A geographer’s point of view

So tomorrow I am embarking on a ten day trip to Rome, Florence, Milan and Geneva. Flying from London to Rome, then taking trains and buses all the way to Geneva, Switzerland, while stopping in Florence and Milan. Since I was a little kid I’ve been wanting to go to Italy, and now it’s actually happening. As a geography major I spend a lot of time on Google Earth, just staring at maps, zooming in and out, doing street view of places I’ve never been like Tokyo, or middle of nowhere Alaska. Yeah, kind of geeky, but fun. I think geography is really cool, like for example, when I go to Geneva in this upcoming trip, the hotel I’m going to be staying in is actually in Southern France. Geneva is in the Swiss/French border, so every time I go from my hotel into the city I will basically be traveling between one country and another. Now, if you are from Vermont, upstate New York, or any place close to an international border you may think this is stupid, but I come from Puerto Rico, a small island with no international borders (apart from territorial waters), so I’ve never actually driven, or walked, from one country to another. I think it’s pretty cool. I mean, borders are arbitrary, they were created by humans, apart from checkpoints established by humans, borders have no physical quality (apart from the rivers, mountain ranges, and other geographical bodies denoted as international borders, but even here, these were appointed by humans). I find it fascinating that by crossing the street in Southern France I will have crossed an international boundary, which I’m sure was fought over once, or at lease discussed. Told you I was a geek.

Anyways, the other day I was looking at Google Earth, and while tracking everywhere I’ve been in the world, which is not much, I noticed, not that I hadn’t before, how small Puerto Rico is, and how easy it is to overlook it when looking at a world map. After my few months in Europe, and my two and a half years in DC, it was a weird feeling to look at Puerto Rico and realize that I come from such a small area in the world. I realized how lucky I am to be able to travel around the US and Europe. Started thinking about my Puerto Rican culture, about my identity, as Puerto Rican, and as an American citizen. I feel both Puerto Rican and American. While here in Europe, a lot of people assume I am American because of my american accent, I’ve mostly lost my latino accent, and when they do assume that I am American (US), I don’t deny this, and it is not until they ask me where in America (US) I am from that I say Puerto Rico, I don’t say Puerto Rican, but I still feel Puerto Rican inside.

Some people may think that I’m forgetting about my Puerto Rican culture, but I’m not, it’s always there, I still listen to spanish music, and I still crave tostones and chuleta, but in the other hand, I think in english, not spanish. Yesterday in my sociology class we were talking about multiculturalism and how London has one of the highest rates of inter racial couples in the world, and I realized, for the first time, that I had been in an inter racial relationship back in the states. I had never thought about it in that way. I dated an American in the US, blonde and white, and never thought of myself as not American, as only Puerto Rican, never realized that it in fact was an inter racial relationship. I don’t know what that means. Is it bad that I didn’t notice? Good? Unimportant? Race and culture are very important things, but are they important enough to create divisions, or to even make us think about it? I often forget that people see me different because I’m latino.

I think race and culture should be like religion, it should be a personal thing, a community thing, that isn’t imposed on other people. It should be taught and celebrated, but it shouldn’t be who you are, it should only be a part of who you are. We are all individuals, with different characteristics, and if we start thinking of race and culture, without forgetting their values, as personal traits like sense of humor, or outgoing, or shy, we might be able to put them aside when we interact and become less of a divided society. Why do we have to think of inter racial couples and calculate the rate? They are a couple, no matter what; they are two individuals sharing a bond. When we no longer need to calculate how many Latinos or blacks attend a college, or when we no longer need to calculate how many christians there are in a country, that’s when we’ll know that we are no longer divided.

Anyways, I think my views have been shaped in part because of my international views, geographical perspective, and my dual identity of both Puerto Rican and American. Feel lucky to be part of two distinct cultures that have shaped who I am today. Very excited for this trip, and will try to keep you updated while on the road.

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