When I was Puerto Rican
I was very enthusiastic to start reading this memoir.My first thought was what kind of title was When I was Puerto Rican.It was one of those things I just did not comprehend,if one is a Puerto Rican don't they remain Puerto Rican?The memoir begins with the author describing how to eat a guava. She talks about the joy ever child gets from eating a green guava," At night, your mother makes you drink castor oil, which she says taste better than a green guava. That's when you know for sure that you're a child and she's stopped being one."
Esmeralda Santiago,'Negi',tells her story growing up as a child. She was the eldest of her parents' children. Being the eldest, most, if not all the responsibility was was laid on her. Negi's mother depended on her to babysit and care for her brothers and sisters. Negi was so caught up with being in control, she got too domineering, it was like she was the mother of all mothers."Yeah!You're not Mami. You can't order us around."But Negi knew there would be consequences if any harm came to her brothers and sisters.
The family moved from city to city and despite there struggle, the children were always taught to be respectful. "She didn't need to go through all the rules of behavior. They were engraved on our brains from constant repitition."
I admired Negi's spirit, when the Americans tried to imperialize Macun, Negi was stubborn to learn their culture."Well,I'm not going to learn english so I don't become American," she said to her father.One can see that Negi would never forget her background.Negi's parents like all other parents had fights. But everyday these fights got worse. When the parents finally separated, the mother used the excuse that it was time to move on because she had been with their father for 14 years, 7 children and he did not propose marriage.I thought it was dumb how the parents fought everyday but could only appease each other through one night of sexual intercourse.
When I was Puerto Rican shows how a mother would do anything so her children would not suffer. The family was very poor but Mami was willing to go on welfare, unlike Shilsky from The Color Of Water .Mami once told her children she wanted them to get a profession not just a job,she did not want them to work in factories like she had to."I'm not working this hard so that you kids can end up working in factories all your lives. You study, get good grades and graduate from high school so that you can have a profession,not just a job," she said.
Despite the fact that Mami could not get along with with the children's father she said, "you must never forget your father. You're his flesh and blood and even if he has another family now you're still his flesh and blood."She is a woman of great strength and should be commended for raising all these children alone.
Negi made her mother proud when she was accepted at the School Of Performing Arts, she was a girl with determination because after moving to New York City she struggled to learn a second language, but it paid off.Negi's family were like the fairy tales she always told, 'no matter how big the odds,they always triumphed and went on to live happily ever after.'
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