Saturday, July 14, 2012
From 'Toto' to 'Ghetto'
"This ain't Kansas anymore, Boo." The words hit me with fresh coldness and new sting... Like I hadn't heard that before. "Down he'uh in da' south, we do thangs differently.... DOROTHY!". Fire flew into my eyes. I was sick of 'Oz' jokes. I was sick of being called dorothy. And I was very sick of being treated like an innocent nobody from Little House on the Prairie. I looked up into the dark eyes, "I've noticed," I replied. My eyes then shifted to the rest of his features. Deep wrinkles gathered around his eyes. His dark skin was covered in scars. His coarse black hair was more than a little gray. This man was probably my dads age or older and he'd lived a hard life. He washed dishes in a messy kitchen for a living. But he was one of the few people that actually had a job. My expression softened, suddenly I felt bad for messing up his dish washing method. "I'm very sorry, I will try to remember how you do it next time."
As I walked away I looked around me. 3 guys were beat boxing and rapping in the corner. "Mama" the salad maker was slowly making salads. The line of cooks in the back were yelling and laughing back and forth. It was so loud. But everyone was happy. Everyone was getting along. Where was I?
The ghetto.
That was the only conclusion I could come to. A place where certain roads are off limits because of the area of town. Doors must always be locked even while driving. If you can't find it in the store you might as well give up, because no one else has time to help you or knows how to help you. Pants are worn around the thighs and flat billed hats sit on TOP of your corn rows.
My friendly small town of Derby, Kansas has now been replaced by Jackson , Mississippi: a town deeply rooted in southern tradition, segregation, and way of life. Cowboys are replaced with homeboys. Tea means sweet. Sweet means sugar... lots of sugar. Pop has disappeared and is replaced with coke. Chicken is everywhere you go. Chicken is always fried. And music has 2 genres: Rap and bluegrass.
Culture shock you ask? Maybe a tiny bit. ;) But I will adjust. I just have to keep plugging away. Alllllll day, erryday.
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I hope you will find security, and peace, and purpose, in your new surroundings Anne. God moved with you to Mississippi, and He will always be as close as your next breath. (:>) Saying a prayer for you right now. Hang in there and keep trusting Him.
ReplyDeleteLove, Linda
Thank you Ms. Linda! You have been an amazing encouragement and role model for me over the past couple months. God is so good. And you are so right. He is so close, and I KNOW He is holding me in His hand here in MS.
Delete~ Anne
Hello Anne! I missed you when we worked in nursery a few weeks ago ago. You have been a part of the tapestry of our family's life. Sure working in the nursery together every 6 weeks or so is a tiny little thread, but of course there have been years of seeing you at church, high school senior Sunday School class etc. So here is another analogy for you: woven tapestry. God is weaving together a beautiful tapestry out of your life. It takes years of intricate weaving. If you look in one small area, the weaving may not make sense, but if you step back and look at the entire tapestry, you see a beautiful work of art.
ReplyDeleteWhen we moved to Texas long before our children were born I taught in the public school. The students quickly made fun of my way of speaking. I grew up in Iowa and somehow they thought my accent sounded like I was from Chicago. Anyway, I chose to pick up y'all, but the "what kind of coke would you like?" always puzzled and humored me. We ended up living there for six years and grew to have a great appreciation for the people in the great state of Texas.
Deb Johnson
Mrs. Johnson! How good to hear from you! Thank you for another great analogy. God's pictures truly are wonderful works of art.
DeleteAnd yes, I agree the accents and word choices are very different. But the difference is interesting and intriguine. I think that over time I will definitely have an appreciation for the state. :)
~ Anne