Monday, June 30, 2014

(Jackie) Monday: We arrived safely back in SF!

After a very long night of airports, layovers, and cross country flights, and little sleep, we arrived safely back to SFO at 10:45 this morning.

After a final dinner out at Lolita's Mexican Restaurant last night, we killed some time in Old San Juan before heading to the airport for our 2:45am flight to JFK. We had about an hour and 15 min layover before we got onto another plane to head to SFO. Everyone was very tired when we arrived in SF, but we are all sooo incredibly thankful for a wonderful youth mission trip which we will never forget. The amount of service, learning, and bonding that was done over this past week was truly one for the books. We thank everyone who helped make this trip a reality!!

(Jackie) Sunday: Even more photos of catamaran/snorkeling

Ben smiles after his dislocated shoulder is finally put back into place, while everyone else scopes out the colorful tropical fish nearby.

(Jackie) More Sunday catamaran/snorkeling photos

Izzy and Jessi enjoy the sun, while Christina prepares to jump into the water using her GoPro underwater camera atop her forehead.

(Jackie) Sunday catamaran/snorkeling

(Jackie) Sunday: Final day in Puerto Rico

While the first four days of our PR trip included various service, the last two days gave our youth the opportunity to be tourists in a part of our country to which they had never been. So, as part of the Community Collaborations Inc. package, we were incredibly fortunate to have had the chance to sail on a catamaran out into the beautiful turquoise waters off the main island for some snorkeling. After a short Sunday morning scripture reading and a little preaching by Mike Stafford back at the house, we headed to the dock by 9:30am.  Met by other tourists, we loaded onto the catamaran, then went out to sea. The water was gorgeous, and the weather was perfect. (Now, after a week of being in PR, we were getting used to the humidity!) Our first stop was near a small island off the coast of the mainland, where there was a bit of snorkeling to do. However, within 10 minutes of anchoring, we had an unfortunate situation where one of our youth, Ben, dislocated his shoulder. After some discussion about whether or not to have the rescue boat take him to a hospital or just have him pop it back into place, the nurse on board our catamaran came to the rescue and popped his shoulder back into place. Being the patient and tough kid he is, Ben endured an excutiating 30+ minutes of pain. Needless to say, he felt a million times better once the nurse put his shoulder back in place, and instead of snorkeling, he enjoyed the sunshine atop the boat for the rest of the day. Everyone else had the wonderful opportunity to see colorful tropical fish swimming around the coral reefs at our second and final stop. We even saw a baracuda just beneath the surface of the water! It was an incredible way to end our week. And, despite our efforts to lather up in spf #50 sunscreen, many of us walked away with bright red evidence of a lovely day out in the Atlantic. :)

Saturday, June 28, 2014

More Saturday night shenanigans

Saturday night shenanigans

Half the group left for an hour to make a Walgreens stop, while the other half created a "dead body" to scare the first group when they got home. Ginny is also super excited for the brownies to be done!

(Jackie) Saturday: More photos of Old San Juan

(Jackie) Saturday: More photos of afternoon in Old San Juan

(Jackie) Saturday: Photos of afternoon in Old San Juan

(Diana) Saturday: A touristy afternoon in Old San Juan

We started the day at a reasonable hour (9:00), unlike the other days at 7! We all piled into the vans and traveled to old San Juan by 10:30am. Past the hotels and condominiums were 200 year old cobble stone streets and beautiful old buildings. We then ventured to Castillo San Felipe del Morro. Built to protect the Spaniards idea of a Spanish empire, the six level fortress comprised of impressive 18 foot wide walls and several plazas. Having been to other historical sites in the U.S. it was interesting to visit El Morro in Puerto Rico and compare my experience. This said, the idea of Puerto Rico in relation to the United States still confuses me. Often parts of Puerto Rico feel like America; driving on highways in Puerto Rico feels no different than driving in the US, aside from the majestic scenery.

Walking through the streets of old San Juan was great; the cobble stone streets, colorful buildings, and European iron work made each street unique and beautiful. We walked, shopped, ate and even popped into a restaurant to witness the dramatic ending of the World Cup!
It is difficult to imagine that the trip is almost over, and that we will soon  leave the beautiful island of Puerto Rico. I will be sure to really enjoy these last 24 hours!

To all the viewers of the blog thank you for this experience. It has been amazing.

Thursday stop for food

Thursday stop for food

(Jackie) Friday night: Photos of the Boys and Girls Club theater performance

(Jackie) Friday afternoon: More photos of El Yunque National Rainforest


(Jackie) Friday afternoon: More photos of El Yunque National Rainforest

(Skylar) Friday night: Attending the Boys and Girls Club theater performance

Last night we went to a performance by the Boys and Girls Club of Puerto Rico that we had visited the day before. It was a mixture of vignettes from various Broadway productions. The first set of scenes they did were from the Hunchback of Notre Dame. They showed the key scenes from the story, for example the hunchback being taken as a baby, and his life with the gypsies. The performance then transitioned from the Hunchback to Aladdin where the genie talked to Aladdin and ang and danced around. After the scene finished, the actors performed a scene from the Lion King. During the scene the performers sang the Hakunamatata song and raised a curtain that had a band behind it. The song was led by the percussion instruments (mainly drums). After they finished the song they used lights and a cardboard cut out to mimic the sunrise in the Lion King. They went into a scene with the baboon who went into th opening song from the lion king. Once they had finished th song they shifted into In The Heights and did a song and dance that led into the finale. Although most of us did not understand what they were saying (it was all done in Spanish), we knew the stories and therefore were able to understand what was going on. The costumes that were used were amazing, as well as the music which was very percussive and energetic. Overall it was an amazing experience to see kids our age and younger perfoming such an amazing production and seeming to have so much fun, excitement and pride in their performance. It was also great to see some of the same kids that we saw and played with the day beforehand performing for us. The Boys and Girls club actors only practiced for 20 days before last night's performance, which was extremely impressive given the quality of the performance, costumes, and music.

(Jackie) Friday afternoon: Photos of El Yunque National Rainforest

(Liam) Friday afternoon: El Yunque National Rainforest

Yesterday we visited a rainforest, el Yunque. When we arrived we went to the visitors center, and watched a movie about the forest. We discovered that 200 inches of rain fall in el Yunque every year (though unfortunately this year they have had a very dry season), and that there are more species of trees in el Yunque than all of the  national forests combined. Next, we hiked up to a waterfall. Our driver, Nick, told us about the forest and the plants and animals that inhabit it. Upon arriving at the waterfall, we went swimming in the pond in front of it. After hiking down, we returned to our house. Over all, it was a wonderful experience. That jungle was extremely beautiful, and the wildlife fascinating. I never would have gotten this opportunity had I not come to Puerto Rico.

(Jackie): El Yunque was an incredible highlight to this trip. It gave the kids the chance to see the only rainforest in all of North America, and to learn about the different trees that help to protect the environment. Nick, our enthusiastic and passionate guide, told us that if a nuclear bomb went off and we were in the rainforest, we would not be harmed... all of the elements together in that rainforest would protect us. Nick also pointed out how the sap (blood) found on the prized Majestic Tabonuco tree, if rubbed onto your body, will prevent you from getting insect bites. If the sap were to be put on a stick or torch, and then lit on fire, the fire would last all night long. This one tree alone has so many lifesaving properties. Mixed with all of the other amazing properties of the rainforest, the entire place is thought of as necessary for us, even on the US mainland, to survive. Learning about the amazing trees, plants, and animals found in El Yunque, as well as seeing the beauty of the place is truly something that I will remember forever... and I believe our kids will, too.

Friday, June 27, 2014

(Jackie) Friday: Working at the School for the Deaf (photos)

Some of our girls scraped rust off of the gate and painted today. Also, Rebecca, the woman who runs the school with her husband, Brendan, poses with her young children for the camera.

(Jackie) Friday: Photos of working at the School for the Deaf

(Joey) Friday: Evangelical School for the Deaf

Today we worked at one of only four schools for the deaf in all of Puerto Rico. Though the school kids were on summer break, the couple who runs the school, Brendan and Rebecca, needed help. We wasted no time and went straight to work. This session of helpfullness included digging a rain trench, applying new paint onto the building, and scrapping rust off doors. We split into three groups for each job. By the end of our time to work, my group dug a 20 foot long trench about a foot deep. We were extremely happy to help this couple who ran this whole school by themselves.

(Jessi) Thursday night, 9:30pm: Tour of the Bioiluminescensce Bay

Last night, we had the amazing opportunity to see the magic of the Bioluminescent Bay in the Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature Preserve.  We started at the mouth of a river, where we were put in kayaks and sent off downstream.  As we rowed along, we encountered quite a few obstacles, the least of which was rowing along in almost complete darkness.  We had to pick our way out of bushes when we drifted off path, and dodge low hanging branches and kayakers heading the other way.  After struggling downstream for about half an hour, the river finally let us out into the Bay.  As our tour guide gathered us all together to give us a very entertaining lesson on bioluminescent creatures, we began to notice that the water sparkled when we moved our oars through it.  The farther into the middle of the Bay we got, the more beautiful the water became.  When we started to row back to the mouth of the river, there was so much bioluminescent life in the water that our oars look like they were on fire.  Luckily for us we were the last group, so there wasn't any traffic on our way back, but we had an even bigger problem: we were rowing against the current.  Fortunately, we had pretty much gotten the hang of rowing by then, so it didn't take us too much longer to get back.  Getting the chance to see the Bioluminescent Bay was absolutely incredible, and we are all so grateful for this amazing opportunity.

(Jackie) Thursday afternoon: More photos of eating at a traditional Puerto Rican Fogon food stand

Thursday, June 26, 2014

(Jackie) Thursday: Even more photos of the Boys and Girls Club

Diana spoke in Spanish to this kid who was asking for her Instagram info. She was teaching him a little bit of English!

(Jackie) Thursday: More photos from the Boys and Girls Club of Puerto Rico

(Maddie) Thursday: Boys and Girls Club of Puerto Rico

Today we went to the boys and girls club of Puerto Rico. The age of the kids ranged from 6 to 17 and they were all really nice. We got to spend time dancing, playing, and talking with the kids. It was so fun because they had "just dance" which is a video game where you dance against four other people. All of the kids were REALLY good and we had a wonderful time making fools of ourselves. I've had a fun time practicing spanish and all of the locals/people we've met have been so nice and welcoming. Im having such a blast and I dont want the trip to end. Love you!
-Maddie

(Jackie) Thursday: Boys and Girls Club of Puerto Rico (photos)

Boys play basketball while girls dance to Xbox "Just Dance"

(Jackie) Wednesday afternoon: More photos of Fajardo and Fortuna

(Jackie) Wednesday afternoon: Driving through Fajardo and Fortuna (photos)

(Jackie) Wednesday: Another photo of the excavation

(Catherine) Wednesday afternoon/evening: Driving around Fajardo and Fortuna, two nearby poverty stricken neighborhoods

Yesterday, after a day of working at an excavation site, Hector graciously took us on a tour of the neighboring towns: Fortuna and Fajardo. We saw abandoned houses, two way streets that can only fit one car, and beautiful beaches. One thing that was interesting to me was how when we were at the bottom of the hill we observed small rundown houses, but as we asended the hill we observed large, new, and clean homes. Almost every house had bars on the windows, which all the locals use as a safety precaution. The higher we got up the hill we saw more wealth. Then we drove back to our rental house, stopping on the way for some Fanta sodas. When we returned home we were beat... the sun really fried us all.  We realxed, then ate a delicious dinner of chicken with enchilada sauce, rice, plaintains, and salad. Skylar, James, Liam and Mike all went swimming in the neighborhood pool, and at night people either read a book or played a long card game of "Oh Hell." It was a tiring but really fun filled day.

(Michael) Wednesday: Cleaning archaeological items found at excavation site



-------- Original message --------
From: Michael Stafford
Date:06/26/2014 12:09 AM (GMT-04:00)
To: Mission Trip Blog
Subject: (Michael) Wednesday: Cleaning archaeological items found at excavation site

Fwd: (Michael) Wednesday: Cleaning archaeological items found at excavation site



-------- Original message --------
From: Michael Stafford
Date:06/26/2014 12:09 AM (GMT-04:00)
To: Mission Trip Blog
Subject: (Michael) Wednesday: Cleaning archaeological items found at excavation site

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

(Jackie) Wednesday: Even more photos of excavation

The archaeologist in charge of this excavation site brought in a camera drone today, operated by remote control, to take aerial photos of the site and surrounding areas. It was pretty awesome!

(Jackie) Wednesday: Photos of excavation

(James) Wednesday Service: Excavating and cleaning archaeological items along the coast at Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve

Today we returned to Las Cabezas de San Juan to help an archaeologist, Carlos, excavate a site left by indigenous Puerto Ricans. Probably a trash heap off of a kitchen, the site dated back to 400-600 A.D.  We worked with a few volunteers from Luquillo and three archaeologists, including Carlos, who was in charge. We split into two groups, one down in the pit, and another on the beach. The group in the excavation pit were using trowels to gently scrape away the dirt around rocks, shells, bones, and the occasional piece of pottery. Most of the pottery we found was just shards, but Skylar found half of a pot, and Colleen found another large piece with a handle attached to it. After about three hours, we moved down to the beach to strain the dirt out the piles of rocks, pottery, and shells. They will then send these pieces off to be studied closely to figure out what this indigenous group of people ate, and to learn more about how they lived and why they were located on this particular patt of the island. Carlos and the other park employees seemed very grateful that there were so many willing volunteers to do the menial grunt work that would have taken them so long to do.

(Jackie) Colleen had a long conversation in Spanish with Carlos and learned more about this project. Alberto, our guide, discovered bones on this site three years ago, yet there has not been any money to fund a project which would uncover more. Most funding for archaeological excavations goes to brick and mortar type projects (I.e. in the center of the island, near big cities, near a big plaza, etc... nothing along the coast). So this project along the coast is one of the first of its kind, and it is being done completely by volunteers. The only paid employee is Carlos, the head archaeologist. Over the past 2+ years, over 1,000 volunteers, mostly Puerto Ricans, have given their time to help make this project/dig happen so that the island can know more about their cultural history. We sometimes take for granted the great amount of knowledge we have learned about our own California state history, but we have fortunately been funded along the way. That said, we were more than happy to help these folks today with this dig, and they really appreciated our efforts. It was incredibly interesting work, and the kids were so glad to be able to help the Puerto Ricans to gain a little piece of their own culture/history. :)

(Jackie) Wednesday: Photos of excavation

(Jackie) Wednesday: Even more photos of excavation

The archaeologist in charge of this excavation site brought in a camera drone today, operated by remote control, to take aerial photos of the site and surrounding areas. It was pretty awesome!