In A Town (Mostly) Forgotten
By Nikole Handel
4 Aug 2008
What city do you live in? What neighborhood?
I live in a city which cannot even be called such. It has a pizza place, if that counts. And a small amusement park, too. It's not much, but it could very well be if it wanted to. It's a place where stargazers may gaze and dreamers may dream, but their dreams have no place beyond slumber. A city which has ice cream and shamrocks, and a few people here and there. A city which you can read in, walk in, but hardly live in. A city which tourists East Durham, which natives call Little Ireland, and which I call home.
What are some adjectives that describe your neighborhood?
Rural, Scenic, Green, Mountainous, Sleepy, Selectively Populated, Capricious, Quiet, Vintage, Home-y.
How long have you lived there, and what brought you there?
I have lived in this town since I was born, whether that is a long time or not. What brought me there were my adolescence and my birthrights.
What is your favorite thing about this place? Your least favorite?
My favorite thing about this town is it's antiquity. Like a one-hit wonder from the 1960's, it had it's hay-day and it had it's glory, and now it has settled down to rest in a state of tired retirement. It has a sense of understanding toward it's veterans, and it is like an old and beloved friend to them. It is currently a tourist destination, with little more to offer than some cute shops and attractions, and with little less to offer than comfort. On the contrary, this town is being destroyed by those who have hardly any rights to it, as they are newcomers. Foreigners in this American Ireland. They are missionaries to the modern world, come to spread their lack of knowledge.
Do you feel that you belong there?
Anybody and everybody belongs in this town, yet it is almost as if nobody does. It would seem that no human should step foot in East Durham, lest they rob the town of it's innocence.
What is the most common misconception about where you live?
There are many stereotypes about my town; That it is boring, that it is nearly impossible for a teenager to survive there, and that it was never comparable to another bustling, exciting town. All of these accusations could not be more incorrect, as one most live in my town to know that.
What is a special fact about your city that you have to live there to know?
You must be either Irish, old, or born here to fit in.
Period.
What aspect of your city do you secretly love?
The fact that I can walk into any town business and know that the owner, Sue, recently got divorced or that Micheal's son was arrested, or that Mary had a baby. Everybody knows everybody. Excluding tourists.
Anything else you'd like to add?
My town is not like your town. It isn't the most exciting, or fun, or trendy place to live, or see, for that matter. But it's my home. It's the American Ireland, and it's where I was, am, and will be.
1 response
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Aaron Mythen gave props (22 Nov 2008):
Well written you got my vote!!
