I was committed to going to the fair, but before I went, my family and I had a $5 dollar pizza at Little Ceasers. It was inexpensive but really good with a cup of Pepsi and yes I didn't care about my diet.
Anyway, after we enjoyed our junk food meal, which we really did, we took off to the fair. I wanted my daughter to go with me because it would be her very first time. Besides, I hadn't gone to the fair for a very long time and one of my dearest memories was a kiss between me and my husband in the Ferris wheel when we were still boyfriend and girlfriend.
We were all excited, strapped in a car with our seatbelts, feeling the cool breeze of the night and enjoying each other's company. Everything was perfect. Everything except my clothes. I wore a sweater when I shouldn't have. It wasn't necessary and worse, I made my daughter wear one just in case. I didn't feel the heat in the car, I felt later on, at the fair.
We arrived and I immediately took a picture.
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Tickets were twenty-six for adults and sixteen for children. When we entered we were mesmerized by a field of lights. My daughter was immediately awed at the sight. We immediately went to a line. Our first ride was that of a "flying elephant," for kids. Parents were invited to ride. In fact, the rides had signs that said something like "Great news parents, you can ride too," or "Sorry parents, but these rides are for kids only." The great thing about the fair is that there are rides for both children and adults, so if you ever visit Puerto Rico during the winter, you might want to check out the fair that always comes during late November, December and it lasts until January. Prices are cheaper during the week than during weekends. Anyway, I was able to enjoy some of the rides with my daughter like the one with the slug, a bear, a boat the horses in the merry go round and the Ferris wheel. For kids, there were car rides, train rides, horses, little boats, worm rides, and a park.
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The fair also had a small zoo area with farm animals and a pony ride for kids.
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I didn't play any of the games to win stuffed animals because one I'm not very good at them and two I didn't feel like wasting my money on them. We saw a dangerous bike show in the rain. By the way, it may be a good idea to bring a raincoat just in case, it's rainy in December. I didn't bring it, but if I go this year again or next year, I'll remember to bring it.
At the fair, we tried some chicken wings with chips which by the way, were delicious with hot sauce and ketchup. To cool off the sensation of dizziness that came from the rides, I ate chocolate ice cream. I have a philosophy about ice cream. You can never go wrong with chocolate. I believe that if I buy a cheap brand I can never go wrong with chocolate. I don't know if it's right, but it works out for me.
My daughter enjoyed petting the animals, the park and the inflatable park. We all had a great time.
However, during our new year, Puerto Rico also experienced a terrible earthquake. The country began to shake during December 28, 2019, but the worst day was during the Three Wise Men's Day. In Puerto Rico, we celebrate the day of the Three Wise Men on January 7. (My daughter cutting the grass for the three wise men's camels/horses. In Puerto Rico they come in horses.)
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That day, the earth shook and people in Guánica, Guayanilla, and Peñuelas, in the southeast of the country were badly affected. Many people lost their homes. Schools, churches and businesses were all ripped by the Earthquake. Days later I heard that Ponce and Villalba were also impacted by replicas. I knew all about this days later because the electricity was out for two to three days for us. The governor Wanda Vázquez had come out and talked about the situation. To be honest, I was scared shit and so was everyone else. That day my neighbors were all just outside talking and they wouldn't even dare to go in. They stayed out I imagined because they thought that maybe there could be an Earthquake in San Juan too. Anyway, I was scared and after hearing the news and feeling the replicas I did what I hadn't done in a long time. I prepared an emergency backpack for each of my family members. I didn't have a single flashlight in my house and I didn't want to leave the house so I used my candles during the night. The water was out hours later, but I always have water stored, so that wasn't really a problem. I'm used to coloring with my daughter, so when the power was out, I took a coloring book and crayons out for her and she painted.
She totally freaked me out when she grabbed her Barbies and started to play "temblor" which means Earthquake. I immediately told her to shut up. That word had a frightening meaning for me. I even placed picture frames on the floor. After the days though I felt that I could go back to normal, it was a frightful moment.
One person died because a wall fell on him and a day later a woman died of a heart attack. It's unbelievable that the people that were affected are actually still living there as I write this. The government has been slow and dysfunctional, but the people were incredible. Sometimes I think that the island of the lamb should be renamed to the island of the wolves. Anyway, the people went and just gave, gave and gave. Private charities, including the Red Cross volunteers, were there for the victims and last I heard, the military created what I thought was unnecessary "tent cities". My mother was the one who convinced me that they should have been evacuated. I was frustrated because I wanted to donate something or donate my time, but since I don't have a car I can't travel to those areas. Our car is actually, my husband's car. Anyway, he was working, but he told me that the victims had everything. Right now they are in need of psychologists, psychiatrists, and spiritual healers. There are all sorts of churches over at the southeast. People are worried if there's an Earthquake at the North because most of the population live North. Schools are all being evaluated by engineers because two schools collapsed, so there's no school until they're certified. Facebook has gone insane with fake news of an invisible ship that is said to have come from the United States because it's "fracking" oil from the south. People are panicked. A family member of mine that lives in Utuado says that she can't even drink coffee and other family and friends are going nuts, praying and freaking out in Facebook.
Unfortunately, we were told that Puerto Rico will continue to shake and political controversy was formed between the governor and mayor of San Juan about the party of "Las Fiestas de la Calle de San Sebastián." Some people think that the mayor is crazy for doing the party and think that it won't send the right message to Congress or Trump to bring the emergency funds, others are in favor of the mayor because they say that the party drives massive tourism and boosts the economy of San Juan and the rest of the island and that is also a good argument. Things are a mess. I guess that's what happens when an earthquake hits the island.
Until next time. I hope you liked my blog post. Later.