Puerto Rico, como siempre, se levanta.

Puerto Rico, como siempre, se levanta.

— Melina Willis

Puerto Rico is a land of resilience. You can expect to be wowed by the way the wildlife bounces back after disaster, the way the people come together in times of need, and the way the air seems to breathe strength into you. The island is powerful and beautiful. The people are kind and welcoming. No matter where you are or who you are, people will smile and wave. The culture of love seeps into everything: the houses, the streets, the food, and the music. You will hear music everywhere you go: some salsa, some bomba, and the singing of the coqui. Every town has something different that makes it special, and everything is tied together by such a rich and turbulent history.

You will never be bored. 

You should know that everyone will talk to you. Absolutely everyone. I expected the friendliness, but I definitely wish I had been warned about how easy it is to fall into endless conversations with random people on the street. I definitely learned to build extra time into the walks to and from places. The people were easily the best part of the trip though.

There was just so much to learn from them, so much passion and strength. Everyone had a story to tell or a restaurant to suggest. A lot even had family in Ohio. Moving from place to place became bittersweet because of having to say goodbye to  people. That was probably the hardest part in general, learning so much about the people we met and stayed with, and not being able to spend more time with them or help them more. It was hard to leave them knowing that what was only a 3 or 4 day experience for us, was their reality. But the Puerto Rican people are strong and their resilience is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. Everyone we spoke to had a positive outlook and an open heart, and because of them my six word memoirs are 1) Puerto Rico, como siempre, se levanta and 2) I’ve never felt more at home.