SABIC Cohorts Gtech and Austin Puerto Rico

May 2, 2024

Today, we arrived in San Juan at 1:55 PM. We went to a restaurant with my friends from the Georgia Tech cohort. Afterward, we waited for the Austin cohort at the airport, and we enjoyed the opportunity to see each other again. Moreover, we had a small orientation that made us feel more comfortable about the other cohort. Later, we played some games and answered some questions. For example, ‘What’s your name?’ and ‘What’s your goal for coming to Puerto Rico?’ We also answered some questions about what is coming this week. Overall, it was a good experience to get to know each other better.

Although Puerto Rico welcomed us with a cloudy weather and rain it was something outside of this world, the world seems more beautiful for some reason, greener and overall warmer. We are excited to learn about a new culture with new ideas and perspectives, and just being here today made us all realize how blessed we are to experience this wonderful opportunity to embrace change and using that change to help people.

May 3, 2024

Today we explored the rainy blue roads of Old San Juan. The fortress was amazing and we learned about the history of Old San Juan from our tour guide, Carmen. One of the wonderful things we saw there was the view of the ocean from the fort. Although it was pouring rain this did not stop Carmen from walking us through the beauty of Old San Juan. She even taught us about the different types of asphalts which was impressive.

~ Group 6 the glorious shellfish (Fatimah A., Najiyah, Mohammed, Albara)

May 4, 2024

Today we started our day with a beautiful breakfast, and for the first time on the trip, we took a big step into helping the community. We cleared out the beach to help keep the turtles safe. Although it was cloudy, the sunlight peaked through the waves, making the scene magical just to look at. It was too pretty not to dip in the water, so after the community service, the group went for a nice beach day. The feeling of water dripping out of our hair and the golden sand made our day perfect. After that, Talia and Nahely taught us about the misconceptions about Puerto Rico, its people, and its culture. We were hungry after the hard work, which was timed perfectly when Talia brought the delicious pizza. Finally, when the sun set and the stars started to shine, we arrived at the kayaking site. We were split into two teams: the majority, hosted by the main guides, and a second team that was joined by another company that also hosts kayak trips at the bay. What was special about this kayaking trip were the bioluminescent creatures present at the site that released energy as light when facing any movement. After lots of wet clothes and muddy shoes, we returned to the lodgings to have a good night’s sleep.

By: Mohammad A., Saud A., Abdulaziz A., Deema M., Thamer A.

May 5, 2024

As usual, we started our day with delicious eggs and waffles, but what was unusual was how gorgeous the magical El Yunque Rainforest was! We agreed that swimming in this river was our best swim so far. The water falling from the river while swimming in the cold water was astonishing. Talking about the cold water, it was so refreshing, like someone hit a restart button.

After swimming in the river, we moved to Los Kioskos de Luquillo for another swim in the pure blue water and a tremendous beachside meal, and we found the best souvenirs that will remind us of these unforgettable days of Puerto Rico. We returned thrilled by what we had done and were excited to hear what Carlos would say about Agriculture and his business.

We learned much information about the agriculture economy in Puerto Rico, how hurricanes affect agriculture, and what the future of agriculture is in the country!

We wrapped up our evening by eating one of the most delicious meals (the shrimp made it so). After the dinner, the leader team did an enjoyable ice-breaker activity, which broke the ice! This day included teaching us more about the country and its history instead of volunteering and preparing us by having fun before traveling to Villa Del Rio!

-Dahoom & the Falcons

May 6, 2024

We woke up at 6:30 AM, and we packed our luggages to be ready to leave Casa Coral. Then, we had such a delicious breakfast at 7:00 AM which includes cinnamon waffle, eggs and potatoes. Thereafter, we had left Casa Coral after we finished our breakfast to Via Del Rio.

After that, we were going to Villa del Rio (The community house that we are volunteering to build). When we arrived we all were separated for tasks and did hard work. For Instance, shoveling the cement from the ground was a pain for my lower back but I was still trying to help because that what I came for. After we had done great work, we went to Maria’s house to have lunch over there. We took the chairs and the tables upstairs. After that, we found the delectable food ready. Then we took a bus to the big yellow house, and it was a long and fabulous trip.

At 4 pm, we arrived at the yellow house. After that, we played volleyball under the rain. At the time we finished, the dinner arrived. After that, from 8:45 to 9:15, we had some activities.

– Hussam, Hussam, Alcatani, Riyan

May 7, 2024

The last day of our visit in Puerto Rico, May 7, 2024, a day full of excitement and lessons awaited us. On this day, multiple life lessons were learned. First of all, the community has taught us lots of things. One of them is the process of making cement which is an important thing in terms of building houses or building things in general. This process needs hard work and some materials. The overall experience was great. Second, being on this trip in all of its days has made me a better person. One of the most important lessons we have learned on this trip is patience. Working with a team, living with 8 other people in a room with one bathroom all have made me realize that while being patient everything passes in the blink of an eye. This trip made me realize the blessings we live in our daily life.

Third, we learned especially today how teamwork had a great impact and how we reached our goal very quickly. Also, how we can have fun working with others even in the bad weather. Fourth, is the team spirit. Hence, we accomplished many goals today and we saw it for a fact that teamwork really makes the dreamwork. The harmony between the team is the most important factor in the success of the team, and harmony is what, if done perfectly, will save time and effort in completing the work. Overall, going and pouring cement in the rain while sweating on a hot humid day is something that we will never forget!
By: Gala, Talal, Hisham, Khalid & Eyad