School started...

Hi Everyone!

So this past week of school has gotten a bit busier..

Last week we didn't have any of our labs, but they started this week

so I have a full schedule now!

This is my roommates and our friend at the SOFO culinary fest!

Last Thursday we had a information night about all the organizations on campus.

After the info meeting, they hosted a trivia night,

which my team won, which was very awesome

considering we were all first year students

up against a mix of other first year, second year, and third year student teams!

Our prize was $27, which we put towards a car rental for the weekend! =]

Last weekend on Friday, 

my roommates and I were ready for some real Puerto Rican food..

We got directions from the Enterprise Car Rental guy which went like this 

"So go up the windy road, at the fork stay straight, go past the church 

and the scenic route, and you will see a yellow building on the left and you're there"

And yes, we actually found it!

When we got there, they had a whole pig roasting,

and no one spoke english, 

so we just decided to go with the "Almuerzo"or "Lunch Special."

IT WAS AMAZING.

The pork had so much flavor to it, and it was obviously super fresh!

We also got some amazing rice and beans and a "green banana" (plantain).

It was definitely a fun experience and I can officially say

I have had authentic Puerto Rican food.

That Friday evening, The Fab Five

went down to the Old San Juan SOFO Culinary Fest

where all the restaurants in the area have tents set up with tables

along with different samples of their foods! 

The party-lights that lined the top of every street

and local musicians of all types

made for a movie-like atmosphere!

Everything was beautiful and the smells of all the different

foods drew us all in to want to try it all,

however we settled for Greengos Caribbean Cantina

for some really great mexican food!

Sunday I found a new church!
It is Christian Community Church
and a 4th year optometry student and her husband
who is the church's youth leader pick me up
and a family from the church drops me back off!
Everyone was very excited to have me there
and I could tell God is definitely working in their church!

I also got to be in the clinic,
for the first time this week!
I did case history on some of my "patients"
who were my classmates
and it was a really exciting time for all of us!

Make sure to follow the blog so you receive my posts through e-mail if you want!
Miss y'all back in Texas!!
<3 Jayna

Getting Oriented

Hey y'all!

Since I last posted, I have finished orientation

and my first two days of classes!

The evening after the second day of orientation we had a Welcome BBQ

hosted by the organizations here on campus

where we learned a bit about each one and what they do for the school and community.

We also had a DJ and they played some fun music

to which everyone, including one of our Deans, all danced along to!

It was a lot of fun, Puerto Ricans are not shy and are always up for a party!

We also received a goodie bag with some fun school spirit items!

Here are my roommates and I at the BBQ and my new stuff!

The third day of orientation we went to Dorado Beach!

The ocean was a lot more calm than at Condado Beach, where I went on Monday!

The water was beautiful and blue, and we got to spend the afternoon with 

our fellow first year classmates, as well as some faculty and second and third year students!

I, personally, bombarded about 5 different second and third years

with all of the questions I had, and they answered everything I needed to know,

and continued to give me some very helpful advice for the next few years.

Everyone here is so friendly and helpful!

This weekend we went to Plaza Las Americas (the biggest mall in the Caribbean!!!) 

and did some shopping for things we still needed or maybe just wanted =]

We also went out on Friday night for Rachel's (my roommate) boyfriend's birthday!

It was a lot of fun, we spent the evening at El San Juan Resort and Casino,

also Daniel had been upgraded to a penthouse suite, and there was an awesome view!

Overall it was a great relaxing weekend before classes started at 8 AM Monday morning!

Monday morning classes came way too early,

but we truly just had syllabus day and it wasn't too bad.

We introduced ourselves in every class

and had a small introduction to the courses!

Tuesday, we went and got our student IDs made,

I am now "estudiante oficial!"

Our first tests are 3 weeks from today,

so it is definitely time to get to studying already, 

which will help me get back on a normal schedule.

My sleep and eating schedules have been way off from

both the time change and just being so busy in general! 

If you want to Skype me, my Skype name is jaynalea10

Thanks everyone, for keeping up with me!
PS: to the right (--->>>)
there is a "Follow By E-mail" section! =]
Do this and you will receive my posts via e-mail if you are interested!

<3 Jayna

Move in!

Hey y'all! 

"Y'all" is getting me in trouble..

Everyone knows I'm from Texas

within the first 5 minutes of meeting me!

Not a bad thing ;)

So my mom, dad, brother and I 

landed in San Juan on Thursday

and then started move in first thing Friday morning!\

I have a 4 bedroom/2 bath apartment 

just a short sidewalk away from where my classes are!

I have 3 roommates who are amazing, Jenna, Rachel, and Sandy.

Jenna is from Cali, Rachel is from Oklahoma, and Sandy is from Philly,

so we are a very diverse group and it is great getting to know each other!

This is my bedroom!

The walls are concrete so decorating has been a challenge,

but I will get used to it and find the tricks soon.

This is our living room,

we also have a dining table across from the couch.

So far everything here is great!

We had planned to go snorkeling 

on the west side of the island in Rincon on Sunday,

but being Tropical Storm Bertha was coming through,

we decided to head out Friday before the storm hit.

We went to Steps Beach for some shore snorkeling and 

it was absolutely amazing!

There was a lot of elkhorn coral which is most plentiful here in Rincon

out of all of the Caribbean!

Steps Beach is named after, well... the concrete steps on the beach!

We also stopped by Crash Boat Beach in Aguadilla,
also famous for diving and snorkeling.

On Saturday, Tropical Storm Bertha came in,

but we just got some rain showers.

This is when we did the majority of our shopping!

On Sunday, we decided to drive out to El Yunque National Rainforest again

to hike to a waterfall and show my brother and my roommate Jenna,

however once we drove out there,

we found out that it was closed because of major wind damage from

Tropical Storm Bertha, 

the wind hit the area so hard that there were 

trees, limbs, and debris covering the roads, 

preventing us from being able to drive to the head of the hiking trail.

We were able to go to one little area though!

Since we couldn't spend the day at the rainforest,

we went to explore Old San Juan!

Jenna and Matt hadn't been,

so we started from the top! 

We also met up with my roommate Sandy and her parents!

Sunday night, mom, dad, and Matt dropped me off and we said goodbye!

They left early Monday morning. 

That afternoon, Jenna and I rented a car to run a few more errands

and go to the beach to keep our minds off things!

We went to Condado beach at the San Juan Marriot Resort & Stellaris Casino,

Typical Tourists. 

We went with our other two roommates, Rachel and Sandy,

along with two classmates, Caleb and Rod, as well as Rachel's boyfriend!

We had such a great time getting destroyed by the waves

in the very powerful crystal blue waters!

The clean sandy beach was a lot of fun,

and we followed the afternoon at the beach

with an evening in Old San Juan

and ate at a famous restaurant, Aguaviva,

known for their seafood, ceviche,

and watermelon sangria.

As picky as we all know I am,

I was brave enough to try the ceviche,

and turns out, it is pretty dang good!

Today, we all kind of just chilled around the apartment,

relaxing before we start orientation tomorrow morning!

Jenna and I did walk over and see the Manatee Conservation

that we have ON CAMPUS.

Like for real, its a 5 minute walk from my apartment door...

We have 3 manatees, all being rehabilitated.

They plan to release 2 of them,

but one is so severely injured with a collapsed lung,

he is unable to be released,

 so they will continue to give him a nice home.

This is him, he is 9 years old and 800 lbs.

They can live up to around 65 years and grow to 1200+ lbs at 11 feet long!

So head to PR soon to visit me,

I will show you the manatees and take you to the beach! =]

Plus it will get a bit lonely here at times I'm sure!

<3, Jayna