Cuando Brinqué El Charco
Moving to Kansas City has been one of the experiences that has changed my life the most. I was happy in Puerto Rico and never thought about moving to another place. But life is full of surprises and one night after a day at the beach with my friends in the most random way I met Jerry. A little over a year after that, I decided to move to Kansas City with him. I was scared, even when in my mind and in my heart I felt I was doing the right thing. I could not help but feel fear, nerves and a great sadness for leaving behind all the ones I loved the most.
At the beginning it was very hard, and I’m not talking about the first few months. The first two years were very difficult. With time, Kansas City has become my second home. Throughout the process of adaptation I have learned a lot about what I left and what I have gained and that has shaped my life in a very special way. Here, I share with you, some of the most important things I have learned and the people and things that I miss the most.
My Family, they are my center, my rock, my everything. When I say family, I’m also referring to those friends that have become part of the family I have chosen. Having them far away and not being able to see them whenever I wanted was one of the most difficult things I had to deal with. Those little moments, those that went unnoticed, were sometimes the most missed ones. The love and care of my Mom when I was sick, the “girls night in” with my friends, the visits to my Dad, that always ended in food and drinks. The love and joy of my family, to be able to hug them, to share with them, to be there for them. I miss them always, on special occasions and on the day to day. Living away from them is something that I have learned to tolerate over time, but that absence never goes away. Now every time I go visit them or they come we try to share as much as possible and create new memories.
The Beach! I lived for many years in San Juan and the beach was always close to me. I visited the beach frequently with my friends and even by myself. When I moved to Kansas City I realized that often was not enough, that I should have gone every day! Usually the beach day was Sunday and it was an all-day event. We had breakfast early and arrived with our coolers, snacks, chairs, towels and music. Those days where happy ones! I remembered the first time Jerry took me to the “beach” here, that’s how they call the lake. They are beautiful lakes, but they are not my beaches. I discovered that the beach was not only the beach, the beach was part of my DNA. That I was from the beach, from the sun, from the sea breeze and from the sand. So I learned how important the beach was in my life and how much I miss being there with my people.
The coffee. I kind of knew this one, but I confirmed it! There is no coffee like the one of my Island. Do not get me wrong, I have tried many coffees and very delicious. But the coffee flavors of my land are special, it’s flavor filled my palate with joy and my heart and mind with good memories. It’s amazing how things as simple as coffee, can become so important in your life. How a simple ritual transports you and makes you feel close to your people. In Kansas City we have not yet found Puerto Rican coffee in the stores. Thanks to my parents I was able to continue with my tradition of having a good Puerto Rican coffee every morning. To this day I still receive care packages with coffee and love notes from Puerto Rico.
I was not as bilingual as I thought I was. This is a very serious matter, all my life I declared out loud that I was bilingual and that made me feel very proud. The English that I knew was very basic and with very limited vocabulary. I realized that when I was excited or sad it was very difficult for me to express my feelings properly. I realized that I translate in my head everything to English before speaking, I was often short on words and sometimes I could not speak because I could not find the right words on time. Not to mention all the times I have heard that I have to work with my accent. Seven years later I love my accent and feel proud of it, but I have worked a lot with my English. Little by little I have gained more confidence, I ask when I do not understand something and I speak, write and read so much better. It has been a learning process but now I believe that I am bilingual!
The cold weather is definitely not my thing! I remember when I was still living in Puerto Rico and visited places where it was cold or there was a chance of snow, that for me was happiness. I loved to wear the coats, boots and warm sweaters. Now the story is so different, after Thanksgiving, the cold weather invades my body and soul and will not abandon me until the end of March, if we are lucky. Let’s say now I’m not a fan of winter clothes, I find it very complicated and uncomfortable to walk so bundled up. The outdoors activities I can enjoy are not as much, to many gray days, the sunset at 5 pm, that’s definitely not my thing. I am from the Caribbean, I am from Puerto Rico! On my island we spend Christmas day with summer dresses and sandals, we go to the beach all year and we always have flowers! I have survived it and I have learned to enjoy more the other seasons of the year, but really the cold is not for me!
You can start over again, of course you can! With effort, a plan, but always having a backup, positivism, embracing the good and not so good surprises, with the support of your loved ones and the blessing of God everything is possible. Seven years later I can see all the things that I have achieved and I feel happy and satisfied. I have wonderful husband, I have a daughter and she is the most important person in my life, extended family, friends that are family and I still have the love of my family and friends back in Puerto Rico!
Seven years later I am grateful to God and all the people who have helped me and continue to help in this process of being in the “diaspora”. It is not easy, but it is possible.
