Get a glimpse of my childhood neighborhood.

Fabiola Oregon

Mr. Murphy

English 914

4 Oct. 2013

                    “Welcome Home”

    Have you ever cruised down Long Beach Boulevard, closer to the beach and seen groups of Polynesian people outside enjoying the fresh air that comes from the ocean breeze? Driving down that stretched out street you can come across so many senses such as the cars driving or the water from the beach crashing against the shore. Smells of the different foods from the multicultural diversity in the city of Long Beach are incomparable. Sights such as the beach, cars, and children playing or in my case family dancing and spending time together. The feeling of the nice ocean breeze from the beach, spraying towards the city is amazing. Long Beach California’s lifestyle is filled with excellent kinesthesia for a family oriented neighborhood.

    The sounds of my old neighborhood bring back vivid childhood memories. Every morning as a child growing up in the city of Long Beach, through the window I could always hear the cars in the distance as people made their way to work. The sound of the water and the chirping of the seagulls from the beach was the closest thing I heard. Sometimes I could even hear the pans and plates clanging from my auntie cooking breakfast in the mornings. The loudest part of my days was the children up and about running throughout the house, getting ready for another eventful day.

    I could always count on waking up to a variety of smells both good and bad. Such powerful smells of traditional Samoan food known as “Panikekes,” Samoan pancakes, such a sweet aroma filling the air. In my neighborhood you would almost always come across delicious smells from the food, to the fresh smell of ocean breeze, to the disturbing stench of animals. Lounging on the balcony brings the fresh scent of the ocean mists towards our neighborhood. Coming across these smells helps paint a picture of what life would all appear like on a canvas.

    The panoramic scene of my neighborhood as interesting as it is to see, not many people have the advantage to come across these sights everyday. Every morning I would walk to my window and poke my head out the window to see the many cars in the distance. I would always notice the blue, white, and red cars, because the black ones always appeared as little ants. The beautiful panorama of the baby blue beach waves and the brown sand gave me the urge to run down there and join the neighbors with a game of volleyball. If I turned to the city, I could see the stores and the schools just up the street. The stores were always dull colors, but I always remember my school and my older cousins school painted with vibrant purple and blue colors. Downstairs I would always find my auntie Lanu cooking and my cousins’eating cereal or panikekes. Later on in the days I would always find my family setting up for my cousins and I to start traditional Polynesian dance practices to end our day.

    The calm and relaxing feeling of the cool breeze that makes its way through the windows throughout the days was an unforgettable feeling. And on the weekends or holidays we would walk to the beach and drag our bare feet through the warm sand all the way to the shore. On the beach shore the electrifying feeling of the first crash of water against my feet makes its way all the way up my back. Every other night our dance practices took place in front of our apartment building in the grass area. I can still remember the feeling of the grass and dirt in between my toes as my aunt instructed the next dance moves.

    Being a part of a diverse cultural background comes with great and tasty foods. Auntie Lanu cooked every meal of the day, whether it was panikekes for breakfast with a tall glass of cold milk, and for lunch I could always expect some warm slimy chop suey that filled my mouth with a variety of spices and flavors. Dinnertime was the best to look forward to. My auntie made so much food I never knew what to eat. From pisupo, to spam musubi, my taste buds were set off! 

    Looking for a peaceful tranquil neighborhood to live in? Definitely consider taking your next beach trip to Long Beach and while you are in the vicinity scope out the city. I would love to one day in the future take my family back to where I grew up as a child in an interesting and diverse city. To a neighborhood where I can walk around barefoot with no care in the world because I am comfortable in my surroundings. Being around family and having that smell of the food I love to eat that makes me feel at home the way it should be. The way it should feel in the neighborhood where I grew up and one day wish to raise my kids, so they also know what its like to feel safe at home. In Long Beach California the lifestyle is house warming, because it is welcoming with perfect kinesthesia for family oriented people who wish to be greeted with a “Welcome home.”