The smells, the scenery, architecture, people, culture,
accents, food. These are some of
the things very different from anything I have ever experienced. Luckily people in D.C. speak English
though sometimes I can’t exactly communicate with the people around me. I live in the middle-class African
American area of Washington D.C.
The exact name is Brightwood Park in the northwest quadrant of the
city to the right of Rock Creek Park on the map. I am indeed a minority in my
neighborhood. It is a good change
though it is most definitely uncomfortable at times. In the three days I have been living here, I have learned
more about people than I did in 4 years at Westmont College.
D.C. is a beautiful city. There are row upon row of row houses, each painted
differently than the next. The
trees are old; heck, the buildings are old. The house I live in was built in the 1920s. There are families in this neighborhood
that have been living here since the 1960s. This neighborhood used to be the Jewish part of D.C. in the
early twentieth century. My D.C.
mom, as I call her, told me that the Black community moved into this part of
the city starting in the 1950s when the Jewish populaces began moving out. The people here are hard-working
Americans. They drive
Mercedes-Benzs, BMWs, Toyotas, Fords, Hondas, and POS’s. It is middle-class America, but this
middle-class America is very different than the one I grew up with. It is a good change.
I love the brick here; it is everywhere and reminds me of
home. The churches here are old
too. There are beautiful brick
chapels everywhere you turn. Every
building has a history and secrets.
My D.C. mom has told me that there isn’t very much crime in
the neighborhood, mostly domestic violence and drugs. Actually, it is more dangerous to live in Columbia Heights
and Georgetown (the richer whiter part of DC) because the thugs go there to mug
and rob “rich” people. A friend of
my D.C. parents was beat over the head with a baseball bat less than a mile
away from capital hill last year.
He is now blind, partially paralyzed, and has extensive brain damage;
the perpetrators got an Iphone and some cash. The story is definitely scary and made me nervous when I
heard it but there’s no sense living in fear of something you can’t predict or
control. Besides, that sort of
violence is rare and the exception to the rule.
It is easy to get lost in D.C. I’m glad I didn’t bring a car because there are a ton of one-way
streets here that are extremely difficult to navigate. Also, Washington D.C. was voted worst
traffic in the nation this year.
As someone who has experienced L.A. traffic that is a terrifying
thought.
I am just beginning my journey of getting to know this city
and its inhabitants. It is a place
of much more diversity than any place I have lived and I am excited to
contribute to it. People here
think that people from California are extremely cool and interesting, which is
awesome. Note to all friends from
California: the best way to get a
girls number in this city is to name-drop Santa Barbara. Cha-Ching! Thank you liberal arts education!
I start work next week and I can’t wait for it!
