McDonogh School Puerto Rico 2025
May 19, 2025
We arrived in San Juan and everybody was ecstatic. We met our guides, Lauren and Fabricio, and separated into two vans to go to our first activity which was lunch at The New Reef. Our lunch options were steak, fried chicken, pork, and Alfredo pasta. Everyone loved their meals, we didn’t like the rain so much though! Fortunately it cleared up for our walking tour in old San Juan. Our tour guide led us through the city with Interesting history and funny anecdotes. We visited the princess promenade, the wall of San Juan, the many forts that were built and the church. Each destination was covered in rich and unique culture. After an exciting and informative historical tour we popped into multiple local shops for souvenir shopping. Then we ended the trip to San Juan on a sweet note! POPSICLES! We then traveled to The Big Yellow House where we’ll stay for the next few days. We are so happy for how the first day went and so excited for the days to come.
By Kyle, Cole, & Langston
May 20, 2025
Today we poured concrete!
For breakfast, we had eggs, pancakes, and sausage. Then we left the big yellow house and drove to the house we are working on. We got to see how many people live in Puerto Rico and got introduced to the people we are working with. We met Eggie, William, and Angel. None of them spoke English, so it was a good opportunity to work on our Spanish.
The morning was very productive. We are working on the roof and got over a quarter of it completed. Then we took a break for lunch over at Angel’s house. We had rice, beans, and chicken, which was really tasty. We also celebrated Eggie’s birthday with some birthday cake.
In the afternoon, we kept working, despite the appearance of rain. We got over half the roof done today, despite the heat and the rain, and everyone being wet and dirty. When we got back to the big yellow house, we wanted to go to the beach, but it was thundering, so we played volleyball and spike ball instead. In the evening, we had rice and chicken for dinner, and then watched a documentary about Puerto Rico. Buenas Noches!
By: Tyler, Jonas, Josh, Rolando
May 21, 2025
Absolute scorcher today with high humidity, but also hard work. We started around 10:30. We beat the Global Works record average with 60 bags of concrete a day and finished our work on the roof with an hour to spare. We ended our time with William, Eggy, and Angel. They gifted us bracelets with the Puerto Rican flags on them to remember the work we put in to service the community and the locals gratitude, but also the hardship that hurricane Maria still has on the people of Puerto Rico.
For lunch, we had some BUSSIN chicken wings accompanied by the best beans, rice, and of course, salad. After the work was done, they surprised us with popsicles! When we got back, everyone rushed to get changed for the beach. We had an incredible time at the beach with spikeball, taps, and chicken fights surrounded by beautiful scenery. Hungry and tired, we came back to Big Yellow House and chowed down on a Puerto Rican traditional meal of pasta bolognese, with salad, of course. Freshly showered, we headed upstairs for some salsa lessons taught by the nationals pitcher’s aunt, Yara. After 20 minutes of some basic moves and stepping on toes, we began getting the groove down, even mastering some complex steps, followed by a BYH salsa-rave. Preparing for an early morning, we are ending our night with another shower, night time fun, and packing.
By: Mia, Marco, and Tenley
May 22, 2025
Today we left the Big Yellow House in search of a new home. We made a pit stop along our journey to a Cacao farm. At the farm we split into groups with some of us filtering soil, and some of us taking inventory of the cacao trees. We were able to help them do three weeks worth of work in just a few hours. When the work was complete, we received a hearty lunch and a taste of the chocolate manufactured next to the property. The chocolate was delicious 80% cacao. It was much better than the stuff you find in the states.
We then left the farm and headed to our next stop Casa Coral. We arrived to find stunning views with the ocean and river being right outside our rooms. We took advantage of the beautiful sun and tan for a little while before having a quick chat about our time here and service experience. We reflected on the work we had done and talking about what to expect in the upcoming days. We also discussed how we had lived together and how we can make the experience better.
After our conversation, we had a little more time before our last adventure of the day paddle boarding. We paddled up the river and learned about the nature and wildlife that surrounds us. We were taught about the many kinds of mangrove trees and the animals that they house. We also discussed the need for nature and how we can help take care of the world around us. We also were able to see turtle nests that were being protected. We finished the night with some more chicken, fish, rice, beans and salad and had a sweet treat of ice cream sandwiches for all. Overall great day and we are excited for tomorrow, our last full day in Puerto Rico!
By: Julia, London, Caroline
May 23, 2025
We started off our day with a lovely first breakfast in Casa Coral including pancakes, fresh fruit, baked potatoes, and crispy bacon. The view was outstanding. We went hiking to El Yunque and trekked through the rocks and forest. It was a beautiful and unique experience that taught us the history and tradition of the Taino people. After the hike, we were famished, so we went to the Kioskos for some lunch and down time (shopping). We grabbed some authentic local snacks and lovely souvenirs to take home. After all was said and done, we came back home and spent the rest of the day beaching it out and spending time with each other on our last day. We swam, played volleyball, and cracked open coconuts. To end the night we all shared a pizza listening to music in a family community. We couldn’t have wished for better.
By: Bella, Gwenyth, Suvali
