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Memory Map

Rebecca Cruz



My time line starts from eight years of age until I was 21, when I finally moved out of my parents’ home. I grew up in west Phoenix, off of 67th Ave and McDowell. I remember that on the northwest corner near my home was a small neighborhood store and next door was a bar where my dad would some times go. The rest of the surrounding area was empty fields that had dirt hills where kids could ride their bikes; I recall all the fun we use to have in my neighborhood.

 I went to Palm Lane Elementary that was two blocks away from my house. I remember more so the route to school. For me this was the time that all my friends would get together and talk or make plans for after school activities. I am the oldest of four; two boys and two girls are in my family of siblings. I recall a lot of my brothers’ friends that would come over to play football right in the front of our yard. On my memory map, I labeled a few of our neighborhood friends. We where all pretty close and would go to birthday parties played league sports like softball and cheerleading. Our community was fairly new at the time and I remember that they built a park with indoor accommodations right off of 67th Ave and Encanto. This is where my brothers would hang out a lot and play Ping Pong and indoor basketball. We would also go to the summer programs that they offered there.

 I remember one harsh moment in my childhood when a neighbor of ours was hit a motorcyclist and he died on the scene. The whole community took it hard, not only for the gentlemen that died, but also for the women that hit him and her family. One of her daughters was a very close friend of mine and we would sit and talk for hours about what happened I remember this event like it was yesterday. It took a toll on her family but they made it through but took the mother over ten years to drive again. Well this is a piece of my childhood and I have placed individuals’ homes on my timeline. These places shared a part of my life and gave me many memories of the people who lived in these homes.