The problem with spacing out my blog entries by up to a week is that I forget all the details, some of the adventures, most of the lessons, and I could spend hours sitting here writing about new experiences, new plans, new observations. But just as I (usually) like to keep in mind my audience's needs & attention span during oral conversation, I have to force myself to do the same in this blog. I'd hate to end up sounding like all those radio DJ's who (in my opinion) have an over-inflated opinion of their opinions. Just play the f-ing music!
This past week, the kids, namely Jackie and her friends Olive, Annabel & Gracie, organized a fundraiser for the Vieques Humane Society. Soleil, the owner of the fantabulous boutique here in Isabel II, Sol Creation, graciously agreed to allow the kids to invite their fans and all pet lovers, to crowd into her shop - and what in my opinion was a true act of altruism - was totally fine with the girls picking out whatever they wanted from her racks, to model. The event was a big success, as the girls sashayed their way down the catwalk wearing all sorts of adult clothing (showing the versatility of the designs, as they actually looked good on the kids with the help of creative tying and belting), and with the $10 entry donation and the sales of $2 brownies & cookies and $4 wines & beers, they made $300. Not bad for something they spent 2 days organizing. During our post-show celebratory dinner at Cantina La Reina, Bill had the idea of presenting the check in the form of one of those ridiculously big checks like they do with Publisher's Clearing House winners, so Nicholas the Inventor (Olive & Annabel's dad) made such a check and we delivered it to a very impressed VHS staff the next day, after school. Before we (the Navas') arrived in Vieques, Olive and her friends had held a fundraiser for Haiti and called their charitable group "Kids for Kids" and they decided to do the fashion show in their name too. I really love how community service-oriented the kids have been here - yet another line to add to my list of Vieques Attitudes to Continue in CT.
Saturday, the Delucas (Nicholas the Inventor, Alison and their 3 daughters) and we boarded our own little airplane for a 10 minute flight to Culebra. Culebra is a Puerto Rican island 20 miles east of the main island of PR, just north of Vieques. It is 7 miles long and 4 miles wide, and has all of 2,000 year-long residents (compare to Vieques, which is 21 miles long, 5 miles wide, and has 10,000 residents). Our plan was to fly over at 9:30am and return on the last flight of the day, 5:30pm. We packed as if we were going to a local beach for the day - towels, sunscreen, a Shape magazine (never cracked it open), some water, my mac-daddy camera & the waterproof point-&-shoot, iPhone (to upload pix to Facebook, of course), white vinegar (in case anyone got stung by jelly fish), baby oil (great for the 5pm no-see-um bugs), hats & goggles. I must say, I've loved saying to myself all week "I booked a private plane to hop over to another island with some great friends." For all of $50/person, round trip. But still feels so decadent.
The flight over was a tad unnerving. It's always a bit suspect when you can bring on board any liquids you want, and the guy checking you in wants to know how much you each weigh, to seat you accordingly. It's one time you probably don't want to lie (understate) by 5 pounds. All was good until we started the airport approach. Let's just say that the kids were thrilled (screaming with delight) while Nicholas was hunched over in crash position, Alison was exhibiting an uncharacteristic intolerance for kids' screams, and I was very glad that in spite of our over-indulgence the night before (2:30am bedtime), my cookies stayed put.
We had 2 rental cars (Jeeps) and we followed the Delucas to the first stop on the agenda. They bought a plot of land 3 years ago, with the plan to build a house on it and move there for a year or so. Things didn't go as planned and for some reason that even bewilders them, they have this spectacular sit on Culebra, still untouched, and they're renting a home in Vieques. So we climbed up in our Jeeps and ended up on the top of a mountain, with the most incredible view. Once Bill and I had recovered from the awe we felt at the view, he and Nicholas talked about how to build a home there. I photographed away, thinking about how Bill needs to build them this house and I need to live in some trailer somewhere on this gorgeous island. While driving around, I was trying to put my finger on why this place felt different from Vieques. Yes, it's smaller, and it's more arid - but it was Bill who pointed out what was missing. TRASH. Vieques' biggest downfall to any visitor (who doesn't need to avail of the medical, educational, or any other bureaucratic system) is the islanders' utter disregard for cleanliness. My dad had pointed out how he'd love to come to Vieques with a huge vacuum cleaner and get rid of all the trash and the run-down buildings. Well, Culebra is like an island that has been subjected to such a vacuum cleaner.
I was wondering who lives in Culebra? How feasible would it be to live here with kids? What would we do about school? Medical care? Are there shops? Restaurants? When suddenly these questions were all at least partially answered. We came upon The Ecology School, which is a beautiful public school, and which I've learned is an award-winning example of green building, relying on solar energy and the like, but I can't seem to find out much else, other than that it's an elementary school (K-8). Soon afterwards we passed a doctor's office, several shops, an interesting artist's atelier, and we had lunch at Mamacita's, which is a bar/restaurant/guesthouse. We had to insist on leaving when we realized it was 3pm, the kids were enraptured by the tarpon fish they spotted in the canal adjacent to the restaurant, and though we had spent a great hour or so at Zoni beach, I really wanted to check out Flamenco Beach, seeing it's considered one of the best beaches in the world.
Flamenco Beach was indeed gorgeous. The Delucas hadn't been in 3 years, and since then, there had been some development in the form of public bathrooms and some cement structures where you could buy local foods and snacks. The Delucas were surprised by how big the waves were, since it’s apparently usually much calmer, but Olive, Jackie & Willo were thrilled and not at all intimidated. Which is amazing, since when we first arrived here on Feb. 2nd, Willo was scared of big waves and within a week he was anything but. The waves at Flamenco Beach were very high, and relentless, one after the other. Alas, after about 1.5 hours it was time to collect the kids, the beach clutter, and help the grumbling kids out of wet bathing suits and into dry clothes. “Mami, I don’t want to leave! Can we PLEASE spend the night??” “Mami, what do you mean there’s no shower here! I can’t get on a plane all sandy!”
I really look forward to returning to Culebra and spending more time. I want to see what the "deal" is there - what is it like to spend more than a couple of weeks in a place that is so unpopulated and undeveloped? Who lives there?? Is it feasible to move there with the family? What kind of friends would I have? I imagine it's a place where you better really love being alone, and spending a hell of a lot of time with your spouse & kids. I would think it would appeal to people who cherish alone time to be creative, such as artists and writers. Right off the bat, I suspect I would love it there, since I really don't miss anything from "civilization" aside from the occasional longing for CVS and Target and a supermarket that has double wide aisles and plenty of fresh produce and fish.
The flight home was much smoother, and soon we were in showers and this time I was the one grumbling, “I just want to hang out at home and chill and savor the amazing day, but instead we have to go to some stupid talent show that will undoubtedly start an hour late and include all kinds of boring, untalented acts and I’m really mad at you and your friends for ambushing me on this and the only reason I’m letting you do this is because I feel bad for your friends since you’re a main part of the act…” Yes, the 7pm talent show indeed started 1.5 hours late, it was completely disorganized, but Olive won 1st place for her amazing flute solo and the girls came in 3rd with their Annie performance. I finally fell into bed at 9:30pm and slept a solid 9 hours, unheard of for me.
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