Why would a Puerto Rican move to Montana?
Thursday, March 29, 2007, 02:57 PM
The reasons people move all boil down to this: clean air, safe neighborhoods, good schools, reasonable cost of living. Quality of life. In Bozeman, Montana not only do people say hello to you on the street, they look into your eyes and they say it. That much kindness can freak out a person who grew up in cities where no eye contact is a matter of daily survival.

Of the total population of 27,509 in the 2000 Census, 46 hardy souls claimed a Puerto Rican identity in a place where winters are often 30 below zero. This is .17% of the total population. Thankfully I found some of the tribe, but had to do some digging in a town three hours away (Missoula, another lovely college town nestled in spectacular natural beauty) to find them. Cada dia estoy buscando Boricuas, its a funny life.

The Bozman Daily Chronicle, the local newspaper, has a daily Police Reports section. The March 26, 2007 edition, (section A, page 6) included:


"The Bozeman Police Reports for Saturday included the following:

A motorcyclist was arrested for drunken driving on West Babcock Street.

A worker on West Babcock Street said a stranger came up to him, took off his shirt and challenged him to a fight.

A man at a West Main Street bar got into a fight with two other men over who could hang drywall best."


Now, despite the reputation as a redneck frontier town, time passes at a soft pace here and it is a rare person who locks their car doors. Some even leave the engine running to grab some milk at the store. This must be what the United States was like before nasty little modern inventions like carjacking.

Luckily I connected with Montana State University Latin American
Literature and Latino Studies Professor Bridget Kevane. She is from the island and was careful to introduce herself as being from Puerto Rico. Bridget calls herself a "gringarican". "I don't say that I'm Puerto Rican, I don't claim that identity. One parent is Irish and the other is Catholic!" There are many ways to be Boricua.
She met me for lunch with Silddy Atilano and her son Diego. He is an eight year old ray of sunshine. The three women talked of life and shared funny stories. Like all three have been told that they don't look Puerto Rican. Then the inevitable question arose: What the hell does that MEAN anyway? There is always a green eyed cousin with black skin, or a niece with delicate features and an afro.

We look like everyone because we ARE everyone.

Getting back to Montana...everyone I've seen here looks rugged and robustly healthy. These people spend serious time outside, even in subzero temperatures during the winter. There are 3 men for every 1 woman here in town and frankly that can be a little distracting. I'm told Alaska is similar. Hum.

So I went to a party with Silddy and her boyfriend Saturday night, which we left because the DJ confused samba music with salsa music (odd, I know) and went to a bar to talk.

Silddy got off a plane from the tropical island of Puerto Rico and landed in Bozman, Montana as a 17 year old college freshman. She loved it so much she's lived here for 13 years. More on her life soon.



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Montana at Last
Friday, March 23, 2007, 01:12 PM
After a blissfully uneventful drive to Missoula two days ago, I ended up in the second camper ever in my life. Its actual name is "Georgie Boy" and thanks to a friend of a friend (yay Scott and Steven!) I had to place to land here in Montana.
According to the U.S. Census, there are only 46 Boricuas here in Missoula. I have called three and maybe we'll connect on my way back from Bozeman. This is a city three hours east of here and I have been told I must drive over two more mountain passes. I am really glad winter is over.
When I arrive later today I will connect with a Boricua who is a Professor at Montana State. She's been working on a great project about Latinos in Montana and I can't wait to hear about it.
Its been over ten years since I've spent time in Montana and I forgot just how beautiful the sky really is here. It must make people naturally friendly. They wave at you when you are at a red light. Seriously.

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R. I. P. Aubrey the Wonder Chicken
Tuesday, July 18, 2006, 11:10 AM
"The vet said to me, that she was so old and her body is ready to fall and every bird that past their time developed this type of illness in their bones and get very fragile skin....On July 15 2006, my loyal daughter, longtime friend companion took her trip to heaven at 8:15 p.m. quietly in peace." (Yesterday's email from Las Vegas.)

The word is that Aubrey, the gallina in the city, has passed on to greener pastures. God Bless you Aubrey, you were the coolest chicken I ever met. When I have photos of her back from the lab I will post a few here on the blog. Everyone should see that yes, a chicken can indeed have a personality.

Her owner and friend for the past 11 years is mourning her loss, and oddly, I felt a little twinge of regret at not spending more time with her. But then I get to tell stories of how a chicken in Las Vegas allowed me to photograph her all day, even ride in my lap in the car as we drove down the Strip, and had a good time.

Rest in Peace Aubrey, we'll miss you.


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Daddy Yankee and Mr. Spock
Monday, June 12, 2006, 09:44 PM
Just go here and watch this little movie.
I wonder if Daddy Yankee would approve? Hee hee....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBXal1GAA4A

You will end up watching this three times in a row....

Artwork. Dope.

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Boricuas in the House
Monday, June 12, 2006, 01:12 PM
Last night I attended a new film created by two Boricuas, Poli Marchal and Ricardo Mendez Matta, and shot entirely on la isla.
"Ladrones y Mentirosos" is an engaging movie about how the drug trade effects three different groups of Puerto Ricans (with a few Cubans, Mexicans, and Venezuelans as well). Their lives are intertwined in intimate ways, and my favorite character was of course named Wanda. Ha!

We had Poli and Ricardo over for dinner after the screening and had a wonderful time. Two of their friends who I'd never met seemed so lovely (and were) that I invited them along as well. What is so nice about spending time with people who do creative work is that it gives you perspective. They wrote a movie, raised a budget, cast the major roles, shot their film, are showing it in film festivals, and are finding a distributor. Despite the usual hassles and challenges. I told Poli as I drove them back to their hotel that there was too much to talk about in the small amount of time we had. There was a question and answer session after the movie and many people asked how exactly they got their work off of the ground. I found myself nodding over and over again in agreement, as I continue to work on American Boricua and just know that it will come together one way or another.

American Boricua, will be on the road again after July 4th, looking for la familia in Salt Lake City, Utah, of all places. Then on to Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana.

A national and international Puerto Rican community is being created, one dinner at a time. Thank you to Poli and Ricardo for adding their work to the mix, and the delicious conversation. Permita que la conversación continúe fluir.

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