That's So Puerto Rico

We say this phrase to each other at least 50 times a week. "That's so Puerto Rico."

It's humid and sticky and OMG please let the trade winds kick in.

WhatTheForecast gets it. That's so Puerto Rico.

A driver parks their car in the road blocking traffic to talk to their buddy. The veterinarian only has 16 days worth of meds for my dog (I normally get 60) and instead of a prescription bottle they come in an unmarked ziploc bag. A speaker in the movie theater buzzes and cracks through the entire movie. I need a new annual planner and the store only has old ones from last year that will be worthless in about 12 days. You're watching TV and a giant speaker truck rolls by and you miss ten seconds of dialogue and there's no DVR, no pause, no rewind. I'm sorry we don't deliver to your address. That's so Puerto Rico.

The barista at my favorite coffee spot comes out from behind the counter to hug or shake hands. A stranger overhears that we can't speak Spanish and offers to translate for us. A neighbor whom we've never met offers to help us carry stuff to the elevator. Our doctor shares his favorite restaurants and offers up secret local snorkel spots. You need references to buy a car and you've been on the island for all of five days and employees at the car dealership jump in as your new friends on your loan application. Locals hear that you're new to PR and go out of their way to smile and say welcome. That's so Puerto Rico.

Bacteria levels are dangerously high at local beaches and the only reason I know that is because a small group of volunteers test the water weekly and post results to their Facebook page. Meanwhile hundreds of other people are swimming in the water and have no idea it's contaminated. The power goes out for the fifth time in three days. The power goes out and you go to the online outage map and the entire PREPA website is down so you can't report the outage. That's so Puerto Rico.

You hit the beach that tested clean this week and you're the only ones there. The water is crystal clear and turquoise and beautiful. Sea glass and seashells are everywhere. You spot a sea turtle in a wave. The water hits your legs and it's the perfect temp. Every photo you snap with your phone looks like a damn postcard. And all that frustrating stuff somehow becomes charming.

That's so Puerto Rico.