Puerto Rico, take 2
Different than freshman year, certainly. Sue's driving has gotten worse, dryland is kicking my butt slightly less badly, challenge sets were hysterical, and El Moro was worth the traffic and the walk. Started to get back on the swimming bandwagon: practices started to hit the point of utter pain but actually worth something, mentally.
We were on a cycle of 5 practices, an afternoon off, repeat. 15 practices total, 2 afternoons off. If we go by EST, I was up at 4 for 10 days running, and in the pool by 5. (Puerto Rico's an hour ahead, so it was technically up at 5, practice 6-8.) We swam in the dark, hearing the roosters get it wrong and go off at 6, 6:15, and 6:30 before there was any light from the sun. But the sun came up pretty reliably by 7, so you could tell the half-way point of practice with a loose degree of accuracy. We would race the rental vans back to the hotel for our all-you-can-eat breakfast (and omelets). Sue broke every traffic law known to mankind, though we didn't actually hit anyone - it got to the point where turning left around 4 other cars already in the left turn lane during a red light was normal, and that was rather frightening. Breakfast was usually worth it.
Between practices we slept, ate, went down to the beach, watched trashy television & music videos (Sonya, I've now seen Lady Gaga's Bad Romance video, and I don't understand. At all. Though she is ridiculously catchy.) We only had a few really bright days; the majority was overcast and Thursday it just poured. Swimming in the pouring rain is interesting. I kind of like the feeling of being surrounded by water - pelting on my back, cutting through it on all other sides - but when I can't see anything, it gets a little frustrating.
First afternoon off was beautiful, and I stayed at the hotel's not-very-pretty beach with books and music and a couple friends. Went for a hike up and around our beach on the rocky shoreline, maybe a mile or so down the coast. Some pretty-ish pictures.
2nd afternoon off was also pretty. I ended up going into Old San Juan with a carload of people, getting lost, and eventually finding my way to lunch, pina coladas, pigeons, and ben & jerry's. We went up to El Moro, the fort on the coast, and got to explore and climb around in it. It was a good day. (And one of the freshies commented on my suit tan, which cut very obviously across the rather low v of the dress I was wearing, which kind of made me laugh. But yes. Color!)
Thursday night we had our banquet (after practice was 'rained out' aka we had dryland at the hotel for several hours, which would have been absolutely miserable BUT I brought my ipod down and could listen to happy music while dripping sweat all over the hotel floor) and a bunch of the challenge sets. Thus there were freshman boys in bikinis, freshman girls in an 80s-esque stretching video, a choreographed spice girls routine by the still-bikini-wearing freshman boys and Muffin, a pirate and a parrot, two of our sophomores dressed as each other and hanging out with each other's boyfriends, a mineral water chugging contest (I only lost to the other nondrinker. Go figure.), a science fiction short story, a presentation on Michigan, and flirting with our assistant coaches. It was rather spectacular.
Tired. But came home yesterday; off to school tomorrow. Baked some pretty good cookies today. Love and hugs to all -
We were on a cycle of 5 practices, an afternoon off, repeat. 15 practices total, 2 afternoons off. If we go by EST, I was up at 4 for 10 days running, and in the pool by 5. (Puerto Rico's an hour ahead, so it was technically up at 5, practice 6-8.) We swam in the dark, hearing the roosters get it wrong and go off at 6, 6:15, and 6:30 before there was any light from the sun. But the sun came up pretty reliably by 7, so you could tell the half-way point of practice with a loose degree of accuracy. We would race the rental vans back to the hotel for our all-you-can-eat breakfast (and omelets). Sue broke every traffic law known to mankind, though we didn't actually hit anyone - it got to the point where turning left around 4 other cars already in the left turn lane during a red light was normal, and that was rather frightening. Breakfast was usually worth it.
Between practices we slept, ate, went down to the beach, watched trashy television & music videos (Sonya, I've now seen Lady Gaga's Bad Romance video, and I don't understand. At all. Though she is ridiculously catchy.) We only had a few really bright days; the majority was overcast and Thursday it just poured. Swimming in the pouring rain is interesting. I kind of like the feeling of being surrounded by water - pelting on my back, cutting through it on all other sides - but when I can't see anything, it gets a little frustrating.
First afternoon off was beautiful, and I stayed at the hotel's not-very-pretty beach with books and music and a couple friends. Went for a hike up and around our beach on the rocky shoreline, maybe a mile or so down the coast. Some pretty-ish pictures.
2nd afternoon off was also pretty. I ended up going into Old San Juan with a carload of people, getting lost, and eventually finding my way to lunch, pina coladas, pigeons, and ben & jerry's. We went up to El Moro, the fort on the coast, and got to explore and climb around in it. It was a good day. (And one of the freshies commented on my suit tan, which cut very obviously across the rather low v of the dress I was wearing, which kind of made me laugh. But yes. Color!)
Thursday night we had our banquet (after practice was 'rained out' aka we had dryland at the hotel for several hours, which would have been absolutely miserable BUT I brought my ipod down and could listen to happy music while dripping sweat all over the hotel floor) and a bunch of the challenge sets. Thus there were freshman boys in bikinis, freshman girls in an 80s-esque stretching video, a choreographed spice girls routine by the still-bikini-wearing freshman boys and Muffin, a pirate and a parrot, two of our sophomores dressed as each other and hanging out with each other's boyfriends, a mineral water chugging contest (I only lost to the other nondrinker. Go figure.), a science fiction short story, a presentation on Michigan, and flirting with our assistant coaches. It was rather spectacular.
Tired. But came home yesterday; off to school tomorrow. Baked some pretty good cookies today. Love and hugs to all -