Saving Space

So I haven't really had many adventures in the past week, save for the introduction of a car called "Barbie" that we as volunteers are occasionally able to drive. So far we've taken her into Fajardo for dinner, and into Rio Grande for an oil change and groceries. And yet somehow in the sitting-in-our-parking-lot stage of things, she managed to get a flat tire. Typical. TIPR.

Aside from Barbie, things were relatively quiet this week. I think we're all starting to realize that the station is rather small, and we have little to no privacy...ever. Our rooms house way more people than they're meant to; the kitchen is always overflowing with bodies; there is always someone coming or going from the big building, and there is always someone there to ask you what you're up to, whether you're ready to talk or not. It takes some getting used to initially, but there is also a backlash about 4 weeks in (hey, that's today!) where you realize all you want is to be by yourself, in your own room, minding your own business. It comes and goes, but its something to be aware of. Everyone here is still wonderful though, and I couldn't have asked for a better crew of "housemates".

I guess there was one or two other events in this past week. On Sunday we resurrected an old ping pong table for a healthy round robin to determine "the champ". I made a valiant effort, winning my first seed against Whitney and then getting whomped by Tuber 21-2 in the second round. Ah well, I was not built for sports. TJ the DJ ended up winning, and we all gave him a hearty pat on the back and a well deserved "Good Jorb!" Also, why has no one else thought of the nickname "Lazir Lizar"? GENIUS.

Also, there was a barbeque at the house of one of the professors for the REU students, so we all piled into whatever vehicles we could find and made it out there. One thing to note about PR is that all of the houses are extremely small in comparison to Continental standards. It has nothing to do with economic viability or any lack of space; simply put by Bob, what use do these people have for a large house when they have a perfectly good outside that is available year round? This has been hard for me to get used to, as most houses are smaller than my grandmother's house, but it is something I can support for sure. Economically, environmentally, and emotionally viable. Two thumbs up. Read my paper on Midwest flooding for that to make more sense. Anyway, the barbeque was delightful. I killed at baseball, or, as the others would put it, "made an ass of myself," and everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves.

One final note--as soon as I get my new computer (which will be on the 14th when Chris comes), I will post more pictures. It's not easy to do on public computers. Hasta luego!