2022 Boys’ Latin Puerto Rico Service Adventure

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Final blog

Written by Brandon Oestreicher

Today is the day we leave to go back to Baltimore after our week in San Juan and Maricao. Our trip had a lot of great moments, like when we got to present our work to the owners of the house we worked on, the ride back to Hacienda Juanita after our last dinner in Maricao, and our day spent paddleboarding in San Juan and ziplining in El Yunque. We all got a lot closer with each other as well as the people we met along the way, like our bus drivers, the owners of the house we worked on, the Disfruta Maricao organization, and more. I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this trip at the beginning, but I definitely did not expect to get as much out of it as I did, and I didn’t expect to have as much fun as I did. This experience is one that I’m glad I had, and I’m very satisfied with the work we did in our short time here.

Blog 10

Written by Brice Woodburn
On Saturday, it wasn’t the most exciting day but we had a lot of memorable times. We woke up and got on the bus to go to San Juan. While we were driving we stopped to go to swim at the base of a waterfall. The trek there was a little annoying because we walked through a river meaning my shoes were soaked for the rest of the walk. I wasn’t planing on swimming at first but when we got there I couldn’t resist jumping in. The water was cold and refreshing after a hot walk to get there. Once we got done swimming and got back to the bus we waited for lunch. We had  empanadas which were the best lunch we had so far. I liked the beef one the most but there was a chicken and a pizza one as well. Once we got done with lunch we finally headed down the mountain and off to San Juan. With about an hour left we got stuck in traffic which delayed us for about an hour. This part wasn’t fun, but I just listened to music and it went by relatively quickly. When we got to the hostel we had dinner and chilled for a bit. At around 8 we went to a local supermarket and I got a six pack of sugar coated doughnuts. Let’s just say they didn’t last till the next morning. Overall the day wasn’t the best I had during this trip because of the long travel, but I definitely had a lot of fun.
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Written by Will Scheu
Today was a blast zip lining through the forest and paddle boarding in the lagoon. Seeing the greenery when zip lining was amazing. Paddle boarding was really fun and the water was so nice. The meals were great providing new types of foods that I’d never had and gave insight into the rich Puerto Rican culture. Overall, it was a fun busy day in Puerto Rico.
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Written by Gavin Curtis
Today I woke up late like almost everyone else in the room and rushed up for breakfast. Im not super into subs, but I learned I liked the sweet bread sticks. I think they were called quesitas, so I’ll check that out when I get back home. The walk to the Lagoon was a little boring but it was totally worth it in my opinion for the Paddleboarding. It was a lot of fun being able to try it for the first time and have a great time messing around with friends. After that we drove over to the restaurant where I had amazing food. The chicken empanada was okay but the meat ball covered in potato (relleno) and the fried beef stick were so good. After that was the zip lining and it was pretty fun. I’d say the best one was the second to last one, which was 2600’ long and high in the air. I tried doing an upside down trick but just couldn’t get it. The view was amazing. Overall, the day was lots of fun and I had a great time.

Blog 9

Written by Jake Dombrowski

We ate breakfast and then went to Juan’s and Annete’s house where we did the final touch ups on their home. Once that was finished, I grabbed a cat and just hung out until we brought out some supplies we had purchased to donate to them. Shortly, after once we got back to the motel the group went to a water fall and explored the area. We had a final celebratory dinner that night, with Annette’s family, our bus driver and his family, and other community members. It was very nice and fun. 

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Written by Jack David

Breakfast was eggs in the shape of disks with potato’s and onions on it. It was good and I also had a protein bar. The plumber got to room 20 the one connected to mine at 8:00 AM. We went to the store to buy things for the family. I had got spam and a bottle of Clorox. We went back to the house to do what was left. After we went back to the “motel.” We went to the a water fall. I went down stream from the main water fall to find two smaller water falls and a dropper pool of water. We ate dinner at a restaurant but did not wait long for the food to arrive because food had been ordered the morning of possibly when we were getting supplies for the family. The food tasted good. We cleaned the room and packed my bag. We got a lot done today. 

Blog 8

Written by Sean Crowley

Today on the trip was the final day of work helping out Annette and Juan. After eating a great breakfast we went to finish up painting the kitchen and putting the sink in along with tying the roof down at the work site. When we finished eating lunch we surprised our new friends with some gifts such as food and cleaning supplies to help them out. The family was very grateful and Annette was very emotional to see the gifts we had brought them. When finishing work we drove home to the hotel and made our way down to a beautiful waterfall where all the hermanos and hermanas enjoyed swimming in the pool in front of waterfall. Though it was cold we had a lot of fun and even more fun after walking back to the hotel to swim in the pool with all of our amigos. Soon after we hopped on the guagua to drive to a local restaurant to eat dinner with all the friends we have made throughout the entire trip. It was truly a great bonding moment and an even better day all around.

Blog 7

Written Eliseo Agudo

When we first arrived to the home, I was in shock after being told that we would be using a generator because the family had been without power for months. Along with that, the family had to live in fear that a hurricane could tear apart the third home that they have built a life in. I worked to help install tension wires to hold down their roof in high winds. It felt great knowing we could do something to keep their home safe from the thing that destroyed their home in previous years. Although there was a language barrier, we still were able to get to know the family and see how they enjoyed their lives. They were very grateful for our assistance and it was fun to see them so happy with the renovations and improvements. I’m proud of my peers for all the effort they put into making Annette and Juan’s home beautiful. I am really glad we all took this opportunity. Ending everything off with a celebration dinner and then bus ride with music, lights, and the guagua driver was the cherry on top of the total experience.

Blog 6

Written by Hunter Kirk

When coming into Puerto Rico it was a real opener for new experiences in a different part of the US and also help people in our community. From helping out a family I though it was going to be a couple of things from picking up and dropping off stuff and not what we did. We as a group renovated entire family’s house and plant sales and made it nice and beautiful again. The experience in itself made me think as a people are like this right now. We or mostly I have spent the time to do something to better someone’s life and help them on their feet and that to me is something I want to do more often. I also thought that people’s lives here are more simple than that we have in the states. Everyone in Puerto Rico is so… joyful and happy no matter the state and conditions that they are in. In my head I wish I were to be like that in whatever state it or area that I am in currently. Where I live back in the states it feels so obnoxious from people complaining about the smallest things in the world. One last thing is that we should have from the start is to be as a community and know each other and not have a sense of “I did something and I want the same thing back” situation. Puerto Rico in itself has open up me to a lot of things that don’t happen were I live which makes me want to do this ideas and actions to bring community together. I really enjoyed my time here.

Blog 5

Written by Tyler Slowikowski

I am loving my time in Puerto Rico! It has been amazing to be back on this gorgeous island, and it’s been very special to be able to help the community! Our group leaders, Nicole, and Antonio are really fun to be with and they add life to the party! I’ve made tons of memories, and I definitely will be back next year!

Blog 4

Written by John Shenasky
On day two it was polishing up the work that we started on the first day.  I bounced around from each activity because that job was done or i finished the part that I was working on.  This was very satisfying because everything time I finish one it gave the satisfaction of helping someone.  At the end of the day it felt so amazing to help the family.
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Written by Seve Sena
Today I had a pretty fun day. Today we mostly painted and moved plants. I got to pet the various different animals ranging from cats, dogs and ducks. lunch was very good and it was unlike something that I have before. Today was a good day.
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Written by Henry Burch
Puerto Rico has been an amazing place that defied every expectation I had in the best way possible. All of the places we’ve been were full of such charm and the people have been so welcoming, despite the language barrier. Working for the benefit of those that need it is obviously a very rewarding feeling, but it also gives me a feeling I’d appreciation of how fortunate I am in my life. The work we do is such that it seems easy for the individual because as a group we have the ability to make a large change and do so much good in such a relatively short amount to time. So far I’ve loved getting away from the usual environment and seeing another beautiful place that also involves helping others.

First day of community service

Written by Jake Hutzler

During our 2nd day we woke up around 8 and had breakfast before we headed to Maricao. Our bus ride was a couple hours and everyone had a great time looking at the landscapes around us. As we got closer to Maricao our bus driver, who is a legend took us through the twisty mountain roads. When we got to our hotel everyone settled in and got ready for the next day. On our 3rd day we woke up at 7, ate pancakes, and drove to where we would be doing service work for the rest of the trip. We did our work at a house of a family of three who have lost their home twice. We grabbed our paint brushes and jumped right in. The family was very grateful and everyone had a great time getting to know them. After we were done, their house look very colorful and everyone could tell the family was very excited. Tomorrow we will be doing more work and helping the family feel more comfortable.

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Written by Chris Knapp

After the first 2 full days in PR, I am having a blast. The food, resorts, community, and culture are all great and make me very comfortable being here. Antonio and Nicole are amazing hosts that make me feel like I’ve known them and been friends with them my whole life. Our guagua driver, Carlo is an absolute legend who can drive on any road. The roads in the mountains of Maricao are extremely thin and on the edges of cliffs, but Carlo has kept us safe every time. Helping the family with their house is such an awesome experience. Just helping somebody makes me feel a lot better, and knowing that doing this will help them immensely is just SO much better. I cannot wait for the many meals, experiences, and memories to come being in Puerto Rico.

First day at this beautiful island

Written by Samuel Peake

It was an easy flight, and even easier time settling in when first arriving to Puerto Rico. The hotel is great, and our guides Antonio and Nicole are very nice and helpful. The first night was also comfortable and I can’t wait for the next couple of days.

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Written by Henry Richter

As someone who was born in Argentina, I instantly felt at home as I recognized many similarities within the language, culture, and food. Mr. And Mrs. Mac, Nicole, and Antonio have been very kind and have made this trip smooth and very enjoyable. The hotel has been very nice and touring Old San Juan was very interesting. I am looking forward to the next few days in Maricao.

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Written by Brayden Lopez

First arriving in Puerto Rico I quickly realized that this was a beautiful place with so much to explore and learn. After our tour I learned so much about the History of Puerto Rico and things I never knew before. Antonio and Nicole have been so helpful and kind, and I’m really excited to be able to spend 6 more days on this beautiful island. 

Blog 1

Written by Antonio Moreno (Program Leader)
WEPA! After more than two years, I’m finally receiving again in the beautiful island of Puerto Rico, an awesome school, one of my favorites, Boys’ Latin School. I’m so excited to show them points of interest of the island and beautiful panoramic views, enjoy popular activities and having fun here, as we know to do. Well, this is only the first of mostly 8 days of trip, and I know that we are going to enjoy the whole trip together!
Welcome to Puerto Rico my family. 
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