Identifying with My Culture
Punta Borinquen Beach - Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
The battle between the person I am and the person I was raised to be has been a hardship for as long as I can remember. The mix of cultures that define me constantly seek permission from me in adulthood.
The American in me who knows they have rights and the Puerto Rican in me who in many ways still is fighting a bit harder to have their rights recognized.
The person that exists beyond the color of my skin. The generations have somehow reminded me of circumstances I was oblivious to.
They remind me through the wind, as my hair is misplaced although I tried to keep it in place.
They remind me when the sun makes my cheeks rosy and my skin goes from caramel to milk chocolate or whatever may be in between.
They remind me of the shape of my nose and the dark circles under my eyes, which disappear when the rest of my body gets darker—which I hated growing up.
They remind me even when I do not recognize a word, there is still potential for growth.
They remind me that they pushed through adversity even when they did not want to or felt that they could not anymore. During those times, a hope that was birthed in them now lives in me and eventually through me.
They remind me that this person beyond the color of my skin, who I am still getting to know, letting me see I am still here and connected to them by circumstances that may have merely happened by chance through something we did not have any real control of.
No one can really understand you unless they have experienced the same experiences you did. For the most part, we extend empathy for the similarities in an effort to care for the other person.
Lately, I have witnessed, more and more, that one cannot force understanding or agreeance. I cannot be angry or annoyed that a person cannot see the real issue of their actions.
Although many may not understand, if they had had an experience like mine, my family’s, and my close friends, I would still be living on La Isla del Encanto (the island of Enchantment).
I believe this is why music connects souls, cultures, and people related by shared experiences. This is why Bad Bunny’s Album means a great deal to many who want to bring more awareness and boldness to the voices of those who have been silenced and forced to live a certain way that is often brushed under the rug.
In Bad Bunny’s song "LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii," the lyrics tie us Puerto Ricans closer together in what we know as the struggle, a fight many have fought and are continuing to fight to bring about change for the well-being of our island, our home.
[Verso 2]
Aquí nadie quiso irse, y quien se fue, sueña con volver
Here no one wanted to leave, and those who left dreamed of returning
Si algún día me tocara, qué mucho me va a doler
If one day my turn comes, it is going to hurt me so much
Otra jíbara luchando, una que no se dejó
Another jíbara* fighting, one who did not give up
No quería irse tampoco y en la isla se quedó
She didn't want to leave either and she stayed on the island
[Pre-Coro]
Y no se sabe hasta cuándo
And we do not know until when
jíbaro(a) - traditionally refers to a Puerto Rican small farmer, rural worker, or laborer, especially in mountainous regions.
In modern-day, this definition is often used to define a simple lifestyle and it sometimes carries connotations of being unsophisticated or rustic— which some people use in a derogatory manner, an insult almost yet it is a word that carries humility and authenticity. A true figure of the Puerto Rican culture is el jíbaro, what he embodied and represented, a culture shared, a culture stripped, a culture we are doing our best to hold onto.
There comes a time when you choose to embrace and define how you want to celebrate your culture. You should no longer blame your parent for the fact that you were not able to learn the language from them, they may have had many factors come about as to why or not. You get to redefine it all, consciously and embody new meanings for yourself and not just go by what you were told.
A major factor we all have in common is that we are made to question and think for ourselves, even when those in power want to strip that right away.
We have a right to question who we are, the actions of people around us, and the decisions that resulted in not being the best course of action. We have this opportunity that renews daily to reinvent ourselves, regardless of the countless failures, we can start over.
The reality is that being able to identify and question, with good reason, sets you apart because there is so much in this life that needs improvement.
Without revision and the right thought processes in place, the advancement in our society will be slow. Your life will continue to be rooted in false narratives, beliefs, values, and principles that contradict who you are and this will keep you in a quicksand box that will only get harder to get out of as time passes.
When you question, you slow down your thinking, you can analyze your way of understanding and how you problem-solve.
Like most of us, I have let myself fall into cycles where I do not actively seek to question and accept certain things as fact. However, that is not an effective way to live life if you want to make some major changes in the trajectory of how you would like it to pan out.
This is why we need reminders, the people who are woke, to shake up society by asking questions, researching, and educating themselves again.
Lead your life, do not drift off the coast.
This is not about overthinking, you do not want to be stuck in hopelessness. This is about pushing past to the unknown for that glimpse of opportunity.
All you have to do is stay true to yourself to get there.
