Puerto Rico: Hurricane Relief Session 2, 2026
July 8, 2026
This morning we woke up at 6:30 am, earlier than anyone was used to (WAY TOO EARLY). We all met downstairs to enjoy our first breakfast at the big yellow house. We ate fruit, eggs, sausage, and exactly 3 french toast sticks per person. We departed for the drive to old San Juan at 8 am. While driving to our destination we ran into some obstacles which delayed our arrival. When we arrived we met our tour guide, a local from Puerto Rico, who took us around old San Juan. She taught us about the history of the area spanning back 500+ years. Our favorite fact was that the 2nd narrowest house in the world is in old San Juan, and we even got to see it. After an hour of our walking tour we ended up at the fort built by the Spaniards to keep other nations out of Puerto Rico.
After this long tour, we were all very hungry so we went to a local Puerto Rican restaurant for lunch. We had either chicken, pork, or beef for our meal and it was very delicious. After lunch we went souvenir shopping and we bought keepsakes to remember our trip and also gifts for our friends and family. We also got to go to Marshalls where we saw a giant dumpling squishy. We finished off our trip to San Juan with a popsicle from a local ice cream shop.
Once we arrived home we got to cool off by a trip to the beach around 5. We swam around and played football. The water was so salty it burned our lips, nose and eyes. On our way home we saw a mom crab and a baby crab crawling to the beach. Everyone took a much needed shower and enjoyed a nice dinner of chicken (surprising), rice, and salad. After dinner we got a rundown of our day tomorrow and we were excited to hear we’re going to work with cement tomorrow.
By: Piper, Brianna, Joey, Arnez
July 9, 2026
Today was our first day of work. Through sweat and a whole lot of sun, we powered through. Our objective was to build a floor for community members Furo and Carmen. By the end of the day, we finished about half of the floor. Our group gained skills in the use and production of concrete, as concrete was used to build the floor. The jobs on the worksite consisteted of pourers, scoopers, and passers. In a unanimous decision, our group decided that the difficulty of the jobs went in that order. Pouring the contents of the buckets into the cement mixer created a ton of splash-back – pouring was the hardest job. While not as difficult, the scoopers faced their own struggles: the weight of the rocks, the repetitive scooping, and the bucket transportation. The many passers also faced hardships: the sun, weight of the buckets, and the dreaded hill.
All of us worked very hard and were rewarded with a delicious lunch from community member Maria. Her house welcomed us with kittens, dogs, and a home-cooked meal; the meal was the best of the trip so far. Upon returning to the Big Yellow House, anyone who wanted to go to the beach could. At the beach, one group decided to look peacefully for seashells while another decided to play three-flags-up in the ocean, including the locals whenever they could.
From water cup relays to Puerto Rican Trivia, the PR X2 Olympic Games had it all. Other games included full body rock-paper-scissors and pictionary. The P.R. Chicos won the games in an upset victory. Despite the many joys of the day, the highlight was Jojo’s 17th birthday. We sang to him four times (once in Español). He was celebrated with cupcakes, ice cream, and a great time.
Overall, it was a successful second full day in Puerto Rico!
-Tyler, Noah, Jojo, Gabby, Milani
July 10, 2026
Today was our first day of blue collar work. Through blood, sweat, sickness, and a whole lot of sun, we powered through. Due to the conditions, two of our peers unfortunately fell ill. One is okay now. Our objective was to build a floor for community members Furo and Carmen. By the end of the day, we finished about half of the floor. Our group gained skills in the use and production of concrete, as concrete was used to build the floor. The jobs on the worksite consistented of pourers, scoopers, and passers. In a unanimous decision, our group decided that the difficulty of the jobs went in that order. Pouring the contents of the buckets into the cement mixer created a ton of splashback, painting the pourers faces in wet cement; pouring was the hardest job. While not as difficult, the scoopers faced their own struggles: the weight of the rocks, the repetitive scooping, and the bucket transportation. The many passers also faced hardships: the sun, weight of the buckets, and the dreaded hill. All of us worked very hard and were rewarded with a delicious lunch from community member Maria. Her house welcomed us with kittens, dogs, and a home-cooked meal; the meal was the best of the trip so far. Upon returning to the Big Yellow House, anyone who wanted to go to the beach could. At the beach, one group decided to look peacefully for seashells while another decided to play three-flags-up in the ocean, including the locals whenever they could. From water cup relays to Puerto Rican Trivia, the PR X2 Olympic Games had it all. Other games included full body rock-paper-scissors and pictionary. The P.R. Chicos won the games in an upset victory. Despite the many joys of the day, the highlight was Jojo’s 17th birthday. We sung to him four times (once in Español). He was celebrated with cupcakes, ice cream, and a great time. Overall, it was a successful second full day in Puerto Rico!
-Tyler, Noah, Jojo, Gabby, Milani
