Today we had the luxury of starting our day a little bit later. This provided us with optimal time for sleeping in, sun bathing, or anything in between. Our adventure today brought us to Reserva Natural De Las Casbezas De San Juan, Fajardo. It was a place where we toured different types of ecosystems such as Seven Seas Bay, a dry forest, and a swamp. We were carted around the grounds in a big, open tour bus like vehicle. While we were in transit, we learned about the different ecosystems and the resources, plants, and creatures that reside in each of the ecosystems. Our tour guide would give us lots of information about the different ecosystems such as the meaning to the Seven Seas Bay (it is because the water is multiple shades of blue), or telling us about the different types of mangroves that live in the swamps. The tour lasted about an hour but it was jam packed with spectacular views and meaningful information.
This adventure allowed me to better understand our theme for our trip. Diversity is something that we have been talking about and discussing since our first day. While on this trip, I came to see the differences in ecosystems that are present in Puerto Rico. I was filled with this stereotype that Puerto Rico was a place that only housed sandy beaches; this trip put that stereotype to shame. I realized that having a variety of ecosystems can also relate to diversity because whenever I think about diversity, various is a word that first comes to mind. Although the ecosystems can vary by large amounts (i.e. the rainforest where there is an abundance of rain as opposed to the dry forest where rain is a scarcity), they all add to the make-up of Puerto Rico. This directly relates to the people of the island. There is a large diversity of people here on the island and they all contribute to Puerto Rico’s make-up. This means that the people, like the ecosystems, play a big role in how Puerto Rico is defined. If these key elements of diversity did not exist, then Puerto Rico would not be the same island we continue to experience during this trip. This island continues to prove to me that culture is not the only form of diversity that is present here and after our trip; I can add the variety of ecosystems to the list.