I am from a small town of all most all white people and I had never been outside of the United States until 1997. I went to Puerto Rico that year to play baseball. I knew baseball would keep me occupied, but I wanted a chance to experience the island. Puerto Rico was a very different place compared to where I come from and it didn't take me long to realize that.
I guess it all started when, I got off the plane. The airport was full of Puerto Ricans. It was kind of an awkward place for me, because I was used to being around white people. Then, I saw a team representative holding a card with my name on it, and he was also Puerto Rican. I went over and introduced myself. While standing there, one of my teammates came over, of who I didn't know, and he was black. The word uncomfortable is the perfect word to describe how I was feeling at that moment.
Being socially uncomfortable at that point, I hurried to get to the team van. …
