Day 2

Day 2: San Juan Adventure & Universidad Albizu

Day 2 of Study Abroad in Puerto Rico, students of TAMUK’s 2nd Year CSDO graduate program were introduced to the deep history of Puerto Rico’s city of Old San Juan. Students were given a walking tour of the city, adventuring into the 2nd oldest cathedral of America, Catedral Basílica de San Juan Bautista, as well as important historical sites preserved since the establishment of Puerto Rico (e.g. Old San Juan’s first port, plazas, etc.). This opportunity allowed the students to become acquainted with Old San Juan’s 500 years of history, the different cultures that have influenced Puerto Rico’s heritage, and other political factors that shaped the architecture of the land.  

After gaining a beautiful insight into the city’s history, the students were invited to Universidad Albizu. Here, the students met with Albizu’s speech therapy program director, Dr. Victoria Reyes. Divided into groups, the students discussed cultural issues with Dr. Reyes that can arise in both Texan and Puerto Rican communities that may affect the field of speech-language pathology. Additionally, students and Dr. Reyes exchanged methods in which stated issues could be resolved. Continuing, the students were given an informative seminar on the phonetic and linguistic differences between Puerto Rican Spanish and Mexican Spanish.  

At the end of the day, students were indulged with great knowledge of Puerto Rico’s history of Old San Juan, along with a breath-taking tour of the city. Students were able to gain further perception ofPuerto Rico’s culture, the issues that can befall, strategies that could aid these issues, and education on the phonetic and linguistic aspects of Puerto Rican Spanish.  

- Alison Barrera