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Isla del Encanto (Puerto Rico) · Peace in a Pod

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  Hello and welcome, Soul Tribe, my family.
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  Thank you so much for tuning in to Peace and the Pod.
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  I'm Loretta. And for those that are returning
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  listeners, thank you so much for returning and joining us today.
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  And for any new listeners, welcome and thank you for being
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  here. Hey, hey, Soul Tribe, welcome
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  back to Peace and the Pod. So lately I've been focusing on
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  balancing my chakras, specifically my heart chakra,
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  and just kind of opening it up a little bit so I can feel a
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  little more balanced and grounded from the love the heart
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  perspective. So I'm going to share a little
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  bit about my personal life, a little more about my personal
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  life. And most of you, because you
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  don't know me personally and as a close friend, don't know that
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  I lived in Puerto Rico for 8 1/2 years prior to me moving to
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  where I am now. And I had a wonderful time
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  there. It was great.
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  I did eventually move because of my military job and me wanting
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  career progression and and just seeking more in my career and I
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  wanted to be a little closer to my family.
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  So when I first moved to Puerto Rico, I didn't know anyone.
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  I didn't know a single soul on that island.
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  And it was scary. I think I was in my mid 20s.
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  I was probably like 2324, but I didn't know anyone there.
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  I, I, I, it was a little scary and, but I was more curious of
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  how things were there. I'm a very curious minded
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  individual and I get very intrigued by other cultures,
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  languages, food places. And I just wanted to go and see.
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  So I, I, I mean, at that time I was in another relationship and
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  I'll go into a little more detail about that pretty soon.
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  And I moved there initially because that person had gotten
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  the job there. So I was like, OK, I'll transfer
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  from the Houston Air Guard to the Puerto Rican Air Guard.
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  And I did. So I ended up getting there
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  first and I didn't know my landlord because everyone that I
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  I had spoken to were all via e-mail at the time, a little
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  phone but not I've never seen what they look like.
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  So when I get I got there, my landlord knew that I didn't have
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  any furniture with me. So because I didn't have any
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  furniture and the apartment which was extremely small, it
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  was like so small that I had to step outside to like clear my
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  mind that like it was, it was a tiny place.
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  It was cute. I loved it though.
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  I had some fun at that apartment, but it was just super
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  small. But it was unfurnished.
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  All I had was an air mattress in one suitcase with my military
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  uniforms and a couple shorts, dresses and you know, tank tops,
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  beach stuff. So I didn't have a lot with me,
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  but I planned on buying furniture and stuff when I got
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  there. So anyways, when I I finally
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  arrived and this was December 2006, I want to say.
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  So I had showed up during the festive times and I once again,
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  I don't, I didn't know the culture back then.
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  So I get there and my landlord was like, well, you don't have
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  any furniture. There's no bed down there
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  because the apartment was, it was like a three level house,
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  but the apartment was on the the bottom level.
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  And she was like, since you don't have any furniture, why
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  don't you stay in my daughter's room up here with me.
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  And that way you're not spending the holidays by yourself.
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  And once you get a bed and some furniture, then then move
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  downstairs. But I was, I mean, I didn't know
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  her. So I was a little hesitant.
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  But then I'm like, well, she's right.
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  I am here by myself. I don't know anyone.
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  It would be kind of sad to spend Christmas by myself.
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  I was excited to be there. But then like hearing someone
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  say, oh, you're going to spend the holidays alone.
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  It was just like, yeah, she's she's right.
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  So I agreed to stay in her daughter's room.
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  And her daughter was a flight attendant for one of the
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  airlines, so she was almost never there.
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  So I ended up spending the holidays with her.
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  And on the island, once Thanksgiving starts, you're
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  pretty much in holiday season all the way until mid January
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  because not only do they celebrate Thanksgiving and
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  Christmas, they celebrate 3 Kings and that is January 6th.
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  So imagine how long all the festivities, the partying and
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  and eating and and and hanging out is going on during that time
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  frame. Which I didn't know.
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  So I did get my transfer and all of that completed and, and did
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  my enlistment when I got to the island.
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  But I just didn't know that things would not like really
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  nothing was going to happen. So there was some days, some
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  annual training days that I needed to make up and I couldn't
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  do any of that stuff because all of the holidays were happening.
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  So anyways, I was staying with my landlord from mid-december
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  all the way to mid January. And during that time frame, you
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  know, she was like a mom to me. She was super friendly.
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  She taught me a lot of recipes and showed me how to make the
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  dishes, allowed me to help her make the dishes and gave me some
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  like tips on cooking because at that time I wasn't really like
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  cooking cooking. I was still like learning how to
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  cook. So I learned a lot staying with
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  her, but I just felt like a little a little overwhelmed by
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  the hospitality from her because that woman did not know me but
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  yet opened her doors for me. And it was just like a beautiful
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  feeling. And you know, they say Southern
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  hospitality is it, but I'm from Texas and I have never in my
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  entire life living in Texas felt that kind of hospitality.
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  I'll be honest with you, never felt that kind of hospitality.
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  So anyways, eventually I do go ahead and tell her like, hey,
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  I'm just going to go ahead and go downstairs after a couple
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  months and I went ahead and and went downstairs, but she knew I
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  didn't have ATV. She had cable already like with
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  included with the apartment, but she knew I didn't have ATV.
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  So she brought her daughter's TV down so that I could at least
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  watch TV while I was there, but just super, super generous, kind
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  and warm hearted individual. And I would never forget that.
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  That was like my first experience on the island and it,
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  it actually let me feel that everything was going to be OK
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  while I was there. So anyways, Fast forward and
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  eventually the person that I was with makes it to the island and
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  we had a bad falling out. Like bad.
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  And he's not Puerto Rican, but we had a bad falling out.
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  The relationship ended. It was pretty traumatic.
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  I was working on the air base at the time and we had like a, a
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  very long training that was going on that was crossing over
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  through the weekend. And I ended up not being able to
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  finish the training because of the situation that happened.
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  And I talked to some supervisors and, and eventually, you know,
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  got an understanding of me not attending for a while.
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  So eventually I get all that that cleared up and I, I
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  returned back to work. And keep in mind I'm new to the
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  unit, so I don't know anyone there.
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  I'm not really sure how they would behave to me toward me
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  because I'm an outsider, but I went in open minded.
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  I, you know, I, I took the chance to go to another place
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  that I've never been before that where I knew, I didn't know
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  anyone and I wanted to know more people.
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  I wanted to expand my circle. So I was very open to meeting
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  all these new people and, and, and seeing who could be a
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  potential friend or not. So anyways, I was a little quiet
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  because I'm a very observant person.
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  So while I was there at work, I was just more kind of quiet
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  just, you know, they tell me to work on something or do this, do
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  that without I would just take care of it and I would just be
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  pretty much in my little cubicle area.
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  But I was very quiet because I like to kind of get a feel and
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  see how people are before I just start like trying to be all
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  friendly because you know, not everybody you could trust.
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  So anyways, I I there was some 2 younger females a few years
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  younger than me that started being friendly.
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  So I was so I became friends with them and I wasn't really
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  going out or doing anything because I didn't know where to
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  go and what to do. But I was a little quiet because
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  of after the incident that had happened.
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  I didn't know like if the person that I had spoke to, like shared
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  all of that with everybody and I didn't know like what they were
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  thinking. So I was a little standoffish
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  when I did return back to work. And then my now bestie, Vicki,
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  love you, girl. She was the first person to
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  reach out to me after that happened.
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  And she basically was just like, hey, I know you don't like know
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  anybody here. You probably don't have like a
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  lot of friends yet. But if you're wanting to like,
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  take your mind off of everything and, you know, go get a drink or
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  something, we could go hang out. And I'm like, all right.
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  And the crazy thing is she never asked me about what happened.
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  She just pretty much was like, hey, you're here alone, you need
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  a friend and I'm going to be there for you.
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  So we did and we ended up hanging out, me, her and the the
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  other lady. And, and that's how the
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  friendship really started developing between Vicki and I.
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  And eventually I did tell her what happened.
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  Not that night, but sometime down the line, I did a guy go
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  into detail and tell her everything that happened and how
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  like everything was kind of drawn out and I, you know, still
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  had some things to work out and whatever.
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  But I, I, I saw her different from most of the people that I
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  experienced because most people, when you go through something,
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  most people just want to know what you went through.
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  They don't, they don't really care about you and how you feel
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  and, and what's going on with you.
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  It's more like the, the gossip, the drama, like the, the juicy
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  details. No one like it's very rare that
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  you find people who actually care about you and how you're
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  pulling through in certain situations.
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  So to have someone that had no idea who I was, didn't, didn't
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  know anything about my background or anything, just,
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  you know, make herself available so that I don't feel lonely on
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  the island. And I, I will never forget that
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  moment when she, she invited me out.
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  You know, I get a little emotional about talk when I talk
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  about that because I mean it, it touches my heart.
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  There are not a lot of good people that would do something
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  like that. But my time in Puerto Rico has
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  been just an amazing experience. And this was all within the
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  first six months or so of me moving there, that I'm already
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  experiencing this kind of love and, and kindness and
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  hospitality from individuals. And I was just blown away of how
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  carrying people are there. And I did eventually start
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  making some more friends as I was starting to learn people and
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  starting to learn a little bit more about the language and, and
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  the culture and, and places that too frequent.
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  Once I started getting out a little bit more and exploring
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  the different areas on base to know the different sections,
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  groups and, and personnel, that's when I was able to, to
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  build even more friendships. But, and it wasn't all just on
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  base. On base I did, I mean, I, I had
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  a few different roles that I, I worked in.
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  So of course I met people in each of those squadrons, but it
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  was, I don't know, the bonds that I built with the people
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  that I know on that island is I don't know if there's even
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  enough words to describe the friendship, the level of love
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  and and kindness that's there. Now we'll say this, they are not
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  kind driving there. There is a bit of aggression,
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  but if they see that, see you and know you, they'll let you
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  in, they'll let you over. But other than that, besides the
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  driving side of things, I think there are beautiful people there
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  inside and out that are absolutely the most kind,
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  generous and loving folks that I've ever experienced.
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  And the level of hospitality is just really hard to put into
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  words because it, it almost takes your breath away of how
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  generous and kind those individuals are.
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  So I've made a lot of long lasting friendships.
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  I, I truly consider Puerto Rico to be family and home.
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  I loved living there. And if it wasn't for my job and
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  me wanting to progress and learn more, do more, see more, I would
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  not have left. I mean, and I did want to get
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  closer to my family because I, it did cost quite a bit to fly
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  in and out several times a year to go spend time with my family.
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  So I wanted to just kind of cut costs and, and find a better
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  position somewhere. I just kind of felt like I
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  outgrew, like I outgrew my positions and there was nowhere
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  else for me to level up. And that was the reason I left.
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  And it was hard leaving there because I, I love that place.
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  I love the people, I love the food, the culture, I love the
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  beaches, I love everything about the island.
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  And I am sad that I'm not there anymore.
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  But I know that I had to move on because that's just part of the
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  journey. But I just wanted to share that
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  if you have not experienced Puerto Rico, you are truly,
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  truly missing out on an amazing opportunity to meet some of the
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  most loving, caring, kind, and no one can compare hospitality
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  individuals that I've ever experienced in my entire life.
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  They're very accepting of anyone who comes to visit and they make
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  you feel like you're home, they make you feel like you're
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  family. And it is just a beautiful,
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  beautiful feeling when you experience that.
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  And I honestly, I have not been anywhere else that that that
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  hasn't given me that type of feeling.
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  But yeah, I just wanted to share a little bit about me and about
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  love and the feeling of feeling loved and expressing love.
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  And I feel like Puerto Rico. They're #1 go check out the
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  island. Experience the beautiful people,
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  beautiful beaches, beautiful culture.
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  Thanks to everyone on the island who made me feel like family and
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  I will always consider Puerto Rico home.
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  Thanks again for tuning in to Peace and A Pod and I will catch
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  you next time. Bye.
• 19:57
  Thank you all so much for tuning in to Peace and A Pod.
• 20:02
  Please do comment like, follow, share, rate, subscribe, all of
• 20:07
  those things. And I will catch you guys next
• 20:10
  time. Thanks for tuning in.
• 20:13
  Bye.