The States and The Island

Sitting on a bench in the courtyard of Salinas, Puerto Rico on a hot 80-degree day sat Carlos Bega, 69, a retired electrician. Bega was born in Puerto Rico but only recently moved back to the island to be closer to his family. For most of his life, Bega lived in the United States, a common theme among some Puerto Ricans.

Bega moved to New York to pursue his profession of being an electrician. He lived in the States for over 20 years and has been back in Puerto Rico for the past five years. He moved back to the island for his family, including his mother, who passed two years ago, his sister and his daughter. He still has family in New York, Florida and Boston, but most of his family ties remain in Puerto Rico.

Bega enjoys his retired life. He enjoys going to the beach, fishing and spending his time in Salinas. According to Bega, the weekends in Salinas are filled with live music, Salsa, Merengue and Bachata. He enjoys the relaxing atmosphere and warm weather the island has to offer for a retired individual.

“If you want to live more relaxed, you live in Puerto Rico,” said Bega. However, he warned that not all areas of the island are as relaxing as Salinas. Busier and more tourist-filled places like San Juan have their share of drugs and criminals according to Bega.

Over in Old San Juan is Rosario Penaranda, 52. Penaranda is an employee at Garita Souvenirs and has worked there for the past four years. Though she works in San Juan, she lives 30 minutes away from the shop in Bayamon.

Penaranda was born in Lima, Peru, and similarly to Bega, she moved to the United States 35 years ago. Her father wanted a better life for their family.

“At the time, the United States was the place you could reach your dreams,” said Penaranda.

She was 18-years-old when she moved to the states and settled in New Jersey. She went to college to learn English and attended Passaic County Community College. It wasn’t until 10 years later that she would move to Puerto Rico with her newlywed husband, Angel Flores and two children, one of which was three months old at the time. Flores is from Puerto Rico and wanted to move back to his home.

Penaranda likes the culture of Puerto Rico and the weather, but besides that, she had a hard time specifying what she truly loved about the island. 

“The problem is, if I came from Peru to Puerto Rico, it would have been easy for me,” said Penaranda. “But the difference is, I went from Peru to the states and then the states to Puerto Rico, and that was really hard for me because everything is different.”

A common theme Bega and Penaranda share is their love for the states, even more so than the island.

“I like New York,” said Bega. “You go to the hospital, it’s better, the government is better, getting a job is better, the pay is more.”

Bega said as an electrician in Puerto Rico he would make at minimum $12 per hour. In New York he was paid $25 for the same job.

“Everything is better in New York,” said Bega. “Except the weather, the weather in Puerto Rico is good.”

Penaranda had similar feelings about Puerto Rico in comparison to the states.

“If you have an appointment with your doctor at 10 in the morning, you will see people in the line at six in the morning,” said Penaranda about Puerto Rico.

According to Penaranda, everything is hard in Puerto Rico, but her experience was much different in the States.

“In New Jersey, you only have to go to one place to get your divers license,” said Penaranda. “Here in Puerto Rico, you have to go to three different places. You lose one day in your life just to do simple things.”

Penaranda added that the police don’t care in Puerto Rico. From her personal experience, she feels treated worse by law enforcement on the island than she does in the states. “I don’t want to say you have to be scared of them,” said Penaranda referring to police in Puerto Rico. “But you have to be respectful.”

An overall lack of respect is a common theme Penaranda sees on the island, something she claims she doesn’t see in the states as much.

“The Puerto Rican government?” asked Bega. “No good.”

FEMA distributed money to the Puerto Rican government in hopes they would hand it out to struggling residents and survivors from Hurricane Maria. When asked where the money went, Bega slowly and quietly slipped his hand into his pocket implying that the government is known for pocketing that money and keeping it for themselves.

“There are a lot of problems if you live here,” said Bega.

Penaranda wants Puerto Rico to become a state. “If we become a state of the United States, we have to pay taxes, and I think that’s why some people don’t want to do that,” said Penaranda. “But I think we can be better.”

For now, Penaranda plans to remain in Puerto Rico. Her husband wants to stay on the island, and he is working to buy a house. Penaranda goes back to the states at least once a year to visit her sister, brother-in-law and daughter. She admits it would be too much to move back to the states and start over.

As for Bega, despite his love for New York, he plans to continue his retired life in Puerto Rico as well.

“I feel good, and I live my life,” said Bega. “I don’t care about other people or the government. I’m retired, I go to the beach to fish, sometimes I go listen to music and I travel around the island. I feel good.”