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Berenisse Arreaga

Professor Batty

English 101

28 May 2017

Mi Casa es Tu Casa

When we go shopping, on a family outing, or simply out for lunch there are usually

certain places we like to go to. Why are they our favorite places? Theres other places we can go

to that can give us the same thing were looking for. Id say there are multiple reasons as to why

people, including myself, like going to one place in particular. Although some say the Valley

Indoor Swap Meet is just a place to shop, I believe it has a secondary purpose which is: to give

Latinos a home away from home because of the combinations of cultures that covers almost

every Latin America ethnic group, the importance it has to workers and shoppers makes them

rely on this place, and the relationships and connections created there make it welcoming and

comforting to everyone. The Valley Indoor Swap Meet is a place to shop and so much more.

One of the reasons this place has a secondary meaning of a home away from home for

Latinos is because of the combinations of cultures that covers almost every Latin America ethnic

group. The swap meet has different events that come from various traditions like lottery, raffles,

and dances, which are really popular among Latinos from every culture. Latinos like to get

together and play lottery on their spare time, they like to participate in raffles in hopes that

theyll win and they definitely love to go to dances or as we call them bailes. All of these little

activities give them a sense of being back in their countries.These are activities that they would

do with their spare time back home. The sounds of mariachi bands mix with the steady flow of

spoken Spanish and the down-home smell of fresh tacos (M & M). People recognize the
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environment and appreciate how good and familiar it feels. My mother always tells me como

me recuerdo de esos olores all en Guatemala which translates to oh how I remember those

smells back in Guatemala. Little things trigger distant memories. All the food booths there sell

different foods such as Mexican, Salvadoran, etc. My personal favorites at this place are tacos

and pupusas. These foods arent from my culture; tacos are more Mexican and pupusas are

Salvadoran, but when coming here I like to get a little taste of both. Some stores merchandise are

imported directly from Latin American countries and arent sold in general stores; such as

jewelry, souvenirs, and candies. When I say jewelry, souvenirs, and candy I dont mean just any.

These things are handmade from their countries, which adds to their personal value to the

Latinos who buy them. For example: rosaries from Mexico, backpacks from Guatemala, and

candies from El Salvador. The majority, I feel, buy them because they know these things came

from their home; their country. And even though the things arent extravagant, they have a deep

personal value because of where they came from. The majority of the people who buy these

things do so here because they are most likely illegal immigrants. They dont have the ability to

travel back to their home. This applies to Latinos of different cultures. Theyre all glad they have

swap meets such as this one to buy culture centered things. At this place, if youre a Latino, it is

almost definite youll find your ethnic group here.

Another reason this place has a secondary meaning of a home away from home for

Latinos is because the importance it has to workers and shoppers makes them rely on this place.

Some owners and/or workers of shops in this swap meet have been working here for years and

only have that job to make a living out of. For 23 years, Francine Voorhees has sold silk

nighties and lingerie from booth N-13 at the Valley Indoor Swap Meet (Days Numbered).

After spending so much time working at one place you build a homely feeling where youre used
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to the everyday routine and its part of your life. Most of these Latinos already had to leave one

home, imagine what its like for them leaving another? But shoppers rely on this place as well; if

they need something they know that if they look for it here they will most likely find it. This

place has everything you could ever want and need (Valley Indoor). Judging from my own

experience, there have been many times where this place has been a lifesaver. There have been

things that Ive needed and wasnt able to find literally anywhere until I came here. Back in Latin

America, people are accustomed to going great distances just to get what they need. They dont

have the luxury of having stores at every corner like here. Since its easier to travel here, Latinos

do drive a good amount to get to a good swap meet like the this one. Also, the Latino community

mostly work minimum wage jobs and they come here to save money and haggle to their

satisfaction. There arent many Latinos (at least not around the valley) who dont work minimum

wage jobs, and with that comes the need to save money as often as possible. If I come here and

Im given a price thats a little over my budget, Ill haggle with the workers to find the price Im

willing to pay. For us Latinos, you can always find the same thing at a cheaper price. Haggling

adds a sort of comfort because it is a behavior only demonstrated there. You dont see people

haggling anywhere else. Back in Latin America money is always scarce, so the need to save

carries on as a habit. This place means as much to the Latino workers as it does to the Latino

shoppers, and such an importance makes it feel like a place of refuge. The same way we rely on

our homes to be there every day, we rely on this place to satisfy us each time we visit.

A final reason as to why this place has a secondary meaning of a home away from home

for Latinos is because the relationships and connections created there make it welcoming and

comforting to everyone. Shops gain regulars and make friends with customers and other shops,

giving it a community feel. During my observation of this place, I noticed customers going to
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shops and workers asking them the regular? or same thing? This small detail gives the

inference that the customer and the worker have seen each other multiple times. We Latinos, tend

to become friendly with people we interact with on a daily basis. This is a custom from Latin

culture; we feel like after seeing someone multiple times a sort of trust gives in. A relationship

such as this one where the worker already knows your face and what you want is really special

because theres a sort of friendship built without even noticing it. This doesnt happen at places

like the mall or grocery store. Most of the stores in Latin America are family owned; the same

workers are always there every day, and thats something Latinos appreciate. Workers gain

Connections with longtime customers and other vendors (Days Numbered). During a class

discussion, one of my classmates said that shes seen food sellers exchanging meals. What this

means is, for example; a Mexican food shop giving a Salvadoran food shop a plate of their food

and vice versa. Interchanges such as these may not seem like much, but what I see is a

connection between these two groups. A type of connection you dont make with just anyone.

These workers know that this place not only provides them a job, but friendly relationships with

other workers from different shops. You dont see the workers from In-N-Out trading meals with

Mc Donalds. Families/people that go there trust the place and feel safe because of the Latino

environment and the realization that the place never makes any changes. These people come here

often, and they kind of establish a relationship with the place as a whole. Going and seeing that

the majority of people are Latino immediately gives a feeling of fitting right in and people make

acquaintances really quickly. Families feel comfortable enough that they separate and then

reunite at the same place as always when its time. They trust the place, they trust the people, and

this really emphasizes the homely environment.

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In conclusion, the Valley Indoor Swap Meet to Latinos is way more than just a place to

shop. The Valley Indoor Swap Meet has a secondary purpose which is to give Latinos a home

away from home because of the combinations of cultures, the reliance worker and shoppers have

on it, and the relationships and connections created there. Many places like this one have a

secondary meaning besides their primary one, and the second might actually be more important.

Most people are wrong when they say places only serve one purpose. We should stop and think

about what these places really mean to us, not just Latinos but people of every race. This is an

important issue because places such as these need to be recognized as essential to a community

and not taken for granted. We need to know why we appreciate our favorite places. Places like

these are like a second home, and when youre there you always receive the welcome that goes

mi casa es tu casa (my home is your home).

Works Cited

M & M Swap Meet Brings a Taste of Mexico to Hillsboro. OregonLive.com. N.p., 07 Mar.

2014. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.

Valley Indoor Swap Meet - Panorama City - Panorama City, CA. Yelp. N.p., 13 Mar. 2017.

Web. 20 Mar. 2017.

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Writer, Julia M. Scott Staff. Days Numbered for Valley Indoor Swap Meet. LA Daily News. LA

Daily News, 21 Nov. 2007. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.