A Trip to Puerto Rico - Essay Sample

Introduction

This was one the trip that I remember every day when I look at the pictures in my room. We took a trip to Puerto Rico with our church, Fellowship Bible Church (FBC), two months after Hurricane Maria. This was a trip organized by our church in collaboration with the Chapel of Christ the Saviour to help out in cleaning some parts of San Juan. Many areas of the capital were destroyed by the Hurricane and the church so the need to participate in rebuilding and cleaning the cities. The trip was to last for two weeks.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

The event involved youths from our church and those from the Chapel of Christ. I can confess I was lucky to be surrounded by hardworking ladies and gentlemen. I was not used to doing hard tasks at home or even in my neighborhood. All duties in the house were carried out by my parents who I will forever be grateful. Therefore, this was going to be my first experience surrounded by those who knew barely anything about my life.

When we landed at Isla Grande airport, we were welcomed by youths from the Chapel of Christ who led us to the church. I was shocked at the state of the surrounding environment. The hurricane had hit Puerto Rico, but despite the state of despair, people were determined in restoring its glory. This first scared me to be sincere.

Because we were somehow exhausted, we were allowed to rest in preparation for the long days ahead. Diego was to be our leader during our stay. We were supposed to start our volunteer work the following day morning, but I was surprised that I was the last to leave the bed. Diego and the rest had already begun the work.

The work involved moving heavy materials from one place to other, being honest this was not the kind of work I was expecting. I would carry lighter materials which made Diego upset, and he would summon my youth leader Brown if I had any sickness or had some back pains. After being assured that I was okay, they would leave some piles for me which I had to carry and catch up with them for lunch break. There was no other option; I had to push myself. I employed a strategy of finding a friend who would lead me through, and I got one, Matias. At first, it was difficult, but later I managed for he would encourage me to keep going by looking at people around.

The experience changed my perception of community work and worked generally. Instead of taking 14 days to complete the work it only took us 11 days. I associate this achievement to my hard work because I was very troublesome in the first four days.

After finishing our work, we were given an opportunity to visit beaches in San Juan before we could head home. We visited the main tourist Beach of San Juan, and we had it all to ourselves. Surprisingly, I never enjoyed going to the beaches as I used to before. I wanted to get home and show my parents how I had changed.

Conclusion

As I write this piece, am grateful to my church FBC, Chapel of Christ the Saviour, Diego, Mathias, and Brown for changing me into a better person and allowing me to participate in cleaning San Juan and Puerto Rico in general.