PUERTO RICAN YOUTHS COMPARE U.S. WITH THEIR NATIVE ISLAND

Local sisters introduce Puerto Rico to teens in central Indiana.

In September, Children's Express talked with two girls who had moved here from Puerto Rico - Beneliz Santiago, 16, and her sister Odemaris, 13.

Although most people know Puerto Rico is in the Caribbean and the majority of people who live there speak Spanish, many people don't know Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the United States, which means it is under the protection of the United States. Its people are U.S. citizens and are subject to the same federal laws as people in the United States are. However, they have their own system of government.

Puerto Ricans live in a very tolerant society. English is widely spoken. And baseball is the No. 1 sport there!

These girls consider themselves both American and Puerto Rican and are fluent in both languages. They speak Spanish at home with their parents but are more at ease with English. Both agreed they would like to live in Puerto Rico, where they have relatives.

They shared with Children's Express their memories of their homeland.

SCHOOL IN PUERTO RICO

BENELIZ: Well, I moved here when I was 12. High school and middle school and elementary (were) together, and it was private. (The school day) was shorter, and we had the same teacher the whole day.

ODEMARIS: You have to wear uniforms, I mean all the time. You get more privileges here.

FOODS

BENELIZ: When I got here I thought it was great. I had pizza, hamburgers, and I liked it a lot. . . . Rice, beans and meat (is what we ate in Puerto Rico). It was awful and the milk was powder.

(Taco Bell and Chi Chi's) would be a good representation of Mexican culture, but it's not a good representation of our culture.

ODEMARIS: It's not good at all.

RECREATION

BENELIZ: I think the kids (in both countries) like the same things. We're not different. We usually hang out with friends and have friends over.

We both like playing basketball - it's like a regular hobby there. (Kids) like watching basketball and a lot of kids go to concerts, like salsa and rock 'n' roll is so hot, too.

ODEMARIS: Most of them like to just ride bikes, go to the movies, hang out.

BENELIZ: They don't really have different sports than us, but they have horse racing. They really like that. And horse betting. Every weekend, it's like people from town get together and go to horse racing and betting on it.

And basketball, Piculin (that's what she said - check with Star sports), he's like Michael Jordan there. And he's gonna go to the NBA, I think to New York. I'm kind of excited about that because I get to see him.

STATEHOOD

BENELIZ: People feel strongly about Puerto Rico being independent, so probably a lot of people would rebel against it becoming a state. . . . We would just be part of America, and then we would lose our identity and culture.

(Some people) would like it to become a state because then they would have more privileges, like they would have more money to support themselves.

ODEMARIS: I think we wouldn't be just one state like we are right now, we would just be part of America.

ADJUSTING TO THE U.S.

BENELIZ: I miss my friends there. I get confused. I start speaking Spanish to my friends (here), and they look at me real weird, and then sometimes I speak to my teachers in Spanish, half English, and they just don't understand.

My parents, they really get angry when I speak English at home.

ODEMARIS: I don't really get confused anymore. I used to correct myself.

STEREOTYPES

BENELIZ: (My parents spoke Spanish to me in a public place.) It looked real strange, and I kind of looked at them back, just like, "What's wrong?"

At first I used to get embarrassed, but now I'm kind of proud because I know since I'm older that it's OK to be different.

ODEMARIS: I used to be nervous and everybody looked at me. But now I really don't care.

BENELIZ: I really don't feel that I've been discriminated against, like people calling me names. But I feel like some kids are kind of cruel, that just because I'm different that they feel intimated about it.

There are people paying attention to me (because) they know that I speak Spanish, but people get jealous. . . . So you just keep trying.

EDITED BY: Meridith Hayden, 14