From Lancaster to the World: Hurricane Maria Relief to Puerto Rico

From Lancaster to the World: Hurricane Maria Relief to Puerto Rico

First of all, I would like to THANK everyone that had called, text or message me. My friends and family had to evacuate their homes  before Hurricane Maria arrived but my family is okay my grandparents just had minor damages they lost a piece of their roof but its something it can get fix. My friend on the other hand had to evacuate and came back to his house being 2 ft underwater and lost everything. Finding out about this broke my heart but like my friend and family said to me "We are alive, that's what matters" and that kept me calm but reading the news and seeing how my hometown, Cataño, was 80% destroyed by Hurricane Maria I couldn't just sit and see everything just happen; I needed to take this feeling of helplessness go away. The only way that I could help my family, friend and community back home is by getting involve in my community and find out how I could help out while I am here in the United States. By people reaching out to me and asking me I have found some organization that can helpful in the relief that go straight to the island and other that are here locally in Lancaster that then it will be sent to Puerto Rico.

As it right now, I am not able to go to PR but as soon as I can I will leave and help out in Cataño and any other areas near my hometown. So for now, I can inform you guys out in how you can help me out and  the island.

Organizations in Lancaster, PA with benefit event and donations drive:

Organization: Old San Juan Restaurant & The Cellar on Market

Date: September 26th, 2017

Location: 25 W King st. Lancaster, PA 17603

****All evening proceeds will go towards Hurricane Relief in Puerto Rico.

Organization: Unidos Pa' Puerto Rico

Date: Saturday, October 7th, 2017

Location: Penn Square, Downtown Lancaster

Online Donation: www.elconcilio.net/donate

Organizations in PR where you can donate money:

ConPRmetidos:

https://www.generosity.com/emergencies-fundraising/maria-puerto-rico-real-time-recovery-fund

GoFundMe:

https://www.gofundme.com/raise-funds/hurricanemaria

UnidosporPR:

http://unidosporpuertorico.com/en/

If you guys have supplies where you guys want to donate you always look for event at your own towns that will always help. For my international friends, if you guys want to donate supplies you can always sent it to me on my PO BOX and I will make sure it arrives in Puerto Rico.

Steven Rivera

PO Box 2771 Lancaster, PA 17608

Here is the list of supplies that will be perfect to donate:

-Water Bottles (Cases)

-Canned Food (meats, vegetables, fruits, soups, etc)

-Rice (Grain or instant)

-Milk (Canned or in Containers)

-First Aid Kits

-Batteries (ALL sizes)

-Flash Lights (ALLsizes)

-Radios (Battery Operated)

-Portable Cellphones Chargers

-Gas Lamp, smalls gas stoves, generators, etc

-Can Openers (Manual)

-Over the counter medicine (Acetaminophen, Antihistamine, Triple Antibiotic, Hydrocortisone, Etc.

-Band Aids

-Hand Sanitizes, mosquito repellents, etc

-Cleaning supplies (Lysol Wipes, Detergent etc)

-Toilet paper, soaps, deodorant, shampoos, feminine products, tooth brushes, tooth paste etc.

-Baby supplies and food (Canned baby food, Milk, Diapers, Wipes, Acetaminophen Etc.

-Pillow, Towels, Blankets Etc.

Also if you would like to volunteer here is a link with some information:

https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2017/09/22/how-help-after-hurricane-maria

There is also the HOTLINES:

- If you haven't being able to reach your loves ones call (202) 788-0710
-If someone needs helps on the island call (787) 777-0940, (202)-800-3133 and (202)-800-3134

Also an HOTLINE Email:

maria1@prfaa.pr.gov



***You can always donate a municipality in PR to send your donations. Go to PR.gov and pick 1 out of the 78 municipalities in PR.Look for their directory and call or send an email to the municipality building and they will tell you the address were all donations will be receive.






You can also help out by buying one of this T-Shirt for $20.00 all the proceeds will go to PR. You can pay for it  through a VENMO account and paying it to @Steven-Camacho-3. I will be mailing T-Shirts out to those who buy a T-shirt. Sizes goes from XS to XXL. They are 100% Cotton.

In advance I want to thank you all for reading this and helping out! I appreciated a lot! My friends, family and community in Puerto Rico will appreciate it!

From Cataño to the World: Why do I travel? The Reflection

From Cataño to the World: Why do I travel? The Reflection

"Why do I travel?" is the question of the century. I normally say that "Why not?" and  that's the end of the conversation. But to be honest the more I travel the more I ask myself why do I travel? There is 3 real reasons of why I travel.

Reason #1: I travel because of my grandfather.

Visiting Cairo, Egypt in March 2014

My grandfather influenced me like no other person had in my life. He was the man that taught me about culture and gave me the pleasure to gain interest in reading. He was a man that owned a candy shop for more than a decade in his small apartment in my hometown, Cataño, and the only way he traveled and saw the world was by reading the newspaper. He had so much knowledge and I'm blessed that he was my grandfather. I never got the chance to tell him about my travels because he passed when I was just 16. He still pushes me to keep traveling and learn more about other countries, cultures, and norms. I would love to just sit down at his little coffee table and chat about all the places that we talked about in the newspapers when I was just a kid and go over my pictures that I have taken in those countries. I miss mi querido viejo but he is one of the reasons why I travel. Traveling always reminds me of his voice and all of our conversations we had about traveling the world together.

Reason #2: I travel because I want to be a good influence in my community.

Visiting my hometown in May 2017.

Not a lot of you know but I grew up in the Residencial Juana Matos also known as caserio (Public developments) in Cataño. This place has a good community sense but also it has a big and strong influence in drugs and violence. As a kid I remember being approached by one of drug dealers on day while walking back home from school with my friend and he asked me what I wanted to do when I grow up and I remember telling him that I wanted to be a doctor that travels the world and helps people and he laughed at me and told me "that would never happen because you are here"(Referring to the caserio) the only way to get out of here is by being part of the drug world with dirty money, going to jail, or in a black bag dead. Until this day I don't remember the guy's name or what happened to him but his words of discouragement were more of a motivational booster for me. After that conversation I was determined to never become part of the drug lord and to do whatever it took to leave el caserio, to see the world, to always do my best, and to excel in everything that I put in my mind too. To you, stranger, I proved you wrong. I have taken all the opportunities in my life to see the world and do better as a member of society. I travel the world and post my adventures on my social media because I want to show the kids and everyone in my hometown that if I can get out of the caserio and see the world they can do it too. Some of them never have even been on a plane or even maybe never left the island and I want them to see the world through me. I write my experience traveling so they can see the world. When I travel I carry the Puerto Rican flag with me to show that I am always representing where I come from and that I will never forget to stay humble of my beginnings.

Reason #3: I travel because of my father.

Papi and I Bayamon PR August 2011.

My father is one of the most important reasons of why I travel and see the world. He was a hard working man that spend his entire life working to be able to support his family. He might have failed in many things in life but he never failed me as a father. A lot of things in life will happen where you will never understand the reason. My father passed away from cancer on September 6th, 2011. I was just 18 years old and I was just starting my first year in college. His only son to go college. It was a big accomplishment for me and for him because he never got that opportunity. His entire life from age 18 to 53 years he worked his ass off to retire and enjoy his life. 35 years of working literally from 8am to 430pm at one job and then working at his second job from 6pm to 11am just to be able to provide financial support for us and after a year of retirement he was gone. Six years from today he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and 42 days later he was gone. Opening my eyes that life can just end at any second. I never saw my dad talking about traveling the world or even having some leisure time for himself because the only thing that he always worried about were the bills and his responsibilities of being the man of the house. 65% of his life the only thing that he did was work, work, work and work and he forgot to see the world and live a little. I know that he wasn't really into traveling because he was always afraid that a version of TAKEN would happen to us but he always supported me and my sisters to travel. My missions trip to Honduras, the cruise in the Lesser Antilles, my 4 hours in Canada and my trip to Costa Rica was paid for by him and I will forever be grateful for him giving me the opportunities to travel even when he was uncomfortable and scared of traveling. I will never know if he regrets not traveling as much as he did but that's something that I don't want to think when I'm about to give my last breath of life.

Watching the Northern Lights in Iceland in March 2011.

For that reason I travel as much as I can because I don't want my job to be everything in my life I want my job to be part of my life. I want to be able to have some leisure time for myself. I don't want to follow the norm and forget what it is to have fun, see the world and just wander. I want to see the world with my own eyes where I just have an amazing view in front of me and just listen to the perfect song while staring at it because I want to make sure that I remember that moment forever. Take in the second and just think "Wow, what a beautiful view" and thank God for giving me the opportunity to see such creations. A picture does no justice to these moments but I still take the picture because I want you guys to see it.

The Louvre Paris, France April 2014

These are the reasons of why I travel. I travel because the passion was put into me by my grandfather. I travel because I want to educate my community and be the best example that I can be everyday. I want to be someone that people look up to and are influenced by me. To look at me and say I want to do what you're doing or I want to be just like him or even better because the sky is the limit. To not say "I wished I did that" and instead say "I did it." I travel because life is short and it can be taken away from you in just seconds. I want to make sure that when that day comes I can be happy and say I did it and I don't regret spending all that money. Because at the end of the day money can't buy you great memories.

Thank you for reading my blog and I hope these words inspire you guys to take some leisure time to travel and see the world. Wander around your town, your state, your country and outside your country gain those great experiences and memories.

If you guys want to see more pictures of my travels go to my IG page and follow me: stevenrcamacho

From Cataño to the World: Spain Part I

Where in the World is "el Bori" from Cataño to the world: Spain Part I

At Barajas Airport.

I'm back and ready to continue writing about my wonderful travels. I apologize for not writing for so long but I'm back.

This post will be about my study abroad experience living in Spain. I studied abroad in Burgos, Spain for 6 months and it was one of the best experience of my life. This was my first trip that I ever did alone and it was the best decision I ever made. This trip is the one responsible for my traveling addiction. One thing that the study abroad program prepared you for is one, homesick and two, what to do when the unexpected happens while traveling but it doesn't prepare you for the traveling bug and the need to travel after your study abroad experience is over. Traveling abroad wasn't on my plans but my friend/brother Darren convinced me to do it and for that I thank you mi hermano. 

First meal in Spain

We departed on January 28th, 2014 from Philadelphia and arrived in Madrid, Spain the next day really early in the morning. After getting our luggage we met with a couple of the Millersville students that were doing the same program in Burgos. We decided to stay the day in Madrid and venture around. From Barajas Airport, we went to U hostels not that far from the center of Madrid. As soon as we arrived, we were super interested in the food. We wanted breakfast. I was thinking we could get a big breakfast like we get them here in the United States but I was wrong. Breakfast in Spain is pretty small and I couldn't believe it. I ended up getting a piece of tortilla española with a piece of bread and a soda because I don't drink coffee. I know, I am a horrible person for not drinking coffee. Other kinds of breakfast foods were churros with hot chocolate and when I say hot chocolate its literally melted hot chocolate.

View from U hostels in Madrid.

I was so amazed of being in Madrid that I couldn't believe it. I was in the country that for 405 years had control of my home Puerto Rico and a lot of our culture is influence by them. This was my time to really just take in everything and compare it with Puerto Rico. We then visited the Plaza Mayor, the Royal Palace where we saw the change of guards, la Gran Via, la Puerta del Sol, and Plaza de cibeles. We also visited a couple of churches but I don't remember their names. It felt so surreal being in Madrid. After we wandered around Madrid and got lost in the metro system we got to the hostel and slept a bit and then went to the closest bar to get some drinks. The majority of us were 20 years old or less so that meant we could drink without getting in trouble. Let's just say that our first day in Spain was going to be one of the many awesome nights we were going to have during the semester. The next day we woke up really tired and with an incredible jet-lag we got up and left to Las Americas Bus Station. Left Madrid to go to Burgos where we all studied and lived for the whole Spring 2014 semester.

Plaza de Cibeles

Even though I walked, saw, and explored Madrid, I missed a lot of places that I hope to see in the future. Those places are :

-Buen Retiro Park
-Museo Nacional del Prado
-Temple of Debod
-Barrio de la Latina
-Puerta de Alcala
-El Escorial





Also here are some cool facts about Madrid:

-Madrid is the 3rd biggest city in Europe
-Madrid is not only a city but an autonomy of Spain
-The Royal family does not live in the Royal Palace.
-Madrid comes from the arabic word "magerit" which means "place of many streams"
-Madrid and New York City are on the same latitude 40 North.
-Madrid is the highest capital city in the EU.
-Barajas airport is physically the largest airport along with Paris airport Charles de Gaulle making it the busiest airport in the EU.

-Madrid is literally in the middle of Spain.
-Madrid was founded around 860 A. C (9th Century)
-They are the biggest Real Madrid fans for obvious reasons.

With the gitanos at Puerta del Sol

My 10 Reason of why you should Study Abroad:

1. Learn about yourself
2. Make long term friends
3. Gain independence
4. Discover a new culture
5. Expansion of network
6. See you own culture through a new lens
7. Get spontaneous and adventurous
8. You gain a greater knowledge of different cultures
9. Discover new and excited food
10. Of course you get the great International Student discount

Next post will be more about my time in Burgos I will try to condense my time there because it 7 month life experience and memories. I also went to another 10-12 cities in Spain.

Don't forget to follow me on Instagram: stevenrcamacho

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I want to leave this quote that really identify me and my love to travel:

"Viajar es imprescindible y la sed de viajar, un sintoma neto de inteligencia"

"Traveling is essential and the thirst to travel, a net sign of intelligence"

-Enrique Jardiel Poncela