East L.A.: A new surrounding

I haven’t always lived in East Los Angeles. I moved out here almost five years ago, and I could say It feels like I’ve been here all my life.

I grew up living in Fontana, and coming from a completely different neighborhood where everything is farther away and the environment is dissimilar to one another. I was able to notice the difference the moment I started living in East L.A. with the neighborhoods, my surroundings, the people, and even the weather. And after being here for a while, I could say my community has influenced the way things are today.

East L.A. is full of surprises for one thing. Everywhere I go is always a new adventure, doesn’t matter how many times I’ve been to one place. I could thank skateboarding for that; without it, I wouldn’t feel as connected with my community like I do today.

Moving through each neighborhood in East L.A. is a long way to go, and a lot to experience. And skateboarding lets me experience the city in such a unique way, it’s almost indescribable.

I’m usually out and about, and that gives me the ability to explore and discover if I haven’t already. I enjoy traveling around, with multiple places to decide where to go of my interest, whether it’s a cool spot to hang out at or somewhere to grub out, like Jims.

I think it’s funny how most people think if you live out in East L.A. that it’s ghetto and everyone is rude because the way they look at you. When in reality it’s the opposite, and most people out here could relate to each other.

You never know who could end up being in the same shoes as you. Though, there are times later at night depending where you are at, where it does feel unsafe to be due to active gang activity going on in some areas. Besides that, everyone is civil with one another and like to keep their business to themselves.