My Next Big Trip and Why I’m Excited

I have big news. Here it is: I’m going on vacation! A big vacation too—not a day trip!

This winter my family, another family, my boyfriend, and I are traveling to Puerto Rico! Although I’m not revealing our exact destination yet, I will when we get back (I’ll fill you in with all the details; quit panicking).

Anyways, here are the Top Eight Reasons I’m literally counting the days until we go:

Adventure. I am excited to explore! I haven’t gotten to explore a foreign place in some time. And as the town we’ll be staying in is small, I’ll get a chance to. Also, I’ll be able to swim, snorkel, kayak, and hike. I’m probably most excited to see the bioluminescent bays some of the islands have. I will be visiting one; that’s for sure.

Language. This May I’ll be graduating with a degree in journalism and Spanish. I am, and have been, making use of my journalism major. But Spanish? I’ve hardly used it. I’ve only been to the Caribbean once since I became almost-fluent. Now I’ll get the chance to speak it and to use the almost-useless knowledge I gained in my phonetics classes, about accents in certain parts of Spanish-speaking countries. That’s right: in Puerto Rico, they often usually don’t pronounce s’s at the end of a syllable very strongly.  It’s called aspiration. Blew your mind is what I just did, there.

Culture. Along with language, I’m just excited to be immersed in another culture. I think it’s inspiring, too, because where we’re visiting, there are a lot of expatriates, who just up and moved there. I’ve always thought that would be fun to do, even for a little while (yes, boyfriend who’s reading this. You in?).

Company. I’m going with my family, who I don’t see as much as I’d like, a family we’ve traveled with since I was a little girl, and my boyfriend. And we all get along traveling. It’s shocking.

Food. I love trying new foods. I live in a pretty culturally savvy city, but still, we only have one Puerto Rican restaurant, and it’s just too far away to get to very often (The last time I went, I walked in heels a mile and a half in 15 degree weather. Don’t ever do that). But now, I get Puerto Rican food all week! I’m craving some new flavors and some new recipes. This week away will be a great chance for me to enjoy new food and maybe learn how to recreate some of it.

Weather. If you closed your eyes in the Caribbean, you’d still be able to tell where you were. The weather is perfect, almost all the time. It’s got a touch of humidity, but usually you get a nice dry breeze, if you’re by the ocean. The sun is hot, but the water is cool to lukewarm—just cold enough to be refreshing. Literally, it’s the best weather there is anywhere.

Relaxing. I’d love a break before school starts, and will likely need one mid-semester much more. Relaxing on a beach with a book sounds like the best thing in the world; it always does, and it always will. It’s the dream (Now I just need to find a way to get paid while doing that).

Drinks. I want margaritas and piña coladas. And I want to drink them out of a coconut.