Today was another day in paradise. We were able to sleep in a little bit which everyone enjoyed, and then we set out for a calm and relaxing day at la Isla de Cabras. There we circled up and were able to reflect on the last couple of days we had. Maria led our group discussion which eventually led us a few reading where there were a few micro-aggression in each reading. We were able to identify, and relate the micro-aggresions in the texts to everyday life in the US and in Puerto Rico, and were even able to remember specific example in the previous days. Sitting in the circle and reflecting on the days was a nice way to decompress. We have been living with each other now for two weeks and we don’t really have any place to go if we are frustrated with members in our group, and after spending 24 hours a day with a small group of people for two weeks, there will of course be frustrations. The circle was a good way to ground us and make us refocus on why we came here and the objectives of our visit here.
After our discussion we ate at a restaurant nearby. The old Morro fort was right across the bay and ate our food looking at the fort that only two weeks before we were exploring. After lunch a few of us went further and checked out the old part of the leper colony. Now they are just ruins and a nice view of the sea, but it was not hard to imagine what conditions the outcasts had to deal with.
Today’s reflection circle really solidified many things for me. I think it was cool that we were able to see the Morro fort from a different angle today, the same way we are able to see the island in a different way. The first day we were inside the fort everything was amazing, and new and wonderful. And then after spending nearly 14 days on the island you realize that yes, just like any other place in the world, there are conflicts, and problems, and inconveniences and setbacks and struggles for the people living here.
For me this experience has been one of a kind. Back home I felt stressed out and a huge incentive for me coming here was to decompress in nice weather and a way to suspend reality. But the truth is reality does not stop, and even when you take yourself away from the problems you may be having, and put yourself in “paradise” or an “utopia” you slowly come to realize that paradise may not be a location, but a state of being. And no matter where you go there will be problems that will challenge that idea and there will be things that you have to confront. The important take-a-way is that there are effective and appropriate ways to take on the challenge to effect change.