Lost in the Crowd

Jose Dasso

February 3, 2019

2nd Draft

Lost in the Crowd  

There are 2.7 million people living in the city of Chicago, so sometimes I’m overwhelmed by the number of people around me. Every week I need to take the train to go to the college and almost every morning it is full. It is hard to feel special when I have so many people living in my city. I come from the Venezuelan city of Maracaibo which is a much smaller city and I felt more important there. I knew a lot of people, and there were not so many different things to do. I never felt overwhelmed in Maracaibo. In Chicago, I have lost my ability to be part of the community, to socialize, and to entertain. In Maracaibo I was a fun and interesting person, but in Chicago I do not feel so special.

Venezuelans are proud of their food, and food is a big part of the family and my community. I never ate alone when I lived in Maracaibo. My favorite memories are going to a place called La Marina, a seafood restaurant by the lake. I would meet my friends there for caldo de pollo (chicken soup) and the best fish I ever had.  Of course, there are good restaurants in Chicago, but they do not have the same atmosphere. The restaurants here want more for the people to hurry up. Even the Venezuelan restaurant here, Bien Me Sabe, doesn’t have the same fun. At La Marina I could spend all afternoon sitting and talking with my friends and the owners would never make us leave. I felt part of the community in my city. 

In Maracaibo, one of my favorite places was El Club Náutico because it made me feel like a celebrity. This was like the typical American club style. It was more like a huge private resort where wealthy people went to socialize. I used to go to the Club Náutico to relax under the sun at one of the pools and play soccer with my friends. In Chicago, I’m not as wealthy as I used to be in Venezuela. Private clubs are more expensive here. Furthermore, I haven’t seen a place like Club Nautico on the Chicago lakefront. In fact, there is no place that has all the activities in one location. I considered joining a soccer league here in Chicago, but I would be playing with strangers and the conditions will not be the best. At Club Náutico, I never had to worry because the soccer field was always perfect, and I had my friends to keep me company. Without my favorite private club, I cannot be the socialite I was back home.

            I used to be the life of the party in Maracaibo. Every Friday night I would go to a place called Rollertec.  There weren’t many places like this in Maracaibo. It was a nightclub that had a roller-skating area. It was a very popular place for night life in my city, so a lot of people liked to go there. I knew a lot of people because I was a singer and I danced a lot at Rollertec. I enjoy making my friends laugh. In Chicago, I have become boring. I don’t sing or dance anymore like before. The city is too big for me and I don’t feel comfortable singing or dancing with strangers. Many clubs here do not play Latin music anyway. The environment just feels different for me. At RollerTec, I was the life of the party, but in Chicago I am just a number.

                                   

            After I came to Chicago, I feel like I have become a boring person. I’m not funny or interesting as I used to be in Maracaibo. Now, I’m just a student and a worker, so it’s been hard to be part of the community. I don’t have the money to afford a private club here in Chicago, so instead I prefer to go to public pools when I can.  Even though there are more places in Chicago to go out, the environment is not the same. Even if I feel lost in the crowd in Chicago, I will work harder to be special.