6/15/22

    ¡Hola compadres!

    Today was day four of our trip, and it was a lot of fun! We started out the day pretty early (6:30) and met up for breakfast, then got into the bus for a two and a half hour trek to our hike to Fuerte Caprón. Fuerte Caprón was an old Spanish fort used to keep watch over the bay against pirates. It was a hot day, but the group made it up very quickly and took some great pictures. Some group members saw different species of Puerto Rican birds, and everyone got to see a big iguana! It was also a nice opportunity to bond with the Hotchkiss kids and take in the natural beauty and historical significance of this reserve in Puerto Rico.

    

    After Fuerte Caprón, we went to the city of Ponce, which is unique since it is one of the few areas in Puerto Rico that is not only a city, but a municipality on its own as well. We stood in the main square in front of a statue of Pedro Albizu Campos, a powerful figure in Puerto Rican independence movement, and talked about the impact that he had on Puerto Rico. We also began to discuss the topic of statehood v.s sovereignty (a subject Puerto Ricans are greatly divided over) and what statehood would mean for political parties in the United States. Thankfully, we had two knowledgeable Puerto Rican tour guides, Barbara and Lourdes, who were able to speak on the topic from their points of view and teach us about the real history of the island.

    After Ponce, we began to make our way to the beach like our itinerary had said, but unfortunately weather did not permit and we made our way back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.

    At dinner, we had some delicious varieties of paella. For some members of the group, it was their first time trying the dish. The group had a lot of food left afterward, but instead of letting it go to waste, we decided to see if anyone in the community around us was in need of a meal. It was important that we found a way to make sure that the food did not go to waste.

Saludos desde Puerto Rico,

Justin y Lorenzo