- What led you to move from Puerto Rico?
The current situation in our island was somewhat influential, but there were other factors that also influenced my decision. I will explain a bit my story….for years me and my family yearned for a better quality of living as we always lived limited but there weren’t many options or resources for us back then. I was raised in a family where love was never a problem, but money was for the most part. During my adolescence, my father went bankrupt after various attempts to go afloat; my brother had a critical health situation which generated a high amount of medical expenses and the known hurricane George took half of the house where we lived in, which left us almost with nothing- we lived in a the basement of a construction house for years; Even my brother at only 18 years old had to pay the bills with his fast food part time salary. The saddest thing of all, was not due to a lack of sacrifice or effort (both worked hard and not even some vacations they could afford.)
I didn’t have the opportunity to learn English, nor go to bilingual schools. Trying to speak it was my worst nightmare, but I knew that in order to obtain a good job in Puerto Rico it was a necessity. I started my undergrad studies with the goal of enforcing my knowledge and my resume. Without knowing English and with a dictionary on hand, I went to do educational internships in the US. My first internship was in one of the most dangerous cities in the US, to the extent where I had to carry with a knife in my pants at only 20 yrs. of age, alone in an unknown city without being barely capable of expressing myself; I ate pizza every day during my lunch to because I was afraid of ordering anything else and not pronouncing it correctly. The first time that I interacted with someone in English (over the phone) I was so nervous that I couldn’t even spell my name and when I was going to end the call I said “Ok, hello” instead of saying “Ok, bye”. When returning to Puerto Rico, with a lot of sacrifice I took many English courses in the West area.
But once I graduated that’s when the interesting part started: the search for a job. I found some temporary jobs, but I wanted to work in my career and something that I was passionate about. I was a year and a half in this search. I started going to interviews with my “more struggled than Alejandro Garcia Padilla’s English”. After several attempts, I managed to start working for an Aerospatiale company where I started to exercise my profession in Human Resources. When they called me to give me the offer, I had to ask them if they were sure it was me and not a mistake… I still think they offered me the opportunity out of pity- but thankfully I got in. It results that part of my tasks were to receive calls from clients who did not speak Spanish, and that’s when things got even more interesting. At the beginning I didn’t even answer calls, afterwards my coworkers helped me translate. I remember that my dad used to pray every morning that my English would get better. It was a miracle that I didn’t get fired, but that’s how you make a difference: HELP and OPPORTUNITIES. During 4 yrs. working there, I was able to develop myself in many areas, including my English.
At my 24 yrs of age I was able to buy my first home and travel to many places, but debts and cost of living kept going up – living check by check. I observed how many people would move and progress….even though not always the perfect scene but I would focus on the achievements they had accomplished to serve me as motivation. I always knew I wanted to live somewhere else (even for a few years) just to have the experience and at the same time because I have always been very passionate about cultures and diversity, and about doing something that will take me away from the comfort zone.
- Tell us, how was that process? What has been the easiest and most difficult thing?
I can’t say it was simple. Like any change it is a process of adaption and sacrifices. The biggest concerns, to my understanding are: the language (if you don’t master it- like myself), that time one passes without seeing your family (the next time you see them they are skinnier, whiter hair as if the years have flown by), the loneliness that you can feel at the beginning (when moving to a city where you don’t know anybody, and the expensive costs that you have to deal with during the transitions (especially if you don’t have people to lend you a hand). At the beginning I barely had money to eat, due to the initial investment I had to make…I even looked for additional jobs to remediate. Recently there was a news of how Puerto Ricans are moving to Florida and then end up sleeping in their cards. I left with a job offer and even so it’s still hard. I hear people say “oh they think because they move to Florida, everything will be perfect”. Of course it is not, you have to sacrifice every day. Usually you will be able to find better salaries even though the cost of living has increased. For you to end up doing well, it depends on many factors: salary, cost of living where you move, how many people work from you home (kids, etc); reason why every experience should be measured individually, you can’t base your decision on someone else circumstances. Without an academic preparation it is harder to find a decent job (many pay less). The advantage nowadays is that not many jobs require so much preparation (as before).
It doesn’t mean that moving here is like the Magical Word of Disney, but yes you can have a better quality of living. Many folks are moving to Florida, primarily because I’m pretty sure we all have a family member there; besides you don’t have to deal with the cold weather, lack of “mofongo” and other Puerto Rican goodies…it is more convenient though you should never limit yourself to a specific place. There are a lot of inexpensive states with a high rate of increasing labor. The best part for me has been the opportunities. Maybe you can start from the bottom in a company (not in your ideal job and think: why am I here?), but once you start seeing the fruits of your sacrifice (at a reasonable timeframe than in Puerto Rico) you know that all the effort was worth it. I adapted pretty quickly. The hardest part was during the first month since I wasn’t in love with the city I moved into, but as time passed by I started seeing the city with other eyes and started to adapt. I know of people who have taken years to adapt, and even other who have yet to adapt. For me it has been very gratifying being able to go through new experiences and hear about other people’s story of how they progressed transitioning and migrating from their countries for similar or worse reasons than ours. As well, seeing how Hispanics unite and look for one another no matter your proceedings.
You will always miss family and friends, but I think that on the long run people are supposed to take their own route and pathway according to their needs without being completely dependent on a specific surrounding, because if not we will be depressed every time life decides to take us through a new change.
In transitions like these ones, the only thing that helps make it more manageable (especially if you are in a place where you don’t know anybody) is your attitude…learning to feel happy without the presence of others and to always show our best version. The state of happiness depends on oneself, not external factors. As well, in this process you will realize who will always be present in your life, no matter where you are; meanwhile you are exposed to new circles. Also, I learned to love where I live.
- Do you regret moving?
No, I do not regret it…in Puerto Rico I had a stable job, maybe not with the salary I yearned but in general it was a great company to be in- although with very little growth opportunities. Once I heard a manager say “if you spend a lot of time in a company and you don’t grow, you decide if you move or get stuck”. I honestly wanted a change- I am from the west area and life there is quiet, inexpensive and with very little traffic…but after living a whole life in the same place I yearned to move to an area that assimilated better the style of living I was in search for. I have travelled to many places, and I can tell you that San Juan is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen….our food, culture, between many other perks. I tried to find opportunities in Puerto Rico for more than a year and wasn’t able to find one- many times due to unreachable requirements or because they were temporary positions; other times because they paid very little compared to my current salary (at that time) or basically they just never called me back. Due to this, I knew it was time to search for a new challenge.
I studied in different cities in the US…in terms of cost of living and work opportunities I looked for the ones that caught my eye and applied randomly for opportunities that were related to my career. I invested hours and weekends…then I started receiving calls for interviews from many opportunities I had applied, but not all provided the option of doing them through the phone….thankfully one gave me the opportunity to do it over the phone and got the job. I had my doubts of leaving everything (since I was stable/comfortable) but I decided to take a leap of faith.
Although, after a short time working there I realized that it wasn’t the type of work I wanted to do…I believe firmly that money is needed, but a great part of our time is invested on our jobs and we can’t spend most of our daily time on something that makes us feel unsatisfied or unhappy. So, after making a few savings, I took the risk of quitting without having any other job. In the meantime, I went a few weeks to Florida to visit my family and decided to take the time to look for jobs over there. I applied every day and visited every work agency. To my surprise, in less than 2 weeks I have more than 10 interviews, in different states, such as the one where I had move to originally.
The interview process is frustrating and sometimes I would get overwhelmed, but after numerous round of interviews, I received 5 work offers- three where for a salary I wasn’t looking for nor in my career, and two were in my career (one in St. Louis and another in Orlando)…but I decided to remain in St. Louis, Missouri- the place where I had originally move to. In less than a month and a half I was already employed again, with a better salary, in a stable company, with post-graduate study benefits, between other benefits. The process was not easy and to some point very risky, but I was able to resolve it quickly without having to go through unemployment or sit and wait for life to help me. The main reason for which I don’t regret it is precisely because there are so many opportunities out there, you just have to go and get ‘em.
- Do you see a lot of people with similar situations to yours?
Of course. I believe that a majority of the young professionals are in the lookout for new opportunities to develop their careers and would wish to have those same opportunities back in the island, but don’t always have the chance. As well, there are a lot of families passing through necessities. From those I know that have left, a majority does not regret it. Although, I know of some that have returned for different reasons, such as the freezing temperatures of the northeast. Maybe they find a new job, but having to deal with going out the streets in winter with 5 pants, 7 shirts, 3 socks, 2 scarves and a hat is definitely not our idea of quality of living- though you sacrifice somethings for others, there’s no perfect scenario. Every case is different depending on the interests and needs of each person. The place where I currently live is not a common place to find Puerto Ricans, but it is a city with a low cost of living….in general I have found it to be less expensive that other places I have been too, even sometimes more inexpensive than certain things in Puerto Rico.
- Do you wish to return someday to the island?
It may happen in a future, but not for the time being due to reasons such as the ones mentioned previously. I have seen how young professionals lead some departments and obtain great opportunities with a great pay. Not everyone runs through the same luck, but even as so the difference is noticeable. Just as I started with my second company, they have talked to me about visualizing where I see myself in the next year (other opportunities and areas) and start working on achieving it. This is usually not the case in Puerto Rico….sometimes it might take years to get someone to move around a company –sometimes even having to wait till the other person that holds that position retires or quits.
Many companies in Puerto Rico move through “friends and family (panismo)” to ascend to other opportunities. Other times, they publish opportunities internally but these already have a name. Shamefully due to some of these reasons, people with great potential seek to take their expertise and hard work elsewhere. Some companies lack the structured career path to at least motivate their employees. Those who have worked for years, check by check, understand what I am referring to. My brother moved to Florida a few years ago without knowing how to speak English (just as me) – he had spent awhile searching for jobs in Puerto Rico after finishing his masters with no avail. After leaving to Florida, he was able to find a job (not the ideal one at first), but little by little he started to ascend to better positions within the company and having better work opportunities. Sometimes in Puerto Rico, they even hire people that come from abroad and have certificates of education from prestigious universities abroad. This is one of the reasons why I am looking to develop my career here and then if I return be a bit more competitive in the market.
- Would you live to help the current situation in Puerto Rico from the US?
Of course- the fact that one is not in the island, does not mean that one forgets. Our roots are our roots, and nothing will change that. Many say that those who leave the island talk negatively about it (something which is not always accurate), but in reality even people who stay do it as well (even the news). Shamefully not everybody thinks the same or lives the same experiences. The fact that we are not present, does not make us less “Boricuas”. We are always up to date with what is happening there. If I could somehow help, of course I would…but I feel like sometimes the government’s bureaucracy does not allow it. In regards to the topic of those who are from the diaspora and those who stay in the island…I am not sure why there is so much conflict and controversy over this. We can’t compare ourselves, as I mentioned before everybody has different experiences and reasons why they took the decisions they did. Let’s leave politics aside. No, we are not wannabe Americans, but if we have the rights and citizenship….why not take advantage of it when seeking for a better quality of living? Other countries do not have the same luxury that we have, and need to come as illegals to the US in search for the same thing we want: a better life.
Why spend a life criticizing ourselves? Why not unite to look for solutions between ourselves? No we are not turning our backs to Puerto Rico, we are in search for a better lifestyle. Many people all over the world relocate to other places for similar reasons. Recently, there was an article about a Puerto Rican family that immigrated to Canada more than 10 years ago due to employment opportunities. Not everybody is in search of the “American Dream”, some people are just looking for a better quality of living and more opportunities. I’ve seen how some act as the most patriotic Puerto Rican criticizing everybody who leaves, but when they become unemployed they decide to move to Florida and love to talk about how well they are doing. Another big debate is the current crime rate in our island…but keep in mind (crime rate exists anywhere around the world- there will be some places with more crime rate and others with less). We do have to recognize that the word “respect” in our island is not seen with the same eyes we used to in the past. We all are free to choose our destiny and, with the adequate research, we should launch ourselves to it.
To finalize… I still don’t talk the best English. I just smile and make people think that I understand everything they say…google translate has been my best friend for some years now. They say a smile changes everything….at least I can vouch for that. Let’s smile more, and complain less. Let’s follow the example of those who fight and persevere. No matter what route we have taken, if we decided to stay with what we know or follow other horizons….whatever the case is, we need to do what makes us happy. If you are happy where you are, then you are definitely blessed; if you are not…then look for other options and experiences- don’t let negative voices steal your dreams. Success does not come while we wait. Let’s not judge those who left, you never know the reasons to why they left. Also, those who leave, let’s not judge those who stay or talk bad about our island just because we have found a better life elsewhere. We can’t lose the essence of who we are and what distinguishes us all. I share my experience to serve as motivation to other people who feel stucked (like I did)- there are options. Maybe we can’t change the government or companies, but we can have an impact in people’s lives and unite to show that those who do “good” are more. Some are born with opportunities at their hand, others have to fight for them. Even though, we can’t change the world, let’s make a difference in the place where we choose to be our home.
We want to thank Janceline Mangual for taking the time to share her story and we encourage other individuals to do the same….if you are part of the diaspora or part of those who remain in the island. If you are interested in sharing your story, please write to us at capitalsocialllc@gmail.com.
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