Ziyu Ma

Ziyu Ma

This is a front yard I find in Villa Victoria near the crossing of San Juan Street and Newland Street. The bright colors in this little space immediately catch my eyes, and they make such a contrast with the dullness around it. Even I have to admit, from the point I step into Villa Victoria, it is way above my expectation for subsidizing housing. Yet the empty playground, and the countless green foxtails and weeds grown under the colorful mural, just make me shake my head. Most of the front yards are totally deserted, some with one or two small trees. Even worse, there is one full of buckets of white paints and trash, and another one that stinks terribly. At this point, I get totally convinced by Small’s opinion that Villa Victoria is declining now, and the younger generations are not as much emotionally attached to the place as their parents did. And then, like finding an oasis in the dessert, that little garden with a small pond appeared. The children’s pinwheels, and that little scaffold for flowers are telling me how much effort and heart the families have put into this little space. This is the last house I walked by in Villa Victoria, and definitely one of the most memorable moment in this visit.