Bleach Blond Hair and a Bucket Toilet: Our Puerto Rican Welcome
Bleach Blond Hair and a Bucket Toilet: Our Puerto Rican Welcome If you know anything about church culture in Puerto Rico, you likely have a certain image in your mind when you picture a pastor. Well-groomed, always in a suit, exuding a specific, practiced persona – it's a look deeply ingrained in the hierarchical structure prevalent in many Puerto Rican churches. The higher up you are, the more respect and honor you receive, often to an unhealthy degree (but that's a topic for another time!). Suffice it to say, there's a distinct "pastor look." And that "look" was precisely what my wife and I were subconsciously expecting when we landed in San Juan. Stepping off the plane and into the humid embrace of the tropical air, we navigated the familiar route to baggage claim. The San Juan airport has a unique setup – those waiting for arrivals must stay outside the luggage area. As we exited, scanning the crowd, we anticipated spotting an obviously "pastor...