spring break in San Juan by Ankita D. '23

college spring break is everything I wanted it to be and more, which is unfortunate since I just came back from my second and final one :’) I went to San Juan, Puerto Rico⁠01 there's a lot to be said here about PR's status as one of the oldest colonies, definitely more than could fit in a single blog post. I won't dive into the history and implications of U.S imperialism here, but I want to emphasize that awareness is important, and I do not fw blithely gallivanting in PR without educating yourself and being respectful with 11 out of 13 of my living group’s senior class, as well as two stray juniors, which made for the largest group I’ve ever traveled with. it was an incredible time, and even though I wish I had more opportunities to travel with my closest friends, I’m glad our last spring break was as good as it was.

the most common spots for MIT students that I’m aware of are Puerto Rico, Aruba, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, and Miami, but I’ve also seen a handful of people who went to Iceland, Spain, Portugal, and Denmark. Puerto Rico is the most popular location by far, though. I ran into at least two dozen people at a club, and I saw another 20 or so on my 5 AM flight back to Boston. I’d estimate there being at least 200 MIT people there, and last year probably had even more.

pre-trip preparation was limited. we bought tickets during IAP, booked Airbnbs at the start of the semester, and reserved tickets for rainforest entry a month in advance (they sell out fast). we also decided on having a rental car for four of the eight days we were there. and that was pretty much it! admittedly, one or two people assumed the burden of planning, and I was not one of them, but things still worked out.

break started on Friday the 24th, but we flew out at—no, I’m not joking—5 AM on Thursday. packing was done immediately prior since I had a midterm on Wednesday. I committed to not bringing my laptop since I knew I wouldn’t be getting any work done anyways, but the decision tormented me. an MIT student not working for over a week? unthinkable.

after we landed, we got coffee and lunch, checked into our Airbnbs, and headed to a pop up restaurant for some arepas. when we were sufficiently stuffed, we hit the beach and then got mofongo⁠02 a traditional Puerto Rican dish with fried plantain and an entire fried fish at a beachside restaurant. once we’d recovered, we went out to La Placita de Santurce, a nightlife hotspot with dozens of bars and clubs. even though it was a Thursday, it was packed, and the energy was incredible. Boston could never.

it was an amazing first day, and things only got better on Friday. we went to a beachside brewery, battled some waves, and then went back to La Placita. it was just as fun as it was the first time, and a refreshing change from the clubs I’m used to, which are lame and have a cover charge.

on Saturday, we finally left the area and headed to Old San Juan, which is renowned for its cobblestone streets and colorful buildings. it was idyllic, and the beautiful weather made me feel even more grateful of how different everything was from dreary, dismal Boston (I know I’m shitting on Boston a lot but personally I’m sickened by the weather and cannot do another year here).

afterwards, we went to snorkel at a beach that had coral reefs. only a few of us bought snorkel sets in advance, so we traded between ourselves and tried to catch a glimpse of the fish and sea turtles around. when the sun started to set, we went to grab some of the best tacos I’ve ever eaten at a taco truck, and then ended the night at La Placita. again.

Sunday was our recovery day for everything we’d done in the past three days. I’m pretty sure I got out of bed at 4 pm and then immediately went to the beach. it was a necessary rest day since we woke up at 6 AM the next morning to head to the El Yunque National Forest, a culturally significant rainforest home to hundreds of plant and animal species.

right after parking our rental cars, we climbed for a few minutes to reach a series of stunning waterfalls. it was absolutely breathtaking, and we waded in them for a bit before promptly running to take cover from a sudden bout of rain. it ended within a few minutes, so we continued onwards.

we hiked about five miles, making it all the way to the highest point in the rainforest and back in about four hours. we stopped at the top to eat the lunches we’d packed and also took a few detours, so we spent a decent chunk of the day in the forest. in the late afternoon, we headed to a nearby beach, which was one of the prettiest I’ve ever seen. we spent a while being idiots in the water, then went out to eat mofongo. other than the fact that our car got extremely stuck in the sand, it was a gorgeous day, and my favorite one of the trip.

Tuesday was another chill beach day, which was good because Wednesday was the final boss of the trip. we did a “chinchorreo,” which is essentially a roadtrip to several dive bars around the island in an LED-covered bus filled with dozens of people. it was insane.

the trip was organized by some Puerto Rican members of Skullhouse, a MIT fraternity. it included ~40 Skulls brothers, the 15 people in my group, and maybe 30 or so friends of the frat. all together, there were nearly 100 MIT students crammed onto two buses. we had no idea what to expect, but when the buses started blaring—and I mean blaring—music as soon as we hit the road, we started to wonder if we’d make it through the seven-hour adventure. although my ears could handle it, I saw a bunch of people buy earplugs so they could withstand the ride.

the other bus (aka the uglier bus since I sprinted for the cool one)

the first stop was an hour away, so we drove all the way to the south of the island. as we drove, people stood up to dance to the Bad Bunny that was blasting around us. if it weren’t for the poles and ceiling handles the bus had to offer , I would worry that people would be sent flying through the open windows…the bus was barreling down the highway at a breakneck speed, after all. my school bus rides never went that hard, so I was thoroughly unprepared for the experience.

the first stop was an restaurant and bar situated alongside the coast. the views were beautiful, and it was great to find solace on solid ground after an hour of dancing on a speeding bus. everyone had the chance to mingle and find food before we were boarding the buses once again and setting off for the next stop. the second place was my favorite; it had Instagrammable slushy drinks and a dance floor. the heat was starting to get to me, but I had a great time hanging out with a bunch of friends from different social circles.

the third and fourth stop were a blur, and by the time we made it to the final stop, a good number of people were starting to fall asleep. we had very low morale for the last spot, and the one-hour wait for dinner was painful, especially since every other table got their food first and started taking a salsa lesson in front of us. by the time our food arrived, we were on our last legs and wanted nothing more but to go home and get some rest. sadly, we had a long drive ahead of us, and since the sun was gone and the windows were down, it was freezing. on top of that, the music was still pounding in our years, and the bus kept launching us off the seats every time it hit a bump. as icing on the cake, the buses would honk loudly every time we passed each other, so there was constant blaring in addition to the unbearable music. I had a terrible time since I wanted to fall sleep but couldn’t, not even a little bit. when we made it back to San Juan, I was ready to cry tears of joy.

a few people in my group wanted nothing more than to go to bed after the grueling experience we’d have, but I started to appreciate it more and more after making it back to our Airbnb. when’s the next time I’ll be able to dance to pounding reggaeton on a bus with all my friends, taking in incredible scenery on the way to a cool oceanside restaurant? probably never. the trip back tested me, but the overall experience was great.

reenergized, a good number of people from the chinchorreo rallied for La Placita. as expected of a Wednesday, it was a bit boring, but it was still an interesting time to be surrounded by tons of MIT students in a club far away from Boston.

Thursday was our last day, so we spent the day revisiting our favorite spots. our flight left at 5 AM, which meant we had plenty of time to return to the hallowed halls of La Placita one last time before leaving. sure enough, we did, Ubering to the airport at 3 AM, straight from the club. the airport was crowded, but I still managed to bump into some MIT students, and was shocked to see that nearly 30 of us ended up at the same gate.

and with that, I made it home in time to both recover and finish my pset due Monday. I’m glad I came back on Friday morning since not working for a week gave me a lot of anxiety about school…I don’t think I’ve ever gone that long without opening my laptop. thankfully, I managed to get everything done before school started, and I made it through the first week back without losing all my morale.

spring break was definitely the highlight of my semester. it was such a blissful and relaxing time, and I’m so amazed that we got my whole senior class to Puerto Rico when we can’t even organize everyone going out to dinner in Cambridge. it makes me sad to think that this will probably be the last such trip for a long time, since everyone has their own plans for post-graduation. the concept of moving away from my friends is terrifying yet inevitable, so I’m happy to have made these memories before we graduate and it becomes immensely more difficult to coordinate a vacation.

I have no regrets about this trip, though! 10/10, I couldn’t have asked for a more fun way to spend my final spring break.