Portsmouth Square the Purpose of This Brief

¶ … Portsmouth Square

The purpose of this brief paper is to talk about my visit to Chinatown, San Francisco, to carry out my research on the town. Here, briefly I will be talking about my saturation into the town -- specifically to Portsmouth Square. I will discuss what I saw there, what I heard, my feelings, and my impressions -- all in the present tense to let the reader feel my saturation.

I am standing in front of the Portsmouth Square. It is here known as the heart of Chinatown, as the town in 1848 began on one side of this square and then extended around it and got bigger later. For anyone wanting to know this town, this is a must-see place. It is very rich with history, displaying markers, plaques, and statues. Right before my eyes is a big status symbolizing democracy. It is a status of a woman-goddess holding a torch. It slightly resembles the Status of Liberty and was donated to this place by the San Francisco Goddess of Democracy Statue Project. It is made of bronze and weighs six hundred pounds, as I was told by a passerby whom I asked about it. I am walking around and see that there is a China Trade Center and further along Chinese Congregational Church -- United Church of Christ, which has an ad for "Summer Adventure Camp for Kids."

I see a lot of tourists here: Asians, white people, black people, and people who speak the languages I do not understand. My surrounding is indeed exotic. I see and enjoy looking at local residents. They are easily distinguishable. They are smiling and cheerful all the time. I am right now looking at the playground surrounded by benches where old men and women sit around in the shadow of trees. They are mostly chatting and I notice that some men seem to be playing cards and some board games. I also see a group of five old men and women who are being served tea by an old woman. They seem to enjoy tea even when they are not inside.

This place is in general amazing. I love the weather here; it is not too chilly and not too hot although it is sunny. Looking at people in a state of calmness is relaxing. I love the people and how they interact with each other. I can feel that they are very close to each other and caring, for the residents of the town seem to stick together with their relatives and friends. Looking at all the shops, buildings, and service centers that have signs in both English and Chinese offers an exotic feeling. I know this is America but I also feel like being back in Asia. This is strange but the place reminds me the first moment I was in the United States. I felt myself completely in a different environment. After getting used to that environment and being here now, an Asia-like place, gives me the same feeling of excitement.