We can change the world I lived in many ugly and messy neighborhoods until we moved to Florence and the Center in 1992. When I saw this area for the first time, I felt scared and sad. I especially hated the black gate that made our street look like a prison. The worst things were the bad neighborhoods, drugs, violence and homelessness. The first day I could smell old garbage mixed with beer and spoiled food. Just one sniff of that disgusting dump made me vomit until I had nothing left to get out of. All the streets were full of waste such as used diapers, used sanitary napkins and dead mice. The streets were cleaned every day, but by the end of the day they were dirty again. One day, while walking down the street, I found a dead dog that had been thrown away like garbage. I felt sad because that animal once had life and was probably killed for the fun of it. My new block was a mess and I never saw a single person around. The only people alive there were pensioners. Pensioners' homes have been fortified with metal bars and high-tech alarms. They would not leave their homes. They just peeked in the windows. It scared me even more. I turned to my father, who had the bright idea to move here, and begged him, “Dad, please don't move here.” He turned and said, "Honey, we're going to bring sunshine to this place." After the third week of living there, I simply hated the place. I saw two gangsters injecting drugs and smelling a white substance. The next day I saw about twenty used needles thrown in the alley. Then I turned around and saw two gangsters behind me with bicycles. They followed me and I walked as fast as I could. My legs looked like two old turtles. My heart was pounding like a DJ and blood was rushing through my body. I felt like I was dying instantly. While I was in a hurry, I saw a police car pass by and the gangsters disappeared. I never saw them again. I also saw a young mother force her children to beg so they could buy drugs. She gave herself the injection while her children cried for her.