March 14-15, 2008

Hola from Puerto Rico! After leaving the Pavilion at 5:00 A.M., we arrived at our hotel in Caguas around 8:30 pm. It was a very long day for us. However, it was very exciting thinking about our destination and our upcoming trip. We had a few delays and stood in long lines so we were more then excited to arrive on the island. Not only are we excited to play volleyball, but we’re excited to spend time together as a team, learn about the culture, and maybe even get a tan.

Next we were off to dinner our first meal in Puerto Rico. It’s really convenient that we have a restaurant right by the pool so we could eat a great meal quick and easy! Some of us were really excited to try the Puerto Rican food, while others were deathly frightened! The brave tried some really different looking stuff (corn sticks, mashed plantains, chicken noodle soup with bones, really bloody beef, and other meats that were unrecognizable) while the conservatives stuck with bread and chicken parmesan. I was willing to try something new until the waiter told me the “can can” pork chop was the length of my forearm. It was a long day but I wasn’t that hungry! So I also stuck with the parmesan, but I must say the sauce was different then what we were used to. By the end of the night everyone had tried some new things and even the chicken parmesan girls admitted to liking fried plantains and some other Puerto Rican foods.

We headed back to the hotel to get some rest. The team went to sleep excited to start practicing the next day and to sit by the pool under the Puerto Rican sun!