{Note from the Editor, Jireh.}
In the span of one week, classes at Long Beach State moved online for the rest of the semester and students in the dorms moved back home. Governor Gavin Newsom is asking all of us to stay at home unless it is necessary to go out. Home carries different meanings for different people and we wanted to share this week a little of what home carries for us. We encourage you to write to us! Tell us what you reflect upon at home and what it means to you.
Coyote Hills - Edward Rho
If you were to ask anyone casually walking down to describe the small block of homes hidden behind a park in Coyote Hills, they would probably use these following four words:
Clean. Quiet. Empty. And most commonly: Boring.
But if you ever decide to stop and take a closer look, you’ll understand that my neighborhood is anything but. From the people to the buildings, my neighborhood has always provided me with life experiences, comfort, and friends that I will never forget.
When you first arrive, you’ll immediately be greeted by a Yggdrasil-like tree standing in the front lawn of a small home as if it’s guarding the secrets of the people that live here. But take a closer look, as you might miss the person sitting beside it: my always welcoming neighbor, who somehow retains an infinite amount of knowledge on novels and books and will offer any sort of parting advice for the mid-life crisis teenager that might come about his way.
Along the way, you might discover a basketball court with no hoops. This used to be the once-famous court that attracted all sorts of people to get together and play. Loud music parties, large cookout, and birthday parties used to be thrown here every other day. Due to this, this basketball court was eventually torn apart in an effort to get rid of these disruptive gatherings. Mostly these days, it simply serves as a nostalgic reminder of simpler times from my childhood.
And if you keep your eyes peeled, you’ll come across a handmade dirt path that leads you to a dangerously steep hill. While it may just look like a steep dirt mound to others, I find personal value in the experiences that I lived in that space. Sometimes a cookout, other times a sledding competition, this hill became the emblem of my teenage years. This gradually became a safe space where I was able to gain my best friends, discuss my hopes and dreams, and open up to those around me.
If you had asked me to describe my hometown a few years ago, I would have complained that there was nothing to do and that my life was so ordinary. But through the years, living at Coyote Hills, it has taught me to become a better observer of my surroundings and a better listener to those around me. And I have learned that even in the most ordinary, mundane places, there is always something to be cherished and experienced. Now as a learning filmmaker and storyteller in college, I find that interesting stories are all around us -- but only if one looks hard enough. I have lived in this clean, quiet, empty and boring neighborhood for about ten years now and it’s become a fundamental part of who I am today.
Vallejo - Mailea Ang
A funny dog that I met at the local park, who is the king of fetching
The pinball place that opened up downtown
A film festival they held during pride month. Vallejo has been investing in the arts more and has monthly Friday art walks on the 2nd Friday of each month. They’re working to bring art to a wider audience.
Have you ever heard of Vallejo? If you have, congrats! If you haven’t, allow me to introduce you.
Vallejo is a small city in Northern California, around 7 hours from here. The main attraction it boasts is a movie theatre, though my uncles' band, CRSB, performs at the Empress theatre sometimes and Good Compenny is working to increase artistic awareness there. Some “fun” facts about my city are:
it was voted one of the most ethnically diverse cities in America
was home to E-40 and MAC Dre
was where the Zodiac Killer mystery took place.
However, if you want to do more you’ve got to get out of town. It’s small; you’re likely to see someone you know wherever you go. It isn’t the biggest, but there’s pride in coming from the Bay. What was my childhood in this city like, you ask?
Now for the fun facts about me. I’d say that my upbringing was interesting. My parents encouraged a curious mind. For example, when I was younger I loved bugs. My parents supported this, buying me a ladybug jar that I kept in my backpack and catching praying mantises outside for me. They saved them in cages, and I would bring a net outside every day to catch bugs for them to eat. They also saw that I loved rocks and would let me scavenge for them on trips, where I’d return with my pockets sagging from the weight of the stones I’d collected. I’d decorate the front yard with them and would go to exhibitions for gemstones and minerals with my father.
Though I loved to explore and adventure, I was not an athlete. My family teaches Kajukenbo, owning dojos under the Seronio family name. When I was younger, my mother would make me attend practices. Once she realized that I only went for the barbecue potato chips from the community center vending machine, she switched me over to my family’s hula program. I went in-and-out of it, only garnering a very basic understanding of the dance. I tried to be more athletic and forced myself onto the basketball and swim team in high school, but struggled with that too. I ended up settling for a basketball team manager position instead.
My family champions knowledge more than anything though. They would take me to the library and nurtured my love for reading. I became known for having a book on me at all times. We later moved into an apartment next to the city library, and it was like moving a toddler next to the candy shop. I spent as much time as I could stow away at a table there. I taught myself to draw by tracing over the manga I found and read about poetry, birds, flowers, fish, and rocks. It was a safe haven that fostered my appreciation for writing. It was what brought me here and what made me interested in sharing my stories with you.
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