Reflections on Puerto Rico

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others" – Mahatma Gandhi
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In May, 23 Marquette student-athletes spent eight days in Puerto Rico, helping rebuild five homes that were destroyed by Hurricane Maria. Partnering with SBP, a disaster relief organization whose goal is to shrink the time between disaster and recovery, we were able to help five families improve their living situations.

Going into the trip, expectations were very high following the 2018 service trip to Costa Rica. After the first day, we realized that the work we would be doing in Puerto Rico was completely different from Costa Rica; being vulnerable and going into the week with an open mind would be the best way to maximize the short time we had.

Upon arriving we were welcomed with open arms by Joanna Bauza, Marquette Board of Trustees member and a Puerto Rican. The first two days of our trip were spent playing with local kids and fully diving into the unique culture of Puerto Rico.

We were blessed to have the opportunity to attend a mass at Joanna's church. You could see how grateful the community was that we were there, the pastor brought our whole group up to the altar and blessed us for the work we would be completing ahead.

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Monday through Friday consisted of working on different homes, where we divided our group into 5 smaller teams. At each site, there were SBP leaders who would help guide the rebuilding process and teach us about the Puerto Rican culture. As athletes, our competitive nature and our ability to work in groups allowed us to excel, completing tasks that would usually take a month to complete. The tangible results at the end of the week were so satisfying for all of our groups, but what left the biggest impact in our hearts were the relationships we formed and the life lessons that we learned.

As student-athletes, we were incredibly driven to complete as much work as possible. However, this blinded us to the importance of living in the moment. During our first night of reflection, Katie Simet shared this quote with the group (from a 'You are Marquette' blog published last fall):

"Don't set out to change the world. Set out to wonder how people are doing … stop trying to reach them. Can YOU be reached by THEM? Folks on the margins only ask us to receive them."

The entire group sat in silence, thinking about why we are truly there. Our group mindset shifted from working FOR others to working WITH others and attempting to fully dive into the Puerto Rican culture to the best of our abilities. Focusing less on leaving our mark on Puerto Rico and looking more at the mark Puerto Rico would leave on us. As Marquette student-athletes, we are blessed with so many opportunities that we tend to overlook the little things in life.
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The people of Puerto Rico showed us the power of community and how a group of individuals can come together through love. For the people of Puerto Rico, lunch is not a time where you scarf down your food as fast as you can, so you can work on the next task of the day. Even though it seems so simple, a small conversation can make someone's day.

Maggie Lena, Marquette women's soccer player, said it best; "My group painted an entire garage, porch, and front of the house in a day. I made a new friend in an hour. I tried a new food in a minute. I took a breath in a second."

The importance of time is something we all took away from the trip.

We decided as a group that we were going to go the whole week without our phones to be able to fully engage in the moment. This decision allowed us to form genuine relationships with people we barely knew going into the trip. When was the last time you got to block out all the outside pressures that surround you, not worry about your social media accounts or how many emails you receive, and just live in the present? We are all so attached to our phones that we tend to forget the power of having a face to face conversation.

One of the most rewarding parts of the trip was the relationships we formed. Instead of being on our phones at each meal or during each car ride, we had no other option but to talk to the people around us. It is incredible to hear the stories of all the people around us.

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Not only did we dive head first into building memorable bonds with the student-athletes who went on the trip with, but the people of Puerto Rico showed us the definition of love and happiness. At one of the homes, there was a little boy named Bryan. He stayed home from school one day because his family couldn't afford a $10 field trip with his class. This allowed us to spend the whole day with Bryan and develop a relationship that left us endlessly smiling. Bryan didn't speak any English, which made it a little difficult to find ways to interact with him, but we turned to sports and games for the universal language.

We played hopscotch with him, rolled a coconut around for a stone. Later we invited him to work with us on his grandmother's house and we painted together outside exchanging smiles with each paint roller. Bryan even wrote our names on the cement walls when we were putting up the drywall, so we would forever be a part of his family's home. That little boy reminded all of us of the happiness that comes with childhood ... another reminder to live in the moment.

Sports were not the only way that we bonded. Carmen is 86 years old and a retired teacher; her husband passed away 23 years ago and she has been living alone ever since. She watched us work with joy in her eyes, delighted by the fact that she had visitors in her home. On the last day we were blessed to share a 85655

meal with Carmen that she and her neighbors prepared.

We decided as a group to make a little book for her so she could have something to remember us by. With the help of Leo Villa, Marquette men's soccer player, we were each able to each write a small message in Spanish to Carmen. The book brought her to tears and it was at that moment our group fully realized the impact that we were making in Carmen's life.

We have been asked endlessly about how the Puerto Rico trip went. Every time that question is asked, we just smile. How can you find the right words to describe a trip that left us all speechless? There will never be the perfect words to describe the feelings of love.

It was life changing, in the most amazing way.

Alumni always tell us that the experiences that we have at Marquette will last a lifetime, but none of us could ever have imagined something this great. We set out to 'Leave our Marq' on Puerto Rico, but more importantly the people of Puerto Rico left a mark on us.

Players Mentioned

Maggie Lena

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