Reconnecting

Another thing allowed by being in Puerto Rico for an extended period of time with no set agenda (other than the scholarly work that needs to get done) is reconnecting with friends that I haven't been able to see much of when I've been here before.

Usually, that has been for shorter periods of time and/or to tend to family matters and this time, for the first time, it feels very different. Thus, yesterday, I was able to spend, lo que nunca, almost three hours catching up with my best high school friend (we've been friends since 1974!) at a nearby panadería where my husband and I can walk to from our temporary home-away-from-home. It was my friend's day off from his demanding job as a pediatrician and it worked perfectly for us to meet up there and enjoy good Puerto Rican-style sandwiches while we reconnected.

The ability to walk everywhere is part of the reason why I'm so very glad that we decided to rent an apartment in the area where we are. Not only is it much cheaper and comfortable than a hotel room (we're paying about $76/night for an efficiency that has everything we need to do our work and to be comfortable) but we save tons of money because we can prepare our own food. The kitchenette area, which is nothing more than a closet, is serviceable and clean and my husband enjoys making lunch for both of us on the days we haven't gone out to catch up with friends.

He runs on the beach a few times a week and then we take a long walk to the nearby Starbucks, and then I climb the stairs to the seventh-floor apartment at least once a day so I may return home a little more fit than I was when I arrived with all this walking and climbing stairs.

I've also finally realized how productive I can be during this leave when I have uninterrupted time to get my work done without having to attend meetings, plan events, meet with students, or many of the other things I did last semester. All in all, while I miss being home with my furry children and in my beloved old  house, I am very glad we decided to do this and that the fellowship I won enabled us to do so.

If we finally sell the country house near my small college on the hill, I might just create a "Puerto Rico Fund" so that we can spend at least two weeks every year here, maybe even right in this tiny studio that has been so welcoming to us this time.