MARIA log December 13 Day 81 Wednesday

Wednesday, December 13, day 81

This is my last day on the island for a couple of weeks. I leave tonight for two weeks in Ohio and I hope Michigan. Most of the day was spent cleaning up around the house for Albert. He is staying with Oz and Mylo and watching the house.

I did learn something new today about Puerto Rican culture. We, i.e., mainlanders/norte americanos/gringos often bemoan the lines in Puerto Rico We joke that Puerto Ricans must like to stand in line, that standing in line is a national pastime. A couple of weeks ago I wrote about "the importance of queues in human social interaction" as a possible subject for a sociology thesis project. Today I learned there is much more to queues than the punchline to a joke.

Marie's neighbor, a woman named Leticia, just returned to the island after six weeks on the mainland. Please understand: Leticia is a smart, educated, well-traveled woman. She is an attorney and a judge.

She told Marie, "I was so confused over there. There were no lines."

No lines at the grocery store. No lines in the banks. No lines in restaurants.

The lack of lines made her fearful, afraid for the success and prosperity of those businesses. No lines meant no - or at least too few - customers. Without customers, without lines of customers - the businesses would fail. In her mind, and apparently in the minds of many Puerto Ricans, lines equal a thriving, viable, successful business.

She did find a Puerto Rican restaurant that had - in addition to rice-and-beans - a line! Now this was a successful business!

NOW: This year I'm not going to Ohio. Amy and the kids are coming here! YAY! They get here in the middle of the night Saturday.

Marie found out later from other people who know this restaurant that the line was contrived, set up by the owner. He knows his island culture! Inside seating and service were as efficient as any mainland restaurant.

So queues in Puerto Rico are more that social events, more than an old skool version of Facebook. They are also signs of success.  Who knew? Now we all do.

No rain today. Off to Carole's and then to San Juan for a middle-of-the-night flight.