I have spoken briefly about my identity as a Puerto Rican woman in past articles. I have also spoken about my experiences as a college student here at Vassar. However, for this one, I'm going to give you a bit of a better picture of exactly what it's like as those two aspects of my current situation intersect. Because they do. Often. It oftentimes isn't a bad thing, it can even be a good thing, that leads to all sorts of great experiences. It's complicated. Well, everything's complicated. Let me explain.
1. "Oh my gosh, I want to visit you! Do I need a passport?"
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*Deep breaths* Ok, so you can't really blame people for not knowing the political status of Puerto Rico, hell, it's complicated enough that most of us even have a hard time with it. But trust me, I'm a U.S. citizen, you can come visit me any time you want!
2. That amazing feeling when you meet another Puerto Rican
When I was a freshman, it took me months to find other Puerto Ricans who I could connect with. Luckily, I did find them! When I came to Vassar for my sophmore year, I immediately accosted the Director of International Services to tell me if there were any Puerto Rican freshmen. No lie. Like, it's amazing to have friends from all different cultures and places, but it's also so nice when you can just sit down for coffee with someone who just like gets it, you know?
3. You go up to kiss someone on the cheek in greeting, and have to deal with the ensuing awkwardness
Learning to shake hands with people was literally the hardest part of my transition. What is this personal boundaries thing?
4. That moment at the party when your music comes on
You're just hanging out with your friends, maybe dancing a little bit, everything is chill. But then, you hear the opening notes of that Romeo Santos song float into your ears, and the world stops. The drink goes down, your smile lights up, and you make your way to the center of the dance floor. No, back off white boy, I'm going to show you how to really dance.
5. "Why do you have a giant flag on your wall?"
Why don't you?
6. The first winter
This one specifically applies to those who were raised on the island, or in warm climates in general, but literally nothing can prepare you for that first winter. No amount of advice about layering, no mental can-do attitude, literally nothing. You are just going to have to deal with wanting to die for a certain part of the year (and if you're in New York like me, that means 3-4 months of frozen tears.) And of course you get to deal with the snide remarks from your northeastern friends. You just gotta get through, dreaming about palm trees and beaches until the warmth returns.
7. Finally going home
Somehow, you make it all the way to Christmas break, and it's time to catch a flight back home! The moment you step off the plane and are hit by the overwhelming yet welcome wall of humidity, and see the expanse of palm trees and smell the salt air, you know you're home. Back in the arms of your loving (and also overwhelming) family, who get you better than no one else does, everything seems right. You know college has it's purpose, and is a source for so many great experiences, but home will always be back on the island.
