What is the earliest neighborhood that you can recall? What do the people and houses look like? The streets, the scary places, the weird people. Describe the people and your neighborhood in rich detail, using imagery to bring to life the tactile feelings, the smells, sights, sounds, and tastes that you have experienced.
Transcribe your journal entries about the neighborhood by typing your memory in MS Word. Use your best grammar, punctuation and spelling. Have another friend peer-edit your writing by reading your memory. Then have that person suggest changes or point out problems they notice with the writing. Once you have a final version, copy and paste your memory here to this blog entry’s COMMENTS.
English is my Thinglish :: 
Wanya allen English 8:1
6/1/15 my earliest neighborhood
The first neighborhood I remember was in virgina. The neighborhood was quiet especially at the night time. It was a lovely place I saw a lot of trees there and flowers there were many beautiful houses. In that neighborhood there were many friendly neighbors. In that neighborhood their were barely any crime there. There was no tragic disaster in the neighborhood I live in. So that is the earliest neighborhood I remember. – wanya allen
I lived in a red two story apartment on Parker Ave it had red bricks stacked up as a wall . There was a red where my best friend Grandma used to live on the on left of me and on the right there was empty white house . The weird person in the neighborhood was a lady with red that would always stick up with different matching pj’s . One day she yelled at my friends saying we want her husband .
Jimmy Santiago English 8:1
6/4/15 Earliest Neighborhood
My earliest neighborhood memory is when I lived a red building in Main st. I was practicing how to ride a bike when I was like 5 or 6. Then many people are making a lot of noise and then we had to leave because we can’t handle any noise, so we left. After that we found a new house near the high school. It was quiet. Then another family came and went upstairs, start making a lot of noise then we left and find a new house. Finally we found a new house that is very quiet and stayed for like about 5 years.. We made new neighbors that are very nice but their black. We got along and friends. We respect them the same respect they gave us. This is my earliest neighborhood memory some are worst and some are good.
Moises Castellanos 6/4/15
Earliest Neighborhood Memories
The earliest neighborhood memories is when I lived in a red building. That red building was good but it smelled bad. It smelled bad because of the wet wall. The place was also dirty because there was cockroaches. My neighbors were okay but a house down the street was weird. I every time the old lady would look mad it looks that she lived alone that was the scary part of my earliest neighborhood. I really meet new friends like Marvin Rodriguez a best friend.
Stephon Franklin English8:1
6/4/15 Earliest Neighborhood Essay
Earliest Neighborhood Memories
I remember when I was little I lived on Morgan Ave. I was about four or five years old. It was a three bedroom apartment. The people who lived in that house was my mom, dad, and my two brothers and my rabbit. It was a dirty neighborhood with garbage all over the ground. There was a driveway my brothers and I used to play on the ground was rocky. My brothers and I will always get hurt. There was a weird grey old cat that will always trial around my house when I and my brothers play. The rooms in my house had carpets we will always play video games. Every morning my mom always said “Wake up honey come eat some breakfast.” I would always say “alright mom five more minutes.” When my family would have a BBQ my whole family will come over and we eat lots of foods and I will watch my dad play basketball with his friends. Then we moved because the house was getting so dirty in and around the house. So we moved to Hamilton St and then moved again to Mansion St.
Jimmy Santiago English 8:1
6/4/15 Earliest Neighborhood
My earliest neighborhood memory is when I lived in a red building in Main street. I was practicing how to ride a bike when I was like five or six. Then many people are making a lot of noise and then we had to move because we can’t handle any noise, so we moved. After that we found a new house near the high school. It was quiet. Then another family came and went upstairs, started making a lot of noise then we moved and found a new house. Finally we found a new house that is very quiet and stayed for like about five years. We made new neighbors that are very nice and their black. We get along and made new friends. We respected them the same respect they gave us. This is my earliest neighborhood memory. Some are worst and some are good.
The street that I live on north Hamilton. My house is white and its like an apartment. Whenever I go outside I see little kids across the street,and then I see my backyard and like the fence that separates my backyard and my aunts backyard.There are two apartment buildings across the street from my house. They are both the same color and one is smaller than the other.Sometimes when I go outside I see people walking past,talking,or sitting on a porch and just chillin. My backyard is like a medium sized. I kinda like my street because,I like when my family has cookouts and parties and its just fun when we have parties and things.I love seeing my favorite cousins and other family members. My street is kinda good it has nice houses and its around lots of good places .The best thing I like about living on north Hamilton is that there is a basketball park right around the corner.The park is called Malcolm x ,and I sometimes go there to spend time and shoot hoops.
Very nice description, Destiny. I can see your house and neighborhood. What is our aunt like?? What is it like living next to your aunt? Very nice. Your first sentence needs work, and there are a few punctuation changes to be made.
Tell me more about learning to ride that bike. What did it look like? Who taught you? Did you fall down at any point? Don;t forget to make the changes we discussed. Your ending is really unique. But I don’t see any of the worst memories here.
Stephan, you are such a good writer. This is delightful, full of information and imagery. I can feel the rocky ground, feel getting hurt. You even add dialogue, showing conversations. Extremely well done!
Very descriptive and creepy. I can smell that wet wall thanks to your use of imagery. But you are such a cheerful, positive guy. What was good about the red building? Tell us more Marvin, and be sure to fix your last sentence.
Please continue. I want to know more. Re-read your writing. I think you were so excited to type that you left out some punctuation and even a word or two!
Nice, Wanya. What city was this? Give us a little more, if you can. Were there no friends that you can describe? What did you do in thee places?
My Earliest Neighborhood
It was fun and I had a lot of friends in my earliest neighborhood .I had a big hill that I used to ride down .My favorite teacher at my school was named Ms.Gareeks. When I first moved down there I was in fourth grade and a very good student because I had all As and Bs on my report card. I had a community center down the street from my house and I love to go there after school or on weekend.My house was red and white with a slide window plus a pourch.My family had a BBQ with everybody that I know in the neighborhood and it was very fun.
English 8:
My neighborhood
The earliest house I remember is on Noxon Street. The house was big and nice. The color of the house was red. The neighbors was nice and funny. Down the street from that house was a store and around the corner was around a school. The other neighbors was weird and creepy. There was a park right around the corner
My earliest neighborhood was in White Street I lived in a red house and it was in the 1st floor I used to have a big back yard and I used to play with my pit-bull and the weird person on the block was crack head Fred he use to walk around grabbing his neck walking with his shirt off. I use to have fun there with my friend I met my first friend it was Elijah Pinder in this class. Then I moved later that year and yea that was my best memory neighborhood.
Sounds like a fun neighborhood! Where are the scary places and the “weirdos”? Also, the imagery is weak: sounds, sights, colors, smells? [65]
A good start! Please finish. [60]
[80]
[70]
Marissa says:
Eng 8:1
6/17/15
My last neighborhood was when I was in Virginia. When I was in Virginia it wasn’t good down there it was bad situations that was happening.So my story is…. I met my god-brother friend and his name was Juwan, he was a good friend of his well after we met him me and my family traveled to get something to eat. We went to red lobster and it was good there. My family and I had a nice conversation with him and his family. After that we had to go home because we had school the next day so when I went to school I had to walk because my house was right across the street. As I go through my house my mom had a call that Juwan was missing, and I was really worried of what was going on with him. The next day I had to go to school but I didn’t feel like it but I had to go so as I went to school I was talking to my friends and the bell was about to rang I was running to my house to see if they found him and the next thing you know they didn’t find him yet and I was very surprised of hearing that. I couldn’t sleep but I watched Tv to let myself fall asleep and I did so I went to my room to go to sleep. It was morning and i went to school and after when school was over I rushed out the school and I saw my mom looking at the news channel and then i saw Juwan name popped up. Then the police said he drowned in the Appomattox River and I was speechless of what I heard from the news. The police didn’t know when it happen or how it happen, it was really hurt to see his family being hurt like that and I wanted to make sure if my god-brother was okay. My mom and sisters always use to go to that river where he drowned and it was really hurtful to go there and look at the Appomattox River. But, now his family is okay he was very young at this age now still young. He was 20 yrs. old. Now his family is satisfy that he died peacefully.
Your narrative is compelling and so tragic. I am so sorry that you lost your good friend. You describe the events well, and build suspense about a recent neighborhood event.The assignment is to describe the earliest neighborhood you can recall. (See above.) Be sure to proofread your writing, especially for run-on sentences and punctuation. [65]
The memories of my earliest neighborhood still linger in my head. I lived on 51 1/2 Smith Street, right here in Poughkeepsie. I can picture the balcony on the second floor of the apartment as well as the local Hot Dog Stand and “Ms. G’s” store. Although I do not remember much of my time on Smith Street because i was so young, I do remember that I enjoyed making my way to and from Warring School. I would always play “Twitches” with my closest friends on the playground because that was our favorite movie, and I remember not having a care in the world besides being a kid.
I have to finish mine, so I just posted what I did so far. ^
My earliest neighborhood i lived in is the same place i’m living now. My street is very ghetto but we’re very close, everybody knows everybody. On my block there’s usually parties or people just out on their porch hanging out. i love living in my neighborhood, one early childhood memory i have is when there was a block party on my street and everyone was eating dancing and having a good time. My neighborhood gets along well for the most part but there also be many altercations from time to time. my atmosphere has a good atmosphere but it depends form time to time.
As the Sun gradually rises in the East, Alden Road slowly becomes illuminated; displaying the grand trees and modest homes which reside there. My home, a long yellow structure that fools the unknowing into thinking it is larger than it appears, rests peacefully on a hill elevated above the street. Behind it, an extensive backyard runs over the contours of the land and into a petite forest, which extends roughly a half-mile beyond the yard.
Shanoya Russell
Ms.Dudley
AP English Period 7
September 24, 2015
Neighborhood
Here I am looking down on the not so busy street, I can count the many pot holes there are. One, two three…. Fifteen, as I stop the count I look around the pure and rich vegetation that captures my eyes. The apple, plum and mango trees dancing happily. Every morning waking up to this is a blessing I can never get used to it. My eyes landed on the road again, I wondered if I would be severely injured if I rolled to the bottom. Sure I have neighbors around me, but none you can see from my view because their all blocked by trees. I would have to walk down this very big hill in order to talk to my neighbor. I kick the rocks that surrounds me while walking down the hill.
I’ve lived in the same neighborhood my whole life, so the oldest one I remember is the one I still live in. I live next to the park I always went to as a little kid, just up the hill from it, actually. When I was a kid, everyone else’s children were also kids. So now that I’m older, we don’t really go outside anymore because everyone either grew up or their parents moved away. Right across the street from me, three families have moved in and out. To the left of them, those neighbors are always outside. I think they have a very large family. My street is usually very quiet, there aren’t any parties usually happening. Many people find the hill a great place for exercise, so you will always find people running or walking around, and also a lot of kids like to ride their bikes here. There are two big trees, one in front of my house and the other at the other side of the driveway, which are big enough to form an arch over it. In the fall it’s very pretty, all the leaves turn orange and red. In the background you can hear baseball games from the park, or fireworks in the distance around July. Also for a few months after July, but I don’t know why they do that.
I have moved to a few different houses through through my life all in different neighborhoods. In my first house i lived right next to a church. We didn’t have any parks near by but we did have a parking lot. Not a lot of open space thanks to the highway that cuts right through. Never met the neighbors but they’re never outside anyway. I can only guess that they are mostly Spanish. Nothing much happens there. A row of houses cut in half by a mostly highway. Only need to cross one street to get to Main. Or cross two streets to get to school.It’s a very boring neighborhood with not much to do.
The earliest neighborhood within my childhood was still in Poughkeepsie, right in the heart of it. I lived in a small red apartment building with three floors and two apartments on each, except for my floor, my floor only had the apartment I lived in since it was three bedrooms when most other apartments only had one or two. Yet I do remember previously living on the second floor in a one bedroom apartment building that was tiny, there was one hallway with the toilet and sink on one side and the shower on another, which led into the bedroom, there was a kitchen and a living room combined when you walked in and that was all, yet we were still very happy about it. We got to live as a family, and family was the most important thing. Yet the walls and floors were horrendous to look at, the wood was everywhere not just on the floors. Then the upstairs apartment I had was three bedrooms, one bath, a kitchen, a full dining room, and living room and it was pretty nice, me and my older sister even had our own playroom well that was until my little sisters came around. But let’s step outside my home and you would find the delicious smell of bread coming from Gasparro’s bakery, which my uncle owns, and oh yeah, he owns the apartment building I lived in to, so he hired my dad as a helper and my dad would bring home the most amazing bread ever! The Christmas tree was right in front of us every year, with its beautiful shining lights you couldn’t help but gaze upon it, the parade also stopped in front of us every year which was also cool, every year thousands of people would be outside my house and waiting to light that Christmas tree on Christmas eve. You still have to remember that with every neighborhood there comes a dark side, right next to where I live was a bar so growing up there was a lot of drunk people who would walk into the alley I lived in and fight, pee, throw up, and more. The most traumatic experience that happened was when a man committed suicide right in front of the bar which was basically right in front of my house. He held a shotgun to his head and everyone was yelling, me and my older sister both saw him pull the trigger from the window of our house, the blood pouring out of his head, his girlfriend who “loved” him so much came to his side, the ambulance put his lifeless body in a bag and carried him away, he was dead upon impact. The reason why I said his girlfriend who “loved” him so much is because she was the reason he killed himself that and probably other traumatic childhood happenings and mental illnesses. She cheated on him with some guy when he was going to propose to her at that bar and he found her with another man, whom she had been sleeping with for months, he died of a broken heart.
The earliest neighborhood that I can remember living in was a trailer park like neighborhood behind the mall. We had a small house and I had a lot of friends. The trailer park was Split into 2 large sections or circles. The one that i lived in was just a big circle of houses. My circle connected to the other larger one that had 3 sub-circles in it. I didn’t like to go into that one because that was where all the weirder people lived, or so I thought. Slowly over the years they all moved away and then in 5th grade we moved to a much larger house across from the middle school that’s on a street called Worrall Avenue. We have really nice neighbors to the left of us (if you’re looking at the house).
Jadeen Sampson 9/25/15
NEIGHBORHOOD
MY earliest remembered neighborhood that I could recall was Bushwick Avenue Brooklyn, NY. The houses are usually red, white, and or tan. The people that flood that street are usually Dominican and Puerto Rican. It usually smells like train tracks and or breakfast sandwiches. In my house it smelled like Dominican food and Coors. In the summer everyday the Italian Ice man/woman would come in front of my house. I would always get the rainbow colored one. The sidewalk is wolf grey and the sky is usually pale or sky blue. Most of the time people walk their dogs and Dominicans blast music on their front porches.
So in my old neighborhood while i still lived in poughkeepsie and this was also 5 or 6 years ago. I used to live with my sister dad and auntie in the very enjoyable neighborhood with about 6 houses on each side of the street with a round about. I was never the type of kid to go out and try to play with the other kids in the neighborhood but after a while me and my older sister would go out play kickball with them and it was a surprise to me how much fun it was since that was my first time ever playing it