"It Got More Beautiful"

by Danielle Layton (United States of America)

I didn't expect to find Puerto Rico

“It got more beautiful,” Charito said as we looked at the scene in front of us. Her home had a mountain top view overlooking the greenery that still remained. It's Puerto Rico, of course it is beautiful, but how could it have gotten "more beautiful" after this storm? My university had traveled miles to spend a week here to rebuild what was lost. Tears began to cascade down her cheek after I asked her how she was affected by the Hurricane. She said, “mucho”. We all paused, the atmosphere too, we needed to take that in and be still for just a moment, for her. Ceiba, a small town in Puerto Rico, was one of the most affected areas in the country from Hurricane Maria. My travel group from university had spent the day at Centro Apoyo Mutuo doing meal preparations for the communal kitchen. A few of us eventually left the center to deliver food to those in the neighborhood, those still standing and pushing through. We arrived at a one story home greeted by a white picket fence and a lady with a glistening smile and hope in her heart. Her name is Ramirez, a school teacher. I asked her to share her story on life after Hurricane Maria. Before the words escaped her lips her head shook, the memory still inked fresh in her mind. “I don’t like it. My parents they cry today, they cry everyday”, she said. Though it was hard for her to tell us her story she still shared and we listened. Before we left, she showed us her bedroom with all four walls covered with beautifully painted mugs and then I knew she had found her hope. We were walking down the colorful streets of San Juan when I looked up to a sea of colorful flags flowing to and fro in the Puerto Rican sunlight. I saw a sign on the wall and intrigued to learn more it read: “We elevate the kites in a symbolic act to represent the great possibilities of prosperous development among the autistic population of the Island. There are no limits for them because they can rise as high as they want. (First Lady of Puerto Rico, Beatriz Rossello)”. My heart was warmed as I took one more look at the honorable flags. As we continued along the stone tiled streets we heard music playing in the distance and began to follow the melody. We drew to the sound to find an older man sitting on some sidewalk steps. His head was tilted, wearing a sombrero hat, so we couldn’t see his eyes. Yet, his soul sung as he stringed melodies on his guitar. We danced and cheered along as we continued on our journey. I took one look back to find his head still tilted and his fingers dancing along the strings. His music would be more than we could fully comprehend. We didn’t know where the winding roads would take us, we just took in the view. Trees that survived, stood tall, and guided the way. We passed by the most colorful homes, some damaged with roofs completely gone and some still held firm. “El Yunque Rainforest” read the sign on the right side of the road. We had reached our destination. The waterfall flowed mightily yet beautifully, and I was reminded that nature was still in control. The group eventually separated each to find our own adventure. I sat upon a rock and observed the amazing scene in front of me. The sun still overlooked this beautiful country and its people. The water flowing beneath me. I took a breath in and let it out. Never did I think I would find what I didn’t know I lost in a place that seemed to lose it all. Life abided. Now I understood why “it got more beautiful.”