Day 9 - Puerto Rico

The volunteers, Puerto Rico, mi vida, my life
-----------
ay, mi vida, how much I miss you

without you my loneliness has no dreams
the darkness is without light

But this morning, the earth celebrated. Humanity is fighting back and walking proud.

The sun embraced me with warmth. Fire-plumed birds soared freely into the heavens as I held hands with the trade winds who kissed me with your scent
dangling from my lips
rushing to my head
like high wine

The waves applauded
and I was lost and found

because loving you loving me, corazón
gives me strength, gives me courage

to dance all over the world -- touching millions with our good fortune and anyone and everyone would be our friend and if they were being stepped on we would call on ALL HANDS to help them -- no borders would block us -- hurricanes, corruption and paper towels will not get in our way -- women would be uplifted in every language -- young people would be free and the old would be respected -- we would learn everybody's way and teach every thought -- every laughter and every pain would be ours - new seeds, new harvest, new life

no matter what it takes.

we started in yabucoa, puerto rico
and found your spirit
soft.
powerful.
in its passion, its color...

ay amor, dreaming about you
is like a pirate ship
embarking on a grand adventure

oh, how much I miss you, mi vida

the dreams of my loneliness
the light of my darkness.

- Julio (a fellow volunteer)

Day 8 - Puerto Rico

Instead of a blow-by-blow update on our days (I did a roof, Sid installed doors and windows with a minor repair crew) tonight I'd like to tell you a little bit about life on base. 

There are three dorm rooms, each with 10 sets of bunks. The rooms are co-ed and the bathrooms and showers are at either end of the building. We have to go outside to get there but even when it's raining we are walking under the awnings and the weather is between 75 and 85 degrees. 

The dining room is stocked with plenty of food but we cook our own breakfasts and assemble our own lunches (usually sandwiches).  There is one stove for the 60 residents. A hot dinner is cooked by a local family every night. Chores are divided up and we take care of ourselves. 

We are locked in to the compound every night at 7pm. The power is still out the streets aren't very safe; not crime so much as dangerous driving with winding curves and sudden potholes. There is no local night life anyway. 

Every evening is something different. One night they auctioned of a wide variety off random items (hand massages, autographed socks, the ability to prevent a particular volunteer from being allowed to choose the radio station, a week in a Vermont vacation home). $1800 was raised for the program. A couple times a week we have an optional "Spanish School".  Last night we learned the names for all of the tools in the tool box. Tonight we had an optional writing exercise to reflect on our experiences here to date. It was held in the pavilion which is where we are allowed to drink in the evenings. Attendance was pretty good. 

Lights out is at 10:30pm. Breakfast starts at 7:00am but the roosters are up by 4:00am. By 7:45am we are packing the cars and heading to work. We load up to come back at 4:00pm to be ready for dinner and the nightly meeting. Do it again the next day. 

I can't believe we've already been here a week. 

Day 6 - Puerto Rico

Today was another day of roofing but up in the mountains of Humacao. We stripped a whole tar roof off of the concrete roof. Tomorrow we still have to wash it, repair the concrete divots, seal the rather extensive cracking, then seal the whole roof. It may take two more days.

The upside is that we took our lunch break back at the beach.

A few other notes on the project in general. We only work on one (or one and a half) story structures. Therefore in order to get assistance many of the homeowners had to tear off the top floor.

There are 900+ homes on the list for roof work. We run 4-8 roof crews a day. A roof takes an average of 3 days to seal. After the roof work is done the mold remediation crews can do their thing. Most homes are inhabited in spite of the mold.

One of our homeowners was give a FEMA check of $136. The sealant cost was close to $2000, the labor 250 man-hours. This doesn't include mold removal, cosmetic paint, furniture and appliance replacement, etc.

Day 5 - Puerto Rico

Back at work today. I worked with a new crew to finish up Carmen's roof. It's now a brilliant white and hopefully the leaks have been addressed. In about 1 case out of 8 we have to go back for additional treatment. Which is how my crew spent their afternoon.

Sid was moved to a Sanitation crew to remove mold so it's safe for the family to live in the house. Many of the families have been living there anyway.

After work we hiked up to an overlook spot with the new volunteers. Medtronic sends 15-20 volunteers each week. We also have 15 volunteers and from the Archdiocese of Brooklyn this week. 15 new independent volunteers showed up today too. That makes us part of the experienced, seasoned crew.

Day 4 - Puerto Rico

Our second day off was spent doing laundry and going to Playa Guayanés.

Day 3 - Puerto Rico

Today was our first free day. We tagged along with the cool kids for a trip to El Yonque National Forest.
Our first stop was La Coca Falls.

Day 2 - Puerto Rico

Power washing (in the rain), concrete repair, crack sealant and a top coat of Henry's silicone. We didn't finish the roof but it's awfully close. Most of this crew is rotating back home. Sujin, Pesee, Lisa, and Alison were all part of Medtronic's volunteer effort. 15-20 volunteers a week for 14 weeks.

Day 1 - Yaboca, PR

We spent our first day scraping tar off of a roof in preparation for its new sealant coat. This was the third day of scraping and we aren't quite ready to power wash.

The sad part is that this house was already "fixed" by a contract crew. The roof still leaks and the new window is crooked. The contractor won't come back until another storm blows through so he can charge it as a new claim. We're doing it for free.

Heading off for our Puerto Rico Disaster Relief Trip

We took an Uber to Parker Road Station. From here it's the Orange Line to the Love Field Station, then a quick bus connection to Love Field.

Crawfish Boil 2018

The weather was chilly and very windy but the crawfish were spicy and the vegetables plentiful. A good time was had by all.

Full face mask snorkeling

Spent the day at Clam Shell Pass Beach checking out the new snorkel gear. Brian, Sayaka, Aya, Maya and Kazuyo are in from Japan visiting Grammylyn and GJ in Florida.