Walkin' in Memphis...

I really wish I would have kept a journal during 2010. For the rest of my life I'll probably think of it as The Year I Lived in Memphis.

I moved to Memphis on January 2, 2010, and with Jake's help, moved into the most ridiculous housing situation I will probably ever find myself it. Four roommates, all at least 7 years older than I. Two of them were dating each other and she was untrustworthy, another maybe worked at a gym? One was Asian, spoke very broken English and seemed to have a hearing disorder (don't worry, he moved out. A sexually agressive Ice Man moved in. Then out. A middle aged, overweight alcoholic moved in and exposed himself to me. I moved out.)

Anyway.

While I was there, I served as an AmeriCorps member for a children's advocacy center. They had a little of everything for the youth and families in Memphis- adoption, foster care, infant mortality prevention, teen pregnancy assistance...

I spent most of my time at one of the Head Start programs, helping children at the poverty level get prepped for kindergarten. I loved working with the kids because they always surprised me with their personalities and it was great to SEE progress being made in their capabilities. It was hard to know that these kids were at a disadvantage and would be pushed into a public school system that functions below minimum expectations and some of the lowest in the state.

(Recently, Memphians voted to disband the city school for a merge with the county schools, which had a reputation for providing a better education.)


I made a few friends while I was there, but it was a difficult task because my life experiences were so different from my co-workers, and I didn't live in a situation conducive to meeting new people. Because my job was as a volunteer, my bank account was always stretched to the limit- which is kind of the point of the AmeriCorps program. To give each person the experience of living with and as the population they serve.

I chose to move to Memphis because I'd spent the entirety of my life in Columbus. It seemed important to see a little more of the world (I was right). Memphis represented music and civil rights and barbecue and important pieces of American culture. I still say that Memphis is a great place to visit, but not a place I should have LIVED.

Despite my incredible unhappiness during my year(ish) in Tennessee, the opportunity afforded me a lot of new experiences, including the open racism, and forced me to recognize some important things about my beliefs and values. I'm 100% certain that without that experience, I wouldn't have had a chance for the job I'm in now. (Which IS a good job, despite my sometimes grievances.)

When I realized that Memphis wasn't the place for me, I began to job search and moved home at the end of September. It feels almost like Memphis was a bad dream. Once I was back in Columbus, nearly everything from my life in Tennessee vanished. It feels like a dream because I'm the only one who experienced it and my memories about the things I did EVERY DAY have faded significantly.


A Positive Side Note- Because I didn't have any money or any social life, all I did in Memphis was spend time cooking the bare minimum of food and going to gym. I drank water all the time and got plenty of sleep. I lost a ton of weight and felt healthier than I ever have. (Now I know the potential of my health and I just have to maintain it!)