Glad I Went

Going to Puerto Rico was one of the most eye-opening experiences I have had in my life. I had the pleasure to work with peers who have gone through the same program I have and being able to see how much we have all grown. I got the chance to bring the charisma and energy that the people of Puerto Rico showed me back to New Jersey and into my service. Not only did I get to see locals smile and see how appreciative they were, I got to be appreciative to them for all they have given me. I learned how to be resilient in times of adversity, I learned you have to help others just as you would help yourself, and I learned how important a community is. There are countless other things that I learned and I am so grateful for it all.

Hope is alive...

        In order to do service you have to have hope in you. You can’t have a cynical bone in your body because if you did it would reflect in your work. This resilience has been a constant theme I have noticed in the locals of Puerto Rico. From our amazing tour guide Nani, to working with Titi in Yabucoa, to Francisco and Noel working with us at El Yunque, and to working with Manuel and Rafael at the Roosevelt Road Naval Base we have seen everyone full of hope and ready to continue to make change. 
         From the stories we have heard, the people of this island care about their home with everything in their being. They care so much that when Hurricane Maria hit they ensured they looked out for one another.  People were getting goods from the outskirts of the island and bringing it inland to those who needed it. In El Yunque we talked about how young volunteers were not common, but not because they didn’t care, they were just busy making changes in not public ways. They are different from us in that aspect. They will not do good work for the publicity that follows, the good work that gets done is because it NEEDS to get done. When I think about that I wonder if this is a direct relation to how the mainland treats Puerto Rico. There appears to be a bunch of redtape to stop Puerto Rico from growing such as the Jones Act, the Gag Law, or ensuring that foreign countries cannot supply direct aid, and the people who restricted them was the mainland. So in order to get around it the locals dedicate their lives and passions to restoring their home. I have loved the experience so far and I am beyond grateful I had the chance to be here and live this experience.

Pre-Reflection

1. What is your personal connection to Puerto Rico and how does their struggle relate to you personally and connect to your service? My personal connection to Puerto Rico is relatively close. As being someone who is not of Puerto Rican descent but have close family and friends who are, I felt the impact of Hurricane Maria. My close friend told me stories about how his family had to preserve through the aftermath of the storm but were very optimistic. In terms of my connection to PR and service is I want to go to an area that was affected by a natural disaster and help out in anyway I can.
2. Based on your reading of the Battle For Paradise, what were 1 or 2 key issues or policies that resonate with you and why? The one issue that resonated with me had to do with renewable energy in the country. I was fascinated to learn that PR was so dependent on fossil fuels. As I continued to read about Hurricane Maria and the damage it did to the city of Adjuntas, I could not believe only one building had power and that one building was the only one relying on renewable energy. A beautiful thing that came from this disaster was the country’s decision to push for renewable energy. I was happy to see that happen because fossil fuels are ruining our planet and everyone should be advocating for sustainable energy, just as PR is doing.
3. This trip to Puerto Rico has been inspired to help the island recover after the disaster of Hurricane Maria. Puerto Rico is an American Territory making its residents American Citizens like us, but they do not have the same rights and privileges. What do you hope to learn from this trip? I hope to hear from the people of PR. I want to hear about the ideas that they have to improve their country. At the end of the day, the people of PR should be allowed to decide on how their country is run and treated.

Can't wait to immerse myself!!

-Jason Miles

Artist Feature - Emery Williams of Trenton Area A-Team

Post Nola

    It's been a little over a week since we came back from the trip to New Orleans, and I have not yet had the chance to unpack everything. Coming back right before classes was a little hectic, although my parents like to plan vacations like that, so I am a bit used to the disorganization it causes. I feel grateful that I was able to experience New Orleans through a service trip, because I think visiting while getting to know the background of the city, interacting with locals, and being in the neighborhoods (where we volunteered, where we stayed) made the place much more memorable. I was thinking recently about what Brit said in the first reflection meeting, to make goals while we were there and to actually work and reflect on them. I also remember people saying that the goal for us as a group was to open up to each other and make bonds; I think we definitely accomplished that. Everyone interacted with one another and people did not keep to their friend groups as much as they would usually do. A personal goal I had was to understand the point of the service work and the point of views of the people living there; I wanted to open my mind to how the people of New Orleans were. I think part of what helped me with this is that I had no expectations of the city going in, unlike some others who had researched the city and planned places and sites they wanted to see. I wanted a blank slate so that I would be completely open to everything I experienced, which I did accomplish.

Already Missing It!

After a long 23 hour drive through the snowy conditions thanks to Winter Storm Jonas, the four Bonner vans finally made it back to campus at 7:30pm Monday night. Going into this freshman trip, I really did not know what to expect. Before NOLA, I don’t think the 27 freshmen have been in the same place at the same time since Bonner Orientation. I was pleasantly surprised that the week went off without a hitch and I can honestly say I have created new and strengthened long lasting friendships with freshmen, upperclassmen, and staff.

Words cannot describe the food and night life in New Orleans, Louisiana. By far, my favorite meal had to be the roast beef po boy sandwich I devoured on our first night in NOLA. As for the social aspect, everyone we ran into during the trip was so nice! Some of my favorite people were my Chick fil A server on the ride to NOLA, the very nice man who gave me all of his beads on Bourbon St., and the Waffle House waitresses who kept a smile on their faces when at least 20 Bonners rolled through the doors at 10:30pm on the ride home. The music in New Orleans is spectacular! Everywhere you walk, you can always see someone tapping to the beat and hear music coming from every entrance way. Overall, to say I miss NOLA already is an understatement and I cannot wait to go back someday!

While the night life in NOLA was exhilarating, some of my favorite memories from the trip were the simple times all the Bonners would spend all together. Whether that was squishing into a circle and playing cards on the floor, pushing people on tree swings after eating at The Joint, spending time taking beautiful pictures at the Tree of Life, or cramming onto United Saint’s basketball court to get in a game before bed, these are the moments I will remember forever. On the other hand, some of my favorite moments from working at 4955 Baccich had to be when someone, mostly Edric, was mudding a ceiling and you make the mistake of walking right under him and get hit by flying mud, drawing hearts on the forehead of Kerry after she had sanded a wall, and washing off our mud buckets in freezing cold water while Caitlyn Sweeney tried to off-set the cold by talking about the beach.

During this trip, we worked tirelessly to finish two houses to bring families back home. Not only did I learn new skills I plan on taking with me throughout life, this trip also solidified the reason why I decided to become a Bonner Scholar at The College of New Jersey. To me, the Bonner Scholars Program is not just a scholarship program to help students attend college; the Bonner Program is a way of life. No matter where we come from, the Bonner Program brings people together to fight towards a common goal; and because of this, I am proud to say I am a Bonner Scholar here at The College of New Jersey. 

Post Blog

New Orleans was honestly one of the most beautiful and exciting places I have visited.  The people are so vibrant and the culture and friendly personas were overwhelming in a good way.  I loved the music, the food (I even ate meat), the people, the art, the beignets, and most of I loved experiencing all of it with some of my closest friends.  Even the volunteer work was fun! I would love to go back to NOLA in the future, and had a great time.
-Khadijah Yasin