Day 6—San Pedro



 

San Pedro Beach.

The heat here (upper 80s-90s) really has an effect on me.  I realize that I am very irritable in the heat and cannot think clearly.  I find myself reading the same sentence again and again without meaning.  I am so much more productive during the evening hours when it is breezy and relatively like the temperatures to which my body is accustomed.

I also realize that I am accustomed to making things happen at home, but because I do not have the same connections, resources, and knowledge built up over time of where things are and what to do, I get frustrated by the lack of control.  This is how I felt when I first moved to Wilmington—disoriented.

I liked that we had roommates in San Ignacio because it helped me reflect and question with someone to enhance the experience and its meaning.  I also like that we have alone time here in San Pedro to further reflect and to ponder at a deeper level.

Grounds of San Pedro Junior College.

Biking to “work” through the heat gave me an overview of the town of San Pedro.  In comparison with San Ignacio, San Pedro is a scenic, touristy town with a breeze.  Whereas San Ignacio was dusty, San Pedro is breezy.  The tropical-ness of San Pedro is evident—palms, golf carts, bikes, and sandy beaches.

I like San Pedro better than San Ignacio primarily because the town’s layout feels safer and more relaxing.  The golf carts rolling around help with this more laid back atmosphere.  San Pedro to me seems larger than San Ignacio and better laid out.  Whereas San Ignacio seemed haphazard, San Pedro seems organized.

San Pedro Junior College.

What struck me about San Pedro Junior College was the provost admitting that their goal is to assist the population in getting a job but it cannot be one which will take graduates elsewhere—it has to be a service profession like a bank teller so the graduate will stay.  This reminds me of my English as a Second Language (ESL) program in which we try to provide something that students cannot get on their own in order to keep them in the program.