I have lived in Gridley, a small town in the state of California, since I was about four years old. I then had to move to another town which was one of the most difficult challenges I ever had in my life time.

Since the towns are so small you have the chance to know just about everybody there. You also have the problem that word gets around quickly. Time seems to change so fast that you have a new best friend just about every week, especially since people move quite often in small areas like this; the seasons of work change a lot. I remember in a period of about six months, all of my friends moved away and I was left alone. A few came back, but most of them never did.

In time you know who your friends are and who you can trust. Some of my friends like Don Juanito, become real close to me. I called him "abuelito" which means grandpa in spanish. Since all of my family live in Mexico, people like Don Juanito became a part of me. Unfortunately my abuelito past away last year. I guess that is all a part of life and eventually we go through it.

I remember on Easter they had a great big egg hunt for all the youngsters in the town. This park was beautiful; great big Oak trees, three huge baseball fields, a children's play ground, and a picnic area were I had my twelfth birthday. I haven't been there in about two years and from what I know it's changed a lot. For instance, when we first moved to this town there were only two restaurants; a Roundtable pizza and Casa Lupe Restaurant. I'm not very fond of either one. Right now they have about ten different places where you can sit down and have a good meal.

This small town was away from the drugs and the violence, but society is always going on a down fall. Now a days you see a lot of people selling drugs, taggen, and a lot of gang banging. Unfortunately this is just about in every town and city. There are always people trying to fight it, but then of course we can only do so much. Always remember that every bit counts.