2025 Charles Wright Academy Puerto Rico
January 12, 2025
Travel Day and Arrival in Puerto Rico
This has been a very eventful 24 hours. We took almost an hour to check 49 bags and make it to our gate at the Seattle International Airport. We took off at 10:00 PM from SeaTac and landed at 6 AM Eastern time, in Miami. We were ecstatic upon our arrival due to palm trees lit up by the city lights in the twilight of the morning. At Miami airport, many of us got breakfasts such as bagels, fruit cups, and coffee since most didn’t sleep on the previous flight due to excitement for the upcoming journey. From there, we boarded the plane to finish the last leg of our trip, the flight to San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The flight to San Juan seemed to pass in a flash, as the views from the plane were breathtaking. The turquoise water of the Caribbean and the green and sand beaches dotted throughout. Boats and cruise ships sailing through the seemingly endless cerulean waters. Almost no time later, we landed safely and exited the plane in San Juan. Everyone successfully snatched up their bags, and the wait began for the bus to take us to the iconic Big Yellow House. Though our travel was delayed slightly due to transportation issues, our excitement wasn’t. We were welcomed to the house with a variety of Domino’s pizzas and the friendly chaperones that would accompany us for our trip here. Afterward, we were assigned to our rooms to make ourselves at home during our stay. And to round off the day, we as a group, walked down to the beach right by the Big Yellow House, and relaxed after a long day of traveling. We then participated in a group bonding exercise back at the House, where we talked about goals to make the trip as enjoyable as possible. In the evening, we settled down for dinner which was a delicious combination of local rice, salad, and chicken. Students were then assigned to clean up duties by advisory which rotates each day to share the responsibilities between the 8th grade student body on this trip. We ended this time by playing games outside such as basketball, volleyball, and soccer with our friends and roommates. We all are looking forward to our adventure in historic old San Juan tomorrow where we will learn about the local history and get to shop.
By Annabelle and Ems
January 13, 2025
Old San Juan Tour
This morning we awoke to a nutritious and delicious breakfast, catered by a local restaurant owner. At 9 AM we began our adventurous tour in old San Juan. During our tour, we were introduced to our amazing guides, who showed us historic sites, including forts, monuments, churches, and large significant buildings built centuries ago. Some places that we visited were, Castillo San Felipe del Morro, a large fort built 500 years ago, which oversaw the Atlantic Ocean for defenses in war, and Casa Blanca, the oldest building in San Juan, where the first governor Juan Ponce de Leon lived, and which was later used by his family.
After finishing the tour, the class enjoyed a traditional Puerto Rican meal which let us understand Puerto Rican culture of food to a deeper level. Some of our classmates were interested in trying new foods, like smashed plantains, or tostones in Spanish. Then, we were given time to enjoy the opportunity of shopping on popular streets, which led to some people buying cold refreshing smoothies, tropical popsicles, traditional souvenirs, and clothes to commemorate our trip. We then journeyed back to the Big Yellow House, and rushed to greet the cool and welcoming ocean. After some time at the beach, we went back to shower, and enjoy the final meal of the day. We then had time to play and relax until we did our community building, where we watched an interesting documentary about how current events affect Puerto Rico and how the territory has been impacted throughout the past decades. Finally, we are now winding down, and looking forward to getting out into the community for a work day tomorrow, which will include many memorable activities.
By Alec, Adrien, and Khang
