Final Reflection Blog Post: Puerto Rico Service Trip Winter 2019

It’s been a little over two weeks since we first arrived in Puerto Rico. Reflecting on my experiences, I’m extremely grateful to have been given the opportunity to travel to and to serve in Puerto Rico. Many of us came with little to no expectations about the trip, and yet we left with so many special and favorable memories. As such, I am itching to go back and to make some more. 

Known as the island of enchantment, at least for myself, I can say honestly that I have been enchanted with Puerto Rico. Not only was I charmed with its beautiful islands and biodiversity, warm sun, bright colors, and delicious cuisine, but it’s people’s spirit of resilience and of hope. This is the kind of spirit seemingly most inconspicuous on the island (in the sense, that it is something you experience, not something preached), yet nevertheless powerful in Puerto Rico post-Hurricane Maria, one that has persisted even before. 

The world is our living classroom, at least one of them. Traveling, like in the case, is one of the best ways to learn about and experience the world and its peoples outside of a textbook or the media and how we can break down those barriers of (often negative) pre-conceived notions we may have. I traveled to Puerto Rico with certain assumptions that were deconstructed as I began to live (even shortly) where I served. Interacting with locals, I heard their stories. Storytelling is a powerful and important tool. One of the important lessons I recognized was to be wary of storytelling due to its power in provoking emotion and even inciting change.  Although it can be used for justice and liberations of people, it can also be utilized for the contrary. Specifically, we should be cautious about who is telling a story, and whose story they are telling. Their own? Someone else’s? 

As I stated before, I am grateful and very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to serve in Puerto Rico. From our in-house reflections to our service on the ground, I learned a lot, and also recognize that there is still much to learn and to do, not only in Puerto Rico or Paterson (where I from), but in the world. That sounds like a daunting task, I mean, it is. But as a collective, we must recognize that these efforts are generational. As those before us have laid a groundwork that we have used and modified to fit our own society's needs, so too do we keep on this fight for justice, laying our own foundations for further generations to adopt and shape for the liberations of all people. Let’s go Puerto Rico! (get it) Let's go all.

Post Trip

Getting back into the swing of things was tough. Aside from the change of 80 degree weather to 30 degree weather, the change to going back to a regular more structured schedule was tough. I left like I was being complacent with the way society works and the system. And I had a great fear that I might cave into these old routines and behaviors and rewire my brain from thinking so intensely on what I could do for the people of Puerto Rico and the world to now when am I going to find the time to gas up my car. It took some intensive thinking to make me realize that when the semester starts again, I’ll be getting closer to my very goal of helping others including the people of Puerto Rico. This trip resonated with me for so many reasons. One of the biggest reasons was that I’m studying towards my degree in civil Engineering and have focused a lot on renewable energy resources. While I was at Iceland, an island that runs nearly 100% on renewable energy resources, I was amazed by the possibilities. While I was at Puerto Rico, an island that runs nearly 0% on renewable energy resources, I was amazed at the possibilities. This trip connected those 2 experiences and opened a new door of where my future can take me. 

Overall, this trip was exactly what I needed to kick off the final semester of my undergraduate career. I was challenged to intensely think about social, political and economic issues affecting the island as a whole. I was challenged to bond as much as I could with the senior class I wasn’t originally part of. I was also challenged to grow as this is the last trip I’lll have in which I’ll take in a group as an undergrad. And I met all those challenges with great success. I’m excited that later today I’ll be meeting with a lobbyist who works within the renewable energy field and I can’t wait to talk to him about my experiences. I can’t wait to be able to continue thinking critically and reflecting on the work as well as what I can do when I graduate and even now during present time. 

This was an amazing trip with amazing staff. The staff really made a difference in how the  trip ran. Sam made us reflect intensely as someone who not only knows Puerto Rico as home but knows Trenton as home. Teressa who encouraged us to keep going and tackle the service work even when it was tough and really did double as Mom from how much she cares. Raj who pushed to engage as much as he could with us in all activities along with reflecting. And of course Nani, who really challenged us to think, serve and love. Her energy, kindness and welcomeness cannot be matched. Overall all chaperones worked together to make sure we always had something engaging, thoughtful and exciting to do which I very much appreciate. The best feeling to end this trip is the fact I know this won’t be my last time going to Puerto Rico.

Post-Trip

My time back so far has been filled with engaging conversations about Puerto Rico. While I have not been successful with everyone in explaining what I learned in PR, I have been able to portray what a great trip this has been. I enjoyed staying local and getting the local experience. I loved the culture, service, and the people most of all. I think what struck me the most was how little I knew about what was going on in Puerto Rico. I really felt like I connected with everything we did and despite being tired, my mind was always hungry for more information.

It was also great to share this experience with my fellow Bonners. I think that as a senior, this trip was the best thing I could have asked for. I hope to continue to advocate for Puerto Rico and the experience I had here. I think I share the same sentiment as Dom, in that I feel the best thing I can do right now is talk about what I learned and witnessed. While the most intense conversation I have had turned out to be a failure, I think I drove home the points that Nani and Sam shared with us about policy, resilience, and community.

Take Me Back!

I still cannot believe that we have been back on the mainland for over a week. It feels like a wonderful dream that we were in Puerto Rico. I miss waking up everyday to the sounds of 13 other roommates, the smell of Puerto Rican coffee, the constant lullaby of the Coqui, the sweat and blood of hard labor, the sounds of the machetes, and the small little community that we were able to grow between Bonners, Staff, and Puerto Ricans. I learned so much about the mountains Puerto Rico still has to conquer but I learned even more about the mountains they have conquered and the skills they continue to use to get up every morning with a smile on their face ready to take on the day. Their strength and resilience is infectious and was one of my favorite parts of the whole journey.

While I am going to miss the island and the beautiful people we were able to meet, I am looking forward to channeling everything I have learned/taken from the trip into my last semester of school. Seeing the impact that a group of 14 people can have in such a short amount of time gives me hope for the changes that are to come to ASA and restores my energy for keeping up with the chaos that is the first grade classroom.

I cannot wait to see what the world has in store for everyone on this trip. I am looking forward to keeping in touch and hearing about the amazing things everyone will achieve. I hope this is not the last time Bonner comes in contact with Puerto Rico, and I am sure it will not be the last time I do.

- Sam

Puerto Rico 2019 Final Post

Its been a few days since we have returned from Puerto Rico, and I continue to think about everything that I learned on this trip and how enriching of an experience it was! I continue to think about the policies that we learned about that trap Puerto Rico from advancing themselves. I think about the lack of support that they have had since the hurricane, with the running water on the first day from the leaking pipes being an image that still sticks in my mind. I think about the lack of control that the Governor actually has over his own island, with an oversight board watching every dollar that is spent. These things continue to make me angry but they are so far out of my reach for making a change, that at some points it feels hopeless, however I need to continue to talking to people about what I have experienced for change to occur.

Since I have been back, my family and friends have been asking about how my trip has been, and while it's nice to tell them about the warm weather and the beaches, it's also important to tell them about the critical issues Puerto Rico is facing and the devastation that is still there. I have had many good discussions with people about what I learned, and being able to educate them about the island. I feel like this is the best way for me to continue to make an impact as I am back home, because the more people I educate, the more change that can happen for Puerto Rico. The more people I tell, the more people that may want to go help with disaster relief there or may want to work on policy change. The more supporters there are for Puerto Rico on the mainland, the stronger the potential for change for the island!

Service with a View

 What have you learned about the people and policies during your service in Puerto Rico?
Considering what will be four years with the Bonner Institute of the College of New Jersey, I find that I have learned one main message on community engagement at large. This trip has so far been a beautiful experience, one which has allowed me to examine social issues I've seen back in the mainland within a broader context. 

That is, to understand policies and their impact on communities, you need to listen to the communities under these political institutions. The most effective way to solve a social issue affecting a community is to include members of that community and to prioritize their input over those who may hold positions of power who often miss an authentic understanding of the culture at hand a necessity to productively address the issue in front of us. Political science and other studies revolving around conceptualizing the human condition can label the effects of these institutions with an -ism. This is a scapegoat route, one that leaves those in power of the resources absolved of little responsibility and diminishes the integrity and capacity of those enduring. 

The people we have interacted with so far have been incredibly kind and accommodating. By sharing their authentic perspectives as well as their vision for Puerto Rico, it's evident that those needed to change the status and situation of a community are those who are actively considering the well being and development of the community. These efforts often manifest as grassroots organizations such as the one we are working with this week.

In this case, I understand the political structure of Puerto Rico are a prime example of American colonization within the modern world. The impact of the hurricane additionally emphasizes this, for in the state of rehabilitation the United States continues to show little commitment to the preservation and progression of Puerto Rico further emphasizing another social issue of the modern world: disaster capitalist. 

In the photo above, the team is enjoying the view of an in-progress community space. The view like the people captures the raw beauty of owning your spaces, the grit it takes and how it can manifest in anywhere you can imagine it.  

Mid-Service Reflection Blog Post: Puerto Rico Winter 2019

What have you learned  about the people and policies during your service in Puerto Rico?

While serving in Puerto Rico, I think I learned a lot about its history (though, I recognize there is so much more to learn). From what I can remember learning in US History, Puerto Rico was not really included or given a lot of attention. This is telling of the complex history between Puerto Rico and the US stemming from many of the latter’s  incredibly offensive and repugnant actions, but which remain concealed to sustain systems such as capitalism and other forms of discrimination. Lack of education manifests into the barriers of misunderstandings and preconceived notions that continue to divide people. For these reasons, I think it is important to serve and to be exposed to the very people we learn about—or do not. To serve, I mean to immerse yourself into the culture, being present through eating the food, interacting with the locals, creating a space to listen, to sincerely listen. 

Through my interactions with people with the people of Puerto Rico, I have experienced the spirit of resilience found in both the young and older generations to rebuild Puerto Rico post-Hurricane Maria, relating to the central question  in The Battle For Paradise: Puerto Rico Takes On Disaster Capitalists. I have witnessed the importance of art in all cultures, particularly Puerto Rico’s. Art can be and often is political expression and a form

of resistance. Although we have worked with formal non-profit organizations, I think it is important to recognize those who go unrecognized as they pursue through those grassroots movements for  political, environmental, and overall social justice for Puerto Rico. Even though we do not see them, I think there is a spirit of resilience and hope remains that can be felt in Puerto Rico. There is so much to learn and to experience about Puerto Rico, and I admit, I am still confused and unknowing about various aspects relating to (my) service and activism on both a micro and macro-level. On page 76, Klein states that “Unlike capital, movements tend to move slowly.” I know that Puerto Rico is crying “Power” and I choose to be a part of that as it encompasses my voice, one that is struggling and cautious, moving slowly, yet seeking justice in every sense of the word. I am continuing to work in order that my actions embody that.