We’re going to Puerto Rico this week! There’s a rush of excitement each time I think about it. Traveling to Puerto Rico has been at the top of my bucket list for as long as I can remember. I have listened to the songs, watched the dances, and attempted to recreate the food in my kitchen, but I know nothing will compare to when I step foot off the plane and finally have the complete experience. I imagine walking the streets that my grandparents walked and tasting the food that they passed down to each generation in my family. Visiting and actively involving myself in the community feels like coming full circle. One of the things I am particularly excited for is the chance to practice my Spanish.
I learned Spanish all throughout high school, but when I ran through my newly acquired vocabulary with my parents, I quickly realized that the terms were far from universal. Much like someone in the United States might say “fireflies,” “glow worms,” or “lightning bugs,” depending on where they are from, different Spanish-speaking regions have their own words for certain things. Some examples of these words in Puerto Rico are orange juice (jugo de china), bananas (guineos), and bus (guagua). The word for “straw” has one of the most interpretations in Spanish, including bombilla, pitillo, and popote. In Puerto Rico, it’s typically referred to as a sorbeto. Staying in Puerto Rico for a week will likely expose me to even more differences in the dialect. I hope that my grasp of Spanish will allow me to connect with people in Caras and the local community. Hopefully, I can learn some new words in the process.
Our time in Puerto Rico will serve as a pivotal moment in our academic and professional development as well. This program not only gives us the opportunity to work with a real client, but also to personally engage with the services that they provide in the local community. We recently met with Amizade, the agency that is organizing our travel, and spoke about the projects with Caras con Causa that we will be taking part in. Instead of observing from the sidelines, we will be expected to paint, plant, and get messy. I love that we have the opportunity to make a tangible and lasting impact, both through our active service and the written deliverables that we provide for Caras and the future student cohorts. While I have enjoyed speaking with the people in Caras con Causa during video calls, I believe that those in-person interactions will foster a deeper connection and understanding of what the organization is seeking. Taking the time to know the organization you are working with is an essential step in every business interaction, and I appreciate that we have an entire week dedicated to that process. In the future, I want to create a business that can help people. That means taking the time to listen to a variety of perspectives and step into someone else’s shoes. This trip poses a fantastic opportunity to embrace that process of learning.
Despite the many activities that I am excited for, I know that there will also be points where we need to adjust to the different culture and atmosphere. While we are used to operating on precise timelines, Puerto Ricans have a more relaxed approach to time. We need to keep this in mind and not think of the itinerary as a map but a loose guideline. Depending on the availability of people in Caras, the research that our group needs to do, and unforeseen challenges, there will likely be some last minute modifications to our schedule. We need to ensure that we can reprioritize and quickly adapt to each of these changes.
Another area of adjustment will be in the meetings themselves. While we see business meetings as very professional and centered on a specific objective, our meetings in Puerto Rico will likely have a more casual approach. Being part of a more collectivist society, Puerto Ricans place a lot of value on taking time to know the people they are working with first before delving into more details. This means that our first few meetings with the people in Caras con Causa may primarily consist of small talk, and we should hold off on trying to immediately discuss the items we have prepared. That being said, I look forward to those conversations and learning more about the lives of people within Caras and the culture as a whole.
One of the things I had not learned until preparing for our cultural presentation on Puerto Rico was the history of their flag. I had always seen it as a dark blue triangle with a white star in the middle, backed by red and white stripes; however, the previous version of the flag had a light blue triangle. The change in color was implemented in 1952 when Puerto Rico became a commonwealth. The United States had banned the Puerto Rican flag up to this point but decided to reintroduce it with colors that more closely mirrored the American flag to reinforce U.S. rule over Puerto Rico. Currently, both flags can be seen in Puerto Rico and can indicate one’s view on potential statehood. I am interested to see which flag we encounter more during our time there and whether the people in Caras strongly favor one flag over the other.
The flag itself serves as a testament to the strong Puerto Rican identity— despite centuries of colonialism. When reading through books and articles documenting the history of Puerto Rico, I was left in awe of their strength and resilience. For centuries, there have been attempts to erase the language, culture, and flag, but each of these pillars still stand strong today. Unfortunately, there are still challenges in daily life. Hurricane Maria had a devastating impact on Puerto Rico, and there are widespread effects of the storm to this day. We will encounter many homes and buildings with severe structural damage. There may also be occasional issues with electricity, as their electrical grid has still not been fully repaired. In the midst of this, it is essential to keep business ethics in mind.
One reading that has stuck with me is “Points of Discomfort: Reflections on Power and Partnerships in International Service Learning” by Erin K. Sharpe and Samantha Dear. This text details a service-learning trip that a group of Canadian students took to Cuba and the main challenges that were faced. One of these challenges was with a garden day of service. The students had gone with a local nonprofit to a school to work on a garden project, but upon arriving, realized that there was no garden and that the school had not been expecting them. Despite this, the students were granted access to the school grounds, and they started digging a garden. This disrupted the school day and resulted in a messy and unfinished plot of land. My main takeaway from this issue was the importance of shelving assumptions. When in Puerto Rico, we need to take time to listen to what people want instead of executing a predetermined plan that we assume they would need.
Another point of discomfort for the group was during the mealtimes at the camp. During their second week in Cuba, the Canadian students joined a group of Cuban students and traveled to an outdoor school. Due to the limited staff and equipment at the site, extra help was needed to manage the camp, especially during mealtimes. While the Canadians had initially made an attempt to help, they eventually settled down and waited to be served by the camp staff and Cuban faculty. Upon reflection, the Canadian professors wondered if part of the reason for this behavior was because the Canadians had paid for food and travel costs for the group and felt entitled to that treatment.
At its core, this issue revolves around the idea of reciprocity, which has been central to many of our readings and discussions throughout the Global Service Learning course. While reciprocity sounds positive on the surface, the idea is deeply rooted in exchange theory. In this case, there was the idea that, “I pay you, so you do this service for me.” This may work for a simple business transaction, but it does not translate into our approach for service learning. Neither group is working for one another. We are working with one another toward a common goal: helping Caras and the local community. The fact that Caras received money from the university does not entitle us to special treatment.
As with any week before a long break, there is a lot to prepare for. While I run through presentations, read over deliverables, and study for exams, there is a constant buzz of excitement as I imagine what the next week will hold. I keep checking and rechecking my packing list, making sure that I have included everything I need in my backpack and carry-on (since our flight to Puerto Rico is considered traveling within the United States, there is a hefty charge for a checked bag). I cannot wait to trade the cold days in Pittsburgh for warm beaches, dancing, and breathtaking hikes through El Yunque. I also hope that it can shed some light on the life that I want to build for myself and the type of career I would like to pursue. For now, I will take a deep breath and prepare for takeoff.