Where I Live: North Philadelphia

I live in the North Philadelphia section of the city. I have lived there my entire life, except for the few years I was away at college. My area is not a great area to live in but because I have lived there for so long I am used to everything. When I was a kid the area was much worse. My street alone had many raids into homes because of drugs and such. Since I was in high school, the street became better because most of the criminals were either behind bars or they decided to move away.

I know that everything sounds so bad but there are some good aspects to my neighborhood. There are many things that people can do on a daily basis. There are two recreation centers nearby where children can go play sports or just spend some time with their friends. Another benefit is that there is a mini market on almost every corner, not to mention how many Chinese stores there are around. There are also places that people can go to at night but only if they are 21 years old.

Another benefit is that there are a lot of ways to get around the area. There are many buses around (just about every block has at least one bus). There is also the EL, which is called the elevated Market-Frankford line. That line will get you to downtown and out of the city at the last stop.

The best thing about living in my area is that I am near the school that I serve every day. I serve at Taylor Elementary which is only 20 minutes away on bus. It's very close to my home, which makes it convenient. Also, some of students live nearby so I get to see them even when I am not at the school and I am in my street. I do like living in my neighborhood even if there are some troubles there, but that is everywhere.

Christina, 22, corps member, SAP team at Taylor Elementary