✨ The Enchanting Island That Calls Me Back: Puerto Rico Through My Eyes

Puerto Rican Pride

🥭 1️⃣ The First Taste

My first trip to Puerto Rico wasn’t a vacation — it was a homecoming I didn’t yet understand. I was fifteen, spending a humid summer with my grandparents on a small farm tucked into the mountains of El Yunque. The air was thick with rain and the smell of roasted coffee. I’d sneak into the monstera leaves, blasting Paramore’s Misery Business through my headphones, trying to figure out what God had in store for me.

Even then, the island felt like a mirror. Every drop of rain carried a message, every rustling leaf sounded like the whisper of my ancestors — Taino hands that once stewarded the same soil beneath my feet. My inner voice, still soft at that age, began to roar. I can still remember that first bite of plátano — my blood singing with recognition.

Puerto Rico didn’t just feed me. It spoke to me.

🍚 2️⃣ The Flavor of Place

Puerto Rico’s flavor isn’t found on a tasting menu — it’s in the rhythm of everyday life. Meals here are generous, layered, and full of love. Think: arroz con gandules, sweet plantains, beans cooked with potatoes, and meat that’s been seasoned for hours because that’s just how abuela taught us.

Hospitality on the island isn’t about service — it’s about spirit. You walk into a home and ask for a blessing before you even say hello. You leave with a full stomach, a louder laugh, and the hum of coquí frogs following you home.

You taste history here — African drums in the sofrito, Spanish sun in the rum, Taino roots in every tuber pulled from the ground. And through it all, there’s pride. Puerto Ricans know storms will come — literal and otherwise — but like our goddess Atabey, the Wild Mother of Storms, we rise again, beautiful and untamed.

🌈 3️⃣ Moments That Changed Me

On my recent visits, I found pieces of myself I didn’t know I’d lost. I connected with a vibrant LGBTQ+ community that welcomed me like family — full of unapologetic joy.

One of my favorite memories? Chasing waterfalls in El Yunque until the sun dipped low, then ending the day on a hidden nude beach. It was freeing in every sense of the word — nature stripping away what the world tries to label us as. In that moment, I felt pure peace.

That’s what I love about this island: it invites you to show up as you are, but it doesn’t let you leave unchanged. Food here isn’t just something to eat — it’s a conversation, a celebration, a calling.

☀️ 4️⃣ What Called Me Back

There are many beautiful islands in the world, but none linger in my heart like Puerto Rico. I’ve walked the cobblestone streets of Old San Juan and felt time bend — pastel buildings, music in the air, coffee so good it makes you question your entire morning routine.

But it’s more than nostalgia. It’s unfinished business. There’s still so much I want to taste, see, and share — like exploring a coffee farm in the mountains, learning to make mofongo from a local chef, or floating in the bioluminescent waters of La Parguera where glowing plankton light up the night like stars underwater.

And that’s exactly why I’m going back — not just for me, but for us.

In Summer 2027, I’m hosting a food and culture trip to Puerto Rico — a chance to explore this island the way I fell in love with it: through food, through community, and through the kind of experiences that fill you long after the trip ends. We’ll stroll Old San Juan, dance Bomba on the beach in Loíza, feast on lechón in Guavate, and maybe even chase a few waterfalls together.

Because life’s too short not to go where your spirit feels full — and mine? It’s already halfway home.

🌴 5️⃣ Return as Renewal

This time, I’m not just returning as a traveler. I’m returning as a storyteller, a host, and a student of my own roots. I want to share the Puerto Rico you can’t capture in a post — the sound of laughter echoing through a kitchen, the taste of salt on your skin after a day in the ocean, the peace that settles over you when you realize you’re exactly where you’re meant to be.

I’m going home — and I’d love for you to come with me.

After all, I came to taste the island. But it’s the island that tasted something in me.