My First Venture Into the Ghettoby Fatherofeight | More from this Blogger 04 Jan 2007 06:39 PM About 35 years ago, I started my first real job. It was not long before I had to schedule a business trip to New York City. That sounded like a big deal to a young man from a town with 50,000 people. I had noticed in the newspaper that my favorite baseball team was playing a double hitter on Sunday against the Mets. I went to New York a day early and made a hotel reservation near Shea Stadium. I took a taxi from the hotel and watched both games. Being in New York for the first time was very interesting. I realized that New York was a lot different than Arkansas when the man in front of me looked to a friend, pointed at me, and said,"Hey, Maury, this jerk is rooting for the Cardinals." The ride to the ballpark had seemed very short, so I decided to walk back to the hotel. I have a good sense of direction, but it must have failed me that day. I walked quite a distance. After a while, I looked around and noticed that the area had a distinct flavor. I had never been in a rough neighborhood. The streets were lined with five story tenements and it seemed like a lot of people were sitting on the front steps in their undershirts. I noticed that no one looked at all like me. This will date me, but I remember thinking that it looked like a scene from "West Side Story". People were starting to stare at me. No one said anything. I was startled when an older model car pulled up beside me and the driver rolled down the window. He leaned across the seat and told me to get into his car. I replied that I was walking to my hotel and I thought that it was close. He once again told me to get into his car. He had a pleasant demeanor, so I got into his car. He quickly told me that I had no idea how dangerous it was for me to be walking in that neighborhood. He took me to my hotel and would not accept any money. It took him a while to drive to the hotel. Little did I realize that I would someday be fascinated with neighborhoods like the one I had been in and the people who lived there. In fact, my wife and I were to spend time working with ghetto children in neighborhoods a few miles away from where I was picked up that day. Those neighborhoods changed our lives. We started to love the children that no one else cared about. I am not sure if there is such a thing as a guardian angel. If they do exist, I met mine that day while walking to my hotel. Related Blog: Relevantadoption tags children | Scrapbooking | parenting | baby | family | holidays | christmas | arguments against adoption | pregnancy | relationships User Comments  Andrea Hermitt (5664) 04 Jan 2007 05:45 PMBeing from "the ghetto" and familiar with that area, I would have been more afraid to get in his car than to keep walking. But then, I probably look like the people around there.  Fatherofeight (2475) 04 Jan 2007 06:04 PMWe later worked with a children's ministry in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn. I guess the worst area we were in was Bedford Sty. We could not get a cab to take us to Bushwick from the airport.  Valorie Delp (49340) 04 Jan 2007 08:11 PMLOL Andrea! Living in the "ghetto". . .I was totally thinking the same thing! People always assume we are in the wrong neighborhood bc we're white.  Mary Ann Romans (27271) 05 Jan 2007 04:32 AMI lived not to far from Shea Stadium, and it is definitely not the Ghetto--just a working class neighborhood! Oh gosh, I really had to laugh when I saw that! Still, I can understand someone being uncomfortable in unfamiliar surroundings.  Linda Hansen (1796) 05 Jan 2007 05:41 AMI have never lived in the innercity. Quite frankly, I have only been to downtown Houston a handful of times in my whole life. I guess this qualifies me as a country hick; I'm good with that. Although we have a very modest little house, we have a huge backyard. The turf is so thick, its like walking on carpet. Behind it is more green field, unoccupied. This is where my boys play ball, run with the dog, and play chase. I couldn't imagine only sidewalks and streets to play on, stacked apartments to live in, and people standing around with nothing to do. When the neighbors are out, they are barbecueing, mowing the lawn, playing with their kids, or tending to their garden. My neighborhood would be considered middle class or lower with mobile homes scattered here and there. We are definitely not a gated community, but I would much rather raise the kids here than in the city. Artcraft Fatherofeight (2475) 05 Jan 2007 05:59 AMThis was 35 years ago and it was not nice then. I understand that the area has been built up to day. Sorry if anyone was offended by my characterization. Crickett (272) 05 Jan 2007 07:57 AMI know in the city of Houston a person can say they live near a certain landmark, and only a few blocks away in one direction you can be living in a pretty nice area with expensive houses, while a few blocks in a different direction every house is literally a crack house, and there are prostitutes, ....I would suspect that being "near Shea Stadium" could be similar to that. Andrea Hermitt (5664) 05 Jan 2007 08:57 AMThe area around Shea Stadium has been ghetto-ish. In the early 1990's a friend of mine who worked at the Burger King across the street was held up at gun-point. The area has slowly improved over the years. Valorie Delp (49340) 05 Jan 2007 09:05 AMI have lived in the inner-city for 11 years and I can say that in that time both things have been true. . .in one direction things are not that bad and in the opposite direction there are crack houses. Also the neighborhood has slowly improved over the years as they've implemented programs. Something else that is true of inner city neighborhoods is that the problems tend to migrate from block to block. When we first moved here, a gang hung out regularly and sold drugs from one particular block. As the cops got wise to them, they were busted up, regrouped in a few months and changed corners. Inner-city neighborhoods, constantly change in this way. Mary Ann Romans (27271) 05 Jan 2007 02:36 PMNo offense to me. I remember being completely unnerved on my first visit to rural New Hampshire. Keep writing; I greatly enjoy your blogs. PATTI (580) 08 Jan 2007 12:18 PMDear Ed, I am an Arkansas hick and proud of it. If the shoe fits wear it. We are all Americans and should be pround of every inch of this country. I thought this was a good article. PATTI Fatherofeight (2475) 09 Jan 2007 09:33 PMI have grown to really love the disadvantaged people among us and the places that they have to live. When the boys are older, I will take them to see where they came from. When the Lord sends you in to these places, He is there to protect you. Community Tags changed our lives, ghetto, rough neighborhood, started to love the children Discuss this article
|
Adoption categories
More adoption tagschildren | Scrapbooking | parenting | baby | family | holidays | christmas | arguments against adoption | pregnancy | relationships |
