¿QUIÉN TRAJO LAS ENPANADILLAS/PASTELILLOS?!” and Other Things I Miss About Puerto Rico

Hello, I am Eduardo Rodriguez

I grew up in San Sebastian del Pepino, Puerto Rico- among beautiful mountains, rivers and falls. We are called Pepinianos, I still have close friends and family on the island, which means I’m never more than one group chat away from hearing all the latest stories and gossip.

After finishing college and law school at Catholic University of Puerto Rico, I moved to Orlando to start my career. I told myself I’d only be here for “a little while”.

I truly enjoy living here. I’ve spent the last two and a half decades helping people as a personal injury lawyer, have amazing friends, and my beautiful family is close enough to visit… and close enough to remind me I don’t go enough. I’m grateful every day-for the life I have, the people in it, and the fact that I still remember how to make arroz con gandules without looking it up.

Orlando is home now.

But let me tell you something-sometimes I wake up and I miss Puerto Rico. Like, I physically ache for it- like how your back hurts after helping one friend move and now your body is like, “No more friends.”

I often want to just cancel all my plans and get on a plane and go back home for a visit, not for anything in particular- just to be home.

So here are 5 things I miss about my beautiful isla del encanto (and yes, some of y’all gringos might not get these… but that’s why God invented Google and Puerto Rican friends):

Loud Friends and Family Gatherings Where No One Listens but Somehow Everyone Understands.
You haven’t lived until 14 relatives talk over each other while music plays at full volume and someone’s yelling “¿QUIÉN TRAJO LAS ENPANADILLAS?!” It’s chaos. It’s magic.

Pan Sobao at 7am Like You’re About to Build a House.
Here, if I go out for breakfast, I often see a croissant on the menu. A croissant– What is that? It flakes. In PR, you get up and go to your favorite panadería for pan sobao  and it sticks to the roof of your mouth and starts your day off right.  You walk out of there with bread, café, and gossip. Heaven.

El Coquí-That Little Frog With a Big Mouth and Bigger Energy.
In Puerto Rico, you fall asleep to a full concert of coquís. Here in Orlando? I fall asleep to my neighbor’s chihuahua barking at the wind. That frog is the national soundtrack. It  sounds like it’s always cheering for you, even when you’re failing. At night, they’re like tiny old ladies on the balcony yelling, “¡Eduardo! ¿Eso es lo que te pusiste hoy? Dios mío…”

Driving With Confidence, Not Logic.
Puerto Rico driving is a spiritual experience. You don’t use blinkers, you make eye contact and commit. There’s a rhythm, a flow, a “yes I’m in your lane now, let’s not fight about it” energy. In Orlando, people brake when a leaf falls. Back home? We swerve around potholes like we’re playing Mario Kart with faith. Maybe this has something to do for becoming an accident lawyer-Puerto Rico prepared me for anything and I knew in the States that they drove differently than back home.

Just… the Vibe.
The music, the smell of sofrito in the air, random people yelling “¡Wepa!” for no reason, the fact that complete strangers will feed you, pray for you, and roast you at the same time. Back home, someone walks past you eating and automatically says “¡Buen provecho!” It’s a blessing, a prayer, a social contract.  It’s the heartbeat- everyone cares about each other. It’s home.

So yeah, I love my life here. I do. I’m blessed here. But part of my soul is still somewhere always on the island-laughing, dancing, sipping café with my friends who are lighting off firecrackers for no reason while we argue about who sings “the real version” of Lamento Borincano, and hearing people nearby yelling “¡Wepa!” at nothing in particular.

#BoricuaEnOrlando #CoquiApproved #IslandInMyHeart

What do YOU miss the most about your hometown, our island, our roots?
Drop it below and let’s reminisce together.
Y si estás en la isla reading this… manda pan sobao y pasteles, por favor.

#PuertoRicoTeExtraño #BoricuaEnLaFlorida #PeroNoCambioElArrozConGandules

#BoricuaEnOrlando #CoquiApproved #IslandInMyHeart