Lizmarie Delacruz   

Department of English, The City College of New York   

Writing for the Social Sciences (ENGL 2100)   

 Professor Crystal Rodwell

February 25, 2025

Gabriela Martinez acknowledged and consented to the recording of this conversation. The following is an exact transcript of the interview recording

LD      So, hello everyone. I’m here with Gabriela Martinez. She’ll be explaining if she believes there has been a Americanization of the Puerto Rican people has impacted her identity and shifted her culture. My first question for you today is, how are you? And if you could please tell me your name and age.

GM      Hi, I’m good. My name is Gabriela Martinez. I’m 18 years old.

LD       Okay, cool. How long did you live in Puerto Rico and what was it like? 

GM      From what I remember, I lived in Puerto Rico for like eight, nine years. And it was good.I mean, everything was so different from here. In a lot of aspects, but yes.

LD       Can you be more specific on these aspects? How was it different than the United States?

GM      Okay, well, for one, I believe that in my school… Okay, this is what’s similar. Every morning we had to say… The Pledge of Allegiance? But not for American, but like our   own for Puerto Rico. Not for no USA. No. And then… I think we also had a swimming class every other day. And that’s not something that you see in elementary schools here. What type of elementary school has a swimming class? 

LD      That is true.

GM     We are better!

LD       Yeah….HEY NO

LD&GM  [Laughter]

GM      Also, living over there, everything was better. In the aspect that I went to school and then my mom had me in ballet. And then I think she also had me in an instrument class. It was classes, ballet, instrument class, back to back. Here,you just go to school and then go home. Like, everything is very, you know?

LD      Yeah i get that.

GM      Also, in the way that they raise their kids. Like, I could be outside by myself with kids, barefoot. Until like four or seven, come home. Oh, you’re here! Come eat! Okay, okay, okay. Continue. If ever here, barefoot running in these streets, these nasty streets, never. And alone, I’ll be missing, like in the first day. That’s how better Puerto Rico is. 

LD       Especially in Hunts Point. 

GM      Especially there.

LD       Okay, what does Puerto Rican culture mean to you? What do you classify as Puerto Rican culture?

GM      I classify Puerto Rican culture as a lot of things. Our music, like there is, Puerto Rican music is so different from other music. And like, just our artists, way better artists. 

LD       I don’t know about that [playful side eye]. So, if you have like one word to describe it, like what is Puerto Rican culture? Or just, not one word, because that’s kind of limiting. So, what is Puerto Rican culture to you?

GM     You can’t explain it. It’s just, it’s so complex and unique. There’s not, I can’t. I can’t describe it really. It’s a feeling, really. It’s something very unique. So, it’s kind of like, I don’t know how to explain it. 

LD      You can take the time, don’t worry. It doesn’t have to be over in like a minute. It’s fine, take your time. Like actually, just think about it. What is Puerto Rican culture to me? Are a there anything like places, items, or like food that you associate with Puerto Rico?

GM      To make this question a little easier, are there anything like places, items, or like food that you associate with Puerto Rico? Oh yes, the food! Like back then,locrio with gondola, all of that stuff. And then they make mofongo almost every day got tired of it. It was also like the island; everybody was family even if you didn’t know them. Like I remember running from school to my house and then like how we have deli’s here,and random old people would call us and give us food. And we would be ok with going to there house, and like we would never know who they are, but it’s like you giving us food. And like here you can get poison. It was also the way we live day to day. Like over there, everything was outside. Like you could be in a tubi, in a nightgown, chancletas, dogs out, having a whole barbecue for no reason. Like Puerto Rico is just so homey, so cozy. And Then we have New york.

LD     Okay, okay, I have a question that you’re gonna like. How did Bad Bunny’s new album relate to you and your experience as a Puerto Rican who hasn’t gone back to visit in a While?

GM      [long pause] Bueno, como es Bad Bunny, whoa, why am I speaking in Spanish? Like, since  Bad Bunny is also Puerto Rican like me and he, it’s just like he does no longer live there. I feel like the way this album has connected to me is the way that, in short, it just means that he really misses the feeling that Puerto Rico gave him of home, just like I’ve been saying this whole entire video, and how he misses it and he wishes that he could have something that can connect him back to it, like photos. Because the feeling that photos bring, even if it’s a photo from a really, really long time ago, when you look at a photo, it brings you back to the moment that photo was taken, and all of the feelings and things that you went through when that photo was taken, it all comes back to you.It all hits you at the same time. So that album was him basically saying that he enjoyed all of the memories he had and that he wished that he could have valued them more in the moment and that’s exactly how I feel too. I feel kind of sad every time I think about Puerto Rico really because little me did not know that my parents would take me over here and I will not have the opportunity to go back ever since. So it really is there a feeling for how you’re feeling? It’s just sadness really that I can’t go back but happy at the fact that I grew up with so much uniqueness, so much culture, you know it’s not something that you can find easily here. Not something that can be replicated. Our island cannot be replicated no matter what.

LD      Okay. Follow up question. Do you believe that your parents have a I need to be more American mentality?

GM     No, no, no, no. They don’t. They want us to be not American. Like I remember there was this instance where I was talking to my parents in English and I was talking to them like I would a friend, you know how when you’re talking to a friend you’re always like bro this, bro that. My parents were quick to call me out on that. They’re like you’re not American why are you talking like that? They, even though we’re here, they still want us to be true to who we really are and that is not American. Our roots.  

LD       Can you repeat that last part?

GM      They want us to be true to who we really are. Our roots. And not change the way we are to adapt to this new environment. Like yes of course adapt in certain aspects but not in 

every aspect.

LD       Okay. Follow-up question. Do you think that it has affected how you see your culture?

GM      I mean it has made me more connected to my culture and appreciate my culture more because they’re so pushy on no don’t do this the American way. We have away of doing it and it’s this, that. It has made me more appreciative of my culture.

LD     Okay. How was your transition from coming to Puerto Rico, from Puerto Rico to the United States?

GM     I had to be in ESL. ESL is English Spanish. English language. English language Learning. Learning. English ESL?

LD       English Learning Language?

GM      Really? English Language Learning. ESL? Maybe I’m wrong. 

LD        I might be wrong too.

GM      I know that there’s one that’s English language learning. Maybe yeah maybe it’s ELL. I don’t know. But yeah I had to be in that program for two years and I finally started learning English and actually being able to be in a classroom with my peers like the last year before middle school. Fifth grade. So it was a hard transition. One because of the language barrier. Like I did not understand no English and two because I was a stubborn kid. So they’re trying to teach me English. I don’t want your English. So in the back of my mind I just couldn’t process the fact that oh we have to leave Puerto Rico and be here. Obviously it wasn’t my choice so obviously I will be stubborn with it. But yeah that and also the culture difference. Why was it so cold back then? Like ew. I came here. I think it was spring. Yes, I believe spring. Yes, I believe to the spring and then September came. School started. I didn’t know a coat was a thing. Why am I wearing a coat? Why is this a coat? There were so many differences. 

LD       So I’m guessing you kind of answered this question: Did they face any difficulty and if it was a smooth transition with you and your family? How did your family feel with the transition?

GM     Well, the adults obviously they got used to it pretty quickly because they already had experience with changing locations. They already had experience changing locations. As for me, I didn’t start actually like getting used to it until like a year more, and that’s when Istarted to befriend people that were also like me in ELL. I think it’s yes. And then yeah, my sister was fine; my sister is good at adapting. She’s like my parents, it was really just me that had the most issue. 

LD      Okay, do your parents speak English?

GM      If they… they tried to..?  My mom is a stay-at-home wife, so she doesn’t really need to. My dad, for his work, he’s learning. Okay, so what roles do you have to take to help your parents with not knowing the main language in the United States? Is there anything you Need to do to kind of help them? Well, I became the password girl, that’s a start. I know their passwords to everything, their usernames to everything. I have their passports. I’ve  been by social security, everything, because I’m the one that helps them with like… yeah, you can say that I help with taxes. 

LD       There’s a lot of people that help their parents with taxes. 

GM      So you… okay. Something I’ve been doing since 13: I helped them with their government paperwork. So from a little age, I had to learn all of these big words and everything to start helping them. And it built character for sure. Because one thing about Hispanic parents, they don’t play about their time, so character for sure, but yeah. 

LD       Okay, how does that like the idea of colorism or the idea that being dark-skinned is bad, affect you especially as a part of the Caribbean community?

GM      Boy, I know the thing about that is that for some reason, Hispanics are racist with their own selves. Like they don’t… they hide it. Like I…okay, like for example, I have this aunt and I remember one day she was like, oh, it’s not good that she said this, but you know, she was like, oh when you grow up you should… when you grow up you should be with a white man to… leave… yeah, how do you say that? 

LD      Clean the race?

GM     Yes. And it’s like when I heard it, I was like, not that I’m grown up and like I know all these things about racism and colorism. I feel like… whats question again 

LD       how does colorism or the idea of being dark-skinned is bad affect you especially as a part of the Caribbean community?

GM     Yeah, okay. Yeah, like we don’t really promote who dark color… no, no, but is whispered in kids’ ears. It’s like when you go to the beach, put a lot of sun protection. Sunscreen. Sunscreen. So you don’t get dark. It’s like, I feel like growing up, I didn’t hear a lot of it because for obvious reasons.

LD       But, um. Wait, what’s the obvious reason?

GM      Oh, because I’m light skinned. But back in Puerto Rico, I didn’t hear it as much. But in New York, that’s when I started to hear it more. And I don’t know, it was an unknown topic to me. It was like a confusing topic to me because it’s like, what was the point behind it? But yeah, it’s, it was just confusing to me overall. 

LD        Okay, okay. Um, from these questions, do you think that Puerto Rican people are being Americanized or altering their culture to conform to like typical American customs? 

GM      Bueno, we can start with the fact that in Puerto Rico, we are known as these kids, we don’t know Spanish. Yes, we do know Spanish. Like, it’s a, it’s a, it’s a, hello. It’s a Spanish speaking island. Island. We know Spanish. Um, I feel like the reason why a lot of people say that, oh, we don’t know Spanish is because tourists come and like, because of the state that Puerto Rico is in after hurricanes and hurricanes and hurricanes, a lot of Puerto Rico is starting to be like more tourist centered. So obviously, what do tourists pick? Not Spanish, English. So the people around they started to pick up on it. And then obviously here, if you’re Puerto Rican and you were born here, your parents probably didn’t teach you good Spanish so you’re no sabo kid. So I would, I wouldn’t say that we try to be Americanized. We are getting it pushed onto us. So yes, we try to preserve our culture, Taino culture, something that a lot of people don’t even know that they have. But yeah, it starts to get lost with time because to conform, conform to society. So yeah, it’s not that we try to, this is getting pushed onto us. 

LD       Okay. Okay. I think that’s all for my questions today. Is there anything else you would like to add on the topic? 

GM      Um, you guys should go visit Puerto Rico. It’s a really beautiful island. And not the tourist sites, the native sites. Actually no, stay away from the native sites. Scratch that. 

LD       Why? 

GM      I don’t know. Delete that part. But, visit Puerto Rico. Give us money. Nah, delete that part. Just visit Puerto Rico.

LD       I’m putting all of this in the transcript.