Some things that need to be changed in my neighborhood

by Sergei K, age 14

I live in a Southeast Portland neighborhood in Oregon. In my neighborhood there a lot of things that should be changed.

The first thing that can be changed in my neighborhood is for cars to drive slower and more carefully. On my street the cars drive really fast and don't notice that there is a school nearby and that small kids cross the street and can get hit easily. The city should put more stops and cameras in so people would slow down, because they will be afraid to get into trouble with the cops.

The second thing that can be changed is to make people stop selling drugs. There are some people that sell drugs in my neighborhood. People sell drugs without being scared because the cops most of the time never drive down our street. Cops need to drive throughout my neighborhood more often so it will be safe to walk on the streets and not be scared that someone on drugs will be walking by.

The third thing that can be changed in my neighborhood is that people should clean up after themselves. Some places in my neighborhood are dirty because of some people throwing away gum wrappers, candy wrappers, cans and other things. If the people in my neighborhood didn't throw stuff on the street after they eat or use things, then my neighborhood would always be clean.

In conclusion, I want the people in my neighborhood to clean up after themselves, not throw stuff on street, and be careful on the street to make our neighborhood clean and safe.

My neighborhood is a really nice place to live

by Azbuka Academy student V.Z.
art by Tanya P.

My neighborhood's a really nice place to live.

What's cool is by my house there is
a shop where you can see the best cars ever.
Body kits and doors open up really nice.

One thing I like is I have a pool table in
my hood where me and my friends always go
and play team against team.
Always after the game we have to fight each other
who wins the most and who loses.
And I have a small park in my hood where
we always go with friends and play cards
and soccer.

We love to play soccer, we are good at that sport,
it's a really good game to play
when you have nothing to do.

I really love my hood.
It's a really nice place to
live.

My Neighborhood

art and writing by Ekaterina Eskova, age 17

My neighborhood reminds me of myself.

It's also a place I always can come back to no matter what I do or what I did.

I will never forget those awesome days that I used to spend there till the darkness of the skies would attach itself to the roots of my hair.

I remember every morning I used to wake up, remembering those smells of the fresh meals and cookies with the still warm milk that my mom made for me and also the sounds of the morning birds who would sing for me a morning song.

But what I loved the most was the laugh and loud noises of little kids playing outside which would wake me up all the time when I was trying to take a nap. It was distracting, but I loved it though anyways.

The winter time was nice too. Very,very cold. The cold would go through your skin so deep that it made you feel like you want to stay somewhere inside.

I miss it all a lot. What can I say.

My neighborhood was where I spent the greatest times of my younger years.

My neighborhood is cool

by Azbuka Academy high school student, photo by Liliya Khylchuk

,

My neighborhood is cool because it's always clean. In my neighborhood, you will see rusted stop signs. I always hear dogs barking. If you go there, you'll taste fresh air because there's a lot of trees. You can smell good food when someone is cooking something. The neighborhood is cool, because when you touch something, it's guaranteed to be clean. I've always been wondering what my neighbors' problem is. They always argue. And the cars are terrible. They always drive by on our street and it's hard to sleep.

Ghetto Neighborhood

by Andrey German
photo by Liliya Khylchuk


I hear gunshots that sound scary and
I hear my family's arguments,
I see people playing soccer at the park,
I hear the train going by my house,
I see my neighbors smoking,
I hear music in my ears,
I hear the thunder and rain when I'm in my house,
I hear kids crying
in my house.

My Neighborhood

by Sveta Demenko, age 16
photo by Liliya Khylchuk

In my neighborhood, you'll see a lot of different people: Russian, Ukrainian, Asian, Mexican, American, and African American.

In my neighborhood, you will always see a lot of cars parked everywhere. A lot of them are old, rusty cars, but you can always spot out the nice, shiny, polished cars.

In my neighborhood you will see the sunrise every morning, and the moon almost every night.

In my neighborhood you will see lots of different houses and buildings. Most houses are really nice-looking: grass, trees trimmed. But you will never miss the dirty weeds all over the yards of the houses standing out there.

In my neighborhood, you will see every spring flowers blooming, and the sweet smell far up in your nose bringing you joy and a smile.

When fall comes, you will see all the leaves scattered on the ground, bringing colors to my neighborhood.