nannies and gardeners
04.01.03 // 8:04 p.m.

I drive to work through the wealthy neighborhoods avoiding the freeway and the main streets. It takes about the same amount of time, but the streets are quieter.

I look at the magnificent homes, gardens and cars in awe knowing that I will never live in such a neighborhood. It's not that I don't think I will be able to afford it as a college professor, but I can't see myself ever living in a neighborhood where the only brown people I see are the nannies and the gardeners.

I used to joke with my siblings that the only Mexicans who entered the gates of Bel Aire - which borders my school/work - were the gardeners, nannies and housekeepers. It's true too, but of course it's not limited to just Mexicans, but Salvadoreans and Guatemalans too. I once argued with a woman as I waited for a bus that I was returning from the westside because I went to school there. She insisted that I was lying, was really a cleaning lady or nanny and was just too ashamed to admit it. She even wanted me to show her my school ID. I didn't bother, I didn't need to prove myself to her.

At the time, the woman angered me with her ignorance and closemindedness. But now that I think of it, I realize that most Latinas on the bus to the westside were going there to work in the homes not go to school.

The folks I see working hard tending to the gardens and walking the babies in the stroller are not much different than me. Even though I have more chances for upward mobility, I still can't see myself living in one of those homes. I need to be in a community with people who look like me and share similar experiences to be truly comfortable.

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Me siento: chilly
Escuchando: gilmore girls on tv

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