Juniors Visit the Haight for English Class
Nueva’s junior class traveled to the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco on March 2nd to see how it has changed since Joan Didion described it in her 1967 essay, Slouching Towards Bethlehem.
Immediately, several students noticed that the environment in the Haight was very different from what they were used to. Junior Sinead C. said, “I didn’t really know what to expect going in, but while I was there, I feel like I was both surprised and not. Like, someone tried to sell us weed, which is not a normal thing.”
Students also noted that things felt slower and calmer around the Haight. Stores didn’t necessarily have set opening times, and there were a lot of people walking the streets without any obvious purpose or destination.
Students also noticed a sense of community in the Haight, as well as the openness of people that they spoke with. One student said that people were friendlier than what she was used to and that they were very open to talking with the students on the street.
In the coming week, the students will be using the trip as material for an essay written in the same style as Slouching Towards Bethlehem, exploring the evolution of the Haight over the last 50 years.
Students noted that things felt slower and calmer around the Haight. Stores didn’t necessarily have set opening times, and there were a lot of people walking the streets without any obvious purpose or destination.
