. It was kind of sad how easily people could tell that were tourists. Even when we tried to speak Spanish they would see right through it. But their generosity was outstanding. Once they found out that we were students from the United States they were very gracious and kind. Many were intrigued about who we were, what we were doing and where we were going. The thing that I cannot get used to in Puerto Rico is the driving. It is absolutely crazy! No one listens to stop lights or uses turn signals and U-turns are perfectly fine. That is something that has definitely shocked me while being here. The University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez reminded me a lot of the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. Both campuses are very pretty and spread-out. Sports are taking very seriously at both schools. Also, both universities are known for their agriculture studies.

Something that I thought was cool that I have noticed about Puerto Rico is that they are very proud and supportive of their country. When you would go to a restaurant they would serve the residents first. The local stands were always more busy than the chain American restaurants. This loyalty is something that America is greatly lacking.

My favorite part of this trip has been enjoying the beaches and the water. The snorkeling tour that we did was the most relaxing thing that I have ever done. La Playa Sucia has a very misleading name because it is positively gorgeous. I could not get over the beauty of that beach as the sun was setting, as you can see in one of the many pictures that I took that day below. It is surely something that everyone needs to witness at some point in their life. I have never been a very beachy person until I went on this trip. Now floating in the water or sitting in the sand sounds like the most wonderful thing to do. Going back to the cold and snow of the Illinoisan winter is going to be very difficult after being here for two weeks.

Attending this trip has been one of the best decisions of my life. Being able to explore a new country and culture has been wonderful. I fed the fish in the ocean, as shown below, while eating a delicious homegrown steak with fried plantains; that is something that you cannot do in the States. Telling other students about our home and school was so rewarding. Being able to visit with them and teach them things about Illinois outside of Chicago and the Bulls team was worth it. Learning about agriculture in other countries has helped me become more of a global engineer. This trip will benefit me throughout my life. The global knowledge and cultural awareness that I have will push me through my career. I am very grateful for all of the marvelous people that have made this trip both fun and educational. I encourage everyone to do a study abroad at some point in their college time. Regardless of where or how long, any trip will be far more beneficial than imagined. I am so very blessed to have been able to study in Puerto Rico.