When I Was Puerto Rican

The family arrives in the city of Saturce. They move into a small one-bedroom house made of wood. It has running water and electricity, and the family is able to live as well as most of the people around them, although they do share a bathroom with another family. As Esmeralda walks to school, she acquaints the reader with the new city.

For the first time, she is called a jibara, and it is meant as an insult. As she adjusts to her new city, her fascination with the dynamic between men and women depends. She also continues to be intrigued by the idea of the putas, the sexually free women who drive men out of their minds and away from their families. Soon her mother becomes pregnant with a new sister named Alicia. Once she is born, Papi begins to visit more frequently. This makes Esmeralda happy. Eventually, Mami and Papi make a full reconciliation and the family moves back to Macun. Once they are in Macun, Esmeralda makes her first real friend in the story: Juanita. She also becomes interested in Juanita’s grandfather. After Juanita’s grandfather dies, Papi is asked to play a role in the funeral. Esmeralda and Juanita lead the funeral procession, holding wreaths.