WHEN I WAS PUERTO RICAN BY ESMERALDA SANTIAGO

CHARACTERS:
Esmeralda Santiago/Negi – daughter
Ramona – mother of Negi
Pablo – father of Negi who left his family
Raymond – younger brother of Esmeraldo who injured his foot in a bicycling accident
Gloria – neighbor
Francisco – lover of Ramona after Raymond
Frankie – son of Ramona and Francisco

“When I was Puerto Rican” that was written by Esmeralda Santiago, started when she
was four and it tells how she and her family moved from her native country Puerto Rico
to New York. She lived with both of her parents, Ramona and Pablo, and two younger
siblings in extremely poor conditions in Macun, Puerto Rico. They tore up the
floorboards that revealed scorpions and snakes underneath.

Even at a very young age, Esmeralda, called by her parents, Negi, often noticed her
parents having serious marriage problems and had regular fights resulting her father to
abandon them for longer periods of time. Her mother suspected that Pablo was having affairs
with other women. However, whenever Esmeralda’s father returned home, her parents make
up. Her mother gave birth to another child and the endless fights resumed so did her father
leaving the house and their family. “

Pablo left all the parental responsibility to his wife. Ramona always felt exhausted
and stressed out doing something for a living and taking care of her children. Esmeralda and
her younger sibling were sometimes moved in with various family members so their mother
could ease the burden.

When they moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico, Esmeralda was mocked for her
country accent and mannerisms. Esmeralda’s mother gave birth to another child. Her
father tried to visit and see them more often than before. The couple eventually reconciled
and moved back to Macun in the countryside. During the elections, Esmeralda’s family
received some food from American politicians but every after the election period, their
support also ended.

Just like what happened repeatedly, the family ended up without Pablo. Ramona was
pregnant with a boy whom she named Raymond.

When Esmeralda was around 10, her mother worked at a local brassiere factory.
She asked her neighbor Gloria to look after her kids while she’s working outside. Their
neighbor criticized Ramona for asking and letting a neighbor raise her kids and some
even accused her of being a prostitute. Nonetheless, Ramona took pride in her work that
despite the fact that she didn’t receive any financial support from Pablo for their children, she
still managed to do it on her own. Being the eldest child in the family, Esmeralda took the
major parental responsibility for her younger siblings.

Her younger brother Raymond injured his foot in a bicycling accident. His wound
never healed properly and had worsened making the local doctor recommend to
amputate his foot. Ramona was appalled and refused to accept the doctor’s diagnosis and
agree with his recommendation. Ramona made up her mind to bring Raymond to New York to
seek for the specialists’ advice. During that time, Esmeralda and her other younger
siblings stayed with their grandmother where she learned how to crochet. She also
spent some time with her uncle to help peel some potatoes for his potato ball café.
Esmeralda explored her curiosity and sometimes sneaked out to find some boys to
play around with, this was the time when she became interested in sex; however, due to
a series of alarming events, she eventually learned that sex is just something men take
from women rather than something women freely give.

When Ramona came back to Puerto Rico, she had been inspired by the vibrant hustle
of New York City, and she had new clothes and new hair. When Esmeralda was around 12,
her mother finally gave up trying to save her difficult and tiring relationship with Pablo.
Ramona brought all of her children and decided to move to New York. There was no
indication of Pablo attempting to stop his family from leaving. It was Esmeralda’s first time
flying in an airplane travelling to their new home. Esmeralda enrolled in an American public
school and fought for her rights to stay in her 8th grade. There, she avoided social
interactions and excelled academically. She persevered and learned the English language in
just four months. During that time, she spent time recalling the details of her life back then in
Puerto Rico compared to her life at present in New York.

On the other hand, Ramona fell in love with their neighbor named Francisco.
Unfortunately, Francisco died just a year after their first child was born. Ramona named their
son Frankie after his father.

Esmeralda had a hard time when she noticed that her mother’s inability to speak
English means she had to spend much of her time translating for her.

Esmeralda explored her artistic side when a mentor encouraged her to try her future at
acting. When she was 14, she auditioned for a Performing Arts High School, an institution that
offers specialized instruction in dance, theater and cinema. Her audition did not go well
because she wasn’t able to understand the reference to white culture; however, she still made
it. She was still accepted by the school because of her self-confidence. In the epilogue,
Esmeralda revealed that she attended college and finished her degree at Harvard University.