Personal Narrative: Where I'm From

What Matters Most to Me

When asked what matters most to them, many will reply, “my family” or “my friends”, however I feel that it is so much more than that. While my family and friends do mean the world to me, I think it is true happiness and satisfaction with your life that matters most; doing things because it makes you happy—not worrying about what anyone else thinks. Several years ago my parents were divorced and as it crippled the family’s spirits, we soon came to realize that it was for the best. A painful situation was made for the better because both of my parents felt free and were themselves, more content. I say true happiness is most important because if one is truly satisfied with his or her life others are bound to follow. I guess you could say that the happiness of my family gave my own life true satisfaction.

My L.A.

Growing up, no I did not live in Los Angeles, and although I did not live too far either, I may as well have been all the way across the country. I grew up in Simi Valley, Ventura County, California. I lived there in my own little world where nothing happened and no one cared, until I was 13 when my parents were divorced. My mom and I moved out to Northridge in the middle of my 8th grade year and I immediately fell in love with “The Valley”. Not only that, I fell in love with all of Los Angeles. I was finally able to experience the ethnic, economic and cultural diversity that I had craved for so long in Simi Valley where everyone was rich, Mormon, and white. It seemed to me that I was finally able to be a real part of a real society. Now with my occasional trip to various states, I’ve come to the conclusion that L.A. has THE WORST traffic of any place on this planet (maybe with the exception of New York) yet for some reason I love it. I’m the type of person that loves to “people-watch” and I’ve discovered that people do some pretty interesting things when sitting in traffic. There are always the people on their Blue-tooth that look like they are talking to themselves, the women that are putting on their makeup with one eye shut and mouth open as if they’re completely shocked and giving you the stink eye at the same time. I see the men that shave in their cars, the men who rock out in their cars with the windows up because they are probably listening to Kelly Clarkson, the women that groom themselves, the couples that fight, the couples that make out, the groups of friends talking and laughing. While I do enjoy the sites, the opportunities and of course the climate, what I have fallen in love with is the diversity of L.A.—Russian, Korean, Black and Italian. Buddhist, Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Jewish. Rock, Jazz, Country, and Rap. Republican, Libertarian, Democratic, and Independent. All of it is so beautiful and it’s amazing to me that so many different cultures and beliefs could coexist in one community.

"My So Called Life"

In the episode of "My So Called Life" that we watched in class, we get a close look into the life of a high school girl named Angela. We as the audience see the trouble that she has with her friends and family, however both have to do with fitting in. She sees that everyone has certain expectaions of her--her mom, dad, old best friend, new best friends, even teachers. It is not until the end of the episode where she realizes that her mom only wants the best for her and that her dad does not meet the expectations that the family has for him.

It's a NewGeneration, Get Over it...

This morning I got out of my best friend’s Altima, blasting “I’m Me” by Lil Wayne, in front of 7eleven so I could get my morning coffee. Standing in front of me, waiting to get into his truck, was an older man probably about 60 years old. Trying to be polite, I quickly got out of his way, smiled sweetly and said, “Good morning.” He showed no emotion which would have had no effect on me had he not rolled his eyes as he passed. Now normally, I’d think that this man was just having a bad day, or maybe didn’t particularly appreciate the fact that was in his way, however incidents like this seem to happen several times a month, and more often when I step out of a car with more than one friend.
Is it the nose ring or the multiple piercings up and down my ears? The music? My dirty converse? Even the fact that I should probably be on my merry way to my educational calling? Whatever it is, when that man rolled his eyes, he was probably thinking “Back in my day, even teenagers showed respect,” because I get a daily dose of those words from the adults in my family.
Now I know that most people whether they know it or not, make judgments on what they see, but can they really expect me to hop out of an old Cadillac, wearing a poodle skirt and shinny new saddle shoes, listening to Perry Como? I’ve noticed that the people who do tend to judge are usually older adults and I’m probably not the only one who gets the roll of the eyes, the frown, or the stink eye. Many adults tend to generalize teenagers and they think we are all delinquents. I do understand that there are some that seem to ruin it for the rest of us, but really, that doesn’t mean that we all wait till midnight to spread the walls with graffiti, or go hang out with friends just to drink, make noise and smoke out.
And c’mon, they were our age at one time, maybe it was over a million years ago, but it was at one time. They should understand the pressures of being a teenager and that we are not all the same, in fact most of us are only looking for understanding and a path to follow. To all the adults who generalize us teenagers, all I can say is that I am not trying to rebel, I am not trying to spite you, and I surely am not trying to trying to disrespect you. We aren’t “back in YOUR day”; it’s a new generation, get over it.

Response to Jenna's Story

When I read Jenna’s story, I was actually surprised at how alike our thoughts were. Of course finance and mortgages, etc., should not be on the mind of teenagers today with the exception of lunch and maybe a car payment if you are lucky enough to drive. I think that most teenagers do think about these things but do not discuss them because the current state of the economy has either affected their parents, siblings or other people close to them. Although I do not drive, I am searching for a job so I will be able to afford a car, insurance and gas. When my friends go out to eat, the first thing that escapes my mouth, is “where” because I usually only carry enough to pay for a small fast food lunch maybe once or twice a week. Every day I think to myself, how am I ever going to afford this? Just as most of the population, my parents are not rich, and I do not have a large fund waiting for me in the bank; so how am I going to be expected to pay for a car, college, food, housing, and maybe the occasional, want or whim. I am so glad to hear that a teenager spoke up about the problem and hopefully there is a solution to the crisis by the time I have entered college.