People have wondered how I was able to adapt to New York City life and NYU's lack of community but the truth is that there wasn't much of a community back home either(at least, that's how I felt).There definitely were your group of friends at school and the people you met at your job but outside of that there really wasn't anything connecting the rest of the Rio Grande Valley. I was lucky enough to have a strong group of friends but even with us it seemed hard to keep in touch after 4:00 on weekdays. Where could we go to hang out? As much as I loved(and still enjoy) hanging out at a friend's house, there was only so much we could do at each other's homes. Even the best traditions, no matter how great, can become routine and boring. This was always our problem and I have a feeling that we weren't the only ones who felt it.
It makes me wonder why the valley can't be as socially active as NYC. Is it that we can't afford a nice park? Why can't we have sidewalks or good public transportation? And why won't anyone open a nice hang-out spot for teens besides the mall? The closest thing we have is Moonbeans Coffee which is unfortunately not large enough to fit the growing number of teens who really need to get out more. Is our problem really all about money? I'm not entirely convinced about that but it definitely is a factor (I mean, I highly doubt that our poverty levels are just a coincidence). And, of course, the less money you have, the harder it is to get mom and dad to do anything for you (Democrats and Republicans are the parents, you decide which is which).I recently learned that McAllen is the square dance capital of the world. Admittedly, after I read this I was cracking up for about five minutes. When I finally got it out of my system I thought, "How did I not know about this?" I took this as yet the latest evidence that there isn't a big sense of connection and therefore not a lot of communication between us.You may think I'm crazy or lying when I say I feel safer in New York than I do back home (is the idea really that outrageous?). The reason being that I know I'm not alone there. People will always be there to fill the sidewalks and keep you company in the middle of the night(not that I've ever been out and about in the middle of the night). So really, as long as I don't do anything stupid like walk down some dark alley or take off with a strange man, I don't think I have that much to fear. The valley, on the other hand, can get pretty creepy and with the devastation affecting our neighbors across the river, it doesn't look like the valley will be getting safer any time soon. Now more than ever it's important that we keep kids out of trouble by providing places where they can have good, clean (using this term pretty loosely) fun. I feel like there's so much that needs to be done to improve the quality of life in the valley.
I wanted to be in New York because I wanted to do something significant with my life. I then realized that there were so many people who flocked to the city to do the same thing. How could I stand out among six million people? If I wanted to make a difference for people, then why not make it in a place that really needs it? A place that is seen as one of the most impoverished in the country and as one of the least brainy in the country (according to portfolio.com). My friends and I sometimes joke about how bad the valley is but it's a real problem that I would like to address. I don't know how yet but writing about it seems like an OK start. Who knows, maybe someone will read this and decide to take action. If only.
*Reference to Monty Python's "Life of Brian"
Hey this came up on my newsfeed, and as I believe you and I are the only two Valley kids at NYU I thought I'd throw in my two cents because I have thought a lot of similar thoughts.
ReplyDeleteThis is Sam Hernandez by the way, I'm graduating from NYU pretty soon and for awhile I was very directionless. I was a philo major and things were just blah. Then I really immersed myself in the city and it turns out that the Valley is failing.
Just a couple of the things are lack of public transportation, and this idea that we aren't a brainy city, which I feel is ridiculous and is not a legitimate survey, but even considering that we have a university in Edinburg and it still doesn't help. That's not a good thought.
I'm gearing my plan towards law school but the internships that I've tried to get are more on the community development side. And it's incredible how much coalition building happens in NYC. Not that the valley is NYC.
It's interesting to think that in the valley, which has three of the top ten poorest counties in America, there are no non profits, there are no community organizations that really serve to help out the people who live there.
I think it does have a lot to do with poverty. But I also think it's because of our perception by the rest of the country. We are forgotten, and the checkpoint at Falfurrias, at least for me, makes it seem like we aren't even part of the United States. We've become a disenfranchised and marginalized group who nobody considers except as a source of labor and land.
And the second, and maybe biggest thing that I think the valley needs to reconsider is community building. It's sad that the DREAM Act couldn't pass senate, but it's worse that most people from the Valley didn't want it to. We need to build connections with illegal immigrants who have similar backgrounds, and the Valley would rather they go back to Mexico (I found this out reading through comments on The Monitor's website.) In NYC immigrants and non immigrants band together, they work as communities to ensure that everyone makes it.
Just my two sense. I think the city is a unique place to really highlight what can be done in other places, especially in the valley.