Resilience to the Max

After all that has happened before Maria and continues to occur after Maria, the one word I can use to describe the population of Puerto Rico as a whole it would be the word “resilience.” Through all of the organizations we have partnered with during this amazing week so far, I have been able to see the strength and resilience of the Puerto Rican population. Not only are we immersed every day in Puerto Rican culture through TiTi, Noel, Francisco, Manuel and Rafael; we have also had the opportunity to connect with both Sam and Nani.

When I first met Sam two days before the trip, I instantly knew that the education we would receive on this service trip would surpass any education taught by someone who is not familiar with the island. For the first time in my four years as a Bonner, I am looking forward to our Reflections. I am excited to learn about what stories Sam has in his back pocket and so grateful for his openness regarding his thoughts and feelings. Sam is one of many people I have met on this trip that beam resilience and I cannot wait to see what the rest of the week brings.

The second person who I have been able to connect with over this past week is Nani. I am always blown away when I meet people who are only a few years older than I am but have accomplished so much in their life. Not only is she an amazing tour guide, she's also a mom, a badass business woman, and so much more. Though her time is split between all 13 of us, she has constantly gone out of her way to connect with us individually, meeting every person who is working alongside local Puerto Ricans to overcome the effects of the hurricane and government controls.

When I wrote my original blog answering the question, “What are you most looking forward to” I answered “meeting the locals and feeding off their strength and resilience.” There is something so special about the people here. Everyone is one big happy family. I am so grateful to not only work alongside them, but to learn so much from their life.

Don't want to leave...

Sam