For the first month of Bridge & Beacon, I chose to focus on Puerto Rico — the place where my story truly begins. My family has lived there for generations. My mother was the first to leave the island, bringing two small children with her — one of them being me. But even after moving away, she never left Puerto Rico behind.
Growing up, my mom made sure that our connection to home stayed alive. We spoke Spanish at home, stayed in touch with family, and visited the island whenever we could. Those trips weren’t tropical vacations — they were family trips. The kind that meant big gatherings, sharing beds in a cousin’s room, running around with other kids, taking endless photos, and getting in trouble for being, well, a kid.
When we weren’t at a cousin’s house, we were at my abuela’s or abuelo’s — talking, laughing, celebrating, walking through Old San Juan, or spending long afternoons at the beach. To me, those trips eventually started to feel… ordinary. I knew the beaches by heart, and I could predict when my abuelo would start another long lecture about Puerto Rican history and why I should be proud of who we are.
As a kid, I rolled my eyes. As an adult, I finally understood.
Now, I love those stories — even if my grandpa can talk for hours (and he really can). During my most recent trip, he even went out of his way to find me books about Puerto Rican history in English, knowing my Spanish reading level is still somewhere around kindergarten level. He’s the reason I’ve started collecting historical texts — including a translated copy of Christopher Columbus’s journals that I found in a tiny bookstore in Old San Juan. Here they called Puerto Rico as Boriquen, as the Taino’s called it, or San Juan.
These days, I plan my trips differently. I look for experiences that go beyond the usual postcard moments. Because Puerto Rico isn’t just beaches and Old San Juan — even though they’re beautiful.
Here, you can go horseback riding through the mountains, visit local museums like the old Casa Bacardí, spot sea turtles up close without ever getting on a boat, or explore Taino caves where ancient carvings still whisper stories through stone.
Puerto Rico is more than what travel ads show. It’s history. It’s pride. It’s the stories that survive through family voices — like my abuelo’s, who taught me that understanding your roots is the most powerful way to move forward. Subscribe in the Cultural Hub and unlock January’s topic: all about Puerto Rico with videos from my Abuelo detailing Puerto Rican culture and heritage!
🕊️“Culture isn’t something you visit — it’s something you return to.”
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