The sound of the garage door opening rumbled under me as I sat in the living room anticipating my father’s daily homecoming from work. Little did I know that on that very day, my father was to bring home news that would drastically change the next three years of my life. "Lindsey, Kelly, Daddy’s job is moving us to Puerto Rico!" Everything seemed to happen so quickly after that day, and before I knew it, we had packed up all our belongings from our quaint suburban home in Massachusetts, and moved to this unknown island called Puerto Rico. I was five years old and completely clueless as to what lie ahead.
I can distinctly remember our condo that shared so many memories during our three-year stay in the unfamiliar city. The marble structure stood ten stories high, and looked out onto a beautiful beach, where I woke up and went to bed at night listening to the waves crashing on the shore. The smell of salty ocean always lingered in the air, and no matter what month it was, my sister and I could always wear our favorite flowered sundresses and matching sunhats due to the constant heat. My mother never missed a day to lather us with sunscreen before we went outside. However, apparently the sun protection was not strong enough for the sun, explaining the loss of pigment on my neck and arms as seen to this day.
School was a whole new world compared to school in Massachusetts. Although I was young, it did not take me long to realize that I was one out of the only three white students in my entire class. There was quite a diversity of cultures, ethnicities, and religions, making me the minority. I had a diverse group of friends, and on days where I would play at their houses, I experienced different ways of living, different beliefs, and different types of foods. It was all very new to me.
In addition to the diversity in my classroom, there was quite a language barrier that I had to overcome. Although my teachers spoke English, the Spanish language was all around me, and it became very frustrating at times. My parents enrolled me in Spanish classes outside of school, so I could learn the language more quickly. Those years of Spanish were very much valued when attempting to pass my Spanish courses in High School.
As I look back on the three years I lived in Puerto Rico, my favorite and most distinct memory was of our weekly family trips to Dorado Beach Club, home of one of the largest and longest pools in the world. At five years old, the Club was like Paradise Island. The smell of Banana Boat Sunscreen, the cool breeze making it the perfect temperature, and the sound of happy children playing sharks and minnows in the pool, made my sister and I anticipate each trip more and more. We would spend hours riding down the water slides, each trip down, more fun and exhilarating then the last. Dorado was every child’s dream and my sister and I looked forward to every trip.
Looking back on my experience in Puerto Rico, I realize how fortunate I am to have had such a unique childhood. Those years were some of the most impressionable years of my life, and I feel they have left significant marks on me that have made me who I am today.
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