Here's something you might be interested in.
Nestled in the seemingly endless blocks of apartments that make up central El Cajon lies a village... Okay, maybe it's not a village exactly... but it is very much like a village. Funnily enough, it's called The Anza Village Apartments. Now, when I moved in here a few years ago (3 years yesterday, to be exact) it wasn't much to look at. Since then there have been a LOT of changes! (I don't just mean the typical changes you see in apartment complexes like new trash cans and new fences, we've gone through over half a dozen resident managers in the time I've lived here!) So what makes Anza Village (or The Village) so special? It isn't the renovated look... it's The Villagers.
In The Village, we are extremely culturally and ethnically diverse. We have caucasians, hispanics, middle easterners, african-americans, canadians... and the lone Guamanian (that would be me) for residents. We have elderly residents, adults, teens, kids and newborns. We span the whole spectrum here at The Village. As diverse as our backgrounds are, so are our personalities. There are the partiers, the parents, the religious, the not-so religious, the married, the single, servicemen, stay-at-home moms and sometimes these overlap and change over the years. We've got a Marine Corps Gunny Sgt, Navy men (past and present), school staff (Poway Unified, that's my boyfriend), full time moms (like me), couples who work full time and those here from another country in time of war. No, there's never a dull moment here in The Village...
As summer nears, there is a distinct change in the air. Mmmmm... and it smells like BBQ! One of America's favorite summer activities is coming back around again here in The Village. Just by us Villagers talking casually as we check the mail, play in the pool, or walk our kids to school together... we coordinate our BBQs. Everyone pitches in and comes on out for these weekend events. The guys have a beer as they slap chicken, steak and burgers on the grill. The women converge to chat about the latest happenings (remember I said there's never a dull moment in The Village?). The kids run about with balls, jumpropes and scooters. Sometimes these festivities last well into the warm summer nights. (Sometimes "some of us" have to be fished out of the pool at 2 a.m. when we've had way too much... uh, fun.) The sky turns a deep shade of purple as parents call in their children and they retreat into their warm homes for the night. There are usually a few stragglers, resisting the call of a warm bed for a half an hour more of lively conversation as they pick up paper plates and gather random dishes left by neighbors. Often we even have former residents drop by for these BBQs and even a former resident manager.
Yes... summer is right around the corner. If you're in the area one of these weekends, beneath the emergency sirens of police, fire department, and paramedic vehicles that is El Cajon at it's best and worst... you might hear the sound of The Villagers.
Nestled in the seemingly endless blocks of apartments that make up central El Cajon lies a village... Okay, maybe it's not a village exactly... but it is very much like a village. Funnily enough, it's called The Anza Village Apartments. Now, when I moved in here a few years ago (3 years yesterday, to be exact) it wasn't much to look at. Since then there have been a LOT of changes! (I don't just mean the typical changes you see in apartment complexes like new trash cans and new fences, we've gone through over half a dozen resident managers in the time I've lived here!) So what makes Anza Village (or The Village) so special? It isn't the renovated look... it's The Villagers.
In The Village, we are extremely culturally and ethnically diverse. We have caucasians, hispanics, middle easterners, african-americans, canadians... and the lone Guamanian (that would be me) for residents. We have elderly residents, adults, teens, kids and newborns. We span the whole spectrum here at The Village. As diverse as our backgrounds are, so are our personalities. There are the partiers, the parents, the religious, the not-so religious, the married, the single, servicemen, stay-at-home moms and sometimes these overlap and change over the years. We've got a Marine Corps Gunny Sgt, Navy men (past and present), school staff (Poway Unified, that's my boyfriend), full time moms (like me), couples who work full time and those here from another country in time of war. No, there's never a dull moment here in The Village...
As summer nears, there is a distinct change in the air. Mmmmm... and it smells like BBQ! One of America's favorite summer activities is coming back around again here in The Village. Just by us Villagers talking casually as we check the mail, play in the pool, or walk our kids to school together... we coordinate our BBQs. Everyone pitches in and comes on out for these weekend events. The guys have a beer as they slap chicken, steak and burgers on the grill. The women converge to chat about the latest happenings (remember I said there's never a dull moment in The Village?). The kids run about with balls, jumpropes and scooters. Sometimes these festivities last well into the warm summer nights. (Sometimes "some of us" have to be fished out of the pool at 2 a.m. when we've had way too much... uh, fun.) The sky turns a deep shade of purple as parents call in their children and they retreat into their warm homes for the night. There are usually a few stragglers, resisting the call of a warm bed for a half an hour more of lively conversation as they pick up paper plates and gather random dishes left by neighbors. Often we even have former residents drop by for these BBQs and even a former resident manager.
Yes... summer is right around the corner. If you're in the area one of these weekends, beneath the emergency sirens of police, fire department, and paramedic vehicles that is El Cajon at it's best and worst... you might hear the sound of The Villagers.