Jaszi

Hometown:
Bronx, NY
Positive since:
2005
Relationship:
Single
Age: 26

Hey, my name is Jaszi and I was born in March, 1986. I became HIV positive when I was in high school and it changed my whole life. I was born and raised in what I call “the heaven of NYC”, the boogie down Bronx - home of the Yankees, the birthplace of Hip-Hop and origin of the best Spanish cooking in the world - my mother’s. LOL!

As a kid, I was always proud to brag about where I came from. It wasn’t easy growing up in El Barrio of uptown New York, but when you come from the Nuyorican background that I do, you’re just bred to survive. Growing up in rough neighborhoods taught me about my community’s hardships and it helped me mentally mature for my age as a little kid. In the streets, I learned who to stay away from and that there’s a time and a place for everything. For the most part, I was sheltered in my younger years and I feel this is because my parents were very protective of me. They didn’t want me ending up as a kind of useless street thug. When I would go outside to hang out, I would keep an eye out for drama, observe my surroundings and try to avoid certain situations that may have put my life at risk. Because of this, I grew to be very observant of detail and behaviors – this has always worked to my advantage.

I was blessed to come from a protective household. I grew up in a spontaneous Hispanic-American family that was challenged and changed with different types of issues in the wake of the new millennium. My father has always been a handsome, hard-working man and has always given good advice. My mother has always been caring and domesticated, yet free-spirited and sassy. I am definitely a mix of the two of them. I adore my parents and my siblings very much now. I appreciate all the lessons I learned from their mistakes and achievements. I am one of the youngest in a clan of eight children. The eight of us did not all grow up together in the same house and we all don’t all have the same parents, but in my heart, mind and history they are all equally my family.

Being a part of such a big family always kept things interesting. Every day someone at home had some story to tell and I was so nosy when it came to my siblings’ experiences. It is how I learned what smart choices were, as opposed to foolish choices. As a child, I was like a fly on the wall just watching my family. No family portrait is perfect. Every family has skeletons in their closet, and mine has a storage unit full of them.