Family and friends say I have it easy here. A good job, great city, advanced technology, big airport, the list can keep going. I've been told that I don't need to bother with worrying about my island while I'm living in the US. Others call me vende patria. I understand where you're coming from but you need to understand me when I say I worry because I love you. I love Puerto Rico, it is my home and always will be no matter the time I spend away. The circumstances for me leaving were of opportunity and they have been a great life experience that I would never give up. I would like to think of my time apart as a long vacation. I cry every time I hear En Mi Viejo San Juan because that is a reality I do not want for myself:

Pero el tiempo pasó
y el destino burló
mi terrible nostalgia
y no pude volver
al San Juan que yo amé
pedacito de patria. Adiós...

2017 also marks the moment that Puerto Rico changed. A hurricane destroyed it and everyone tells me that the PR I knew and loved doesn't exist anymore. I would like to say to them, that it still exists. The Puerto Rico I love is in the people, it was in the culture and with the stories I hear from post hurricane Maria, it grows more and more.

Don't lose hope, the diaspora haven't. We keep fighting for you every step of the way. We are sending help any moment we can. We are spreading the word out about what is happening and we are letting your voices be heard, even though you think they aren't. 2017 may not be the best year for me or Puerto Rico but I will always look onward with hope.