I was born in the sleepy city of Ventura, California. Inside Ventura is a small, unincorporated town. Almost nobody knows it's even a town because of the surrounding area with the same name. The town i have lived in my whole life is called Saticoy, a place teetering on the most eastern edge of Ventura.
When said the ‘small town’ of Saticoy, it's really meant. The population is only around 1,000, about 98% of the people residing here are Hispanic. I've grown up with the same kids in the same run down town for 14 years now. I've first handedly seen the struggle of illegal immigrants and what they have to do to get food on the table for their families. To the side of the three main streets are the strawberry fields where i've grown up seeing people work my whole life. As I wake up and take the bus to school, i see these people up and working to no end to get their day's pay.
In Saticoy, the somewhat majority of people residing here are first generation Hispanics almost right out of Mexico. They come here with dreams and ambitions of having and creating a better life for them and their children in another country. On top of this, some of them come with barely knowing little to no English, luckily, there are many places in Ventura that serve in both English and Spanish. They also work jobs that give little pay because of their status with the hopes of making money that will sustain their family here, and the family that they've left behind. Sometimes this dream of a better lifestyle in a new country can seem to be out of reach. On the other half are the second generation Hispanics. There can often be a struggle of culture between their not-so-Mexican yet not-so-american lifestyles and mindset that they've developed from the people they've grown up around.
In this town, because of the low income of the majority of the people living here, the housing is less, then making it more affordable for the people with low paying jobs. Which is also why you don't see many people with higher income choosing to reside here. Often, there can be more than one families living in one house despite the houses already being small. In addition to the low income, small houses and the status of people here, there are a few people who chose to affiliate themselves into/with gangs. Other than the reckless tagging on signs, at the local park, and in other places there have been some incidents. With clashes against some neighboring gangs, there have been many close calls on seemingly dangerous situations.
This town has shown me struggles unseen to many others. To people not from here, they see this town in almost fear, they see it as just another hopeless place. Sometimes i see it as a hopeless place too. But this town and the people living here have given me a sense of what I should be thankful for and what I should value, since many other around me aren't as fortunate as I am. Many people in my small world have shaped the way i've decided to direct my future. With the things i've learned here, i want to leave this town, leave my small world here and take it somewhere else.
When said the ‘small town’ of Saticoy, it's really meant. The population is only around 1,000, about 98% of the people residing here are Hispanic. I've grown up with the same kids in the same run down town for 14 years now. I've first handedly seen the struggle of illegal immigrants and what they have to do to get food on the table for their families. To the side of the three main streets are the strawberry fields where i've grown up seeing people work my whole life. As I wake up and take the bus to school, i see these people up and working to no end to get their day's pay.
In Saticoy, the somewhat majority of people residing here are first generation Hispanics almost right out of Mexico. They come here with dreams and ambitions of having and creating a better life for them and their children in another country. On top of this, some of them come with barely knowing little to no English, luckily, there are many places in Ventura that serve in both English and Spanish. They also work jobs that give little pay because of their status with the hopes of making money that will sustain their family here, and the family that they've left behind. Sometimes this dream of a better lifestyle in a new country can seem to be out of reach. On the other half are the second generation Hispanics. There can often be a struggle of culture between their not-so-Mexican yet not-so-american lifestyles and mindset that they've developed from the people they've grown up around.
In this town, because of the low income of the majority of the people living here, the housing is less, then making it more affordable for the people with low paying jobs. Which is also why you don't see many people with higher income choosing to reside here. Often, there can be more than one families living in one house despite the houses already being small. In addition to the low income, small houses and the status of people here, there are a few people who chose to affiliate themselves into/with gangs. Other than the reckless tagging on signs, at the local park, and in other places there have been some incidents. With clashes against some neighboring gangs, there have been many close calls on seemingly dangerous situations.
This town has shown me struggles unseen to many others. To people not from here, they see this town in almost fear, they see it as just another hopeless place. Sometimes i see it as a hopeless place too. But this town and the people living here have given me a sense of what I should be thankful for and what I should value, since many other around me aren't as fortunate as I am. Many people in my small world have shaped the way i've decided to direct my future. With the things i've learned here, i want to leave this town, leave my small world here and take it somewhere else.