The Barrio by Robert Ramirez

In the essay, “The Barrio” by Robert Ramirez, he described about his hometown and the way people lived.  First, he described the trained stop at one of the stations, while the whole city is deeply asleep and he also described the way the city was far different from other city.  The way he narrated this essay provided us a hardship image of the town and painted an image people living in a difficulty conditions, but they still refuse to move.  In winter, the bread company provided the steams that could warmth up the whole town. Moreover, he described the barrio is very close family because everyone in the barrio treated everyone as a families of their own, like the grocery owner provided credits to people that unable to pay for their foods.  Furthermore, each family member contributes their working money to the head of the family in order to support their family.  For some of the poorer family, they living conditions was difficulties and their house was about to fall apart. And with the unable to pay for city taxes, most of the road in the city of barrio was remain rough and when it rain, the water remains there for couple days.  The poorer citizen of barrio also face health issues, lack of food, lack of time because they unable to make enough money to support their family.

After I read this essay, my memories bring me back to the time when I was in Iraq.  I recalled, the some of the wooden house that made of muds, the living conditions that most of Iraqi is facing.  Especially, the time I visited the hospital in a Fallujah; the hospital was empty, lack of medical supplies, and most of the entire doctor are flee the country.  I saw three years old kid helping their parents by taking cares of their sibling.  Moreover, I saw kids walked around the town barefoot.  Every time, when I facing problems in life I always think of other people that have less opportunity then me, I think about their daily life and how they overcome their obstacle. Please don’t misunderstand me, I think of their obstacles because I can use it to overcome my own problems in life, so I can flight for tomorrow.