Every week in the climate, science, social justice, and environmental spaces is as diverse as Uproot’s membership. Field Notes, our week-in-the-life blog posts, are snapshots of the varied experiences that make our community so vibrant. 

A Week in the Life

Monday:

I usually pack my bags days before I fly to a journalism conference or any other type of event. Many times before, when I do this in a rush, I can forget a toothbrush or even my laptop. This year, I won a Diversity Fellowship to attend the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) Annual Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It’s already 10:00 p.m. My mother picked me up at my apartment because I needed to be at the airport two hours before the flight. I wonder if that´s a Puerto Rican thing. It is a sixteen-hour trip in total, with one layover at Newark International Airport. I was going to take a book with me to read during the flight, but I chose not to do it because I really wanted to sleep during the flight.

Tuesday:

A flight from Puerto Rico to Pennsylvania usually does not take more than four hours. This time, that wasn’t the case. I had to wait more than 20 hours for my layover at Newark Liberty International Airport. I tried to make the best use of time, like working on an investigation I expect to publish by the end of the year after spending half of my savings on a cold sandwich and an iced coffee. Finally, I got to my hotel at 5:00 p.m., I would say. I wanted to explore the city, but I was exhausted and needed to rest.

Wednesday:

I arrived in Philly last night and went to Wawa and bought a Mac & Cheese, a milkshake, and a spicy burger. (Yes, I love buying cheap food at gas stations.) I organized my outfits for the week in my room and went to sleep. I woke up Tuesday at 6:00 a.m. in order to have time to eat breakfast and be at my first workshop on combating science and climate change disinformation as early as possible. I went to the registration table, and got my tag, but they forgot to add my second name or initial: Joel.

Thursday:

I woke up at 5:00 a.m. to get pretty for my all-day tour in Delaware. Every time I have a journalism assignment or a workshop, I always like to be on point. I carefully pick my shoes, my hairstyle, my shirt, and my jeans. In order to be confident with yourself, you need to like your look. We departed from Pennsylvania at 7:00 a.m. There were three stops as part of our tour: Fowler Beach in Casco Bay Lines, a working poultry farm in Middletown, and Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Milton, which was my favorite. It was an enlightening visit because I got to know about their tidal march and beach restoration project, considered one of the largest ecosystem restoration projects east of the Mississippi River.

During the tour, I met Angely Mercado, a fellow Puerto Rican and uprooter. I was happy to see another Latinx person at the conference. To be honest, sometimes I felt excluded because of the language barrier. It was hard for me to socialize, as I always do, also due to the cultural differences between me and other colleagues. Angely and I spent hours on the bus sharing our favorite things about being from the island.

Friday:

After a long day of back-to-back workshops, I went to a reception organized by Climate Central and Impact US at Strangelove´s. I wasn’t going to attend because the temperature was near 50ºF, combined with heavy rains and strong winds. However, it was a unique experience, and I wanted to meet others. With a spicy margarita on hand, I had a good conversation with Catalina Jaramillo and Ignacio Calderón, two fellow Latinx reporters based in the United States. I also attended the Uproots Project’s National Convening.

Saturday and Sunday:

After a long week in Philly, I ended up exhausted. I had a couple of good workshops in the morning, but I missed eating rice with beans and swimming at the beach. I was counting my hours to get back to the island. In the evening, SEJ celebrated its traditional closing dinner, this time at the Brooklyn Bowl. I grabbed something to eat and got back to my hotel. I wanted to go to bed early because on Sunday, I had to go to the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum and then go back to Puerto Rico.

From the Wild:

Three most-used emojis?

🙄😣🙃

Hobby you keep thinking about but haven’t picked up yet?

That’s a good question. I would love to read more.

What is one thing you always do when visiting somewhere new?

Take photos and eat good food!

Interested in writing for Uproot’s Field Notes blog? Send us an email at info@uprootproject.org!