SPN506 BLOG

I was really interested in two things in particular about Lorna's talk on Puerto Rico: el viejo San Juan and the politics. El viejo San Juan is an old town with cobblestone streets and those colonial style buildings, definitely a tourist-y place because it's so pretty. Lorna said that when she goes back to Puerto Rico to visit her parents, she'll go out to el viejo San Juan and drink with her friends (and it's really good if you know the locals because it's cheaper than if you're a tourist!) I think that would be lots of fun especially in a town that has lots of history; that would be a cool experience. I like walking on streets of old towns just to soak up some of that rich history of the place.

As for the politics, she said that politics is so much a part of life in Puerto Rico that it dominates almost every conversation. She said that she doesn't like that. I think I would suffocate in that environment. The political atmosphere there is definitely more intense than in America (mostly because of more apathy in America), but I wonder if it causes any rifts between close friends or family members. For me, I've experienced losing a friendship because of differing views, and while neither of us would change our views, I don't think it was worth it. So Lorna said that sometimes she questions her dad about why he thinks that Puerto Rico should be a state. I don't know anything more about her family, but I wonder if it causes a lot of tension when stuff like that comes up at the dinner table or in other settings. But I guess if it's expected of you to talk about it and you were raised in that environment, maybe they're used to it.