A Massachusetts transplant who moved to Puerto Rico in 2024 details eight-hour blackouts and resident-ID paperwork that required a 40-minute drive.
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Puerto Rico sells itself as a tropical escape. For a Massachusetts transplant who moved there in September 2024, most of that pitch holds up. The weather and food deliver. So do the parts the brochures leave out: an aging power grid, water interruptions, roads torn by potholes, and bureaucratic delays that can mean a 40-minute drive for a five-minute webcam photo.
Power outages, known locally as apagones, are routine. The 2024 New Year's Eve blackout and the 2025 Easter Weekend outage made global headlines. The author has also dealt with neighborhood-wide interruptions that never reach that scale of attention. Her personal record is eight hours without electricity. Some parts of Puerto Rico go far longer, she writes.
Water service is a second point of friction. At her San Juan apartment, interruptions have left her unable to prepare for the day. Many residents install cisterns. Solar panels and gas generators are common backup. Facebook pages for the island's water utility and private power operator fill up with residents reporting problems and asking for updates.
The move from a US state to a US territory brought its own paperwork. Getting a resident ID meant several trips to several offices. One step required a 40-minute drive for a five-minute webcam photo. She calls the process inefficient. She also calls it 'not the end of the world.'
Getting around the island is another hurdle. The Tren Urbano rapid transit line works well in the San Juan area. Outside the metro, buses and ferries exist. Nothing moves at the speed of a dedicated rail line. Roads carry their own risk. Potholes, known locally as boketes, can tear open a tire. A bokete did exactly that to the author's tire on Christmas Day 2025, leaving her stranded.
She also flags the social friction that comes with being an outsider. Wealthy newcomers buying Puerto Rican land have added to gentrification concerns. The author, who says she is proficient in Spanish, accepts that being a 'gringo' makes her a point of contention for some. She does what she can to be a respectful resident.
The outages and paperwork have not changed her answer. 'I feel so fortunate to be here,' she writes.
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