Oh, how public education and government fail us (A post by the Raging Mrs.)

Being in Puerto Rico is quite the experience. We have had the opportunity to work get to know a lot of federal employees, and people from other branches of the service. We have also had the opportunity to live inside of another culture, with all the good, bad, and ugly that entails(lots of bad and ugly). I think it is great that we have this community. Unfortunately the federal government and military alike can not figure out whether this is Overseas or USA. I not only say this because of my experiences, but, some of the abhorrent stories I have been told. My favorite being that someone was told to Drive their car to their next post. OK folks, lets get real. To start, Puerto Rico is a little island in the middle of the Caribbean. It may be a territory of the USA, but it is definitely a foreign county. In many ways I feel that the only the Puerto Rico has in common with the USA, is the US Dollar. Many of us were told (by native Puerto Ricans) that almost everyone here speaks English. That is only true if you consider Spanglish as English, even in the military:) The health care is so bad that I base my activities around the idea that my worst nightmare is to end up in an E-room here. Surgeries and most doctors appointments are done on a first come first serve bases. Traffic, maybe NewYork City is worse. Many of the people on a one-on-one basis are very nice. As a whole they are thoughtless, self centered and downright rude. With all of that said, I will say there are some beautiful beaches and other landmarks and they cook Pig better than anywhere. If you ever have the opportunity to come here, unless you have a personal friend, or stay at a resort and only use the resorts tours, don't!!! I have seen probably half of the families that come here leave with in six months. The few of us that do stay, are just that determined.

I really wish the government would come to the same realization that we have, and act accordingly, before they tell someone else to drive to their next assignment.

The Raging Mrs.