Although a territory of the US, Puerto Rico has maintained its own culture and tradition. It continues to invoke a relaxed attitude towards life. During our trip we spent a day at a high school. The building itself exemplified the laid back personality of the island. During the day students were free to hang out and study outside if they didn’t have class. There were no doors on the end of the hall ways, everything was open to the outside world. One classroom even had a wall taken out exposing the students and teacher to the outside world. This differs drastically from the security stringent continental US schools that are always on the look out for a potential school shooting. Speaking to the students we learned of the different views towards America in Puerto Rican politics. There seem to be three main parties; the ones who wish to keep things as they are, those who wish to make Puerto Rico a state and those who wish for independence. All of the students seemed very excited about the election of Barack Obama. Visiting the homeless shelter where we helped make and serve lunch also was very different from what I expected. Some of the people had previously lived in the continental US before migrating down to the streets of Puerto Rico. A lot of the homeless could speak some English. At the shelter the staff encouraged their residents to learn to paint. They brought in retired art teachers, professors and artists to give pointers to the residents. For money, the residents sold their paintings. One very talented resident had recently sold a painting at an auction for 4 figures! Having been to Puerto Rico before as a tourist, it was interesting to come back and to see what real life is like on the island. The trip was very rewarding over all and gave me new insight on the Puerto Rican culture.
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