Who's Who in El Cerrito: Alberto Mahani and Jon Chiang

Name:  Jon Chiang and Alberto Mahani

Age: 18 and 20

Occupation: Student and student/mechanic

How long have you lived in El Cerrito?

Jon: I've lived here pretty much my whole life.

Alberto: I've lived here about four years.

What do you like about El Cerrito?

Alberto: Well, it's a nice quiet neighborhood, and it's not Richmond or Oakland.

Jon: Yea, it's not really rowdy. Nice place. Calm and quiet. You don't really hear much about it.

Did you go to high school here as well?

Jon: I went to high school in Albany, but I went to elementary school in El Cerrito.

Alberto: Yea, me too, I used to live in Albany.

Did you go to Madera?

Jon: Yea, Madera Elementary. I live up around there too. We both live up around there.

Alberto: Yea.

Have you two always lived up on the hill?

Alberto: Yea.

Jon: Yea, yea, up around Moeser.

Do you have friends who live down in the flats? Alberto: We have friends all around, Albany, Berkeley, El Cerrito, everywhere.

Have you noticed a difference between people who live in the flats and who live in the hills?

Alberto: Not much difference because most people that we know, like, go to the same school, so then we all just like...

Jon: ...get together, hang out.

What do you guys like to do for fun around here?

Jon: Around here?

Alberto: There's nothing really around here…

Do you go to other cities?

Alberto: We go to maybe, like, Emeryville, or we go to Ranch (Ranch 99).

Bubble tea?

Alberto and Jon: Yea (laughing).

What flavor is your favorite?

Alberto: Honeydew.

Jon: Probably the Peach Green Tea.