I didn’t write about Dayton the first day I arrived. I couldn’t.
My first impressions of my new neighborhood were so negative that I
needed to sit on it for another day before I wrote anything. It’s not like I didn’t do my research before moving here. I did.
I read everything I could get my hands on. I moved here with the understanding that my new neighborhood is poor, undereducated, underemployed, and overwhelmingly
white. But as I turned down my street
for the first time, the decaying sidewalks and dilapidated homes made me
apprehensive. Neighbors turned their
heads to watch me as a drove down the street.
This is a neighborhood full of locals and I, with my California tan,
white-rimmed sunglasses, and Cali license plates on my car, immediately let
everybody know that I’m not from around these parts.
The porch dwellers stared blankly
as I hopped out of my car to check out the house. Now, after living many years in the South, I
have seen my fair share of porch-sitters.
I am no stranger to seeing a couch on the porch. But these folks have 5-piece living room sets
on their front porches. It’s on another
level. As I pull up to the house, I park
behind a truck covered in right-wing and moderately racist political bumper stickers.
Sayings like, “Zoo Has African Lion, White
House Has Lying African” and “Danger! Right Wing Extremist On Board” make me
wonder if I will be safe in this house, in this neighborhood. And I could swear I saw the same kids who
were “stalking” the Google van in those Google Earth images. My thoughts?
To quote GOB Bluth from Arrested Development, “I’ve made a huge mistake.”
I went back to the hotel that night and frantically looked
for a new place to live. I wasn’t set to
sign the lease until the next morning.
Yes, I would lose my deposit, but my personal safety is most
important. My mom and I both searched
the internet and newspaper for another house, but to no avail. I am going to sign the lease in the morning
and hold my breath….
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