El Sereno

I have been contemplating, well I guess really thinking about moving closer to work (Venice). I will miss El Sereno.  My sister and I talked a while ago about it that she wanted to move for work and she said that there was something about El Sereno that made us stay. Is it the water? Well, we are both still here.

I remember her telling me that she lived in El Sereno and me thinking "What, where's that?" it's as if she said " I moved to Bakersfield".  I was brought up in Downtown L.A. El Sereno seemed foreign to me.  It is spread out and there is more breathing room than Downtown and the Pico Union area. I grew up in crowded spaces with lots of people and traffic ( and other things that I wont mention :0/ ).

Living here did not take me away from the familiar. It gave me the weekends sounds of kids playing and jumping in the giant inflatable jumpers. It added the  ranflas (lowrider, or Chevy fleetline, or other awesome car) letting out a rumble out of their exhaust pipes as they cruise by on the weekends.  It has many things that inspire me and make me appreciate my culture a little more and re-discover what is taken for granted.

I will post some images here and there to kinda say goodbye slowly, like tearing a band aid so painfully.

Teaching is important to me and as I get older I want to become better and I want to offer my students more opportunities. I do not want to worry about the 3 hours I have to drive everyday (1hr 1/2 each way with traffic). I also want to create more opportunities for El Ponk.

However long it takes me to make the change, I'm doing it for my sanity and health. It's always good to get out of your comfort zone and pull away.

"Aver que pasa" (let's see what happens)

PS: We found the cross in an alley. It had large milagros on the sides, but the writing was painted over.  I like that it stood out and looks like it has been there for a while. That alley had some painting of Cantinflas and Bettie Boop and other things that were probably painted with house paint. They are no longer there and the only trace of that is the names on the wall of the "1999 Loco Alley Artists" list on the side of a house. It's to the right of the Mazatlan Theater (that got new paint).  You are probably thinking "OK if it's such a great place why is she showing us where someone might have died?". If you are asking yourself that, you missed the point.

This a house that has a Statue of Liberty and flag around a thing that looks like a barbershop cylinder (don't know what it is)