My eyes have been a topic of conversation since I was born. Being from Puerto Rico, it is not too common to see a (very) white, blonde, blue-eyed island girl. My eye color is usually the first thing people notice when they meet me. “You have beautiful eyes” is a phrase I hear constantly from people I know and people I don't. I believe my eye color is related to my identity since it has changed the way people see me. Because of my eyes and how I look people assume I'm a tourist every time I visit places like Old San Juan. I'm usually greeted with “Table for two?” at restaurants instead of “¿Mesa para dos?” Even though my eyes are a part of my body I feel like they're a part of my personality and identity as well. I am obviously not the same person I was 10 years ago, but my eyes have been a part of me that has stayed the same. Even when I was a big, curly-haired girl to now where I’m a petite short haired blonde, my eyes are the one part of myself that remains constant. Another way I feel my eyes portray my identity is the reason I have them in the first place. Both my mother and father were born in Puerto Rico and I look nothing like them. My grandmother, who shares most of my physical properties, was born and raised in the United States. My maternal grandmother is also pale and blonde with blue eyes. I believe my appearance shows this side of my heritage. My eye color further shows my identity because my American grandmother is one of the family members I am closest to. All these different aspects of my identity and my personality are shown in something as simple as the color of my eyes. It helps me feel closer to my family members in the United States but it also makes me feel out of place from the rest of my family. My grandfather is from the Dominican Republic. This is why my mother and her siblings look more like Puerto Ricans than I do. My sisters, on the other hand, have some features that help them look more Puerto Rican as well. I am the only person in my family whose appearance is so American. This has shaped who I am as a person and how people see and treat me.
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