波多黎哥 Puerto Rico part 2

I have always had a fascination with tropical rainforests 熱帶雨林 and so when I had the chance to go to El Yunque National Forest I took it. I have been to others but our visit there I guess really drove home the reason why they call these rain forests. The photo here was taken in the middle of the day.

It started as a drizzle and when we started climbing into the mountains it turned into a steady downpour. We had to buy ponchos for the trip. Fortunately, this Caribbean rain forest is apparently one of the safest in the world. There are no large dangerous wild animals and few poisonous things. By contrast, our treks in rain forests in other parts of the world have been in the midst of all sorts of ominous growls and unusually deadly insects. A friend of mine encountered an orangutan who took her can of Coca Cola and I guess drank it down. It does bad enough things to the human digestion, one can only wonder what it would do to his. By contrast, we had a delicious banana smoothie (the bananas in Puerto Rico are picked ripe off the tree and really good) at the visitor center to the park.

After we came down, it was sunny and we were able to enjoy the beauty of the beaches there. This photo is taken on the northern coast.

We later travelled to the western end of the island to the town of Rincon (last photo), where we encountered the Northern expatriate in a tropical paradise. People from the colder climes are living in tropical ports around the world for many reasons but many times it has to do with starting life over again.

I met several such people in this small town which has the feel of some sort of pleasant place people would exile themselves to. As we drove west off the main highway through sugarcane fields and over hills down to the coast, we started to see signs in English and other languages. The expatriates all had a interesting stories of how their lives led down there.

Some were writers or artists who wanted a beautiful place to inspire them. Most were people who were trying to forget a broken heart or a lost family. They were charmed by their new surroundings and not at all unhappy to be out of the snow and ice of their former lives. But still there was a wistfulness in their eyes and a desire to start over again in their new surroundings.

Puerto Rico

We were in Puerto Rico in mid-December. Having been a fan of the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' ride in Disneyland and always loved tropical islands, I was curious. I met various VIPs from all over there and got lots of work done, but you our friends, web surfers and lurkers don't want to hear about work, you want to hear about our adventures so... Let's get to it.

Old San Juan. The architecture was from the old Spanish colonial days, but it was fixed up and gentrified. Obviously, the wealth of San Juan and perhaps a lot of affluent others owned homes there. We really felt in an entirely different part of the world. If Mexico has a strong relationship with California and the American Southwest, Puerto Rico has a strong relationship with New York and Europe.

The one thing I can love about Latin American urban planning is the plaza. Every modest-sized town seems to have one. The one in Old San Juan was really nice, with all sorts of life. There were families, pigeons, children playing, adults playing checkers and old men chatting. There was a kiosk selling the delicious Puerto Rican coffee, tropical fruit drinks and all sorts of delicious pastries. These plazas are usually anchored buy a Catholic cathedral on one end and the one here was suitably grand and historical. Nearby we shared a lunch of what seemed to be the best of Puerto Rican food: BBQ pork (lechon), yucca 木薯root/plaintains, beans and flan.

Puerto Rico is different because it is Latin America but it is the United States. That means that the measures and the currency are the same. It also means the prices are not that cheap, but there are generally no concerns about food and drink. I also rented a car and drove there which I wouldn't do elsewhere, especially if they drive on the wrong side of the road as in England and Hong Kong where I almost got a nose rearranged by a double decker bus, but that is a different story.

聖誕節

Sorry folks, I know it's been a while since I've posted. This Christmas season has been nice but really busy. For some reason everything happens at once, but I am thankful to the Lord that it all worked out well. I fill in the past weeks in a little bit, but let me talk about Christmas.

We went with friends to 報家音, singing Christmas carols in Chinese at the houses of new acquaintances we have met. We sing, read the Christmas story, give a small gift and then pray with them. All in all a nice way to spend Christmas Eve.

The next day was Christmas Day, which as it was fell on a Sunday this year. That also seemed to work out well. We enjoyed worshipping and helping out at church and then came home to enjoy a traditional Christmas meal I have enjoyed since I was a little child.

We eat various types of smoked fishes (black cod and salmon), salad and large helpings of my mother's chocolate chip cookies. Of course the most fun part about Christmas for little kids of all ages is the presents. The photo you see here is of our little one ripping open his present of clothing...not nearly as fun as the toy monkey! Or maybe I am the only one who enjoys toys more than clothing.

聖誕節 Christmas Season

It's amazing how it looks different around the world in different places. The Christmas that we are used to in Western cultures is a season of snow and evergreen trees. In much of Latin America it is a Feliz Navidad with posada and all sorts of fun traditions. This is sort of the way it looks from a Mainland Chinese folk art 民 藝perspective though the painter in this case, He Qi, is a professor at a university. Click on the link to the left and it'll take you to the web site with some nice samples of Mainland Chinese Christian folk art.

I believe it is called contextualization. The message of peace and love are the same, but the way it is expressed is different across cultures. Apparently, in Taiwan and Hong Kong a nice expression is that it is quite popular to go Christmas carolling to individual homes wishing people well on Christmas Eve.

Transportation

The Chinese character for automobiles I have posted here is quite appropriate. The 2nd character means vehicle. The 1st character actually means gasoline, but it is a homonym for being upset...so to the non-native speaker looking at it from another angle it sounds like "the vehicle that makes one angry."

I certainly can live with that definiation. Cars are a huge waste of time. They're expensive, dangerous, socially isolating and remove incentive for much-needed exercise. In addition, as kids we always seeme to end up being seated in class behind the kid who loves cars and makes loud engine noises with his teeth while the teacher is talking. So, why do so many people drive? That's a topic for another blog, but I can say that my car today has given it's 30 day notice to me that it's resigning from operation as a motor vehicle.

My favorite is good, safe public transportation. It frees people to go wherever they want without having to worry about parking, sitting in traffic, etc. Some cities we have been in have very good public transportation. 香港 Hong Kong and 台北 Taipei both have good public transportation and are very walkable. Los Angeles is getting there but they still have to extend their light rail out to Santa Monica, out to Claremont...let's just say it's a work in progress.

A city that relies on public transportation must also not have a lot of dead open space. Those acres of greenery around every building that may look pretty from an auto passing by, is deadening to those on foot. When we lived around Shi Da University 師范大學 we had plenty of shops, outdoor markets and even a night market as we walked down the local streets to the nearest subway station or bus stop.

老師與學生Student Teacher Relationship

I have realized that the relationship between teacher and student is really important. With a good relationship, the student wants to learn. It is motivation.

Needless to say, education is very important in Chinese culture, as it is in many Asian cultures. Children sometimes develop relationships with their teachers that last years. My in-laws will make contact with teachers and students scattered throughout the world. It makes teaching a rewarding occupation.

We are presently watching a Taiwanese version of the High School gag movie, though it's a comedy soap opera. Though the students are not the best in this high school, they are portrayed as real human beings. Also, the teachers (and other adults) are not portrayed as nothing more than the butt of jokes. They have to earn the respect of the students, but they work to do it and, with some trips down the rabbit holes aside, seek to do it. More importantly, they are shown to be involved in the students lives.

Our daughter really likes her teachers. The photo to the left is of one of her favorites.

Inspiration

This post is going to be a hodgpodge because that was the way my weekend has been.

Today we had our inspirational speech for those who serve in any capacity in the church from the senior pastor at our church. It reminded me a little of a respected commander speaking to his troops. I like this pastor because he focuses on what is important in faith, is fair and seems to generally have a good vision for the church. He also has a vision for reaching out to all nations of the world, which is what we should be doing. At the same time on a practical note, it's also nice to have a group of good friends to sit with.

We also had a really good time meeting (小 組) with our friends on Saturday night. I was scheduled to lead the discussion (in Chinese) about last week's sermon topic which normally wouldn't be a problem but it was kind of an abstract topic. As it turns out, the topic applied to adjustment in marriage which lit a fire of discussion that lasted until after 11:00 pm. A few of the couples who have been married a couple of years, including us, discussed how God had used the process of adjustment to a very different person to make us into a better person.

Sports 運動會

It's the big game around here. Rival teams are playing and our team is actually doing well. I should be excited, but I didn't even know about it until today. I enjoyed sports like mountain climbing and baseball, but I was never a good fan.

Maybe it was the city I came from. Many people there always cheered for other teams. In fact when I was in college, far from home, the football team from my home town was playing an important game. I went in to watch. There were a couple of people there from my home town and so I was shocked to discover that I was the only one who was hoping for our team to win. Such loyalty.

I can only imagine what the Asian soccer games were like. ...lots of fans cheering, worries of the infamous British hooligans visiting. Like beer and hot dogs at our baseball games, rioting seems to be a tradition among 足球迷 at soccer games in some countries. We did visit the world cup stadium when we were staying in South Korea this summer.

On another note....Congratulations to one of our friends is scheduled to be baptized! That's an exciting event.