Puerto Rico with Jen - Episode 6

Jen, who is from Puerto Rico but now lives in Florida, shares her experiences of living in Puerto Rico for three years as an adult. She chose to go back to Puerto Rico while transitioning from practicing law to becoming a full-time digital entrepreneur. Puerto Rico, being an American territory in the Caribbean, offers modern amenities and convenience for travelers from the US. The predominant language is Spanish, but English is also taught in schools. Jen speaks both languages fluently. She attributes her ability to retain Spanish to early exposure in school and her parents' use of the language at home. Living in Puerto Rico helped her practice and improve her Spanish skills. Although she has traveled to other countries, she finds it challenging to work while on the go and prefers having a home base. And here we are. Welcome back to Around the World in 50 Days. And I have with me Jen from Jen on a Jet Plane. Thank you so much for agreeing to do this. Thank you so much for having me. So I thought you had a very interesting story that you said that your home country is Puerto Rico but you live in Florida? Correct. That's great. How long you were in Puerto Rico for? I was there for three years just recently as an adult and then I also lived there until I was six as a child. That's beautiful. How was it returning for the three years? It was really nice. It was definitely a wonderful experience to be able to have my own introduction to the island, you know, going to the places I wanted to see, the way I wanted to travel. And it was really, really beautiful. Like you chose to go back or work brought you there or like what brought you back to Puerto Rico for the three years? Yeah, I chose to go back. I was transitioning from practicing law to doing this full time. Puerto Rico has a big digital entrepreneur scene. I wanted to be somewhere that felt, you know, different but wasn't necessarily outside of the U.S. because there are a lot of modern conveniences that I think get lost when you move abroad. Like having a pharmacy where you can buy everything in one place, you know, from food to medicines to random clothing. Those things don't really happen in other places. So, I do love living in the U.S. and I appreciated that Puerto Rico felt like a good in-between. All right. So, with Puerto Rico being, I believe it's an American, is it an American territory? It's an American territory in the Caribbean between the Dominican Republic, Cuba. So, it's next to a lot of really well-known places. But it still has an island feel to it from what you're explaining and it's not necessarily like feels like it's part of the States then. Absolutely. So, you have U.S. road signs, you know, students learn English in school. So, it still feels like there's all of those modern amenities you can easily go to and from the mainland without having a visa or a passport. You know, your phone service works there. You don't have to exchange currency. So, it's actually a really easy place for U.S. travelers to go if they want to experience the Caribbean, but they want to do so in a way that, you know, just lets you hop on a plane tomorrow with your license and not much planning. Right. As you mentioned, like they learn English in school. Is it that their native language is still Spanish? So, I come from an English-speaking Caribbean island and our native language is English, but we learn Spanish in school. Is it the opposite there where they speak Spanish and they learn English in school? It is. Spanish is still very much the predominant language. And so, sometimes if the people don't practice it after they graduate, it could be lost. So, maybe you'll see an older population that doesn't really know how to speak English very much, but a younger population that's very well versed in it and that's usually why that happens. Okay. Do you speak Spanish? I do, yes. So, are you black or trilingual? Bilingual. And I really feel like it's luck of the draw just because I had those six years in Puerto Rico. Technically, my first language is Spanish, although I think in English, definitely my primary most comfortable language is in English. But I feel like because of that, I retained an accent, you know, where I can speak and it doesn't sound immediately foreign. It doesn't also sound immediately Puerto Rican. It's interesting just because my accent has changed as I've lived in different Spanish-speaking areas. So, I don't necessarily have that immediate Puerto Rican accent. But it is, I value having had that. And my little brother that was born four years after me, he only had two years on the island and he doesn't have the same familiarity with Spanish. So, I really think it's a luck of the draw and I feel very grateful that I have that because I know other people who are geographically somewhere where they're more around different languages. Like, everybody in Europe speaks a minimum of three to five languages because you go one country over and they're speaking another language. So, you have to really be well-versed to be able to talk with people that are coming and visiting your area. I think in the U.S., we're very insulated and we have that, you know, privilege of being able to just communicate with everyone in English and feel like when we travel abroad, people should be able to communicate with us in English as well. So, I do appreciate having that background. So, when you say, like, you were able to retain Spanish because, like, I know a lot of people who, you know, they may have been born and raised but lived very long from a Spanish-speaking country and they aren't able to retain, speak any language. Is it because, like, your parents kept on speaking Spanish in your home? Because I know most times that that's how a person is able to retain. Yes, I think that's part of it. I think also I went to school starting very young. So, already at three years old, I was in a school setting for preschool, and I think that helped solidify things. And my mom actually put me in an English-speaking school. She was a teacher, so she got the tuition comp at a private school so that I wouldn't have an accent in English. So, that was something where I remember very early on being in a classroom where people only spoke English and I spoke Spanish and trying to acclimate just by being dropped in the setting. And so, that's how, you know, she did that on purpose so that I would be comfortable with the language and wouldn't have somebody commenting my whole life on my accent because that was something that she did experience a lot of. So, yeah, I think it definitely was more something that I learned along the way. And I think I was – my parents did use it. But I think if I didn't have that foundational initial comfort and knowledge with it, it might have been harder, even if your parents are using it in the house, because if you're doing everything in English, you know, and you're just kind of having a conversation essentially with, like, your abuela when you get home, it's lost. And I see that with my brother, right? Like, he knows very clearly, like, hola, abuela. Yeah. Like, you know, like. The conversations, yeah, are very, you know, monosyllabic. Like, they're just one word that he knows and he answers. So, it's not necessarily the practice that you want. And I think living abroad was also – living not necessarily abroad, but moving to Puerto Rico was a big part of that because I knew I would have to be practicing it daily. And so, I enjoyed having that level of having to communicate with it more intuitively and having that be the first thing that comes out. It was not easy. Like, there was a point where I was on a podcast in Spanish and I was very nervous because I know that while I can speak Spanish and I can think of a way to express what I'm saying, maybe the exact word that I want, I can't figure it out. So, I had to think of a way to describe it, like, or say it in English. Like, one word that just came to mind right now was, like, zip lining. And I was like, I don't know that I would know how to say zip lining in Spanish. So, I'd maybe be like, esa cosa que va desde un lado al otro por la línea, bien rápido. Like, I would describe it, you know. Like, I would try to actually physically, like, verbally, like, visualize what it is. And so, I think that there's crutches to get around it. But being in Puerto Rico allowed me to just have more of a practice with it where I thought one way or another I have to communicate what the sentiment is. Well, you definitely sound fluent and fully bilingual. Like I say. So, you said that you lived in other Spanish-speaking countries as well, being like a digital nomad and traveling. Not lived. Not lived. Unfortunately, I think I have, the only other place I've lived in is Australia where I've spent, like, a summer there. That was during law school. And that was one of my introductions to being, you know, a complete world away from everybody you knew. Like, everybody's on a completely opposite time zone. So, when you're awake, they're sleeping. And that was really my first time dealing with what it's like to be so far and what it's like to really be in a different country than everybody else. Dealing with homesickness, dealing with how do I deal, you know, getting past the hump of, like, I'm here for a certain time. Unless I'm going to, like, cut this program early, I really have to get past this hump of homesickness and make the most of it and really enjoy the experience. So, that was my only other time living abroad. Otherwise, I do find that as a full-time creator, as much as I'd love to be abroad all the time, it is very hard to get things done while I'm traveling. Like, for instance, I'm going to be in New York for the next five days or so. I have my schedule basically cleared. I have assignments that I should be working on, but I know I'm not going to get those done while I'm in New York and I have a full schedule of other things to do there. So, I have articles to write. I have blog posts to prepare. I have campaigns to work on. Like, I have a lot of things that I can't do if I'm always on the go. And, I mean, I think as admirable as it sounds, you say that you're going to get work done on an airplane, on a 10-hour flight, and then you're, like, into the three movies. Like, you're sitting there with your blanket and, like, you've got crumbs all over you. You're like, this wasn't me. None happened. Like, let's be honest. So, I find that unless I'm home, I actually have a really hard time working on the business, and so I do need to be home. It's harder for me to travel for more than three weeks because of that. I have a mortgage I pay. You know, I have – and I like having a base because I think with digital assets, it's easy to burn out. It's hard to be living out of a suitcase. I like having souvenirs. You can see my little one. Yes. I love the map on the back, by the way. Thank you so much. That's the map. Thank you. I thought it was all on theme. I have, like, my books, the globe. I have a little golden airplane that you can see. I love it. Otherwise, I normally decorate this with my souvenirs and things from around the world. So, it makes me happy. But I like having a home base, and I think it's hard to be a nomad because you burn out and you do need some semblance of routine. You want to have friends. You want to have, you know, something that you look forward to every day, clean laundry. So, I like having a base, and I do visit a lot of other Spanish-speaking countries. I've been to many. I haven't even counted. That would be a good thing to count how many I've been, and I will be in Spain this May for the TBEX conference, Travel Bloggers Exchange. So, I'll be speaking at the conference in Spain, and I'll be giving the keynote at the conference in Puerto Rico in July. So, if anybody's interested in getting to, you know, getting into blogging, that's a great place to start. I should say this. How did you make the transition from being like a law or practicing law to wanting to be a travel content creator full-time? Yeah. So, I already had started blogging on the side just to have a creative outlet. I think people don't realize how similar those two fields are. I think they think that I made a complete 180 switch. But really, with law, you're doing a lot of writing, and you're doing storytelling. Like, when you're in a courtroom, you're telling the jury, this is my story, and by the time we're done, you're going to believe my story over this guy's story. And so, I feel like it's a lot of the same skills. I'm just, I'm writing and I'm telling stories, only I'm doing it about fun things, not about, you know, people's life problems. And so, I think I already had the skill set to be able to work on hours on my own, to be able to write for hours on end, to be able to, you know, tell convincing stories, be persuasive, which is what you do when you're promoting a destination, right? Let me persuade you as to why you might consider going here if you haven't before. It's easy to promote France and Italy. It's not so easy to promote, like, Qatar or, you know, Kenya that I just got back from. So, I think it was skills that I already had inherently. I started blogging just to have a creative outlet. I was doing a lot of lifestyle writing. Again, just to have something because I was in such, while I was awaiting bar clearance, I was working at an insurance firm. So, it was super boring, routine. And for me, it was a thrill to be able to work on something else while I'm at work and still finish all of my work, but also get these other things done. Like, it was, it gave me, like, a rush of adrenaline, you know? And so, I realized I enjoyed all that stuff I was doing on the side more than I was enjoying my actual career. And so, I set out to take a 12-trips-in-12-months challenge the year before my 30th birthday because I realized that I was about to be 30. I hadn't really done anything fun. I hadn't traveled a lot because, as a lawyer, you don't have a lot of time off. And so, I was working at a nonprofit where I finally had at least federal and bank holidays. So, I was taking these trips, sometimes, you know, two to three days, sometimes four to six days, working around those federal holidays and still being back in time for court. So, I was, I took 20 trips to 41 cities across 11 countries in the span of a year. I definitely used all of my sick leave. And so, I was at that point where I finished the year and it was like, well, do I continue? Was that just a fluke? Was that, you know, my 30th birthday celebration? I say, awesome, I had that experience. And then I keep going down this path of maybe being a judge one day or a partner one day. Or, you know, is there a reason why I'm getting more excited for these things that I'm doing on the side than I am to come into work? Like, I'm excited just to go home and research. Like, I was listening to a lot of podcasts on how to self-publish because I had self-published my first five books. And so, I was excited to just sit there and be unpaid, listening and learning to stuff after a full day of work. Like, that's actually what I was looking forward to. And so, if that's the case, maybe that's a sign that I'm not doing the right thing. I also did attend my first travel blogger conference, which was a TBEX. They have them all over the world. So, it was TBEX North America 2017. It was in Huntsville, Alabama. And I remember thinking, you know, out of all the amazing places I'm going to this year, like, Huntsville, Alabama feels like a stretch. Like, this better really be worth my time to be spending more money than I am, you know, to get to Iceland on this flight to Alabama. And I remember being really excited about the conference sessions. And I had gone to a few lawyer conferences at that point. And I was never excited about a lawyer conference session. I was never rushing to be in the front row to hear about this contract, new law that came out. Like, I can't wait to hear it. I'm exhibited. You know, like, that just was never the case. I got there as late as I could. I sat in the back. I browsed the Internet. I hoped not to get called on. I hoped to leave early and go to the hotel pool. Like, that was always my conference experience. And it's just what I thought work conferences were. I thought they were obligatory, not enjoyable. And it wasn't until I got to the TBEX where I realized, no, this is interesting. I do want to learn this. I do want to learn how to drive traffic with Pinterest. I do want to learn how to take better photographs. Like, I do want to learn this stuff. And so I was going to the different sessions. I was taking notes. I was sitting in the front row. I was really engaged in a way I had never been legally ever, ever, ever, ever. And I had done some prestigious things. Like, I was part of the Barristers membership club thing. I don't even remember the full name at this point because it's been so many years, and that makes me happy. But it was a Barristers professional membership thing where you would meet for dinners after work and you would get to network with all the judges. And it was very prestigious to be part of it. I hated that thing. I hated it so much. I hated it. I remember thinking, like, they're buying us a fancy dinner, and I hate the fancy dinner, and I'd rather have, like, the McDonald's and the catered dinner just to have my time back. And we're doing such lame things. Like, everybody has to do a project. And so, like, we're doing legal jeopardy, and this is so lame, and I hate it here. Like, I remember the feeling so much of thinking, like, this is an honor to be here to represent my organization. I should be excited to be sitting next to this judge and be able to network. And the whole time I was just like, I can't wait to get out of here. I hope they never nominate me for this again. And so that's how you know. Like, that's how I knew I was in the wrong profession even if I was good at it. For sure. I always tell people, like, when you now start to travel for work, it's fun, and you're like, ooh, I travel for work. And, like, it gets old very quickly to the point where you actually dislike it. Because it's work at the end of the day. Like, you don't get time to really explore the place unless you... Let's say even, like, you work in travel or media. Like, media is one industry that I see that people usually get to go out and see the countries that they travel to. But by and large, most industries, when you travel for work, it's meetings, conferences, hotel rooms, you know, lots of alcohol drinking. Like, you don't get to see the places that you go to. So. But what are you... When you went back for the three years, I mean, that must have been really beautiful. What was, like, your favorite part of the island? Yeah, I just love getting off at the impasse. I think a lot of people know San Juan, and that's where they go. And the government has done a really good job of funneling everything to San Juan. Even though it's not the only cruise port, it's the only cruise port that people know of because it's where the majority of cruises go. But there's Ponce, which used to be the capital city. It's considered, you know, the capital of the south now. It does have its own port. And if the traffic, if the tourism were spread out, it would much better balance the island because San Juan is on the northeast coast and Ponce is on the southwest coast. So you have all the business, all the traffic, all the hotels, all the metro area, all the power priority for, like, restoring power after outages is really in that San Juan metro area first and foremost. And so it can be super crowded. And honestly, it's my least favorite place to explore on the island because it's just so packed. There's so many people, and it doesn't feel peaceful. It doesn't feel island vibes. It feels very big city. And so it's fine. Like, there's still fun things to do in San Juan, but it is my least favorite because I love going to the places where it feels the opposite of that, where it feels like you're completely on this island by yourself, where you're having these kind of transcendent experiences. In Utuado, it's a beautiful place because they have a lot of Native American petroglyphs, so Taino petroglyphs that they have, you know, throughout these boulders. So you can go out into nature in the middle of the river, and you can climb, and you can see all of these things. Yeah, it's really nice. It's so much better, I think. And there's a lot of really well-known, well, not well-known, but well-awarded and really highly respected chocolate makers in Puerto Rico. So I've enjoyed going to those chocolate makers around the island, touring their farms, learning about how they're, you know, using the soil because we have such fertile soil, but 85% of the food is imported in Puerto Rico. There's a food scarcity problem. And so a lot of farmers have taken it upon themselves to do more farming, to get more fresh produce out. And so I love supporting those smaller businesses and finding them. You know, in Atencio, you can find a lot of cheese. And in Caguas, is it Caguas where you have the farm? There's a farm that actually Zac Efron visited. It's in the name. I was like, it's not Caguas. In Caguas, it's Montelero Chocolate, which is a chocolate maker that uses all local chocolate. So I love finding those. I also went on a little bit of a hunt for cool Airbnbs on the island because there's so many beautiful stays, from the bubble domes to, you know, kind of those Airstream, is that what those are called? Those, like, trailers that they turn into something fancy. There's some of those that they have parked on these beautiful cliffs with views of the mountains. Yeah, so I enjoy exploring any of the other, you know, 78 municipalities in Puerto Rico. Would you say you prefer Airbnbs than hotels, or it depends on where you're traveling to? It depends. And I will, I'm also very careful about Airbnbs because I don't want to have a laundry list of chores. I don't want there to be a ridiculously early checkout time. Like, Airbnbs can sometimes be more hassle than it's worth. But if it's something that I mentioned where it's, you know, a bucket list stay in and of itself, and that is an Airbnb rental, and there's a lot of them in Puerto Rico because people are entrepreneurial. And they take it upon themselves to start this business. So, you'll find these really beautiful, unique places. I stayed at a place that was, you know, Greece-inspired with a lovely built-in tub. It looked like a cave hotel. So, there's a lot of unique places that you can stay at. So, if that's the case, I'll look for the Airbnb. And sometimes I'll be booking that months in advance just to have that unique Airbnb stay. But otherwise, I love hotels, you know. They have late checkout. They have free breakfast in the morning. They have unlimited parking usually. Like, they really have their stuff together. So, I'm not a hotel hater. So, I would say it depends on where you go. You have to research what the experience is going to be like. I haven't had a bad Airbnb. Actually, no. I had one. But anyway. But by and large, I haven't had bad Airbnb experiences. But I have gone to, like, countries where it's like, yeah, a hotel is probably going to be better. Yeah. And it varies. I think people should just check and make sure that you find the best one for you. Yeah. So, you said about chocolate, which I think a lot of, like, I went to Dominica last year. And they have some really nice flavors of chocolate as well, too. And well, Trinidad, where I'm from, my home, we actually have some of the best chocolates in the world. So, we export to, like, Cadbury uses Trinidad chocolate and whatnot. But what other foods did you enjoy in Puerto Rico? Because if it's one thing Hispanics, Latin, Spanish-speaking countries are good at, it's food. Absolutely. Yeah. I think a really popular dish in Puerto Rico that everybody tries is mofongo. So, it's a plantain dish in a mortar and pestle that's ground up and then filled with some kind of protein, chicken broth. Very hearty, very filling, and very flavorful. So, that's definitely a signature dish on the island. Like pie? It's in a mortar and pestle. So, they ground it. And then when it comes out of the mortar and pestle, it's like a little round ball. Oh, that's cute. And then they'll put the protein. They'll maybe mash it into the ball or they'll put it on top. And then they'll cover it with gravy to make the plantain, you know, juicy and not dry. I love plantain. Like, absolutely love plantain. So, that sounds delicious. Like, that sounds like it'll go really well with ground beef. Like, yum. Absolutely. Yeah. All of the meats. And you just pick a protein, basically. You can have chicken. You can have ground beef. You can have shrimp. You can have just vegetables. So, it is definitely very versatile, filling, flavorful, a must. They have a lechon trail in Puerto Rico. So, it's a pork trail where you go to see the roast suckling pig that they have at one place after the other. So, that's a really fun spot just to get traditional food, maybe not the healthiest. But you'll have, you know, the rice, the beans, the pork, the salad. They'll have morcilla, which is a blood sausage. So, they'll sell that there as well. So, it's a very meat-heavy place, but a place to go to get traditional flavors. And then, also, you have kind of your frituras, like all of your fried things that would be kind of like a meat pastry that you mentioned. A lot of people go to Luquillo for that. There's a kiosk, the kioscos, that are, again, one after the other. So, you can go after the beach and just get your, you know, whatever fried thing that you want. And altapurria, you know, different. There's so many different fried items. You just pick whichever one you want. And then, you're right there on the beach, and the beach is beautiful. And then, there's also really fine dining restaurants. So, Portela by Orujo is like a five-hour dining experience where you're served by a private chef. We just had a James Beard winner that was a female on the island. Estela in Rincon is amazing and, you know, books up weeks in advance. So, there's some really great, fine dining on the island as well. You know, every time I speak to, like, a fellow traveler, a digital nomad, I feel this, like, immense. So, like, I have to go to this country immediately, especially when we talk about food. I'm like, I have to go. Like, I can't go to all the places at once. Yeah. Actually, one in four people picks a destination based solely on the food. So, you're not alone. Good to know. Good to know. I thought it was Caribbean people alone. But, like, so, okay, if I have to go to Puerto Rico, how long would you tell me to, like, book a stay for? Because I've never been to Puerto Rico. I've been to many Caribbean islands, but not Puerto Rico. Yeah. Sure. I would say a week is a good amount of time. I think a lot of people maybe go to San Juan and they go for, like, three or four days. And that's great, but I would encourage you to rent a car and get outside of San Juan. It is hard to get around the island without a car. There's not really good public transportation, so a rental car would be necessary. And there's not really good ride share that can be expensive, especially if you're going far. And sometimes if you are going to a more secluded spot, you'll be driving through mountain roads and things like that. So, getting a rental car is the best way to go and the best way to explore on your own. It's super easy. Like I said, all the roads have American road signs. Everything's in English. And, you know, driving's on the same side of the road. So, it's not complicated to get around. You can do a road trip kind of around the perimeter and the coast or whatever works best for you and your interests. Yeah. Are the rates, like, similar? Because when I travel to the U.S., I find that the car rental rates are very affordable. Is it the same in Puerto Rico? It can be expensive. And it depends on the season. So, I think, you know, I went in October once and I rented a car for, like, almost a month and it was okay. It was still reasonable. But that's hurricane season. So, hurricane season goes from July to November. So, if you want to save money, that's probably the best time to go. It's, you know, most of the time you'll still have a regular sunny day. It's just if you have bad luck and end up there during an actual hurricane. But for the most part, it's just business as usual and it's significantly more affordable. Puerto Rico is not a cheap island. There's no all-inclusive resorts like there are in neighboring islands. So, I think people don't expect that. Yeah. So, Puerto Rico hotels can be $200 plus a night, like, you know, for the most basic hotel. And they don't include anything. And then food can be really expensive as well because, as I mentioned, it's all imported. So, there's not really cheap, you know, affordable food other than the fried things that, you know, you can get at the kiosk. But for the most part, it is an expensive destination. And so, I recommend making your plans ahead of time, especially if you're coming during peak season, which is, like, now, the January, February, winter months. And it is beautiful to visit. But it's really beautiful year-round. So, come when your budget allows and you'll find something to do. Right. So, what's your favorite thing about Puerto Rico? If you have one. Yeah. I really like kind of the vibes of the island. The island is very not stressed like most islands are. Like, they have that mañana mentality. And so, I like that when you go there, it feels like nothing's that serious. And I actually think it was a blessing to be there during the pandemic years because while we were still on lockdown, I didn't feel as panicked. I feel like people generally obeyed the rules. They stood six feet apart. They, you know, stood on the stickers at stores. But I never felt like I was super caged in or, like, everything, like, because I'm on an island. And so, things really haven't changed that bad, especially because I wasn't in the metro area. The metro area had more monitoring, more police, things like that. But where I was, you know, I could still walk to the beach just fine. Like, nothing has really significantly changed other than I'm not traveling as much. But it felt like it was a peaceful oasis at a time where it was really needed. And maybe other people that were surrounded by anxiety or, like, big crowds or big cities had a tough time dealing with it, whereas that atmosphere was a lot more relaxed where I was. And so, I do appreciate those vibes about Puerto Rico where it just feels like nothing's that bad ever, you know? Yeah. Most Caribbean islands may give you that feel. The piece that you mentioned is what attracts people to it. Absolutely. I have a question for you and you can't answer, say, on your phone or your computer. If you had to say one travel item that you must travel with, what would it be? And it's not the phone because the phone has so many things already on it. Oh. The phone is a smart answer. And it can't be the backup battery for the phone because that's very important. There you go. That's it. Okay. Yeah. Because I really – I think some people think of it as maybe vanity or you're always on social media, but it really is. Traveling has become so much easier because of a phone. You have a map and a currency converter. You have a translator. I went to Japan and I was pointing my phone at all the menus to see the English version of what I'm eating, you know? Okay. So many things. I had to find my phone where I'm being tracked by my mom at any time. As a solo traveler, that's very important. Somebody knows where I am, tracking my luggage. Everything happens on your phone. And so it's not just a matter of you're addicted to the phone because you're this generation or whatever the case may be. It is the most useful tool that you have while traveling. And so because of that, I carry a minimum of two Anker batteries. I think they're like 20,000 watts or something ridiculous. And so it can refill my phone from dead to alive each one at least three times. So I have like six full lives of my phone with me at any time. And that's really – it may seem like overkill, but, again, I've been somewhere where it's now 3 in the morning. The train that I thought was coming isn't coming. I have to communicate with this lady in the Czech Republic and, like, she has no idea what I'm saying. Even sometimes you visit places and they have load shedding in terms of the electricity. And it comes really handy. Like I've been to one or two places where there's load shedding and, like, electricity goes for hours. And you may have work to do. You may want to call somebody. And those backup batteries come in really handy. Actually, when I now started to travel, my dad gifted me two of those things. In Kenya, I actually brought a solar-powered charger. Like, that's how serious it is. I have these two backup batteries, but if they die and I haven't gotten them recharged, I'll bring the solar charger with me. Oh, wow. What brand is that? I didn't even know those existed. It's a little foldable solar panel. So, they're very skinny panels. You'll have, like, maybe three of them. And then you can plug USBs into them. And so, as long as you have sun, you're going to be able to charge. And so, I was like, well, I know they're going to turn the power off in safari. Just like you mentioned, the lodge goes a few hours a day without the power. And so, like, in case I need it, I got sun. I know there's sun in abundance in Africa. So, I'm going to bring my portable solar charger just in case. You just educated me. I'm going to get me one. I think it makes a lot of sense. It's wonderful. And it's pretty. It's, like, very compact, very lightweight. Just a backup, you know? You know, I was thinking about how expensive the hotels are in Puerto Rico and something I just thought to ask. Are flights to Puerto Rico cheap from the U.S., though? Like, let's say Miami or Houston. They are, but from the East Coast. And Texas, too. From the West Coast, it can be harder. If you're taking a couple connections, they've gotten rid of those nonstop flights, unfortunately. Maybe they'll come back. But a lot of budget airlines, Frontier, Spirit, they all operate JetBlue, you know, go to Puerto Rico. You can find a flight from the East Coast major hubs, D.C., New York, Miami, Atlanta, for $200, $300 round trip. Okay. And is it easy to travel, like, more internationally? Like, let's say London and stuff from Puerto Rico? Or you still, like, advise, okay, go back to Miami and then go to, like, London? Yeah. You usually have to go back through the States. There's only really one direct flight to Europe, and it's a flight to Madrid nonstop. So there's not a lot of nonstop flights. I usually have to go through New York City to get to somewhere else. So another big question. Would you go back to Puerto Rico to live for a while? I would. Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, I only left really because of a lot of conveniences, money-wise, a lot of things that were, you know, important. Traveling was really difficult. I always have to take an extra connection flight. But I did love the islands. It was a really hard decision for me to leave because I enjoyed living there. Right. Well, Jen, thank you so much for this. I always enjoy talking to fellow travelers, and you were no different. Thank you so much. Thank you for having me, Amalia, and it was a pleasure.