Gracias for reaching out. I'd say decide first what you're interested in knowing about - culture encompasses the gamut from our history, geography, landscapes to the arts, music, language, cuisine. Plus much more.

Proximity is personal.

For some, they feel disconnected (especially if born outside of Borikén - our Indigenous name). For others, they may have visited and felt something special. Then there's everything in-between.

When I say proximity is personal I mean that one identifies inasmuch as one chooses - e.g, seeking out information (as you've done here), wanting to make connections, being inquisitive and genuinely yearning to be a part of our wondrous cultura.

I too was born state-side, but came several times as a child (though, only to my maternal side bc my paternal side never had interest in re-connecting).

I also make an effort to continue learning español (yes, I realize it's our 1st colonizer language, but it's what we speak).

As for where to start, it's important to understand source. By that I mean, the slant (pro Independence for Borikén to become sovereign 💪🏽 ~ us remaining as ELA (estado libre asociado - commonwealth - really, we're a colony of the u.s. ~ or the pro-statehooders #51).

For me, I am fiercely proud of being Boricua, and returned home (the u.s. never felt like home because it wasn't my home) in Nov 2021. My life is very different here and yes there are challenges, but my heart is happiest so I wouldn't trade it for anything!

You can check out some of my stories where I uplift our beautiful Indigenous and African voices - bc IMO, the european spaniard side doesn't require any uplifting).

This already went long...so I'll cut it short. If you enjoy music, we are so much more than salsa (though, we've got plenty in that regard). If you like reggeaton, I say check out Ivy Queen, Tego Calderón. For a different flow (rapper for social justice - El Hijo de Borikén). Old school salsa - the legends: Ismael 'Maelo' Rivera, Cheo Feliciano, El Gran Combo, Gilberto Santa Rosa.

We're an archipelago (not one island) - Vieques, Culebra, then the larger one Puerto Rico - tho, I say all 3 are Borikén.

This is a lot, I know. I'm not here to talk politics, but just understand that I'm real anti-statehood so any conversation you're interested in having is gonna come from that perspective. Our people, our cultura and our heritages are beyond beautiful - period, the end! 🇵🇷