First Impressions

I’ve always had a desire to see other places of the world.  Even while in high school, I had an inkling that there was more to the world than the metropolis of Puyallup, WA.  Granted, that inkling may have led me to exciting places like the Tacoma waterfront and

Pioneer Square,

but at the time it was experiencing a larger world than the one I grew up in.

Then I went off to college, and much to my mother’s dismay, at the start of my senior year fell desperately in love with an Australian exchange student.  This love affair took me to the other side of the world in the quest for a ring that never panned out; however I gained an appreciation for other cultures and a passion for learning about them.

Nearly 30 countries later, I find myself relocating to Puerto Rico for a three year tour with the company for which I have worked the last 10 years.  Since starting my corporate life, I haven’t done much traveling and honestly thought any possibility of an “international assignment” had long passed me by.  But sometimes doors we think are closed to us come swinging wide open....

And so here I sit, a week into my first visit to Puerto Rico.  Other than the first 10 minutes after arrival at my hotel room last Sunday, when I opened my curtains and gazed out over the barrio wondering what the hell I've gotten myself into, things have so far gone pretty smoothly.  I will say, if you're planning a visit to PR, don't let the whole "US Territory" thing fool you.  It is decidedly foreign.  As a coworker said, the only thing US about it is the mail. 

Some first impressions that I will no doubt expand upon sometime soon:

• "Right Away" so far means at least 90 minutes.  I am sure that this will come to drive me completely, utterly mad in the not too far off future.  As someone who is never late, I hate waiting on those who are.  It will test my tolerance of the cultural nuances, I'm certain.
• My travel book said something along the lines of, "Puerto Ricans have inherited the American love for large SUV's but drive them like they are in Mexico City."  It's a minor concern that I will quickly learn to drive like a Puerto Rican, and that this might not go over so well back in the States.  I was told, "The only thing you have to remember is when you go home, there are traffic laws."
• It's illegal in some places to park by pulling straight into the spot.  Last week at lunch I'd pulled into a parking garage, and the security guard chased me down and made me turn the car around so it was backed in. Apparently, it's some sort of fire hazard to pull straight in.  WTF? 
• I am already oblivious to the honking of the car horn.
• Given that all but a handful of work related emails I'd received before arrival were in English, I convinced myself a lack of fluent Spanish wasn't a big deal.  Then I realized that only two of us in the office aren't bilingual, and most casual conversations are in Spanish.  I've lost the ability to eavesdrop!  Stay tuned for comments on my pending language lessons...

All in all, I have a good feeling about the next three years.  So far what I've seen is very pretty; I'm looking forward to living on or near the beach and playing a good tour guide for what I hope to be constant a stream of visitors.  The first friends are already booked for mid-November and a half marathon....God help me as I train for a 13.1 mile run among the jagged curbs and uneven cobbles of the San Juan streets!