Aspen Community School Puerto Rico 2024

Tuesday, April 30 &  Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Hey y’all it’s Caden and Adi! It has been an amazing last couple of days with the crew! We arrived around mid afternoon but the plane rides did not disappoint. They went smoothly and we watched lots of interesting movies. When we arrived we noticed how hot and moist it was, quite a contrast from Aspen, Colorado.

This morning, May 1st, we awoke from our deep sleep to the beautiful Puerto Rican sunrise. The palm trees are very exotic! After breakfast which consisted of pancakes and eggs muffins. We then jumped in the vans and drove to Old San Juan to learn about it’s rich history. We explored the town and even visited castles! After the humid morning faded to rain we made our way to a local restaurant. We ate chicken, beef, and tostones which are very good with ketchup! After lunch we walked to Kalle Fortaleza, a street where we did lots of shopping! Caden got shorts and a hat, and I got some gifts for my familia. Once we had explored the many tourist shops we hopped back in the refreshing air conditioned vans to make our way to the art district. Our guides showed us the deeper meaning in the murals around the streets. It was a captivating walk filled with bright color and creativity. Now after the great day of communing around the San Juan area, we finally were on our way back to the Big Yellow House. Where we relaxed and even played soccer and basketball in the open yards of the house. Finally it was time for dinner! We were all so hungry from the day that we gobbled up the delicious Puerto Rican food. We had more tostones and Amarias. We even got some fruit punch which of course Etai spilled. To settle down our evening we watched a documentary on Puerto Rican politics and economy. Now it is time to go to bed. We have showered up and are ready for our sunrise swim in the morning! Good night everybody!

Love, Caden and Adi! <3

Wednesday, May 2, 2024

This morning we awoke at 6:30, and ventured to the beach at 6:45 for a morning swim. After getting back from the beach, we journaled and reflected on why we are doing all the service work, and not just going on a vacation. After journaling we got ready to go to meet our service partners Angel, Maria, and Eggy at their house. We were going to work on some bath room walls, in particular. It was very special to work on their house because they are always rebuilding others houses, and never take time to work on their own. After we learned more about the project, We split into groups and got to work. We mixed and shoveled cement, then poured cement walls for hours, only stopping to eat the delicious lunch that Maria made. After lunch, we mixed up the groups, and got back to work.. After many long hours in the sun we sat on the deck and talked with the family about their experience with hurricane maria, and how much it effected them and their community. After a heart touching speech from Angel, we drove home and got ready for another beach trip. We played in the water for a while, but we started to hear thunder and see lighting, so we walked back to the house. When we got back we had a meeting, and reflected further on our question from the morning. Next we had free time, which we spent playing basketball, and cleaning up. Dinner time was here and we ate chicken, salad, rice, and bread. After cleaning up from dinner, it was time to dance. We leaned salsa for an hour, preparing for Saturday night. That brings us to now, as we settle in for another night in the beautiful place called Puerto Rico.

Good night from Sierra and Rusty.

May 3, 2024

Buenas Tardes from Nesta and Ryder. This morning after the swim in the ocean we got ready to hit the road to the work site for the day. Today we joined forces with Willy and Angel once again to help construct the wall for the house of Angel’s friends, Alex and Susana. At the work site, we put on our hard hats and gloves for protection. We needed to get instructions on what to do. While some people worked, others wanted to be told what to do. There was a very cute dog there and we named him Digger. Then the rest of us went to job stations around the property. Unfortunately, not long after, a storm rolled in. This prevented us from doing any more work, but then a breakthrough came and there was a section where we could do some work. In this time, we created some moldings for the walls with wood and rebar. We had to assemble and tie the rebar to make the walls. But then the storm came back and there was lighting apparently so we had to go. We went back over to Maria’s and we had another amazing homemade meal. We then went over to the local grocery story to get some treats! Then we went back to the Big Yellow House. We were going back down to the beach even though the rain was still going, then as we were walking down we all saw a strike of lightning and that meant we could not swim. So we went back to the BYH. We were told to stay in our swimsuits in case this passed over. It did and that moment we were able to go into the ocean. We all came back and took showers to then got our journals to write. Then dinner came. We had Ribs, Chicken (again!), bread, and a nice salad. Now we are just hanging out and playing a little Basketball and winding down to go to sleep. Today was another really fun day, and we have been having a really fun time. We will all keep you updated for the remainder of our stay.

By: Nesta and Ryder

May 4, 2024 

HEY HEY HEY I know y’all have been waiting for your two favorite kids, Coco and Levi.
We had a jam-packed day today. Starting off early at 6:30 we woke up, and after another filling breakfast, we got our backpacks, then prepared for our 1 and a half hour drive all the way to the rainforest area of Patillas. The drive was gorgeous and once we made it to the sustainable forestry project, we set our stuff down and got straight to work!

We started off by shoveling rocks into buckets and taking them down to create the foundation of a retaining wall that would reinforce the hillside protecting it from eroding and washing away the homestead. The sun was very hot so we made sure to take lots of breaks. Then we grabbed some shears and rakes and headed to the trail where we cut away vegetation so that no plants were in the way of the trail. After a small break and another hike we enjoyed a delectable lunch cooked with ingredients grown in the garden, such as watermelon,  green salad, and tamarind juice. After lunch we watched a presentation on how the project was developed and what it does to help the environment around it. Then we had some nice quiet time to journal and enjoy the beautiful scenery. After that, it was time to leave and head over to Charco Azul, a swimming hole/pond where we cooled off after a long day of work.

After an amazing time at the swimming pond and at Tropic Ventures, we headed straight to souvenir shop and dine in the town of Guavate. After 30 mins of shopping for fake Gucci and Louis Vuiton bags, we made our way to the restaurant. There we enjoyed a traditional pork roast (and more chicken) and enjoyed a live band! After that we hopped in the car and left blasting Nicki Minaj (as always). And as we end our day, we want to say thank you for reading our blog and don’t miss us too much, we’re having lots of fun! 😘😘

By: Levi & Coco

May 5, 2024

Now, every story starts at the beginning. Now this one in particular was a great day. We began our day at 7:30 am, later than usual. After a good breakfast, we packed and prepared for hard work yet to come. We headed out for the day to finish the first wall of Alex and Susana’s house. We hopped into the whips and drove down the road to the work site.

Once we arrived at our destination, we were greeted by the familiar faces of Angel, Willy, Alex, Susana and Eggy. Soon enough, we were put to work in the scorching heat and humidity. Just as we did on Thursday, we made, moved and poured concrete using the collaboration of a team. Every once and a while if we were lucky they would give us a break, handing us popsicle sticks and Pringles to power us through the day. Before we knew it, our hard work showed and we completed the wall. We hopped in our vans and arrived at Maria’s house, ready for another delicious meal. Today was yellow rice, chicken nuggets and salad. After our stomachs were full, we returned back to the Big Yellow House, satisfied with our contribution.

Just as we finished a task, another began as we started to pack all our belongings preparing for tomorrow’s journey to Casa Coral. Then the fun began, after all this hard work we were able to say hello to our families and then go to the beach. Unlike the other days it was crowded with locals enjoying their Sunday. The warm water felt good after all the sweating we had done. Finally to wrap up our day, we invited all the people we met and worked with over the past couple of days, celebrating all the work we had accomplished. We ate an Italian pasta dinner and were gifted with bracelets and candies as Willie and Angel shared a few words of wisdom and encouragement. With the feeling of accomplishment, we said our goodbyes forEVER. Goodnight from Lewis and Willow.

By: Lewis & Willow

May 6,  2024

Wass upppppp y’all! Today was lit. We arose from our beauty sleep😏at 5:30 pm – psych! – it was 5:30 am🥲. The girls threw on their swim trunks and the boys their bikinis. Opposite day attack😂. Then we walked to the beach. It was amazing. Then, an element of surprise. The precious thongs🩴 were not actually lost. They were just buried in the sand. After a fun time at the beach with a lot of salt water in our eyes, we headed back to the Big Yellow House and finished getting ready and packing. The breakfast was bussin. They even had dairy free eggs. We gathered up all our belongings and got into the automobiles. Another element of surprise. Danny, our G, wasn’t driving so we had a sub. We drove 1 hour and 10 minutes+20 minutes to the farm. They greeted us with chips and watermelon. Then we learned about the hurricane’s effects on the plants. We tried some of the fruits. They were not good. 😵‍💫 Then we began gardening. This included pulling weeds, planting plants and working with garden hoes. It was hard and hot but rewarding. Then we found coco – psych! – coconuts. We cracked them open and munched. We waddled down to lunch. It was the most deliciosa comida (delicious food). It was so good we were all drooling. The lunch consisted of a hamburger-meat=veggie burger. Finally we hopped into our automobiles and headed to Casa Coral. Casa Coral is very beautiful. The kitchen overlooks the river and ocean. We swam in the river because the ocean is a red flag. We went to a dinner which was bussin and now we are typing this report. I hope you all had a splendid time without your favorite children. Peace out from Puerto Rico.
P.S the authors are Isa and Etai🫡

By: Isa & Etai

May 7, 2024

Another day another victory for the OG‘s. We woke up at 7:45 and got lots of sleep. In the morning we ate breakfast with pancakes and eggs and journaled about the difference between traveling and going on vacation. We also wrote about our technology detox. Then our swimming hole trip was canceled because of stormy weather so we couldn’t go cliff diving or go to the swimming hole, which made our morning pretty lazy. In mid-morning we went to go shopping in Luquillo to get gifts and souvenirs for our families. Next we went to this place that had little shops for us to eat and to get souvenirs for ourselves. After that we ventured off to the mall to go clothes shopping and to also play games and get prizes at the arcade. Now we’re about to go on a kayaking tour to the shining bioluminescent bay. This is your boys Magnus and Whit signing out.😘🙏🏼

By: Whit & Magnus