(number five would be that that they can make turkey taste like pork)

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My last post about the crumbling power grid in Puerto Rico was admittedly a bit of a downer, so I wanted to share a quick post about certain things that I find both fascinating and inspiring about the island.

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Puerto Rico has the highest vaccine rate in the United States

As of this week, over 73% of the island is vaccinated, higher than any state in the US. For people over 65 years of age, 99.9% are vaccinated.

How did the island, which is poorer than any other state, achieve this?

This short Twitter thread offers some excellent reasons (and is worth the read), but chief among them is the fact that vaccines haven’t really been politicized here (nor has mask wearing). The messaging also has generally been clear and constant and scientific experts are respected and heeded.²

I’ve heard Puerto Ricans mention how people here don’t play around regarding hurricane preparation since Maria; even smaller tropical storms galvanize individuals to protect themselves, their families and their communities. I think Covid elicited a similar reaction from the island, an attitude of “we’re all in this together, so let’s do our best,” and I think this attitude has likely saved thousands of lives.

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Election Day is a holiday

You may know that Puerto Ricans can’t vote for the US president.¹ But did you know that Election Day is a holiday here in Puerto Rico? I’ve learned that democracy can actually be fun. There are parades of cars, or “caravanas,” supporting candidates and featuring food, music, and lots of honking. After voting people tend to hang out with family and friends, eating and drinking and celebrating. Even with the pandemic raging last November, I’ve never had since a positive voting experience.

Having election day as a holiday has also historically led to a voter turnout of over 80% here on the island, far higher than the United States where many people unfortunately have to cede their primary civic duty to their work. That said, voter turnout in Puerto Rico has plummeted during the last two elections, while the mainland US had record turnout in 2020. I still have much to learn about Puerto Rican politics, but seeing that the recent governor Pierluisi only won 33% of the record low turnout suggests that people are fed up with the way things have been going here.

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Puerto Rico competes separately in the Olympics

I didn’t realize this until 2016, when unseeded Monica Puig won the women’s tennis singles, the first gold medal in Puerto Rican Olympic history.³ We were living in California at the time and streamed the event, and my Puerto Rican wife was in tears.

As an American I must admit I had grown so used to counting my country’s medals that I had forgotten what it means to actually have a medal count.

This year in Tokyo, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn won gold in the 100 meter hurdles, Puerto Rico’s second of all-time, and it was just awesome. She’s now a celebrity here and San Juan had a parade to celebrate her visit to the island. We rooted for all the Puerto Rican athletes who didn’t win medals, too. It’s just plain fun to cheer for the underdog!⁴

Monica Puig (left, source) and Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (source) react to winning gold medals at the 2016 and 2020 Olympic games, respectively.

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Puerto Rico has the longest Christmas season in the world

Buckle up everyone!

The Christmas season in Puerto Rico runs almost two months, from Thanksgiving (end of November) all the way to mid-January, where it culminates in the festival of San Sebastian, which, based on the stories I’ve heard, sounds something epic like Mardi Gras.

I haven’t really experienced this side of Puerto Rico yet. My first “Christmas” here was the week before our wedding in January of 2015, so I had my mind on other celebrations. Last year there were strict lock-downs with covid so we kept celebrations limited to close family.

But this year might be my first “true” Navidad Boricua. The food is legendarily delicious, including my favorite, rice with pigeon peas (arroz con gandules), lots of pork, and shots of coquito, a coconut-and-rum version of eggnog. I’m also hoping to experience my first “parranda” which sounds like late-night Puerto Rican Christmas-caroling mixed with delicious food and good booze. What’s not to look forward to?

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I think this year has been tough for a lot of people, both here on the island and around the world. As we enter the final months of 2021 I hope we all find the blessings around us that are worth cherishing and loved ones with whom we can celebrate.

Until next time, cheers!

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Footnotes:

1. Washington DC’s license plate reads “Taxation Without Representation” but even they can vote for president despite not being a state.
2. A great example of the deference to scientific authority here on the island is the love of Ada Monzón, “Titi Ada,” the most respected meteorologist in PR and trusted source for hurricane updates (here’s her Twitter).
3. Although they didn’t medal, the 2004 Puerto Rican men’s basketball team crushed the US team in one of the great upsets in Olympic basketball history.
4. I didn’t know where to footnote this, but Eddie Rosario, a Puerto Rican, just won the MVP of the NLCS (baseball playoffs) and the end of his on-field interview is just great.