We started our trip bright and early on March 7 with a 7am flight and the fear of long TSA lines due to spring break. After a short layover in Fort Lauderdale, we were greeted with immediate hugs from Adriana. We had met her before on Zoom, but her energy was even more contagious in person. She drove us to Hotel Iberia which was placed in the center of San Turso – a very tourist area full of vacation activities we could walk to after each day of work. She familiarized us with the area by walking us to the beach, the supermarket and the Starbucks (each within 10 minutes of walking). Afterwards, she picked up our dinner from the community center which we ate on the terrace of our hotel. It was the first of many delicious meals Wandy prepared for us. Before she left us for the night, she told us to never hesitate to call because she lives so close and she would help us with any situation. Already, I could feel the love an hospitality this island had to offer us. Our innkeeper was also full of joy just to greet us. He gave us the full tour of the hotel and offered to carry our bags. After touring the town that night, we began day 2.
Day 2 was a great way to start the week! Adriana took us to Old San Juan. It was gorgeous!! We saw El Paseo de la Princesa, the governor’s building and many other historical sites. One of my favorite parts of the morning was hearing Adriana’s perspective on the government as a 25-year-old woman born and raised in Puerto Rico. Even after explaining her viewpoints on many political issues, she was grounded on the fact that regardless of whether someone stood for statehood or independence she helps anyone who needs help. Contrary to my prior expectations, she mentioned that she welcomes anyone into her island – although at times tourism can be harmful. Later that day, we went to a very aesthetic botanical café for the BEST raspberry matcha lattes and really good sandwiches Adriana picked out for us. We walked around some shops, cafes, and clothing stores until we met back up with Adriana at the artisan market. It was so special to see the locals all lined up with camping chairs and dancing together in the middle of the walkway. When Adriana got us ice cream (more water ice consistency) she told us about how the man that sells the ice cream always gives her hers for free when he sees her because she brings so many customers to his stand. When we returned to the hotel, Abha, Sofia and I walked 5 minutes to the beach and caught the last hours of sunlight. The joy I felt seeing the ocean and feeling the sun on my skin was magical. I am writing this now – 2 days after returning – when Pittsburgh has just dumped 3 inches of snow on me, and I am yearning to return to the sunny days.
Day 3, our first day of service, Adriana drove us to the Caras con Causa’s community center. We were going to meet the CEO, Michael Fernandez, for the first time. This meeting was VERY insightful. Michael is a very straightforward guy who was very transparent about any strengths and weaknesses Caras faces, how the government has affected them – especially lately – and exactly what work he does. There were two things that really struck me. First, I was under the impression that using Caras’ students as interns could be helpful for our project to get off the ground moving forward, however Michael told us about how a lot of his students were still reading at third grade level while in middle school, so the quality of their work may not be up to the standards Caras would need for something like this. I walked away from that table with a lot of gratitude for the public schooling I experienced because, while it was not perfect, it pushed me to a level of education the kids Michael works with might not even get the chance to experience. The second thing that really struck me was Michael’s experience in the US while studying at George Washington University. He said it was the first time he had experienced racism, and how Puerto Rico faces intense discrimination based on wealth but not race. This was something I had not considered but really opened my eyes to how important Caras is to offer opportunities to less wealthy communities.
After meeting with Michael, Adriana drove us through the communities Caras serves in Catano and Guaynabo – one of them being Vietnam. This community fought for their right to live in their own homes, and a gorgeous mural did a great job of expressing all of the anger, resilience, and community in Vietnam. It was a very heavy day for me to feel the anger of injustice as I learned more. I actually had to go on a run after finishing the day with plant nursery work because I needed to get all of this pent-up anger out of me. This made me think of the passage we read in class that talked about the disconnect with GSL students who just get to leave when the going gets tough. I was so angry about all of the challenges Puerto Ricans face with the US government, environment, economy, and their own government on the island, and, yet I would be leaving at the end of the week while they continued to live it. This also upset me.
Day 4, we began our day in the reserve tagging trees alongside Victor, Guille, and Darian. It was fun to talk with them about our own cultural experiences – especially because I got a chance to practice my Spanish skills with Darian. The last half of the day we visited the Rosalina school to watch the last 3 periods of class. It was great to see how much all of the staff really care about the students and provides hands-on experiences interacting with nature in ways I didn’t experience in school.
Day 5 was one of my favorite days with Caras, we spent the morning carrying on with around 30 elderly community members. The energy they brought to the room was contagious as they sang and danced and yelled out to one another. We did Zumba, played bingo and served lunch alongside them. Everyone was so giving and welcoming even though we had a little more of a language barrier with them. Afterwards, we had a follow up meeting with Michael where we were able to present the deliverables we had crafted before arriving. It was so important to get him on the same page and see where his brain went next so we could continue to work towards more deliverables, and he immediately put us on a call with Anthony and Arianna who do the marketing for Caras. Though very spontaneous, this was a SUPER important meeting. It was great to fully understand their time limitations and abilities to direct our final deliverables in the right direction. We intend to meet with them again as we continue to refine our project. That night, we went to a Bomba class on the beach! Definitely a highlight for me!
Day 6 was bittersweet as it was our last day in Puerto Rico. We spent the first half of the day in El Yunque which was a forest with waterfalls and a wonderful swimming area which was very refreshing! Afterwards we finally tried cheese flan and mofongo at a restraint and spent the last three hours of sunlight lounging on the beach. It was such a delightful way to end the trip. That night we were set to go on an LED clear kayak tour, but we read the time wrong and ended up booking a morning kayak tour for Saturday before our flight, and spent our last night at La Placita instead.
Day 7 we kept the party going by kayaking and having really good conversation with our tour guide about the US states he had visited. After that, was 12 hours of straight travel with a 2-hour TSA line and many plane movies. Once we got off the bus from the airport, we kept the party going by ordering 1am El Jefe’s tacos together for one last hoorah. I miss it already, but I am very motivated to continue our work with Caras knowing what a huge impact they are making!!