Ghetto University

It's been a month since my last post. Lo siento blog. But the good news is, tomorrow is my last day at Campus Philly, so hopefully you will get a little love in the interim of that and whatever new adventure the summer brings.
Anyone who knows me knows that I don't like to complain (hopefully anyway). I have a good life, and I feel very lucky in the fact that I can take pride in what I have and what I have accomplished. I take pride in going to Temple and in succeeding here in this challenging academic and social environment. But, there are hard lessons that come with city life.
My boyfriend is one of the kindest people I have ever known. He has a heart for helping people and someday wants to be a cop. He's not the type of future cop who's in it for the glory and excitement- although he does want that too. He's also passionate about the side of law enforcement that would bring him to the doorsteps of people who are arguing with their spouses or who are dealing with alcohol or drug problems. That level of understanding of the job at hand and what it encompasses is truly rare- as is he.
This past weekend, I brought him to see an apartment that I had previously looked at and was considering moving into next year. At first, we were both trying our best to look at it positively and try to figure out if it was a possibility. We're both optimists for the most part. In the end, we both realized that this was a definite no go. All I need to say is that it was right by Temple Hospital and you'll know why it is so certianly a non-possibility.
Tonight, my roomate's car was broken into outside our house. It was parked only two spots up from where my boyfriend's car was broken into, literally, the window was smashed and his stuff was stolen. Joe and I are both from a small town. We are a product of where and how we grew up. But anyone who wants to talk about the cops disrespecting them, or being unfair to them needs to realize that when things are serious and you live in a place where you get worn down from the stress of having to look over your shoulder while you walk home from work at night, the cops are a true blessing. Of course I've seen "bad cops" and had semi-bad experiences with cops, I feel much safer having them around. Thankfully, the person who broke into my roomate's car was caught by the police, who were extremely attentive to the situation. If you want to talk about disrespect, try having your personal property endangered and violated by someone who, due to either their own selfishness or perhaps their misfortune in life, decides to take what you've earned.
Life's not fair and there is a lot of hate and pain in this world. At the end of the day, it's about what you do with these truths. Joe and I may be from a small town, but we've learned the facts of life through our years of experience with life in North Philadelphia. I am confident in the fact that neither of us brought racial biases or previous conceptions to the table. This long, meaningless rant is not representative of everyone's experience with city living, but it has been a part of ours. There's good and bad wherever you go, and the best thing you can do is make sure that you're part of the "good." Sure it may seem "cool" to be bad, but trust me it's not. Joe's response to all of this is further fueling of his goal to become a police officer and do something about it. For me, it's about finding good people and telling their stories and getting the message out there. This is just a small part of the story posted on a small blog that no one may ever read, but it's here and its real and that's all I've got to say about that.