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I have been pondering over this and thought it would be a good thread topic. Puerto Rico usually doesn't come across peoples radar in terms of being part of the United States, so I was wondering why that is. The island has 3.6 million people (which would make it larger than 21 states) and has an amazing city in San Juan (400k). I have visited there before, but did not get a great understanding of the island as I spent my time in Old Town San Juan.
My question is, how "American" do you feel Puerto Rico is? Does the Spanish culture dominate the mindset of the island, or do you feel that the people gravitate towards american influences. I know that the island has your typical American brands, restaurants, stores, etc..., but so too does places like China and Europe. I am really asking, does Puerto Rico feel like the rest of the country, or is it too different to compare to places like Florida, Hawaii, Southern California, or Louisiana?
Here are some points to use as reference:
Social behaviors
Music (not cultural but what they listen to one an iPod).
Eating/dining habits
Recreational activities
home lifestyles
shopping/clothing
entertainment
architecture
interior design
I was there 2 years ago and I honestly felt like I was in the states. Everyone speaks English for the most part and they had so many Subways, Burger Kings, and Rite Aids all over the place. I was not impressed in the end.
Yeah I noticed the usual American stores; Walmart, Sams, Home Depot, CVS, Radio Shack, etc... Actually when I was there I had left my phone charger at home and went into a Radio Shack to pick up a new one. Seemed pretty standard American. Also went into a CVS and bought some candy or something.
I was looking at some pictures of Tegucigalpa Honduras and was taken aback. On its main drag you could see the Mc Donald's arches KFC, subways , and I bet there might be two or three American style Malls. Honduras is one of the poorest countries in the world but the traffic jams looked like San Juan. Does this make Tegucigalpa American? Not by a long shot! People on the island Do Not Speak English, this is a myth that I don't know where it came from. English is heard and some what spoken in the tourist areas and in Rincon, but once you really go to the interior, say, Juncos, Caguas, Barranquitas, Jayuya, etc you'd think you were in Costa Rica or Venezuela. Nonetheless people will always get someone to understand you like what happened on my recent trip to Quebec.
Puerto Rico is a distinct place in its own way as would any location with an history dating back to Columbus. That does nit make it "foreign" for whatever that word means. As a world traveller, I always observed that there is quite a bit that most human beings have in common.
Anyone coming to visit or live in PR from the states (and please, "America" is made up of many more places and countries than just USA) would find it familiar enough. There is a strong pride here, and it manifests itself in many cultural ways which are, as a whole, positive for anyone. On the other hand the vast majority of PR people have strong connexions to USA and consider it their country as well as anyone from any state. It is because of the connexion a proud integral part of USA. This is much more so than in places like Hawaii where the feeling of many is more anti-USA. You will not find "Yankee Go Home" roadblocks in PR, but they exust in Hawaii.
People in PR are friendly and accepting, and this is why it easily feels like home for any Anglo who moves here. Sure, the language is Spanish, but you can find English.everywhere too. Many PR families are divided living on the mainland and on the island, and this is the main reason there is a mix of languages and cultures.
If you moved to another state, there would be differences in the way things are done and a degree of adjustment necessary. It is much the same here in PR, familiar, yet different.
Thankfully there us a lot of misinformation about PR on the mainland to the negative. I say "fortunately", because if more knew the truth, our island could get overcrowded easily!
PR is one of the greatest locations in the USA, and it takes no second place to any state.
I always call the truth about PR a hidden secret.
It really depends on where in Puerto Rico you are. I travel to the island at least once a year and try to visit different towns each time. While the fact in you are in a spanish speaking island with a tropical flare is NEVER lost on you, places like Condado in San Juan feel quite American. The American shops, everyone speaks english and hotels. However if you head out to the "campos" like Aibonito, Adjuntas, Baranquitas, Jayuya and Orocovis, then you might as well be in another country.
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