““Yo. My family’s from Puerto Rico. The tropical destination where you can spend your Washingtons, the spot where you vacation. A commonwealth with not a lot o’ wealth, a not-quite nation. Seventy-billion-dollar topic of conversation; Hopin’ to God John Oliver’s comical dissertation resonates with the Congress that got us in this situation. Along with suicidal tax incentive declarations: “Yeah, we’ll pay your bonds first. Close the hospital, f**k the patients.’”-Lin Manuel MirandaP

I consider myself a Puerto Rican first and then an American, even though I’m both. Here in the Continental USA, some people don’t quite understand that. The relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States has been and continues to be extremely complicated, to say the least. Through the years I’ve had well intended people ask me all kinds of questions about Puerto Rico and my relationship with the United States as a Puerto Rican. What’s your visa status? Are you a citizen? Is Puerto Rico ever going to become a state? Can you vote? Are your ancestors from Spain? Or from Mexico? Do people in Puerto Rico pay taxes?… just to name a few. Here I will try to explain from my personal point of view what it means to be a Puerto Rican.

Puerto Rico was inhabited for thousands of years by the Tainos, a Caribbean indigenous tribe who called the island Borikén. It was not until 1493 that Puerto Rico was conquered by Cristopher Columbus under the Spanish flag. The island of San Juan Bautista (as Puerto Rico was originally named) was ruled by the Spaniards for almost four centuries, until the Spanish-American war. USA invaded Puerto Rico in 1898 and through the Treaty of Paris became an incorporated territory of the United States. In the early 1900’s Puerto Rico was ruled by the US military with a governor and upper house appointed by the President. In 1917, the United States granted citizenship to all Puerto Ricans born after July 25, 1898 through the Jones Act (which many believe the motive was to draft Puerto Ricans to participate in World War 1). In 1948, the US Congress approved for Puerto Ricans to elect their own Governor and soon after that became the “Estado Libre Asociado”, which vaguely translates to a Commonwealth of the United States. The new status brought countless of failed national independence movements and the redaction of our own Constitution, which was proclaimed on July 25, 1952.

“Without question, so many people, throughout my life, never think of Puerto Rico as part of the United States. Many people have no idea what the relationship is between Puerto Rico and the United States. And certainly, I have been asked if we are citizens.”-Sonia Sotomayor

Our current political status, “Estado Libre Asociado”, is nothing more than a sort of limbo and the reason for so much confusion for Puerto Ricans and Americans alike. This topic is rather political for most Puerto Ricans and won’t spend much time discussing it. However, the status is complex and, in many ways, open for interpretation. We are part of the USA, much like a colony, but with limited privileges as citizens. We elect our own government, with national jurisdiction, but insignificant international power. In other words, the USA makes us believe we’re in control of our own destiny, but in reality, we’re not. On the other hand, we have our own Olympic representation and preserve our own unique culture and language. Historically, approximately 48% of Puerto Ricans identify themselves as pro-statehood and 48% support the current commonwealth political status. The remainder 4% support independence from the USA. Divided public opinions about our political status adds further uncertainty. I’ve lived in Puerto Rico a total of 31 years and in the Continental USA for 13. Although I’ve always considered myself a Puerto Rican, the perspective has changed from my years as a medical student in San Juan to today, living with my own family in Texas.

Growing up in Puerto Rico has been one of the greatest joys of my life. I vividly remember all the close relationships with family and friends. I grew up in a geographically small island, but it was all I knew, and it was all I needed. We played sports, learned in school and had dreams like everybody else, all within the confines of 100 by 35 miles. I vaguely remember the world outside of Puerto Rico, but it didn’t matter much during those pre-internet times. I remember the trips to the beach and family reunions where my grandma would cook our own Puerto Rican food. We discussed our own politics and talked about our daily struggles in the tropics. People were friendly and like-minded, much like having an extremely large extended family. Some call this insularism. Which may be, given the physical constraints of the island. But for me, it was all I knew and it felt unique.

After high school, I went to college in Indiana. A cultural shock of epic proportions, to put it mildly. Different language, different food, different ways to have fun, different weather, different music and different races. I quickly understood that I was different, expressing my unique culture, much like the students from other countries. However, different from other international students, I had to come to terms with the puzzling reality of being Puerto Rican; I’m very different from the typical American student but I’m supposed to be the same. At that time most of the American students didn’t really know a thing about the political status of the island and most considered me an immigrant. On the other hand, the international students considered me an American, given my US citizenship. As a young man I found myself trapped in this quandary that unconsciously generated a combination of ambiguity, disillusion, pride and in some cases plain anger. With time I learned to cope with my own ignorance as well as the ignorance of others by constructing a psychological safe haven for myself. Many years have passed since my days as a college student in Indiana, but even today I feel trapped in the same limbo, even if to a much lesser extent.

As a Puerto Rican, I’m a product of circumstances of which I have no control. I was born in Puerto Rico as a Unites States citizen and was not given a choice about it. An obvious but important distinction. Our people have been going to war for the United States since World War 1, at times when we felt no more than second class citizens. Since 1898 Puerto Ricans have been legally fighting the United States for both equality and preservation of identity, with limited success. Our relationship with the United States is supposed to be one of mutual benefit; which sometimes has been and other times not. Are Puerto Ricans supposed to feel like first class citizens when we defend the causes of the United States with our lives, but then have a mediocre emergency response to natural disasters such as Hurricane Maria? We’re stuck in the middle of what defines us as people versus what defines us by treaties and laws. A complex relationship, sometimes good and often bad. For those of us who live in the continental US, the perpetual feeling of being an immigrant in our country. That’s why most Puerto Ricans are extremely proud and patriotic. That’s the one thing nobody can take away from us, our rich and unique culture. While I have no problem trying to explain the complicated matter of being Puerto Rican, I’ll never apologize for being one. I’m proud to be an American, but I’m just prouder to be Puerto Rican. Given our complicated history, I hope you understand.

“Y yo soy puertorriqueño sin na’, pero sin quebrantos” -Juan Antonio Corretjer