I have only been living in Phoenix for around two and a half weeks, and I am getting comfortable living in the Downtown Phoenix area. Before then, I have grown up in a small city called Gallup which is only sixteen miles from the Arizona Border for my entire life, Gallup only has a population of around 20,000 (as of 2018). Making the transition to Phoenix which has a population of about 1.66 Million (as of 2018), so far I am enjoying the urban city life as a new college student. Gallup is right in the center of the Navajo Nation home to many great artists, and endless amounts of culture that is growing each and every day.
Gallup is a town with a great culture and an endless amount of mountains that you can hike. We get hot summers and bitterly cold winters, but one of my favorite things about my hometown is that it will always be a place that I call home. The picture that is above is from what we call Pyramid Rock which is one of the highest points that overlook the city of Gallup. I am very proud to represent my city as I am a proud Native American as well. Now instead of being woken up to loud trains, I am instead of being woken up to buses, and traffic, but it's worth it.
While I do miss my hometown of Gallup which has magnificent sunsets and delicious local food. I have learned a lot being on my own, even in the middle of a Pandemic, it is still exciting to walk around and note where the good restaurants are, and where the popular hangout spots are in Downtown Phoenix. Since moving into Taylor Place and starting my journey at Arizona State I have begun to miss the feeling of home-cooked meals as well as green chile, which is what New Mexico is best known for.
Ever since I have moved to Phoenix it has been exciting to learn about the food, culture, and the urban feel that the city has. Coming from a town that has no tall buildings, I always find it memorizing to see multiple skyscrapers and just wonder how the view is from the top floor. Which is getting used to the number of airplanes that fly above the metropolitan area every day, along with the number of buses that help people get to where they want to go as well. Being here in Phoenix is something I have looked forward too, and have always wanted since touring the Downtown campus since last year. Overall, I have always liked the big city feel with endless amounts of traffic.
While Phoenix has the urban city feel that I love and have always wanted to embrace, I will miss my hometown of Gallup, with its vibrant cultures of the Navajo, to the endless amounts of outdoor trails, to finally the spicy green chile that everyone loves that I will always cherish on eggs, burritos, burgers, pizza, and many more meals that makes New Mexico great.
Moving from Gallup to Phoenix has opened my eyes and realized that I am growing up, it has helped me that I love the city life and that I have so many opportunities to grow as a person and as a Journalist. Gallup will always be home to me and I look forward to going back soon along with meeting friends and family that I will have stories to tell on what I have experienced. I can already tell that this move is best for myself so I can get to where I want to be in the future.
