Sally
Sally is a sophomore at Larchmont Charter School in Los Angeles. She is currently the head of the first journalism club at her school and the yearbook editor. She has taken many classes involving photography and filmmaking. Sally is very politically active and partakes in various service activities. She tries to limit her impact on the environment by being a pescatarian and thrifting clothes to still fuel her love of fashion. Some of her favorite things include the rain, sunsets, scented candles, and the beach. Sally hopes to find an intersection between political journalism and photography for her future career.
Where is your hometown?
I have lived in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, for my whole life. I live specifically in the Fairfax District near Melrose. My father’s parents decided to live here because it was a very Jewish neighborhood and they felt safe here. Three generations have lived in the exact house I am living in right now. My grandparents first lived in the house, and after they passed away, my dad really liked it and inherited it with his sister. We were very lucky because as soon as we bought it, home prices started to rise in the neighborhood really quickly. We’re able to live here for cheap, so that’s one of the reasons why we’re staying in this neighborhood.
I think West Hollywood is becoming a very popular and progressive place. Every day, I see so many new people walking around the streets. It’s become a really “hip” place, and there are often lines outside of shoe stores and more. Compared to Koreatown or other areas, I feel like West Hollywood is special because there are so many different people in one place. It has always been a diverse place, especially welcoming the Jewish and LGBTQ+ communities. In this one area, everyone can come together without feeling isolated. While our family has lived in this area, we have lived next to a butcher, a hairdresser, and a lawyer, and that makes me realize how diverse this community is. It’s just always been a place for different types of people.
Near my hometown is The Grove. I don’t go there as much anymore, but when I was younger, I went there almost every week, mainly with friends, but I also saw movies, had dinner, and went to the Farmer’s Market with my family.
How has living through this [quarantine] experience made you feel?
It feels really hard and sad because a lot of crazy things are happening, but it’s kind of cool to live through such a historic moment. I never thought I’d be seeing the things I’m seeing so close to me. It feels sort of cool to be in such a historical moment that will be talked about for years to come.
Some protests were going on near my house. The main target of the protests was right down my block. That whole night was just helicopters and sirens for hours; I remember them stopping at around 3:00 a.m. Seeing my neighborhood and street on the news was really chaotic but also interesting. Seeing the fire outside of my house will probably stick with me the most because I’ve never seen a fire so big and that close; it was like I was watching a movie. I was sitting right here and looked out my window, and there was just a huge fire. I was speechless.
The protest was peaceful, but I couldn’t go because my parents didn’t want me to get [coronavirus]. But my mom let me walk to the end of the block, where I was taking photos, and then suddenly everyone started running, and they all had clothes in their hands. I looked, and it was Urban Outfitters right on the corner. The window was smashed, and I was like, “Oh my gosh!” That was the first time I heard there might be looters. I wasn’t watching the news yet, but I saw it right in front of me. It was pretty wild.
Do you live or work in Koreatown?
I go to the Larchmont Charter School in Koreatown. It’s an elementary, middle school, and high school. My older brother went to this school before me. He really liked it. I was looking for a middle school, and it had a lot of things I liked. It’s a small school with lots of projects. I love it there.
Because I don’t live in Koreatown, I was definitely a little nervous and scared. For the first year, I didn’t really explore the neighborhood because I felt like an outsider. Although I’m still unfamiliar with Korean culture and haven’t been around many Koreans, I’m working to get to know the town better. While getting to know this town, I’ve realized how much I like the environment of this community. I like how close together everything is. Right by my school, there’s a Starbucks, and I can walk somewhere, and it’s like right there. There are many buses from West Hollywood to Koreatown, so it is central and easy to get to. I really like West Hollywood, but I wouldn’t mind living in Koreatown. I enjoy living in cities, and Koreatown fits that criteria, so I’m open to living here.
What are your thoughts on Koreatown?
I like Koreatown. I didn’t realize how big Koreatown became in my life because I just came here for school at first. I would have never imagined spending so much time here. Since many of my friends live in Koreatown, we hang out there a lot. It’s become a big part of my life without realizing it.
Recently, so many major things have happened in my life at school. I met my boyfriend of more than a year at school, and that was the start of my exploration in this neighborhood. Meeting him felt like a whirlwind of going to new places.
Almost every single date we had was at a new place in Koreatown that I had never been to. We often went to get boba, and we used the Metro train station on Wilshire and Western to get to different places. Meeting him was definitely the starting point of my adventure in Koreatown.
What is your favorite place in Koreatown?
My favorite place in Koreatown, though it might sound strange, is the 16 bus stop at 3rd Street and Occidental. This is the bus I took home every day from school. After school, my friends and I would walk there and talk about our day while waiting for the bus. I miss these memories because I’m not able to go to school, meet my friends, and ride the bus with them now. Usually, I would be so tired by the time I got to the bus stop that I’d wish my mom would just pick me up. I’d give anything to be there again.
Although it’s not necessarily located in Koreatown, I enjoy going to MacArthur Park. I like that park because I feel like there is so much character and many different stories in one place. I liked sitting there, looking out at the view, and thinking about how everyone there has a life as vivid as mine, while also realizing I will never know what their life is really like. I’d go there with friends, and we would bring a blanket and look at the ducks and geese. We sometimes brought food and ate together. It was kind of like a picnic.
However, that park is definitely not the safest place to be in. I was scared to go there alone or past dark. I didn’t realize how unsafe this place was until one day I saw someone pull out a switchblade on someone else. Although everyone was okay and it de-escalated pretty quickly, after witnessing that, I pretty much stopped going.
Although I don’t have much experience with Korean food, one food I enjoy is cream puffs from Beard Papa’s, located in the Madang mall. Also, in the Madang mall, there is a boba place. I go there a lot, along with the one on Vermont and 7th Street, mainly after school with friends or my boyfriend. I actually didn’t like boba because I thought it wasn’t boba unless it was Thai Tea, and I’m not a fan of tea. Only recently did I discover that there are other flavors of milk tea. Out of all those I tried, chocolate milk tea is my favorite. I started drinking it a lot last year, and the more I drank boba, the more I realized how many different kinds of flavors there were.
I’ve also tried lots of ramen, especially spicy ramen. Recently, I went to the Korean market and bought 15 different kinds of ramen. I’ve also tried kimchi, but it’s not really my favorite. I used to eat Korean BBQ, which I did enjoy, but now that I don’t eat meat anymore, it’s been a while. I’ve liked almost all the Korean food I’ve tried, but I definitely haven’t tried as much as I want.
I enjoy looking for art installations in Koreatown because I think they’re what make it trendy. I’ve passed wings on a wall to take photos outside of the Line Hotel. I don’t really know any others, but I have seen some street art on Wilshire. Having these art installations is good as long as it’s not gentrification and taking something away from the neighborhood. We should try to make this area a trendy place without forgetting its history. It’s important to preserve the history of immigrants in Koreatown.
Right now, the words “immigrant” and “immigration” are implied as a bad thing and have a lot of stigma. However, I think it’s important to recognize the hardships of coming to America. All the Korean immigrants who came here went through a lot to make Koreatown what it is today. The people fought for a long time for their rightful place here. I don’t want that distinct culture to be bulldozed.
Are you afraid? What frightens you?
Right now, what frightens me is the state of America at the moment, like the ignorance and racism. We saw it with COVID, and now we’re seeing it again with the Black Lives Matter movement. It’s crazy how long it’s taken for it to be talked about, like for years and years. There’s been systemic oppression in America, and people have been talking about it, but there has been no change. That’s scary sometimes. I feel a little helpless, like I can’t do as much as I want.
Are there any negative things that you faced with this pandemic?
It has been hard not seeing my friends; obviously, that’s been hard for me. And I’m pretty introverted. I need time to myself. You think because of this pandemic and because I can’t see anyone that I’d have time to myself, but I’m with my family all the time. I can’t get out and just do something on my own. That hasn’t been great, and I had a family member affected by COVID, too, so that was hard, but he’s doing better.
What is the toughest part of your days right now?
Honestly, the toughest part is after online school and before dinnertime. I don’t know what to do for that period of time. It’s tough because I have homework, but not that much to do during that time, so I never know what to do. The best part is probably dinner because I get to eat.