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[03 Mar 2030|05:03pm] |
I always get asked this question "What was it like growing up in Puerto Rico?" I always have to take a minute because "It was great" doesn't begin to cover it. Puerto Rico is a magical place. It's a very friendly place. I remember lots of fun times too. Of course I went to the beach a lot, though for some reason locals do not go to the beach in January. I always thought that weird since the weather pretty much a constant temperature all year round but it's just a custom down there. The only people that go swimming in the winter months are the tourists.
I remember the brightly colored buildings of Viejo San Juan, the beautiful Spanish archetcture, old women hanging out in the doorways or on the street in lawn chairs on the street. But there was one place you dare not go. La Perla, down by the water, right at sea level. It's where the drug dealers were and some of the poorest people were. To get up to the street you had to go up a long stair case. My dad forbade me from ever going near that place. "Why do you need to go down and see it?" He said, "The view from the wall is enough." It's the ghetto, horrible things happen down there but all the drug dealers kept the neighboor safe.
People are often surprised to find out I'm half Puerto Rican. I've heard "you don't look Puerto Rican." Well truth of it is, Puerto Ricans come in all hair colors and skin tones. Not looking like a typical Puerto Rican makes it easier for me to catch people when they're talking about me, especially on the subway. I hear guys having conversations in Spanish, thinking I can't understand how dirty they're being. I hear catty girls, having conversations about my outfit. I say nothing until I'm about to get off the subway, then I put them in their place, leaving their mouths gaping as the doors shut.
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