Wednesday, March 28 – Our last day of work here in Puerto Rico before we head home tomorrow. Today, we were back to tree planting, this time in Cabo Rojo. We’re not sure if Ray, our environmental interpreter, had heard from his colleagues about us or not, but he was ready with 200 trees this time!
It was a warm sunny day and the work was hard. But we were all in high spirits and encouraging each other. We really have learned to work as a single unit. Adin made sure that each tree had its fertilizer; Luke worked meticulously to ensure that there was enough soil (but not too much) covering each young tree; Grant supported with his PhD (Plant hole Digger!); Matt made sure we all stayed hydrated; and everybody planted with expert care.
By the end of the day, we were completely wiped out, but extremely satisfied to know that we had accomplished our goal of 200 trees – that’s 400 in just three days!
After work, we stopped for some well-deserved Puerto Rican creole food, then made our way to the house to prepare for our trip home tomorrow. We packed, cleaned our rooms, and spent some good time bonding and reflecting. Each of the backpackers was proud of all we’ve accomplished – and they should be! It’s been a great trip – exhausting, inspiring, educational, beautiful, heart-warming, and so many more emotions. None of us will ever be the same.
We will be sad to go, but we look forward to getting home. One last blog post tomorrow. We’ll see you then!
For additional photos, please visit the Cultural Bridges Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Cultural-Bridges-345584732621557/
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