hidden, unappreciated beauty.

for the most part of my youth, i spent it absorbing the enviroment i was placed in. unable to drive since i was not old enough, i spent my time after school with friends. i went to a private all girls school since 7th grade and i must say that those years forever hold a piece of my identidy. much of my friends with whom i spent time with during and after school, became my sisters. most were from areas in which i had never been to or were familiar with. my dad worked out in LA and found it easier to just dump me off at school. we lived in whittier for the most part, and we had to leave super early to avoid any traffic that could harm my dads career. i would get to school everyday at 630 am and leave at 630 pm. school would get out at 245, leaving the rest of my time to do what girls do best: have fun. man, after school my friends and i would follow the wind and drift to whereever our hearts desired. we would bus it to eat some cheap mexican tacos at king taco or go visit the all boys school by doger staduim or take booth pictures in the center in chinatown. we would shop down broadway street in lincoln hieghts and even get our hair done by this really mexican lady who only charged us like 2o bucks for everything. man those were the days. i remember feeling so sketched out at times, because my mom would tell me scarry stories about the dangers lurking about in the LA area and me being a girl, had to be really careful. But in all my adventures, i never felt scared or threatened. i felt safe and at home. my adventures with my girls forever installed a positive view towards the misconceptions and stereotypes of los angeles. i met the most hardworking people, most generous, proud, loyal people. most of my friends came from completly different upbrings than i did, which caused me to open my eyes to not judge others. with that, i saw beauty in run down, negative neighborhoods. past the graffiti or trash, a children could be found playing in the street, inocently inviting you to play. or the lady on the corner, who sold delicous fruit with lime and chile. yum. people who think of LA picture graffiti, trash, bums, drugs, gangs, ghetto, violence,etc...alll negative images. for my book, i want to share some positive memories and images about LA in hopes to show how truly wonderful it is. i think this will contribute changing peoples perception and breaking the sterotypes bestowed upon such a hidden beauty.