Canyons, Single A Baseball, and Old San Juan

This week, we had the opportunity to play the past two Puerto Rican national champions of the Single A baseball league, which has just over 80 teams covering 50 different municipalities around the island.  The champions from the past two seasons are based in the area we were staying near Barranquitas, PR, in the central mountain region of the island.  Barranquitas was a favorite location for many of us with its cooler temperatures, stunning mountain views, and unbelievably curvy mountain roads.  The two teams we played this week were very talented, and it was fun to see their culture of continuous evaluation and collaboration with teammates throughout the games.  Their passion for the game was evident, and the opportunity to play in a stadium with mountains in the background, and in the case of the second game, a light tropical mist throughout, was a unique experience indeed.

The people of Barranquitas were also incredibly warm and welcoming, and the local government even issued an official proclamation of welcome to us before we played our first game there.  While in Barranquitas, in addition to playing two competitive games, GC players had a chance to lead baseball practices with kids ranging from 8 to 13 years old.  It was a neat opportunity to share an experience playing a game that both young and older boys love.  We also toured the city, swam in the municipal pool, and hiked to a stunning canyon overlook, which featured a huge waterfall cascading down the mountain.

As our time in Puerto Rico is coming to a close, we left the mountains for the coast to experience a bit more time on the beach and to explore Old San Juan.  As part of our time in Old San Juan, we toured 500-year-old Spanish Colonial forts, walked the narrow streets of the old city, and learned about some of the challenges faced by everyday Puerto Ricans around economic conditions, fragile electric grids, the historical complexities of the U.S. Puerto Rican relationship, and the positive and negative effects of tourism on the local economy.  We talked in our group about the difference between tourism, where we try to maintain our standards of comfort in a different environment (Air-Conditioning, diet, and other daily accommodations), and what the GC experience intends to accomplish (integration with local communities).  Those differences lead to student discomfort (inconsistent availability of A.C., unfamiliar food, cold showers, and different languages spoken around us every day).  The constancy of those differences can be disconcerting and, at times, psychologically exhausting for students, as they long for familiar routines, familiar food, and other comforts of home.  As leaders, we often challenge students to push back against the urge to claim those comforts as necessary and deserved, and recognize the temporary nature of their experiences in a different place.  We challenge them to adapt as best as they can to the differences and use the contrast as a way to develop attitudes of gratefulness and empathy.  While students may feel an increasing level of grumpiness and discomfort with their different circumstances, the ability to adapt to new and changing circumstances is a critical life skill that will serve them well in the years to come.  So as we head back to the mainland U.S. on Memorial Day, we celebrate the perspectives we have gained here in Puerto Rico and the ways in which these memories will impact us in the months and years to come.