I've always wanted to eat glass with you again...

Oct 03, 2005 15:40

I went to Conestoga again today. I'm probably going to write in here everytime I go to teach because for my classes I will need to write responses and such and writing in here makes it to remember my thoughts and have access to them. Anyway, I arrived at the elementary school to find that there were no students. They had a day off and only the teachers were there to do planning and classroom work and all. The teacher I'm working with forgot to call me and tell me not to show up. I didn't mind though. I took some things of the walls, graded some papers, talked to my teacher, and I got a few hours in.

I left around three, about forty-five minutes earlier than I left last week. Neither of my bus options were convenient time-wise, (I didn't want to be standing at the bus stop for half an hour for fear of another Uncle Reggie situation) so I decided to walk.

I made my way back to campus in uncomfortable shoes. I took 20th Street. One of the first things I noticed was a pair of tennis shoes hanging from a telephone wire about a block or so from Conestoga. Someone once told me that when someone dies in a gang fight they take their shoes, tie the laces together and sling them around a telephone wire. I don't know if that is true, but I couldn't help but stare at the shoes and wonder. Besides that fact, I noticed that 20th Street seemed to be a much nicer neighborhood that what I see when I take the bus (which runs on 24th Street). I didn't feel unsafe walking there. The houses were new and the sidewalks and yards were in good condition. Another thing that comforted me was the fact that I could see my 16-story building on the horizon and it wasn't really that far away.

Halfway through my walk a car driving by honked at me. I thought nothing of it and continued staring straight ahead. As the car drove by I noticed it's color, a peculiar shade of gold, kind of like my fingernails. A few blocks later I heard a car engine slowing down next to me. I didn't look. The driver said "Hey. You got a boyfriend?" I contined walking, ingnoring his presence, although out of curiosity I couldn't help but glance over, as I did I shot him the eye. It was the same gold car, a white guy probably in his early-twenties smiled at me. I think he had bad teeth. I quickly returned my focus straight ahead and straight faced. "You're pretty," I heard him say before he drove away. I hoped he wouldn't circle around a third time.

As I got closer to campus the wind picked up. I kept getting dust in my eyes, and tiny rocks stung my bare legs. I could feel my feet dying in their comfortless coffins, new shoes, yet to be broken in. I didn't experience another incident until I was a block from my building. A car slowed next to me, I didn't noticed until the driver whistled and made kissy noises at me. I wanted to flick him off. The first time or two guys approach me and try to pick me up from their cars is something to laugh at, no big deal, maybe even a little flattering. When it happens much more than that it definitely get annoying and I begin to think that guys are sleezy.

Despite the troubles I made it back alive, although my feet did not. Maybe I'm beginning to realized why Chris, TJ, and others urged me to get mace. I may need to find a place where I can pick some up, although I don't forsee situations getting any worse. I guess it doesn't hurt to be safe.

Why is it that when travelling through poorer neighborhoods/inner-city areas people are more cautious? What is it about these areas that makes them more dangerous, or at least more feared? Are poorer people more likely to commit violent crimes? I thought about this on my walk. If someone were to travel through a middle to upper-class neighborhood in the county would they take the same precautions as if walking through a lower-class inner-city neighborhood? Most likely not, but why? Is there logic behind this?

I'm noticing that when I intend to write about my teacher aiding experience I end up writing about something else completely. Hopefully next week I will have some genuinely teacher-like insights to elaborate on. Until then...
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