What I love about San Jose

I was walking out of a meeting at Mayfair Community Center and I saw a stand where they sold hot cheetos and elotes. As I passed by, the wind was blowing and there were little droplets of rain hitting my face. It was ethereal, one of those moments where you're happy to be alive and in direct contact with the elements. As I passed by the stand, I saw a bag attached to it that said, "Love where you live".

If you know me well enough, I'm sure you've heard me say that I'd rather live in LA anyday. That's a partial truth.

Here are some things that I adore about San Jose.

1. I love the eateries like Mark's Hot Dogs, Antipasto's, Jalisco's, La Victoria and Pho 54.

2. I love that growing up, some of my closest friends were Filipino, Vietnamese, Samoan, and from Sierra Leon. Everyone says that San Jose is overpopulated with Mexicans, which it is, but my circle of friends growing up was very diverse.

3. I love that San Jose is a very big city but it's one small world. You'll find this out if you work at a mall.

4. I love that San Francisco is an hour north and Santa Cruz is about 45 minutes south. I love that I can go to Sharks game, a Giants game, and a Warriors game without having to drive a long distance.

5. I love that in various eateries, you can witness a Flipino, Vietnamese, Black, or White person speaking Spanish.

6. I love the moments in San Jose where you're in the car with your friends and a hyphy song comes on. Those are priceless.

7. I love seeing shark fins on top of ambulances.

8. I love that literally anywhere, a taqueria or some genre of "Mexican" food can be found about five minutes away from where you are.

9. I love the Temple all the way up Quimby road, I've gone with some of my closest friends and now boyfriend up there to cry, to talk, or even by myself, just to think.

10. I love being from San Jose at Sharks games.

There's this one part in a Calle 13 song that says, "El que no queria a su patria, no queria a su madre." He's basically saying that if you reject your homeland, you reject your mother. San Jose is my city, the "United States" is my supposed homeland, but basically, if you can't claim your city, bye!