Brooklyn

My Name is Terrell and my hometown is Brooklyn, NY. What I love bout Brooklyn is the diversity and creative nature of the town. Brooklyn has a reputation for being a hard-nosed, tough town that has birth some very creative and influential people. New York City as a whole is one of, if not the most diverse city in the world, and Brooklyn is a direct reflection of that. The biggest difference between Brooklyn and Manhattan is the diversity in neighborhoods. Manhattan has a lot of people of different ethnicities and nationalities together. Brooklyn on the other hand has various neighborhoods of different nationalities, which really allows you to see how different cultures live.

Brooklyn is home to millions of immigrants, it's a town that was created by hardworking people that worked in the city, but wanted to bring their countries culture to America. Brooklyn is separated by different neighborhoods that were established by various ethnic groups. I grew up in a predominantly African American/ Caribbean neighborhood, called East Flatbush. Where my family and I grew up was on the borderline of a black neighborhood and a Jewish neighborhood. So I had the opportunity to see various religious practices at an early age. The block that I grew up on had a Christian Church and a Jewish Synagogue on the same street. Growing up I traveled all around the city, in High School I went to a school on the opposite side of Brooklyn in Bay Ridge. Every day I had to go through Jewish neighborhoods, Hispanic neighborhoods, Chinese neighborhoods and European neighborhoods, just to get to school. Some were even within walking distance from each other. My High School was one of the most populated High Schools in America, with over 5000 students. The students represented over 50 countries. Being exposed to all these ethnicities at a young age really molded my outlook on how I look at life. I was able to be around a lot of different people and cultures and that opened my eyes to how people live.

When you go through these different neighborhoods, you not only get to meet various types of people, but most importantly you get to see how they live and their country's beliefs and traditions. This diversity in Brooklyn is why there are so many creatives that come out of this borough. Brooklyn is home to world renowned musicians, actors, politicians, athletes, comedians and artists. I think that the diversity of this town really opens peoples eyes and they are able to be more creative, because they have experienced a lot of different cultures in their lifetime.

Brooklyn also has a lot of American staples and it has a real deep history. Brooklyn has everything you need from the World Famous Coney Island Amusement park (home of Nathan's and Americas first rollercoaster) to the historical Ebbets Field, where Jackie Robinson crossed the color barrier. Besides Coney Island, Brooklyn has over 30 miles of shorelines and a number of beaches. If beaches aren't your thing, Brooklyn has 700 cultural and arts institutions. From the famous Brooklyn Museum, to the Transit Museum, to the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn has a wide range of institutions that show how diverse the borough really is. Whether you're looking for great food or entertainment, Brooklyn is the place for you.

All of my experiences here in Brooklyn have molded me to the person I am today, and I would never take it back. I have been able to live in other cities and countries, and nothing compares to Brooklyn. My experiences and ability to interact and learn about various cultures all around the world has really made me the person that I am. Hopefully everyone has the opportunity to experience Kings County and spread love, the Brooklyn way.