Amalia Quiñones — Memory River

1 photoAdded Oct 4, 2026

Papá teaching me to snorkel

I don't know exactly when this was. I must have been about nine. Papá taught me to snorkel at Escambrón. We had one of those rubber masks that covered your eyes and nose and smelled terrible. I was scared to put my face in the water because breathing through the tube felt completely wrong. He held my hand and told me not to look ahead, just look down. I remember the moment I finally did it. There were little fish right underneath us and suddenly I forgot I was scared. I wanted to stay in until my fingers got wrinkled. For years I thought the water had been incredibly deep. I went back much later and realized we were probably standing in four feet of water.

Escambrón, San Juan, Puerto Rico

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The blackout at Abuela's

I don't know how old I was, maybe six or seven. The electricity went out at Abuela's and everybody ended up sitting outside on the balcony because it was too hot inside. I remember the candles and the mosquitoes more than anything. The whole neighborhood was dark but you could hear people talking from the other houses. The grownups stayed up much later than usual and I was allowed to stay with them. I don't remember what they were talking about. I just remember liking that nobody could send me inside to bed because it was hotter in there.

Santurce, Puerto Rico