Rudolf Steiner School: Puerto Rico 2026
May 4, 2026
Although we woke up very early, at 4:15, when we reached the airport, we were buzzing with excitement. By the time the plane departed, the excitement had settled down and many of us either slept or watched movies on the plane. When we reached the capital, San Juan, we were met by our tour guides Randall and Talia. They brought us to an authentic beach side restaurant, where we had delicious meat with rice, beans, and plantains. After the plentiful meal, we hopped back on the van and drove for an hour to the Big Yellow House, which was surprisingly yellow. On the ride, we all slept.
After the deserved nap, we unloaded the bags and set up the rooms before leaving for the beach. By that time we were all very excited, the weather was perfect, and the beach was only a few minute walk away. On the beach we played soccer, and football before having a long anticipated swim. When we came back from the beach we were all refreshed, but also needed a shower. After we were all showered, we had chicken and potatoes for dinner before playing a small game of volleyball. We then conversed for a few minutes before retreating to our bedrooms.
As we went to bed we had high hopes for the upcoming day at San Juan. The souvenir shops, the cobble stone streets, we don’t know much, but we know it will be exciting. Above all we are excited to go back to the beach that had alluded us for so many months.
By Viola and Tommy
May 5, 2026
Today was the day that we went to visit Old San Juan and learn about Puerto Rico. We woke up in the morning at 6:30 to have breakfast, excited to go visit the city. After breakfast, the worst part of the day was the car ride there. The traffic was bad, almost like back at home in the city, so it took us an hour to get there. We got to the Old City and we met our tour guide, Sarah. She took us to go see the wall that surrounded the city. We learned that the city was surrounded by wall in order to protect the city from invaders, as when the city was under Spanish rule, it was used as a military stronghold in the Caribbean. Then, Sarah took us to the old jail cells, today the building is used as the Center of Tourism for the city. Then, we walked around the narrow streets of the city, eventually getting to the massive cathedral in the city center. Then, we went to the Museo de las Americas, where our tour guide explained to us the traditional Spanish architecture that you can still see in the city. Sarah taught us a short Salsa class, teaching us basic moves and how to count Salsa music. Then, we went to the largest fort along the wall of the Old City, we broke up into groups and had free roam of the fort.
Afterwards, everyone was famished from the heat of the fort. So, we went to go have lunch in the city. Then, we went souvenir shopping in San Juan. We saw many stores with traditional Puerto Rican art and sculptures. The souvenir shopping was one of the best parts of the day, we had a break to buy gifts for ourselves and family and get a chance to have something that helps us remember our trip. We got ice cream and popsicles after shopping and were super tired. So, we went to the beach by our house to catch a break. We cooled off in the water and played soccer before coming home to have dinner. We had a great dinner then played basketball before going to sleep for the night after having an amazing eventful day.
By Max and Ameerah
May 6, 2026
Today was the opportunity to begin constructing houses for a family. We began by arriving at the workplace and meeting the various people there. Angel, Eggy, and William were there to supervise & teach the process. We began by putting on a hard hart and gloves and getting a general view of the layout. The main plan was to take off the wooden board supports and allow the concrete walls to stand tall. We began the process by removing the clamps on the wooden supports that held them close to the concrete by hitting them with a hammer; then we ripped off the smaller boards supporting the larger wooden boards and bent the screws inside the concrete wall off. After that, we had lunch break at Angel’s house, after eating spaghetti and meatballs we cleaned up the workplace and moved a large tarp over to prepare for the next day where we would continue to remove wall supports and make our own wooden support for a new concrete wall.
During the construction process, we learned many new skills, such as learning how concrete molds are made, pulling off the nails using a small pipe, and hitting off the clamps using a hammer. This experience was very eye-opening to the inequality of wealth outside of San Juan, after the hurricane, the capital area and tourist area were rebuilt first and the fastest in order not to lose customers; while the rest of Puerto Rico lacked behind. So, today it felt nice to give back to the community in a way that can benefit everyone in the process. We went back to the house after an air conditioned bus ride and after a quick hour of trying to break open a coconut we were refilled with energy we then went to the beach and some of us horsed around with a volleyball and others swam or laid in the sun. We returned to the house to have free time and finally cracked open a coconut and everyone drank and ate the juice and meat of the coconut. After a standard meal of rice, chicken and peppers, with two kinds of plantians, to end the night we met with Yara and learned an intense salsa class filled with laughter and joy. Good night parents see you tomorrow.
By Stoyan and Gabriel
May 7, 2026
Today was our second day at the worksite. We worked hard to build the wooden molds for the room. After work we stopped at a Puerto Rican store and bought snacks. Then the community came over for dinner. I met different people at the gathering. I saw adorable babies and even some kids my age. It was an amazing time spending with everyone in the community. It just felt so amazing. Because doing this makes me appreciate what I have. I helped the kids get fed and built peoples homes. I met the owners of the house and they said that they could tell I was Puerto Rican. I learn that sometimes things always have a second side to things. I always visit the tourist part of Puerto Rico and not the actual residential area of it. The community was so kind to me and it made me feel like I was at home. Everyone was always catering to me and the team. I am extremely grateful for this opportunity to see the side of where I’m from for the first time. Thank you to everyone for being amazing in and out!
By Michael
The biggest skill I learned to conquer in my opinion was a language barrier with so many different people. Sure, the construction work was really tough, but having to do something I’ve never done before, and my teacher being someone who has no idea what I’m saying was really tough. I also learned that things aren’t as easy as it seems like back in the States. I really didn’t realized the situation here in Puerto Rico, it made me truly grateful for all the things I have back at home. I will mostly remember spending time with my class in a foreign place and having to learn as a group how to overcome all the challenges that come with it. I feel truly inspired by the people who work at global works. Who work day and night trying redo what hurricane Maria did. I truly think they deserve more recognition for the work and passion they put in to this project they were truly amazing and inspiring.
By Arlo
May 8th, 2026
Waking up at 8:00 we started the day off with a plentiful breakfast of French toast, eggs, hash browns and fruit. We then had some time to be able to finish up packing as we were leaving today. Though it was very sad that we were leaving we packed up, following it up with cleaning our rooms. We then drove to the rainforest in the car. After we got out we walked five minutes to the river where we swam for 40 minutes in the river. Though we couldn’t jump into the river Aayan was determined to jump into the river as best he could. After a while we walked back to the car to drive to the restaurant to get lunch before we got to the airport. Here we were able to change out of our wet clothing which was an incredible relief as we did not want to get on the plane soggy. Here I now reside typing this blog, waiting for my food. We are sure to have a safe flight and return back to home. It was an incredible trip as we learned how to do construction and was immersed in the Puerto Rican culture, this truly will be an experience to remember. We made incredible friends on the construction site such as Angel, William and Eggy. We explored incredible cultural landmarks around San Juan, and most of all, we helped out our community and our education.
By Drake
