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I like the view from my window. You can see pretty trees and the sun’s rays through the branches. You can hear the birds singing as they sit on the branches. It’s nice to see the nests that they build for their babies. I can also see the kids playing and walking their dogs and my neighbors jogging and working out. I can see the housing workers mowing the grass and collecting the garbage from the new recycling bins that are located in the backyard. In summer, my neighbors have barbecues and birthday parties.

Last year, the Tenants’ Association had a contest to see who had the prettiest garden, so we planted a lot of beautiful flowers and put up some decorative fences. My complex got second place.

From my window, I can also see a building, a bar and restaurant with a wooden fence. Before the pandemic, they had parties almost every weekend. They used to play loud music. Now that the music has stopped, you can sleep better. But to tell the truth, I miss those days. I enjoyed the music they played. I need to hear again the phrase “New York, the city that never sleeps.”

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Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and a long-time resident of New York City, Evelyn Gonzalez struggled with “bad English habits” she picked up over the years. But according to Lynne Hadley-Findlay, her University Settlement teacher, in two years of class Evelyn Gonzalez “has persisted, improves weekly, and has made a huge leap in her writing and speaking skills.”