-
Essay / A true experience of Puerto Rico's history, arts, diversity and culture
During my time in Puerto Rico, I had the opportunity to experience and learn from those who live. I discovered part of the history of the country and its people, mainly from an artistic point of view. On the penultimate day we had the chance to go down to Old San Juan. It's a historic city that's a bit like old Sacramento, but more colorful and with more history. It was full of small stores, boutiques and apartments. We entered an art gallery that displayed various art mediums including masks, paintings, sculptures, etc. The gallery owner told the story of the different masks which were bright, of all shapes and sizes and very colorful. Although similar in design, they were made from different materials and resembled African art. Later we heard music and went down to the street where there were two awnings set up and tons of elderly people with chairs all around a makeshift dance floor. Musicians played salsa, love ballads and other traditional music. My mother and I danced with the older ladies for hours; they showed us their Puerto Rican electric slide and perfected our salsa dancing. During a break, we ended up chatting with two women from Puerto Rico. They requested that the group play a traditional song so we could watch one of the ladies dance and see how she incorporated elements of African dance. One of the women who had spoken to us then pointed out the different parts of the dance and explained why there was such a mix. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay I was surprised by all the diversity in Puerto Rico, and when you look at all the people there, you see a huge rainbow. They come in all shades, shapes and sizes. It speaks to their past and how it mixed so many cultures. I saw how similar our stories were and it made me feel comfortable and have a sense of belonging. I really enjoyed it and loved how open people were to telling their own story and how well they knew their story. This experience allowed me to see more of the similarities we share with each other rather than the differences we have. . If I ever have the chance to work with people from this culture, I will be able to be as open and warm with them as they have been with me. I will also feel a sense of community with them, because of our shared past. Having some of this knowledge also opens up my view of the world a little more and I appreciate the opportunities I have to do so..