Buen Vecinos! (Good Neighbors!)

Being Americans in Puerto Rico, we weren't sure if we would be accepted by the locals. We knew when we purchased the house that the driveway was partly encroaching upon one of our neighbors property and then we spent 3 months with a construction crew tearing up our house and piling trash up in the yard, nearest the other neighbor. So when we arrived we knew that we should tread lightly. We also had spent a week here previously and felt very welcome as tourists, but we knew that didn't necessarily translate to a warm welcome as a neighbor.

Our neighbor to the south is named Consuelo and she speaks pretty good English, she used to be a teacher. Her family owns quite a bit of property in the area, in fact we bought our house from her sister. But it was her sister who built the driveway that encroaches on Consuelo's property which is one of the reasons they didn't get along, or so we have been led to believe. She has 2 sons who live in other parts of Puerto Rico, but visit often. Consuelo has had us over to her house a few times and she and her sons have been very friendly, but the issue of the encroachment seems to hang in the air and I don't think we'll be very comfortable with them until that is settled.

Our closest neighbors, Gilberto and Clotilday are on our north side and speak very little English. Apparently they had been parking one of their cars in our driveway on that side of the house. When we first met them they asked if it was ok to continue parking there, but we had just contracted to install an iron gate and in 2 weeks, they wouldn't be able to. They also asked if we were on vacation. It wasn't the warmest welcome, but I'm sure they thought we were going to be one of these absentee Yankees who buy the house and use it a few times, then forget about it and the responsibility of being a good neighbor. Once they understood we would be living in the house permanently, they changed.

Everyday Gilberto or Clotilday bring us either avacados, mangos, eggs from their chickens, lemons, papays, breadfruit or plaintains and always ask how we are faring. They say, "Buen Provecho", as they have bring whole plates of Puerto Rican specialties and their son Osvaldo brings over tostones (mashed and fried breadfruit), his specialty. We have been overwhelmed by their hospitality and generosity. They are both fond of explaining how best to prepare each item and seem to genuinely enjoy teaching us Spanish words and eager to learn those same words in English. The first week we were here, Clotilday invited us to come to her granddaughter's 5th birthday party. We drove about 15 minutes to a beautiful condo development near the water where her other son, Orlando who is fireman in Mayaguez, lives. Few people there spoke English, but once again, Gilberto and his family went out of their way to make sure we had plenty to eat and drink. I thought we might feel uncomfortable, but the guests were nice and interested in hearing about how we came to move to Rincon.

About a month after moving here we had a barbecue and invited the few people we had met. I grilled chicken and pork ribs that a neighbor down the street Angelo, had brought. Consuelo came by for a short visit also bringing a bottle of wine. Another neighbor on our street, Katka, brought banana and coconut pancakes and of course Gilberto and Clotilday brought a basket of wine, bread and fruit. The rain had stayed away that Sunday afternoon and the giant Flamboyan tree kept our patio cool. I watched Cyndi as she handed our new neighbors a blue plastic Dixie cup full of wine, the food was so fresh and the spirit of the evening made me want to hug everyone. I knew we would be happy here.