Puerto Rico Hurricane Relief Session 4
July 22, 2024
We had an early day with breakfast at 7. We ate some french toast sticks, sausage patties, and an assortment of fruit . Everyone seemed excited for the first day.
The bus ride there started off a little quiet because we didn’t know each other yet, but as the day went on we started to get more comfortable and really get along.
Everyone in the group seems friendly so far.
Our tour guide nombre es Alvin. He showed us around old San Juan and stopped at almost every monument or church for a picture and a history lesson. Though the weather was not ideal with rain and the heat, we managed to come out alive. After we happily frolicked out of the colorful city we walked to San Juan national historic site where we walked down MANY stairs to get to the bottom level of an old military base.
We ate a traditional Puerto Rican meal with beef and chicken for lunch at a local restaurant, and the winners of a trivia contest got virgin pina coladas (Kenny, Lucy, Sohpia ,Sebastian). Then we went into a local gift shops and bought some merch. We stopped at a pigeon park, where there were 100s of pigeons .Fun fact, pigeons are so prominent in cities because humans domesticated them for communication back when you guys were our age. Our final stop was a local ice cream place and Kenny got a chicken ice cream because he guessed what a Latin sign said.
After we got back, the girls played an intense game of spoons in their dorms while the boys sat in the air conditioned rooms . Once everyone was rested we all walked down to the beach and went into the refreshing ocean. All the girls played chicken or at least tried to since climbing on each others shoulders was not our forte, while the boys followed Kurt deeper into the ocean and found a sea turtle. After an hour at the beach we went back to the house and took a MUCH needed shower. Some of the boys went through a workout with pushups and crunches, the boys also learned how to get movies on their tv, then we all gathered downstairs, having a delicious dinner. Dinner consisted of chicken, beef and lots of plantains. We did some group bonding activities games run by the main man Kurt. We discussed our goals for the trip and made a community contract. The house was invaded by bugs for a little bit and the girls room got the worst of the attack. Now we all finished up for the night and wrote this blog
Yours Truly,
Kenny and Lucy
July 23, 2024
Today was our first day of construction work in Villa del Rio. A group woke up in the morning around 6am to go on a run before we got to work. We had a nice breakfast together at 8:00am before we headed out to work at 9:am. Before we got started at the site, we got the pleasure of being introduced to William and Angel who were helping work with us. They were really nice people and you could see how much our help meant to them. Even though we didn’t all speak the same language and needed some translations, we all connected and laughed through the music and experience together. We worked constructing cement through the combination of rocks, sand and water to build the structure of the roof. After around 3 hours of hard work it started to rain a little and we headed over to lunch. It was very generous of a local named Maria to have all of us over to her house and feed us. On our way back to the big yellow house many of us were tired. We took an hour long break during which many of us took naps, read, or were just lying in our beds. Once we were all ready we took a walk to the beach which took all of 2 minutes. At the gorgeous beach here we swam out to the buoy, miraculously floated in the water and lay on the beach. We generously were given an hour and a half to get ready for dinner, so we played soccer and card games. At dinner, a competition started to see who could eat Puerto Rico’s national dish, Mofongo, in the shortest amount of time. After dinner we watched a documentary on Puerto Rico’s unstable economy. We talked about how we can help locals thrive in a somewhat struggling country. All in all it was an AMAZING (and hot) day here in Puerto Rico!
By Hailey and Ryan!
July 24, 2024
This morning we had breakfast at 7:30 am as usual, and had a breakfast of mini pancakes, sausages, and fruit. After our delectable meal we left for the rainforest at 8:00 am. We prepared for the long car ride through the mountains with views of the rainforest, rivers, and gorgeous trees. Although, no one could enjoy these views for we were all asleep. The car ride was an hour and forty-five minutes long with lots of bumps. Everyone was tired because as it was a longer car ride we had to wake up earlier. Once at the rainforest restoration project we met a strict lady named 3T, ultimately leading to the group’s demise (hahah just playin’). She introduced us to the other people working around the rainforest who were creating art and volunteering their time. After the introductions were over the group was split into two. One had the job of cutting bamboo and planting trees. The other group was given the task of PERFECTLY organizing some little shrubs into perfectly 90 degree and 6 inch high walls. After PERFECTLY organizing the shrubs, the second group was tasked with carrying thirty POUND buckets of gravel. This gravel was used to stop mud from building up on the trail. After work we had scrumptious spaghetti and meatballs, with a side of salad and lemonade.
After saying our goodbyes to 3T we took a short ride to the entrance of a mysterious trail. After hiking this Muddy Trail of Doom, we found a watering hole in which we could swim in. After playing around in the water, and climbing waterfalls, we had to make the trek back on the Muddy Trail of Doom to the van. We had a very wet car ride home, in which Sebastian had to wear a trash bag, this was because he was very wet and muddy, along with all of his fellow peers. Once we got home we enjoyed peace and quiet, the girls kept to themselves, and the boys played keep-it-up with a soccer ball on the porch. After a dinner of chicken and rice, as usual, we did karaoke in which everyone did very well. The boys cooked it up with their mean lyrics.
Sincerely,
Sebastian and Amir
July 26, 2024
For the adventurous, the day started with a 6:30 snorkle. Although a lovely time, the snorkling failed to reaveal the turtles the group hoped to spot until after we had left the water. We returned to the Big Yellow House to find a delicious breakfast of egg patties, homefries and sausages. We fueled up for the impending day of intense cement work, a push to finish the roof of the construction project.
Upon arriving to the construction site, multiple things became quickly clear. The first: we had our work cut out for us. The second: avoiding the heat would become one of the days biggest challenges. The original plan had been to work as long as necessary to completely cement the roof, breaking for lunch, however our focus and efficiency made it possible for the roof to be completed in amazing time, before a delicious lunch of rice, chicken nuggets and salad.
In celebration of having the final day of work in the rear view mirror, a group decided to go for a refreshing swim after returning to the Big Yellow House. The beach, while crowded, was a perfect reward after the day of hard work and sweating. We returned to the house to clean up for a special dinner which we had invited the community we helped and worked alongside to. Language barriers couldn’t stop us from playing with some of the neighborhood kids, although volleyball still proved to be a challenge. Angel and William, the leaders of the construction group, gave a lovely speech thanking us for our work and gifted us bracelets. Kurt and Sophia each got a second bracelet, Kurt for his appreciated new leadership and Sophia for standing out as the hardest worker among us. We sadly had to say our goodbyes to our new friends, but not without a bunch of group pictures and enthusiastic hugs from Egy (Edgardo).
After going over tomorrow’s plan, a few members of the group have decided to wake up extra early for a hike to a sunrise viewpoint.
By Leah and Caleb
July 27, 2024
Today started off with a fresh plate of french toast sticks and coffee. We had our bags loaded into the van to be delivered to the hostel. After Bestie Fernando (Bus Driver) loaded the van we started the 1.5 hour voyage to El Yunque where we hiked through a rainforest for a swimming hole. Most members were surprised at how rocky this hike was. About an hour later, we packed our stuff and went to a beachside restaurant where we ate fish and chicken. After that we went shopping along the coastline. We were overcharged to $13 for a Pina Colada! Native speaker Jorge haggled his way through the staff to lower the price to $10. (Fun Fact: Did you know Pina Coladas were invented in Puerto Rico?) After we finished our shopping, we went to the beach and relaxed for a bit and took a walk. Once beach time was over, we were driven to a hostel in Luquillo which we originally thought was going to be unpleasant, but turned out to be an amazing place to stay with a great view. The girls really appreciated the nice bathroom. Group leader Jorge taught some of the members how to play traditional Puerto Rican dominos. Tonight the group leaders are hosting a farewell pizza party. After the pizza party we had one final adventure, kayaking in a bioluminescent bay. It was a phenomenal experience. The bay lit up like a glow stick. Now it is currently 11:00 PM, we just got back from kayaking. This concludes our Global Works Trip. For anyone contemplating the decision about coming here please take the chance and do so. This was an amazing trip and it was worth every dollar. Session 4 signing out!
By Markeese, Sophia, and Jacob
