The world is very different in Puerto Rico than it is where I am from. This is to be expected, though, because I live in a very different climate and I’m not surrounded by ocean. The struggles of living in Illinois are much different than that of Puerto Rico. Let’s take driving, for example. Puerto Ricans drive like maniacs compared to what I’m used to, yet I have yet to see a single accident. The cars in Puerto Rico last much longer because they aren’t exposed to cold winter weather and salty roads. Because of this, there are lots of very old cars that still drive around the island today – most of them in poor condition with dents, scratches, and missing bumpers. Also, the speedometer in our van specifically is read in miles per hour, while the odometer and street markers are read in kilometers per hour.
The people in Puerto Rico seem to be very calm and laid back. They like to live by “island time” which basically means they are late to almost every meeting or event. People in Puerto Rico just seem more relaxed and not in so much of a rush. The local Puerto Ricans seem very nice to each other and strangers alike. The locals at the beach in Puerto Rico knew how to have a good time. They brought coolers full of food and alcohol as well as speakers to jam out to their music. It felt so normal to them to hit the beach on a winter sunday afternoon. I also feel like locals take more risks than people in Illinois because they have less to lose. They can live on the edge and the worst that can happen is that they’d be living on a beach, while homeless people in Illinois quite literally can die from frostbite.
As an urban kid born and raised, I can attest to the speed and organization of life in Illinois. In Chicago, everything just seems very rushed. This is good, though, because it increases daily life efficiency. The streets are clearly labeled, lit, and easy to follow. Commuters use public transportation to get from point A to point B in as little time as possible. The winter weather causes everyone to wear lots of layers and get uncomfortable quickly while indoors. Everything’s a competition. Students are constantly competing to get into high school and then into college. College students are competing for a job. Workers are competing for a pay raise. People in the city are in their own world, only caring about their own lives and struggles they are facing.
From an Islander’s perspective, it seems like things don’t need to be perfect, they just need to function. They would be satisfied with any air conditioner, for example – not just the most efficient and very best one. As long as it works, they’ll be happy. This concept could be applied to Blue – the apartment we’re staying in. We’re staying in a nice-sized apartment with air conditioning, two rooms, and a sweet veranda. Our first reaction moving in was, “wow, this place is so janky”. Our quality of living is just so much higher than that of Puerto Ricans that we weren’t satisfied with something any local would thoroughly enjoy. We expect quality and accommodations, while Puerto Ricans will just be happy with where they’re at. Of course there will be competition in Puerto Rico, but it’s definitely less than in the states.
On a global level, I thought it was very sad to see pieces of plastic washed up on the beach. It wasn’t just a miniscule amount, either. There were empty Clorox bottles, storage containers, cans, bottles, plastic caps, and much more. I couldn’t believe all of this was just floating around in the ocean and somehow ended up on an island in the middle of the Atlantic. There were broken beer bottles and pieces of glass mixed with sand along the ocean floor. As a world, we must work together to reduce the amount of waste that slips into the oceans.