Sometimes I think about the reasons why I love New York, but the one thing I love the most about it is the parades in the summer time.

When I was in Flatbush, Brooklyn, at my aunt’s house, we stayed to see the parade. It was the West Indian Parade and everyone was outside. There were dancers hyping the crowd doing unique dances. They had on short mini-skirts and short belly shirts with glitter all over their faces and bodies. Their outfits were colorful and bright. The dancers were sweating because it was 100 degrees outside. There were a lot of people on stage, dancing, singing, and making the crowd sing along. The sidewalks were crowded, and the people were swinging their Jamaican flags side to side, and having a good time.
The people who didn’t come out to the parade were looking out their windows, enjoying the music from the big speakers. The speakers were so big that you could hear the music three blocks away. Although it was raining, the parade continued. The people still came outside to watch the parade. Everyone was out dancing to reggae music, eating soul food, drinking water, and even walking around with a wet cloth to keep themselves cool. This made me love parades even more, because everyone is together enjoying themselves.

I can’t speak for everyone else, but I can’t wait until the next summer, because that was my first parade. ‘I’m coming to your house next summer so I can watch the parade.’ ‘Don’t try to use me for the parade,’ she said. ‘Ha, you know that’s all you good for. Any way see you next summer.’ ‘ Alright see you next summer Drea.’

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This essay was written as a part of a HREF=”http://www.Mapsites.net” TARGET=”_new”>Mapsites.net workshop.