A potential adventure of a lifetime

By Preston Fore

As a journalism and global studies student, taking an international projects class in the journalism school was almost a match made in heaven. I heard about the exciting endeavor of past groups — traveling to the Galápagos Islands, for example — and I knew I wanted to be part of the course.

There certainly has been some ups and downs when it comes to the location of the trip. Going in, I thought the class always went to the Galapagos. Most students learn about the islands at some point during middle and high school science class. Year after year, there was a discussion of Charles Darwin’s HMS Beagle (full disclosure: I had to Google the name of the boat… but I knew I did learn it from more than one teacher) and finches in relation to natural selection. So, I thought, when else in my life would I get to go to the Galápagos Islands, let alone with two dozen or so other college students? But, jokes on me, we were going to Brazil instead.

Telling the stories of northern Brazil seemed like such a unique opportunity, that, like the Galapagos, would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. When else in my life would I go to a rural island in South America? Probably never. After hearing about the ferry ride, and reading an Associated Press article about a boat sinking on the same route a few weeks ago, I’ll admit I think I would have been a little scared. So, when days went by when we were supposed to hear information about buying flights, it seemed like we would be taking our back-up trip. And here we are, T-minus 10 days or so out from heading to Puerto Rico.

A few of my fellow reporters and I are all feeling a looming sense of anxiety. What if we get to Puerto Rico and can’t find sources? What if the language barrier prohibits a conducive interview? How do we minimize the impact of parachute journalism?

But we will have over a week — and all day long – to find sources. Most people in Puerto Rico know some English, and most of us reporters have probably taken a Spanish class sometime in our life. Nothing, though, will necessarily stop partial parachute journalism, but we can continue to research our topics, be respectful on-the-ground and remember to do not take anything from granted.

Everything will work out in the end. We are not going to anywhere completely foreign. There is literally a McDonald’s and Walgreens within a five-minute walk of our hostel.

For me personally, I am eager to go to Puerto Rico to learn — not only as a journalist, but as an academic and person. The territory has such exceptional stories, and its unique history and politics continue to be crucial to learn about and follow. And as a global studies major, hearing from locals about how their culture differs from my own is beyond fascinating.

It is hard to beat a place with rich cultural heritages, beautiful landscapes and delicious food. However, it is a shame Puerto Rico is often treated differently and receives less (and often worse) attention than the U.S. mainland. Puerto Ricans are American citizens, after all.

I optimistic that our global storytelling team will live up to the amazing work completed by past classes. I do know one thing for certain, though, we will come back with new friends, new skills and a newfound appreciation for Puerto Rico.