My Life Essays - Vanessa Abrams, Notorious Gangs, Marcy Projects

Growing up in the streets of Brooklyn was a complex struggle. Throughout 1990's Bedford-Stuyvesant was known for the notorious gangs and selling of drugs. Born and raised in Marcy projects I grew up of loving the game of basketball and baseball. Very similar to the television show Everybody Hates Chris My parents was extremely strict, my father provided for the family by working two jobs, while my mother stayed home and took care of me, my two brother and one sister. My neighborhood was rough and dangerous, so hanging out in the street was not an option; I had to use recreation center and after school program as tools to keep get me off the streets. I could actually say I was a proficient athletic as young boy. Many trophies for baseball and basketball sit in my mother living room. I was even offered a part-time scholarship to Bishop Loughlin catholic high school for basketball but was turned down because of my parent's inability to pay for the other half of the school fees. As I grew older my love for sports started to diminish. I started to put more interest in girls, money and less into school and sports. During my early childhood years I was on the worst end of a couple accidents as my broke my arm two times. My first broken arm occurred when I was ten; it was during a game steal the bacon when I was pushed into the gate by a member of the opposite team making me go flying into the gate causing me to break my arm. The second time happened during my tenth grade high school year. I really can't explain how it happen only thing. It was a complete blur; all I could remember was being in gym class and slipping on the blue mattresses that are used for gymnastic. I said damn not again, I screamed and looked down to towards my arm to see it was bent like a wired hanger, get off me I shouted. I got this cause all you going to do is place more pain on my arm. My second time breaking my arm required surgery; having two metal pins placed inside of my right ar m. While attending William E. Grady high school I wasn't the biggest fan of school. Getting me to attend school was like making a prostitute to attend a church sermon. I would cut school occasionally to just hang on the block or to talk to girls. Waking up 6:45am to travel an hour and half for school was dreadful. Imagine being on the train with bums, alcoholics and watching the sunrise, as young boy these new scenery was disturbing, so I avoided these picture by not ditching school. It was difficult for me to attend a new in high school your childhood friend wasn't attending. My perspective towards school changed during my eleventh grade year. I had failed five of seven classes and I wasn't going to graduate. My guidance counselor Ms. Mendez was really considering transferring me to an alternative school. She anxious to speak to someone from my family to tell my situation with school and the path I was heading down. It wasn't to that very meeting between my aunt and Ms. Mendez that I realize I needed to change my lifestyle. It took everything in my aunt power not to place a hand across my face in the Ms. Mendez office, but instead she gave me a lecture. After seeing the tears shed from my aunts very made me realize that I didn't want to be seen as other dude in the street and living in my neighborhood it was possible to happen. Therefore I looked as school as my getaway making sure to graduate from high school. I went on to graduate from high school in august of 2004. So are we going back to your apartment? Vanessa replied ?yeah we can go back to my house. Do you smoke? Because I?m trying to get high? I reply ?nah but I would like to try it. I?m a heavy drinker though? her response was ?No problem I have a bottle of patron in the