Moorestown Friends School Puerto Rico 2023

March 24, 2023

We arrived at school at 4:45 today, loaded up on to the bus and left for the airport at 5:15. When we checked in and got through security, we had about 2 hours to hang out and eat until we boarded our plane and departed at 9:25.

We arrived in San Juan around 1 on and had sandwiches for lunch. Then, we drove an hour to the Big Yellow House. We got settled in and got ready for the beach. We went to the beach at around 4 and took a splash in the Puerto Rican waters! The cool, serene water is something we have been looking forward to since we picked this trip back in November. We took a walk up the beach when we were in the water and then headed back to the house for dinner at 6:30. We gathered outside and had chicken and rice for dinner. We had a group talk about our goals for the trip and the schedule for tomorrow and then had the rest of the night to hang out and enjoy making memories.

By Avani V, Leo D, Remi C, and Jonah B

March 25, 2023

Today we woke up at 5:45 to go watch the sunrise. We arrived at the beach at 6:10 and we walked on the beach. We continued onto a path that took us up to an ocean overlook; we watched the waves crash against the rocks. We walked back to the house and ate breakfast; we ate french toast, sausage, and egg cakes. We then dispersed and got ready for a tour in San Juan. Our tour guide Danny took us around around Old San Juan, showing us some historical monuments: the oldest church in the western hemisphere, the smallest residence in Puerto Rico, El Moro, Governor’s mansion, and we learned about the influence of trade in the Caribbean. We ate lunch around noon at Raices; meals included chicken and rice, fish tacos, pork, and skirt steak. We continued our day by doing some souvenir shopping. We got back on the bus, arrived back to the big yellow house, and got dressed for beach time. We swam, tanned, played spikeball, football, and frisbee for a couple of hours. A group of kids went for another hike, while the rest went back to the house. We ate dinner, which was pork, chicken, rice, and salad. After some time for ourselves, we gathered together to watch a movie about how Puerto Rico is becoming more sustainable so they don’t have to rely on other countries. Students then dispersed to go play some card games or go to sleep. Tomorrow our service project begins!

By Hannah P, Ava B, and Charlotte F

March 26, 2023

Today was our first day of service work with Global Works. We started our day off at 8 AM with a big breakfast of waffles, sausage, and eggs all together in our outside dining area. We then took off to the worksite that was up in the Puerto Rican hills to begin work with Angel, our construction expert, and to build an addition to a house in need of extra space. We then split into two groups: one making rebar for the skeleton of the house, and one digging out the foundation. We worked for a few hours and then broke for a homemade lunch made by Angel’s wife, Maria, at their house. After lunch we went back to the Big Yellow House to relax for the rest of the day. We split in groups to go to the beach and later enjoyed a pizza dinner. We then enjoyed a bonding night with a large game of card games. We closed out the night with stargazing on the beach. Another beautiful day in the books in Puerto Rico.

By Chelsea M, Nick M, and Nick M

March 27, 2023

Today breakfast was at 8:00 am. We had French toast, egg, sausage, and hydrating drinks to get us ready for our hard work. We left the house at 9 and arrived at the worksite around 9:30. At the site, we made the cement using sand, rocks, and water. We poured the cement into the rebar to set the foundation. Then after we were done, we went to Maria’s house for lunch. There, Angel and Willy gave speeches that really inspired us. We went home after lunch and then we went to the beach. We played soccer at the beach and then swam for a little bit. After that, we went back to the big yellow house to get ready for our salsa lessons. At 7:30 we met Yara, our instructor. She was a really good teacher. Around 11:00 pm everyone started to pack and get ready for bed.

By Huseyin D, Maisah M, and David A

March 28, 2023

On our last full day in Puerto Rico, we spent our morning on a sunrise hike. One of the things we loved so much about Puerto Rico was the captivating sunrises and ocean views. We stayed for a while before heading back to the Big Yellow House to pack our things. Once everything was packed, we stuffed all our belongings in a van that delivered them to our new house. But before we got to our final destination, we took a very relaxing detour to El Yunque National Rainforest, where we dove into a natural spring and climbed atop some rocks. After our excursion, we walked back to the van where we headed to a small beachfront plaza where we discovered a wide variety of souvenir shops and restaurants with delicious foods. We stayed there for a bit before finally driving to see our new house, which was beautiful! We got ourselves settled a bit before heading out to go kayaking in a lake full of bioluminescent bacteria. It was amazing, though it did smell a bit funky during the journey there through the mangrove forest. It was a very good workout for the arms. Once we got back, thankfully all in one piece, we split up the boys and girls into separate houses. We drove to pick up our belongings and move to our respective houses, where we spent the rest of the night enjoying the sounds and sights of the night city. A beautiful end to a perfect day.

By Amari C and Grace W-G