I knew a little about Puerto Rico when I first thought about coming to the island as an exchange student though Wichita State. I assumed they spoke Spanish and that everywhere I went I would hear the sound of the sea.

Oh, how I was mistaken.

After a month on the island, studying at Sacred Heart University in San Juan, Puerto Rico, I have learned about the history and the day-to-day challenges Puerto Ricans confront as a territory of the United States.

I feel like my little knowledge of the “enchanted island” is similar to the average American. There was no designated section in my history books growing up dedicated to Puerto Rico. I never understood what constituted a “territory” except for not needing a passport to live there.  

As a Puerto Rican, you are considered a citizen of the United States under certain restrictions. You do not receive all the rights as a “regular” citizen — in other words you are a “semi-citizen.”

Puerto Ricans are forced to read books about U.S. history, memorize the U.S. constitution and salute the U.S. flag, but are unable to vote in national elections. In essence, you are forced to learn the civil rights all citizens are entitled to while not receiving all of them.

As a Puerto Rican, you are overlooked, underpaid and almost ignored by the United States.

I once sat for a whole morning in the doctor’s office with a friend just to be told three hours later she has to come back tomorrow for blood tests because she ate a cracker earlier that day.  So, she has to schedule another four hours out of her day to come back. How does this system resemble hospitals in the United States?

This weekend I visited Vieques, a small island off the coast of Puerto Rico that was once used as a target for U.S. military explosives. This endangered the lives of countless marine animals and residents on the island.

No longer should Puerto Ricans be looked at as foreigners. We love their beaches and take advantage of their sun but ignore their needs and look past their poverty.  

 These are my people. Defining them as a state, commonwealth or territory does not make them less American. Being American is a feeling of belonging, representing and defending who you are — a feeling I believe many Puerto Ricans have demonstrated throughout history. Millions have fought so America could be a place where anyone could belong. Why not Puerto Rico? When will they belong?