Tell Me How You Really Feel...

     I'd like to start off by saying I'm originally from Texas and that I have been living in Baltimore for almost 8 years now. Coming at a young age of 13, I think I have a VERY broad outlook on Baltimore that others wouldn't have, especially because I think I came at such a vulnerable age where your surroundings can play a major role in your everyday life, and this is coming from my perspective of my life to my perspective of others around me. Like Lizzy said, when speaking with someone who doesn't know much about Baltimore, automatically they think, "Like the T.V show The Wire?" and yes of course, not all of Baltimore is like The Wire, but it would be wrong if we said some parts of Baltimore aren't just like it. Just like how I am originally from Dallas, Texas and people ask me all the time, "is it like the T.V. show Dallas?" or, "Do you ride horses everywhere?" Seriously, it's 2013.
     Although The Wire is not a good representation of Baltimore as a whole, there is some truth behind it. We must remember that these dramas did come from somewhere and not entirely someone's brain. Now although not all of Baltimore is like the Wire, there are parts that people look over and take for granted; example, the Inner Harbor. People travel hundreds of miles to see the Inner Harbor which is a major tourism site for Baltimore. Also, we have one of the best hospitals and schools in the WORLD, Johns Hopkins University. People from all over the world praise and attend Johns Hopkins and its location is in the heart of Baltimore.
     Now everything we see isn't always how it is but I believe there is some type of truth in everything. During training week, you guys stressed the fact that some of these kids may come from harder backgrounds than others which is completely fine, but individually we have to look at each child's situation. My point is that ultimately, some people do become products of their environment while others may change because of their environment. I love Baltimore because the people and the city itself taught me so much, but we can not ignore the issues at hand in Baltimore to focus on the view of the city from others. We need to focus on how to make the city and ourselves better and how WE, the people of Baltimore, view ourselves and our city. We must understand ourselves before we let someone else try to understand us.