Where I Grew Up

In Southern California, located in the southeastern county of Los Angeles is the city where I grew up. This city is known as Pico Rivera. Up until the 1950’s the city was considered to be agricultural but now it’s one of the Gateway Cities. What this means is Pico Rivera and surrounding cities such as Downey and Montebello cross-over with each other to make up South Los Angeles, East Los Angeles, South Bay, and the San Gabriel Valley. I was brought into this world in 1990s. During this era the World Wide Web was born, Los Angeles riots sparked, and OJ Simpson was tried for murder. One may also remember the pop sensation group the Spice Girls taking over the music world and Leonardo DiCaprio’s finest movie Titanic hit theatres.

            The neighborhood I was raised was a bit toward the lower class of society. Ethnicity wise Pico Rivera was and is 90% Hispanic or Latino. I can remember my cousins and me running around in the front yard. Laughing and imagining what we want to be when we grow up. My house set on the corner of

Bexley Dr. and  Bridgeview Ave.At the time when it was only a single story house the roof was light blue and the walls of the house were white. There was a black fence that looked like they had pitch forks on top, which covered the entire house. Around the actual house flowers of all types grew from sunflowers, to roses, to tulips. The roses smelled alluring but I wouldn’t be able to express how the sunflowers smelled because then I would start sneezing like a maniac. With flowers around my house there were also pine trees that grew around the entire block. I thought they were so long and tall that they could possibly reach the heavens.  The temperature was normal southern California weather, hot in the summer and cold in the winter. I’m not a big fan of the sun but when it was hot I would just stay inside and imagine it wasn’t hot or go in the pool and swim for hours. And if it was raining I was on cloud nine. If were up to me I would have just sat on the porch and let my clothes get drenched but my mother thought I was crazy.

            Next I would like to give some insight about the people that lived around me. The neighbors on my block seemed to have normal behaviors and appearances but then again I was told to never trust them. Most of my neighbors had the same daily activities. Walks in the morning, water their grass, or wash their car. There were barely any kids around because mostly old people on the block look liked they lived through the hippie and disco years.  There was a specific couple that I remember. A husband and wife but I never learned their names. The husband wore a striped red plaid shirt with beige pants everyday. When he walked by my house he would always have a big smile on his face. His wife I rarely saw. She was always in the house sitting on her rocking chair staring at the wall. The reason I know this is because my cousin Alex and me would peak through the window since we were curious if she was still alive. Another person that clearly stands out for me form my past is my neighbor across the street fro my house. Her name was Lupe and she was a bitter old woman. Her only outfit that she seemed to own was a night gown and that was the only outfit I can remember wearing.  She kept to herself a lot but I remember if she did come at her house she would just sit on a chair. While she was sitting she would just stare at you. You would feel uncomfortable because once you got her looking at you her face would turn in to this chilling and frightening expression that all you wanted to do was run and never look back

            Growing up in a predominating one ethnic community, a specific characteristic trait about me would be I’m very fortunate of what I have. My hometown in the 90s wasn’t the best, buildings were old and tagged, people were either getting shot at, or they lived on streets. I am truly grateful for all the sacrifices that both my parents made for me. They did their best being very young parents with me because they were only sixteen.  The reason fortunate is trait about me because growing up in this city I saw what people didn’t have that I did, whether it is food, a roof over my head, or parents that loved me.  I was also fortunate with what my parents taught me. A few things they would always tell me would be to respect others as well their belongings, value what I hope to accomplish, and succeed in life. Without me being raised in a neighborhood like mine I probably wouldn’t have seen the things that I was grateful and fortunate to have.

            Lastly I would like to express the importance of growing up where I did. Being raised in Pico Rivera has revealed to me that it’s important to know there are diverse people of different ethnicities. Since my city had one main ethnical background I didn’t the Hispanic community wasn’t the only one in this world. I probably wouldn’t have realized that there are diverse people if didn’t attend St. Hilary school and meet a variety of people with different ethnic backgrounds. I believe the people in my neighborhood will always be in my memories. The people that were around my neighborhood may have looked the same on the outside, but each one was different. Some valued different religions and some had interesting lifestyles. Then I have the era of the 90s that left me memories to always cherish. I will always remember dancing in my backyard listening to my favorite singing group, the Spice Girls. And watching my favorite show Sesame Street every morning.  I wish to end this with thanking my city of Pico Rivera, leaving a mark of who I am and giving me memories to remember forever.