Day Two: Three Services, Two Churches, and One Beautiful Island

¡Hola de Puerto Rico! Our day started at 8:00 this morning, where we arrived back at La Cumbre after a full night’s sleep and delicious breakfasts at our host families’ houses. Once we arrived at the church, we warmed up and prepared for our two services. La Cumbre has a 9:00 and an 11:00 service, and we performed a 30 minute service at each. After we finished singing, we got to listen to their service and even join in their worship, which was very lively and an experience many of us will remember fondly.

After both of our services, we ate a lunch of arroz con pollo (chicken and rice) at the church and had some delicious guava cake and tres leches cake for dessert. Once everyone finished eating we boarded our bus again and headed back to Old San Juan.

While in Old San Juan, we got to tour Castillo San Cristobal, which is the largest fortification built by the Spanish in the New World and covers 27 acres. We started in a museum at the base that explained the purpose and history of the fortress, and then we got to go outside and walk on the ramparts, which looked over Old San Juan and the ocean. While touring the fortress, we entered one of the old tunnels in the wall which had amazing acoustics, so we sang one of our pieces called This Endris Night. After about two hours of exploring just about every part of the fortress, we got an hour to spend exploring Old San Juan. Some of us went to the site where the Despacito music video was filmed, and others went to do some souvenirs shopping. I went with some other Voices members to explore the local shops, and found an abundance of locally made items and also some fun tourist merch.

After our time in Old San Juan was over, we climbed back on the bus and made a quick stop at a local food court for dinner. Some of us ate at a restaurant called El Mesón, which sold delicious sandwiches and subs. We also had a food called quesarito, which was sweet bread with melted cheese inside.

Once dinner was over we made the quick drive over to the Disciples of Christ Church in Bayamon. We changed into concert dress, had a quick warm up, and then gave an hour service that ended in a standing ovation and an encore. The members of the church said that they really enjoyed our choir and are hoping to have us back again someday. They even prepared some delicious snacks for us after the concert, which was much needed.

After we ate our snacks and said our goodbyes, we departed Bayamon for La Cumbre, to reunite with our host families and get a good night’s sleep in preparation for tomorrow. So far, Puerto Rico has blessed us with kind people, beautiful views, and delicious food and we are excited for the rest of our time on this beautiful island.