top of page
This our experience! We lived it. We felt it. We captured it.
 Puerto Rico's DoorWhat is behind a door? Does it depend on who you are? Where you come from? |  A Different Type of DoorTour Guide: As you enter careful because you will pass the most expensive pieces in this house, the two bases in the corners. |
|---|---|
 Through a WindowWatching the world through the Governor’s Mansion window. A view that is only for some. |  LoizaPoverty clearly lies within Loiza, but it doesn't take away happiness from the people who are living here. |
Extremes
From the day we arrived in Puerto Rico we lived many extremes. From the town that surrounded our complex, Loiza. A town that was visibly poor but community was found in every corner. To San Juan, the face of Puerto Rico with its greater than life cathedral to the Governor's Mansion.
 Papaya?!Student: “What is a Canovanas? How do you eat it?” Me: Canovanas is the town you bought it. That is a Papaya. |  ChinchorrearChinchorrear a term use by Puerto Ricans to claim and support small local business that sell Puerto Rican food and drinks of the area. It became our primary method for finding lunch. |
|---|---|
 El YunqueIt’s much harder than it looks to stand underneath the waterfall at El Yunque tropical rain forest. |  CultureStudent: It was cool. The food is very similar to that of my culture. Instead of a pilon we use a mortar and we eat sticky rice but white instead of yellow. I did this myself! |
 ReflectingFinding beauty in unexpected places. |  Jump!Women power! |
 Working for our FoodStudent: I like this (living from the land). Me: This is one type of lifestyle. Cook what you grow and not waste. |  Las Fiestas"Arriba Puerto Rico! Arriba Puerto Rico!" - Bomba chorus at Las Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastian |
Stepping Outside the Box
One of the biggest lessons we learned during our trip to Puerto Rico was that in order to learn from the community, spaces and history we needed to get out of our comfort zone. We needed to ask questions that sometimes made us laugh or angry. We needed to look at life from a different lense.
 At UtuadoStudent: "Your English is really good. Where and how did you learn?" Him: "From television." Student: "Can I get a picture of you for our class blog?" Him: "Sure, but make sure you get my good side." Student: "Which side would that be?" Him: "Both!" |  JimboStudent - "What is your opinion with the relationship between PR and the U.S.?" Jimbo - I belong to the statehood party and want PR to become a recognizable state in the United States. 94% of Puerto Rican's constitution is copied from the US constitution. Everyone in Puerto Rico speaks English and Spanish. If Puerto Rico became a statehood, there would be a lot more infrastructure, business would boom (works in the tourist industry), and funding for law enforcement and education would grow. |
|---|---|
 Honorable Rodriguez RodriguezOn dissents “There is always another point of view” |  Senator SantiagoWhen Puerto Rico becomes independent... |
 Matria Participants"We are not going to shut up because we want to support our participants." |  Tanagra"We love men, and we welcome them. Feminism liberates women, and it liberates men." - Tanagra, Caseworker at Proyecto Matria |
 Our Drivers!Without these guys our trip in Puerto Rico would have consisted of us staying in Aquatika the whole time. |
People
Throughout our trip we met many people from the Puerto Rican community that left a footprint. We connected, we laughed, we got frustrated but we wouldn't change it.
 On our wayIt’s about the journey |  GoddessTour guide: We believe that she was a Goddess for the Taínos. A supreme being. A woman who established a Cacique’s lineage. |
|---|---|
 Sacred MountainsThe mountains were sacred to Taínos. Today many Native American tribes in the US are fighting to keep their mountains from industrialization. |  CavesThe limestone caves at the Camuy River Cave Park filled with Taino history and natural wonder. |
 ChristianismA country whose culture is closely tied to Christianism because of the Spanish conquista. Student: What happens to those that are not Christian? It must be isolating. |  A Different View“From a distance, this picture looks like it was one big painting painted onto the ceiling of the Capitol building. In fact, it is a mosaic, created of tiny pieces of glass to create a larger picture. History can be looked at in the same way. Although a larger, simpler narrative may be told, it is important to take a closer inspection and look at all the stories involved and each contribution that they make. Only in this way can history be truly understood”. |
 SlaveryStudent: Can you read it? Me: Yes Student: What does it say? Me: Slave has a scar over his eye because he was either kicked or stroke by something. Student: Ohhhh |  MofongoMofongo is a plantain-based Puerto Rican dish. It is made with fried plantains and mashed together with different ingredients. It has its roots from the people’s African culture. Plantains have a huge significance to the Puerto Ricans because of the stain that it leaves on your hand when pealing. The stain stays on your hand even after you wash your hands and Puerto Ricans signify that as their culture not leaving from them. |
 Spain and USWe can still see the flags of the different conquerors wave around El Morro Fort. |  Goodnight Puerto Rico! |
Roots
Our journey's foundation was Puerto Rico's rich history. Who is the Boricua? Learning about the Tainos, African and Spanish descents, we learned about colonialism, strength and a country still looking for a political dentity.
bottom of page