Sunday, February 5, 2012

¡Puerto Rico!

A little over 24-four hours after leaving Ohio, we find ourselves in a tiny studio apartment near the beach in Puerto Rico, where we'll be spending some time thanks to my research fellowship this year. We'd always dreamed to escaping the worst of winter back home but never had the time or the means to do so, and this became our opportunity.

It's not a vacation, by any means, since while here I have to revise a chapter for an edited collection, which is due Feb. 22nd,  revise the second chapter for my book project and start writing the third, and prepare a talk on my book project, which I've been invited to give at Ohio State on March 2nd. Also while here, I've been invited to give four talks, record a television program, and do a recruitment presentation for my small college on a hill to juniors at the high school where I used to teach.

But at least I get to do all that while overlooking (well, from a side window) the beautiful ocean and while being en mi país. We arrived last evening, after two flights and all the stress that always assails me when traveling, and were greeted by my mom to a delicious dinner of her inimitable arroz y habichuelas and a half of a local aguacate, which put to shame all the puny, wrinkled so-called avocados I can get in Ohio, and our favorite Pan Pepín.

This morning, my husband is already off for a run on the beach and then we plan to take a long walk to the closest Starbucks. Then, we'll see what the day has planned for us before I start on my list of "to dos," which seems less daunting precisely because I get to work on it from here.

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