In the world today, I think it’s so important to be as cultured as possible. The term cultured is often hard to define as it can mean so many different things. In this instance, I think it’s easiest to describe it as having exposure to many different cultures and using that exposure to better understand how the world works and how it affects the lifestyles of people around the world. For me personally, I think this trip played a big role in my understanding of the culture in Puerto Rico and understanding the different way of life here.
One of the things that has exposed me greatly to the culture here in PR has been the music. In America, music plays a large role. We have plenty of festivals like Lollapalooza, Coachella, Bonnaroo, Summerfest, etc.. I believe that here in PR, it plays a much larger role in pulling people together. In America, everyone has their favorite type of music and they usually only listen to that genre, but here while people listen to whichever type of music is their favorite, they also are no stranger to interacting with any type of music they hear. In the majority of the places we have gone, we have seen plenty of different types of music being played. No matter what type it is, people are never afraid to dance and laugh and sing along with it. We’ve heard karaoke sang by people that are clearly no beyonce but they do it because they love the music. I don’t know how many nights there have been where I am trying to make a phone call and it seems almost impossible because of all the music that’s playing around where were staying. There is always some type of music playing no matter where we are. It’s almost enlightening to see everyone being connected through it. Even with everything going on in the world, there’s no problem just taking a few moments to dance around and hum to the beat of a song.
I’ve also seen this same thing when it comes to street musicians. The majority of the musicians we saw were in San Juan and, unlike in the states, passersby don’t fear making eye contact with the performers or taking a moment to stop and take in the music.
I think seeing this in a great way for me to become more cultured and better acquaint me with the different way of life here. I now have a better respect for music and its ability to connect people.
Along with the music, I think the speed that everything is done here is generally much slower than what we’re used to back home. In the states, it seems that everything is always moving fast, at restaurants, the key is to get the food to the table as fast as possible. On roads, everyone speeds to get to their destination. It’s the norm to go at least 5 mph over the speed limit. With technology, people always want the fastest internet and they want to constantly be connected. On the island of Puerto Rico, this constant rushing isn’t the case. The service of any restaurant other than a fast food chain, tends to be much slower. This in turn also affects how fast you eat and you spend more time savoring the food than scarfing it down. It’s almost as if the consumption of the food is more of an experience than a chore. The void which is the stomach doesn’t have to be filled, but tamed. In terms of the roads, the speed limits here are much slower than back at home. We’ve seen many 35 mph limits here whereas at home, it’s not uncommon to see a 50-55 mph limit on the same type of road. It’s more about getting to the destination safely and comfortably than as fast as possible. Granted, the lower speeds may relate to the low quality of the roads but we’ll say that’s beside the point for the time being. Finally, when it comes to technology and things like internet connection, having the fastest wi-fi and most up to date phones is not the priority. It seems that many people here are more concerned with enjoying life and letting it happen at the speed it happens as opposed to trying to speed everything up. The people here recognize that speed and rushing doesn’t always make everything better. I can’t tell you how many complaints I’ve heard from my fellow travelers regarding how slow the internet is. At home, we’re so used to having things load instantly and having what we want at our fingertips; sharing a constant connection to everyone we know and the things we want to know. But being here and observing all of these different idiosyncrasies, I am forced to learn the new customs and live and abide by them. I’m not saying that I hate having to make the change from what I’m used to. In fact, it’s almost enlightening. Sitting here writing this, the internet problems have led us all to be more social with one another. Dr. R is playing dominoes with Kai, Alisha, and Ariel. Bridget is strumming a guitar quietly in the other room. Living with the slower pace here has taught me to better enjoy the time that I spend and take in more of what this beautiful country has to offer. In addition, the music here and observing how the people interact with it has shown to me its connective capabilities. It can completely eliminate the language barrier too. Sure, we don’t all speak Spanish, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still feel a beat and bop our heads to some music.
Even with the short amount of time that we’ve spent here, I feel that I’ve grown by leaps and bounds culturally. I’ve lived in and observed the way of life here and am now able to fully understand it. People don’t have to speak the same language to communicate and they don’t always have to live life at the will of two hands that rotate in a circle. It’s a louder life here, a slower one, but a happier one.