Earlier this week we ran a story from REMEXCLA entitled "Why Young Diasporicans Have Decided to Repatriate to Puerto Rico". Here is why we agree with that sentiment.
Our neighbor is in his eighties. He is a very spry octogenarian (he introduced himself the day we moved in next door and then promptly helped Travis roll our spinet into the front room; so... Spry).
However, even he has his limits.
Late last summer he called to ask a favor. His grand-nephew was seeking a job in New York and needed some help with his application (64 pages in English I might add; to work in a fertilizer factory in Long Island City). I of course helped this young man, and soon he was off to the Empire State, another Puertorican seeking their fortune on the mainland. A few weeks ago I was next door picking up some eggs, and I asked after the young man to see how he was doing. "Oh, he back now,"my neighbor said, offering nothing more. He didn't need to.
Whereas I agree with many of the premises put forth in the REMEXCLA piece featured above, there is one overriding factor I see played out over and over again that they really didn't touch upon. The difficulty of adjusting to the mainland's standard of living versus the island's quality of life.
Many young Puertoricans I know are very excited to move to say, Orlando, when they anticipate it. Then the reality creeps in soon after they get there: Rent is very expensive (often requiring two jobs and several roommates to pay), auto insurance makes owning a car as difficult (and expensive) as it is necessary; working days are longer and with less days off. For many young Puertoricans it's a bad trade-- and back they come; the illusion of "higher pay" being quickly shattered by the realities of higher living.
And then there's the social aspect. The Puertorican culture and its core of extended family is both a blessing and a curse to many young Puertoricans. While here they may quietly chafe at meddlesome aunts and preachy uncles; there, they are severed from the counsel, advice and support they were raised to expect. And it is often a harder adjustment than it first appears. Uncle Tito may have friends with a possible job in Orlando, but it is not quite the same as when he calls his neighbor down the street who owes him a favor. And this pattern ripples through many aspects of life beyond jobs; from dating to child care, and everything in between.
But this is a good thing. Young Puertoricans should be encouraged to come back and stand their ground. Many young Puertoricans have had it with corruption and nepotism, not to mention the limits these two factors have placed on the island's infrastructure. Many left because of infrastructure, and now they should return to fix it. If Puerto Rico keeps ceding its youth to the mainland, there will be no one left with the energy and fresh ideas necessary to revitalize and aggrandize this beautiful island.
And for our friends and allies in the states, do what you can to educate yourself on the true issues facing this commonwealth. There is much ink spilled on earthquakes and tropical storms, but little on the real problems of capital and investment. Stable industries and a reliable market economy is how Puerto Rico will thrive, and grow to take her place among the other fifty stars of the union.
Slay the fatted pig and welcome home the prodigals. Their future (and ours) depends on it.
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