suburbs

I grew up in a suburb.  A well to do suburb.  I hated it.  I knew I was fortunate but I didn’t understand that I was fortunate.  Not sure I completely do now, but I am starting to understand.  The suburb I grew up in was minutes from The Ohio State University, it was within walking distance.  I grew up near the city, near events, near good hospitals.   Last year when I started dating Charles I finally began to understand that 71 runs North South and 70 runs East West, I rarely had to use the freeway, nothing really other than 315.  I never understood why Charles’ mother moved so far out.  I would joke with him that he didn’t live in a suburb of Columbus but in sub-suburban sprawl.  It would take 30 minutes to get from his house (in Pickerington) to downtown.  Traffic was awful, the schools were okay, what was the point?   Then I started to discuss some of the similar things with my roommate Nicole.   Nicole told me about driving from her suburb, Gahanna, to hang out with kids in Columbus.  I realized I had only ever had two friends who went to Columbus Public Schools, and one of them was Charles who I didn’t become close to until about two years ago.  I was always scared of “those” schools and “those” kids.  I only hung out with kids from Bexely and occasionally Dublin.  Those were acceptable suburbs to associate with.  But we still knew who was “new money” (Dublin) and “old money” (Bexely).  I grew up with an immigrant mother from a poor family, and yet I distinguish old and new money…it is fucked up.

I realize now, I had in someways a very sheltered life.  I got to travel A LOT. By the time I graduated from high school, I’d been to Europe, Asia, and Latin America, I had studied abroad, I had seen poverty, I had seen wealth, I had moved away from my parents twice (returning home twice).  However, I had not really become friends with urban kids or suburban kids.  I knew rural, but I didn’t know my own surroundings.
I also didn’t fully understand how privilged I had been.  I began to realize that with Olga.  I was trying to figure out how to get Olga to do summer camp with the  YMCA, and damn was it expensive and then I  looked back  at my own childhood and thought  about all the things my parents had enrolled me in; swim team, swimming lessons, sailing lessons, gymnastics, soccer, and more.

I guess I am slowly getting it now.  I feel spoiled…I am spoiled.

PS   I am having brunch Saturday morning to Celebrate and watch Barack Obama’s announcement that he will run for President.  You are all invited!  Call me for directions!