My Dreams Fly Me to a Place Called Baltimore

Last week marked a full month of living and working in Baltimore. I meant to update as the weeks went by, but it's taken some time to get settled here. I finally feel like I'm reaching that point, but I also know that, considering the work I do here, it's going to be challenging to feel completely comfortable with the way some things are in this city. That's okay, though. One thing I've learned so far is that, in a way, I feel called to live "in the tension." The tension of wanting to be an agent of change while also wanting to learn and be sensitive to the realities of systemic poverty and injustice. Wanting to share my idea of a good life with others, while wanting to be a listener and respect other perspectives. The tension of living a simple but comfortable life, while trying to be in solidarity with those who don't have the option to live that kind of life.

The City Paper recently published their annual "Best of Baltimore" issue, and one of the categories was "The Best Reason to Live Here." I thought I'd share it here, since I think it defines Baltimore well.

"If you've been around Baltimore for a while, you were probably a little freaked out five years ago or when property values started skyrocketing, new buildings started flying up, and decrepit old buildings morphed into luxury lofts seemingly overnight. After all, we like nice things, but we're not used to a bunch of them all at once. It just didn't seem real. And it turns out it wasn't.
And now, we're facing the worst thing to befall this nation and its citizens since the Sept. 11 attacks. Worst of all, this time we did it to ourselves. So now that the economy's tanked, things are tough all over. But you know what? Things have always been tough here, even at the height of townhomes-starting-from-the-300s mania. So now that the '00s gravy train has ground to a halt, the good news is that Baltimoreans are used to doing without gravy. If things are gonna get all Mad Max from here, well, welcome to the Thunderdome.
After all, plenty of Baltimoreans are used to making do with a house they can't unload, to piecing together an assortment of small jobs into a living, to eating low on the hog, to looking out for each other and watching out for trouble, to finding their entertainment and their reason to go on where they can.
As hard and heartbreaking as the months to come will be for many, Baltimoreans aren't hothouse flowers. A row of vacant storefronts doesn't freak us out. Crime's already horrific here and has been for years (we're maybe a little too used to that). Our favorite hometown delicacy is steamed bottom feeders. Our favorite summer treat is shaved water ice with a squirt of cheap syrup. We don't need much, and that seems like a good way to be for a bit.
This isn't a pep talk, it's just the facts. If there's a way to survive and thrive in the current climate, we'll find it. After all, we made it this far."