The events which took place this past weekend left much of the island abuzz, and even caught the headlines of some of the mainland U.S' media outlets. Late Saturday morning, law enforcement authorities arrested one of the Caribbean's most wanted and notorious drug traffickers, José Figueroa Agosto (alias "Junior Cápsula"). He had been on the run for the past eleven years, when he managed to escape from a Puerto Rican prison by presenting a fraudulent release order. His capture has been hailed as a major victory by both Federal and local law enforcement authorities, as this so-called "Pablo Escobar of the Caribbean" is allegedly responsible for transporting huge amounts of cocaine from South America to North America, as well as Europe. Mr. Figueroa was also the target of Dominican law enforcement authorities, as he had for many years operated his drug empire form the Dominican Republic since fleeing Puerto Rico.
Another event which was the subject of much local media attention, and also dominated my Twitter feed, was the postponement of the opening ceremony of the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games in Mayaguez. Strong winds sent tents, lighting poles and the stage flying on Saturday afternoon, hours before the opening ceremony was scheduled to begin. Some images showed cars had been smashed by fallen poles. Several people were injured but there no were serious fatalities reported. According to some, the stage was also shoddily set-up and it simply couldn't withstand the strong wind gusts. Luckily, the maintenance crew made a last minute scramble to undo the damage left behind. The opening ceremony successfully took place yesterday, Sunday, instead.
Finally, yesterday afternoon, thousands of people took to the streets of Hato Rey to protest against what many consider to be the "abuse of power" by the local police atthe state capitol on June 30th. At the march, which was given the title: "Alto a la represión y la violación de derechos humanos" (translation: "Stop the Repression and the Violation of Human Rights") most called for the resignation of Police Superintendent, José Figueroa Sancha. Also demonstrated by during yesterday's march was the growing discontent over the way Gov. Luis Fortuño is doing his job. Thankfully, the march occurred without any major incidents.
It's hard to believe that it has been almost four years since I moved back to the island. In some ways it seems like it just happened yesterday, but in other ways it seems like I've been here forever. Perhaps this feeling of ambivalence may sound perplexing to some. Although I was born here, because of my almond-shaped eyes, most people assume that I'm a foreigner or a tourist. Once they hear me speak Spanish, they are fascinated and ask me a bunch of questions. This happens quite often, and I've come to find it amusing and often chuckle about it. While living here for the past few years, I've lost count how many times strangers have struck up conversations with me. In New York, which I still consider my home, I can count them off in one hand!
Since living in Puerto Rico, I've become a lot more open-minded and appreciative of the smallest things in life. Living outside your comfort zone forces you to adapt to your environment. Otherwise, you'll just have to surrender and return to the old and familiar. It's all about perspective. You can either see the glass as half full or half empty. I choose the former. One of the things I love about living on this island is that it has forced me to learn and grow by leaps and bounds. I enjoy being outside of my element, because through such experiences you have a better sense of yourself and your place in this world. Many who move to the island from the mainland tend to have a lengthy list of complaints. This is something which I've always found to be irritating because it's completely futile and counterproductive. One thing I always tell people who are thinking of moving to the Puerto Rico is to never expect things on the island to be the same as they are in the U.S., because they simply aren't.
On the other hand, looking back to these past four years, time seems to have stood still because nothing much has changed in terms of the island's politics, which seems to be more fractured and polarized than before. Crime levels remain high, and the economy is still in the doldrums. Although the island's governor was from the red party (Partido Popular Democrático) four years ago, and the current governor is from the blue party (Partido Nuevo Progresista), it's more of the same. Unfortunately, in terms of the island's quality of life, I cannot say that it has improved at all. Then again, most parts of the world seem to be in a similar predicament.
With much heartfelt gratitude and appreciation, I was approached with the opportunity to submit a blog entry to a travel Website, Unpaved South America, a while back. The editor asked me to write about Puerto Rico, and gave me the liberty to write from whichever angle I desired. Since many have not heard about this small island, I chose to focus on the things which makes Puerto Rico unique. Therefore, I decided to write about the island's relationship with the U.S, and the mixture of cultures which permeates the island. Hope you all enjoy reading, "Dichotomy in the 'Island of Enchantment.'"
The events which took place this past weekend left much of the island abuzz, and even caught the headlines of some of the mainland U.S' media outlets. Late Saturday morning, law enforcement authorities arrested one of the Caribbean's most wanted and notorious drug traffickers, José Figueroa Agosto (alias "Junior Cápsula"). He had been on the run for the past eleven years, when he managed to escape from a Puerto Rican prison by presenting a fraudulent release order. His capture has been hailed as a major victory by both Federal and local law enforcement authorities, as this so-called "Pablo Escobar of the Caribbean" is allegedly responsible for transporting huge amounts of cocaine from South America to North America, as well as Europe. Mr. Figueroa was also the 
