Residential Scholars Return to Puerto Rico
For the second time in as many years, ECU Residential Scholars spent their spring break in Puerto Rico helping with rebuilding efforts in the wake of Hurricane Maria. The most powerful storm to hit Puerto Rico in more than 80 years, Maria claimed nearly 3,000 lives and caused in excess of $90 billion in damage from which the island is still recovering.
“Students started looking at the 2019 spring break trip shortly after Hurricane Maria devastated the island. They thought this would be a great community service and cultural experience to travel there for hurricane relief,” said Associate Vice Chancellor of Campus Living Bill McCartney.
“We found a partner in Stronger the Maria – a not-for-profit that helps restore homes – and off we went last March to paint and build homes. The devastation was so great that it was apparent that going back for a second year would be well received and much work remained to be done.”
Accompanied by Mike Perry, Associate Director of Residence Life for Academic Initiatives, the Scholars spent the first two days of the trip exploring the city of San Juan, where they visited local restaurants, cultural sites and, of course, the beach.
After touring Castillo San Felipe del Morro, the next stop was Aguadilla, where they met Myriam Lorenzo from Stronger Than Maria, a nonprofit organization dedicated to coordinating with local communities as well as government and other organizations to repair and rebuild homes damaged by natural disasters. For the next five days, the Scholars worked from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on a variety of repairs and rebuilding projects, as Perry explains.
“Monday and Tuesday, we worked on cleaning, scraping bubbled paint, repainting, repairing window hardware, and yard work on the lower level of a church that will now serve at the headquarters for Stronger Than Maria.
“Wednesday through Friday we worked on painting the interior of a home that had been heavily damaged due to the flooding from Hurricane Maria. The family had been living in Florida since Maria because they experienced a health situation and then did not have the means to repair the home.
“On Wednesday and Thursday, the family and neighbors prepared authentic Puerto Rican food for our lunch, and it was fantastic to eat as the locals would.”
Throughout the week in Aguadilla, the Scholars visited local restaurants and especially enjoyed dinners at beachfront locations. A visit to an open air market in Rincon was canceled as a result of heavy rains, but the group was able to enjoy a visit to Crash Boat Beach in Aguadilla before departing for San Juan and eventually returning to campus.
Service to those in need has been a hallmark of the ECU Residential Scholars program since its inception in 2010. Before making their first trip to Puerto Rico in 2019, the Scholars traveled to New Orleans in three consecutive years. Among their service projects in the Crescent City was an effort with the nonprofit organization Green Light NOLA to deliver energy efficient light bulbs to low income communities at no cost.
In addition, each of the past nine years the Scholars have spent fall break in Washington, D.C., engaging in community service projects. For the last ten years, they have forged a partnership with S.O.M.E. (So Others May Eat) – a D.C. based interfaith organization dedicated to supporting residents experiencing homelessness and poverty – working in their community kitchen, food bank and/or clothing store as a part of the annual fall break trip to explore the nations capital.
Additional Quotes
Zoe Lukas
What were your initial thoughts when you saw the damage that remained from Maria?
“It was truly devastating and heartbreaking to see the effects Hurricane Maria had on not only the land, but on the homes and the people of Puerto Rico’s personal lives. When first entering the house of the couple we would be helping, my first thought was, wow, it doesn’t look as bad as I was expecting, but after taking a closer look to see the work which was already done on top of the work which was yet to be complete, I was really able to gauge just how much was lost in the storm. The most heartbreaking part for me was to see the supplies the couple saved up for and had prepared for the workers become corroded with mold since they had nowhere else to store it but in their home, which had water leakage. It was one of those ‘getting kicked when you’re already down’ moments, and my heart broke for Puerto Rico.”
Had you assisted with any disaster recovery projects in the past? If so, how did this experience compare?
“This was a new project and experience for me. I have helped with numerous food drives, donation drives, or even school tutoring, but have never had the opportunity to help ‘hands-on’ with a disaster recovery project. This was a whole new type of experience, one I will never forget. During this trip it became clear to me that pictures, newspapers, magazine articles, or anything from the media did not do this situation justice. It is one thing to read about what happened and another to meet a family and have them cry and surrender everything they’ve been holding in to you. I realized that although it is hard to watch a child struggle in school, it is entirely different to see someone lose their home and everything inside it. With school, you just must relearn and practice the basics; with life you must completely rebuild. It was such a pleasure to be welcomed into this family’s home and have a small part in making it something special for them. My favorite part about this project compared to others was seeing how we were making a difference in their life, attitudes, and hope each day!”
Did you have an opportunity to interact with any of the residents and/or property owners? What were those experiences like?
“Yes! At the beginning of the trip we all asked each other what we were most looking forward to, and since day 1, I was most excited to meet the ‘locals’ and truly connect with and learn from them. This was my favorite part of the trip. These people are amazing and so strong. Here they were stuck in this disastrous situation and they continued to be resilient and positive. They treated us with nothing but kindness and even introduced us to the culture of Puerto Rico by making us food each day, teaching us the language, and sharing their backyard coconuts with us.”
Would you say this experience has changed you in any way? If so, how?
“This trip has most definitely changed me. I have been reminded to not take anything for granted, because truthfully you never know what tomorrow will bring. I’ve also been able to see just how much a simple act of kindness can mean to somebody. Here in North Carolina it can be sometimes hard to see or possibly even easy to forget what kindness can do. I know a lot of things are based off profit, but we should never forget to be human beings first and to reach out a hand occasionally. This has been the most eye-opening, humbling experience I have ever experienced. My heart will forever be with the people of Puerto Rico.”
Aine Lynch
What were your initial thoughts when you saw the damage that remained from Maria?
“Honestly, it was quite saddening to see how Puerto Rico is recovering from Hurricane Maria, which hit the island in 2017. The couple, who we helped with painting her house, told me that they were unable to come back to Puerto Rico until recently because it was unsafe.”
Did you have an opportunity to interact with any of the residents and/or property owners? What were those experiences like?
“Yes, we were able to interact with the couple. The man was not able to speak because he had Parkinson’s disease. His wife kept coming up to us and thanking us for our work. She kept saying that she did not know how she could ever repay us. The moment that stuck with me was that right before we had the lunch that the family cooked for us. She wanted us to take a moment to pray. During this prayer, she began to break down and was thanking God for sending her help. Also, the woman’s brother came over and gave ladders to help with the workload. The woman’s sister also opened her house to us in case we needed to go to the bathroom or wanted any snacks while we were working. Let me just tell you, I went down to the sister’s house and her husband makes the best smoothie ever!”
Rishi Desai
What were your initial thoughts when you saw the damage that remained from Maria?
“Initially, when we first started descending, I could still see damage from Hurricane Maria. There were houses with no roofs, roads that still were damaged, and streets that looked like nobody lived there in 10 years, yet people were still there selling fruit on the side. It was very shocking to see that people were living like this even though it’s been three years since the hurricane.”
Did you have an opportunity to interact with any of the residents and/or property owners? What were those experiences like?
“While painting a property owners house, the neighbors would come by and drop food off for lunch. When they were there, the neighbors would talk to us and while painting we would have conversations about what the hurricane did. It was a very wholesome and humbling to hear these stories because these were first hand accounts of what happened.”
Would you say this experience has changed you in any way? If so, how?
“Yes, I would say that this experience has changed me. While at the house painting, neighbors would come and hang out on the porch. In the culture that we were in, everyone was very collective, and people would drop whatever they were doing and come to help in an instant. Seeing something like this really changed me because I now knew that people who care for you will always help you.”
Christina Mahon
What were your initial thoughts when you saw the damage that remained from Maria?
“My initial thoughts were about how scared the people must have been when the hurricane was damaging their homes and town. I was so shocked to see all the torn down buildings and the damage to the people’s homes. It made me so sad, yet so happy that I was able to give my time and effort to help in any way I could.”
Did you have an opportunity to interact with any of the residents and/or property owners? What were those experiences like?
“I did have multiple chances to interact with both the staff of Stronger Than Maria and the people whose house we painted, along with the woman’s sister and brother in law. Every single person I met there was friendly, open, willing to talk to me, and so humble. I am trying to minor in Spanish currently, so getting to talk amongst the people in Spanish was such a great opportunity for me.”
Would you say this experience has changed you in any way? If so, how?
“I would say this experience most changed me in more ways than one. It humbled me so much, it made me see how good I really do have things, it made me want to try and become fluent in Spanish more than I had before I came, and it made me confident in my work ethic because we worked so hard for such a great cause.”
Wesley Sanchez
What were your initial thoughts when you saw the damage that remained from Maria?
“It was shocking that houses were still without power and non-functional years after the storm.”
Had you assisted with any disaster recovery projects in the past? If so, how did this experience compare?
“Yes. This experience was much easier because we were lucky with weather/projects and came well equipped to do the projects.”
Did you have an opportunity to interact with any of the residents and/or property owners? What were those experiences like?
“They were very grateful for what we were doing. Despite some language barriers, we were still able to communicate and share some laughs.”
Veronica Foreman
What were your initial thoughts when you saw the damage that remained from Maria?
“I was shocked. I couldn’t believe the damage that was done and just how many people were displaced from their homes. Some of which had been displaced for years.”
Had you assisted with any disaster recovery projects in the past? If so, how did this experience compare?
“Yes, I had helped with hurricane clean up within my community in New Bern. Hurricane cleanup included intense labor. The work we did in Puerto Rico included painting and other various projects that I considered finishing touches to a home. We were helping the buildings become livable as soon as possible.”
Did you have an opportunity to interact with any of the residents and/or property owners? What were those experiences like?
“Yes! I love interacting with people from different cultures. Everyone we met was so sweet and thankful. I also had some time while volunteering to speak with some of the locals in which they helped me enhance my Spanish speaking abilities!”
Would you say this experience has changed you in any way? If so, how?
“Yes! I absolutely loved being in Puerto Rico and did not want to leave. I have always wanted to travel, but now when I travel I am going to focus on helping each community in any way possible. By volunteering with Stronger than Maria in my future endeavors, I hope that I can volunteer through similar programs within these different places.”
Hannah Lawson
What were your initial thoughts when you saw the damage that remained from Maria?
“I remember thinking about the great loss and hopelessness that people must have felt. The impact of Maria was much more than physical; people’s lives were completely changed. Families were separated and financial burdens were heavy. They still are.”
Had you assisted with any disaster recovery projects in the past? If so, how did this experience compare?
“I have taken part in many mission trips and relief projects, but this is the first construction/home related project I have been a part of. I greatly enjoy hands-on projects and physical labor, so this was right up my alley. I loved getting to meet the family whose house we were painting, and Miriam and her husband. The joy on their faces was priceless.”
Did you have an opportunity to interact with any of the residents and/or property owners? What were those experiences like?
“There was a lot of interaction with the owners of the home. They would check in periodically and fix us lunch (which was incredible). They were so kind and welcoming! They wanted to make sure we were taken care of and well fed.”
Would you say this experience has changed you in any way? If so, how?
“This experience made me love travel and cultural immersion even more than I already did! It’s always rewarding to help others, and even better to do it with a team of incredible people. This trip provided wonderful memories that we will never forget. I realized my desire to work with nonprofits in the future even more so; and I plan to return to Puerto Rico to work with Stronger Than Maria in the future.”
Alyssa Fennell
What were your initial thoughts when you saw the damage that remained from Maria?
“My initial thought when seeing the damage that had remained from Maria was asking myself why this wasn’t made more aware for those in the U.S. and why Stronger than Maria struggles to find more volunteers when the hurricane was so destructive. I wondered how any of the people there survived through the devastation of the hurricane and what the U.S. did to help. I was also glad that we were there to give our support and efforts to this cause.”
Did you have an opportunity to interact with any of the residents and/or property owners? What were those experiences like?
“I enjoyed my interactions with the owners of the house that we repaired as most of the time I was asking them how they made such good food and where they got their fresh fruit from. They told me all about how they grow their papaya, mango, and coconuts in their yards, and I had to remark how it was some of the best fruit I had ever had. They also asked me about some of the odd U.S. sayings, and I did my best to explain them as well as asking about the differences in driving in Puerto Rico. They loved bringing us different things to try like their local favorite soda or a smoothie that they had made. This was probably my favorite part of the experience.”
Would you say this experience has changed you in any way? If so, how?
“I would say this experience had a great impact on my perspectives just as I had hoped. Seeing the ways people lived in Puerto Rico was interesting as well as refreshing. The destruction that they have been through, such as the hurricane as well as earthquakes, does not seem to have shaken them from living happily, appreciative, and worry free. They are very laid back people, yet they work hard for everything they do. It also stood out to me that they are all very active and treat nature better there which I think everyone could learn from.”