How to move your life to a Caribbean island
It all makes me wonder: What am I doing here?
Love notes from Siel is a newsletter about love, writing, and the nomad life from me, Siel.
Dear friend —
It’s easier than you’d think, moving your life to a Caribbean island. You don’t even need a passport if you’re American. Just flash your driver’s license to board a flight, and a few hours later you’ll land in San Juan, Puerto Rico, home of golden sands, turquoise waters, and year-round warm weather.
Puerto Rico is a beautiful place with a strange, hybrid status; it’s part of the U.S. but also kind of not. In political speak, Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the U.S. with commonwealth status — but what exactly does that mean? Wikipedia tells me territories are “overseen by the federal government of the United States” but only incorporated territories are considered “integral parts of the U.S., rather than possessions.” That seems to imply unincorporated territories like Puerto Rico are a possession of the U.S. but not actually a part of it. The definition of a commonwealth complicates things farther, as a commonwealth is supposed to be self-governing — yet “the U.S. Congress is the only body empowered to decide the political status of Puerto Rico" which doesn’t sound exactly like self-governing to me.
Suffice to say it’s a complicated situation. Puerto Ricans have U.S. passports but have no vote in Congress or for U.S. president. The debate over whether Puerto Rico should continue as is, become a state, or strike out on its own as an independent country has been raging for 125 years, since the U.S. “acquired” Puerto Rico from the Spanish in 1898. More on that on a future love note —
In capitalist terms, living in San Juan is a lot like living in any U.S. city — meaning the currency is the U.S. dollar and the same chain stores dot the streets. I had no trouble moving my prescriptions to the local CVS branch. I didn’t have to pay international shipping when I ordered a bra from Aerie.
But there’s a lot that’s unique about San Juan too. Both English and Spanish are official languages, but for most locals the latter is the language of choice — so the aural vibe of the city is Miami-ish. San Juan’s got more history though, being the oldest European-established city under the American flag. The Old San Juan area as a whole is a National Historic Landmark District and home to a number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Old blue cobblestone streets, colorful pastel-colored buildings with wrought-iron balconies, inviting neighborhood plazas —
It all makes me wonder: What am I doing here? I know I ask this question a lot, but it just keeps coming up! Since deciding to find a new home base, I’ve been researching potential new cities, and San Juan’s one of the places I’ve decided to explore. Thus I woke up in salty air on the first day of October, across the street from Playa Ocean Park. Palm trees waved. Waves lulled. I felt lucky, and strange.
A week in, I already know I don’t want to live in Ocean Park, though I may still make San Juan a base. Why? This neighborhood is a beachfront residential neighborhood with a set-apart-from-the-city feel. But I don’t want to be set apart. I want to be part of it. That’s the thing about cities — though we often make simple declarations like I love Barcelona or I hate El Paso, the experience of living in one neighborhood of a city can be worlds away from living in another. It feels very different, for example, to be a local in Santa Monica vs. Skid Row vs. Silver Lake.
The same goes for neighborhoods here. Yesterday I saw a lone donkey grazing in a family yard, then a fifteen minute Uber ride later, walked into the most technologically advanced dentist office I’ve ever been to. I got digital dental impressions taken by a fancy beeping wand, no molds required. The dentist — who looked like a young college student except for his graying hair — and the entire staff was bilingual.
There are already things I love about San Juan and things I don’t love so much. The people are kind and helpful and welcoming. The food muy rico. The views gorgeous. But the combo of high temps and humidity make for near-daily excessive heat warnings. The public transportation isn’t great, the infrastructure not well maintained in many areas —
I’ll be in San Juan for the month, exploring different neighborhoods. If you have recommendations for places to see and things to do and food to eat, please do share.
Love,
Siel
Three links you might love:
Puerto Rico’s government will now put “Puerto Rico USA” on driver licenses. Americans often fail to realize that people born in Puerto Rico are American citizens. “There have been several high-profile cases this year of Puerto Ricans being wrongly told that their licenses are not really proof of American citizenship.”
Puerto Rico has faced an economic malaise for almost two decades. Austerity measures, imposed by an unelected fiscal oversight board created by Congress seven years ago, have chipped away at public pensions and other benefits.
Puerto Rico, American imperialism, and violence against women. Argues Puerto Rican journalist Anjanette Delgado: “we have a history of gender-based violence that ranks among the highest in the world. Puerto Rico’s enduring colonialist legacy is often at the root of this violence.”
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Me encanto!!!!