The Duality of Westwood

Westwood is the epitome of dichotomy in Los Angeles. The bustling college town proves to be a safe haven for college students to roam around, go grab boba at 1 am, or stand in the 20 minute line at Didy Riese. You would never guess that just down the street there is an encampment of over 100 homeless veterans. Or that there are people crowded on Wilshire and Veteran almost every week protesting for their rights, begging to be seen and heard by the thousands of cars that pass. This is one of the things I love about Westwood. The fact that it captures the essence of Los Angeles as a balance between the negative and positive, just as Luis Rodriguez stated in “Love Poem to Los Angeles.” Unlike others who may stay in the safe haven that the UCLA village provides, I notice the hundreds of camped out veterans who used to stay along the side of San Vicente. I notice makeshift homes people have created in the 405 underpass on Wilshire. I notice each and every protest and honk in agreement to assure the people know that they are being heard. Westwood doesn’t describe only the college kids hangout, but it also describes the hardships so many people have to face living in Los Angeles.

• Volunteer at the local Westwood Transitional Village
• Reading “Op-Ed: ‘To be homeless, you have to be a lone wolf’”

The most eye-opening experience for me was volunteering at Westwood Transitional Village, a temporary housing facility for families transitioning out of homelessness. I was able to work with kids ages 4–10, teaching them how to play piano. My efforts contributed to my understanding because it helped me realize that these kids are just like any other. My assumption before coming to the village was that none of the kids had had a music lesson in their life. I was very wrong. Half of the kids already had a general understanding of music, and many already knew how to play piano. In many of these children, one would never be able to guess that their family came from a history of homelessness. Similarly, the article describes the firsthand experiences of people who are living in homelessness. One woman talks about the importance of transitional housing which parallels what I have come to understand while volunteering at the transitional village.