Around two and a half years ago, I was lucky enough to visit the enchanting island of Puerto Rico. I remember being so excited when my best friend asked me to go with her family. I felt like it was so far from home, when in reality it’s a territory of the U.S. The fondest moments I had from the trip were when I got to experience the immense amount of Hispanic and Latino culture. It wasn’t something I really thought about before going, but it’s all I thought about after I left.
I got to experience so many aspects of Puerto Rican culture through their diverse food, language, music, animals, architecture, and hospitality. I didn’t know what to expect when heading there for the first time, and I was so pleasantly surprised to see what made Puerto Rican culture so special.
In social settings, it was fascinating to hear the Spanish language spoken so openly. I was raised just learning English and taking a few years of French in school, so I was intrigued to walk by a group of people and not understand what they were saying.
When we went to restaurants, all the menus were in Spanish, and we tried our best to understand what they were saying, but we did utilize Google Translate to help us.
The restaurants had authentic food, some of which I’d never heard of. Most of the food I had included pork, street enchiladas, rice, seafood, and acai bowls. I specifically remember getting a canned Sprite, and it was much larger than the ones I was used to. Additionally, I had my first-ever chimichanga, and it was delicious. It was so great to branch out and try new foods!
We also got the privilege to hear the traditional Spanish music playing in the streets and outside of restaurants when we walked around. This cheered everyone up and developed such a sense of community; that wasn’t as common where I come from.
The atmosphere was so refreshing, and everyone seemed so happy. I would constantly see huge groups of friends and family walking around. Our servers at restaurants and all the locals were beyond kind. I felt so welcomed by their culture.
The most surprising thing that happened on my trip was on the first night. We went to an outdoor restaurant for dinner, and wild cats were walking around our feet and eating out of our hands. I was so shocked that this was considered normal. These cats weren’t just at restaurants but all over. I learned that animals like cats, goats, and iguanas were very common for people to see around Puerto Rico. I also had an unpleasant surprise of seeing cockroaches in our rental bathroom.
Puerto Rico had such beautiful beaches and light blue waters that were quite warm for January. I remember lots of little fish coming up to my feet and brushing up against them. One of the days, we took a trip to a rainforest where we climbed through lots of mud and rain to see beautiful waterfalls.
Puerto Rico had such detailed architecture, from vibrantly colored houses and shops that you couldn’t miss to never-ending suburbs filled with all sorts of differently styled homes. This was exciting to see because the suburbs where I come from only accept certain colors and designs.
Puerto Rico had culture everywhere I looked, and it was illustrated by the community that honors it.