Ode to White Center

So I feel liked I’ve been givin’ my ‘hood a little too much hate in the last couple weeks…so here is my ode to “rat city” aka White Center.

Dear White Center,

      When we first looked into moving here we were thrilled with the inexpensive homes, accessibility to downtown, and diverse culture. We didn’t necessarily realize that we would also be subjecting ourselves to the neighborly meth dealer/prostitute, creepy dudes in wife beaters, and parents who think it’s totally acceptable to send their 6 year old to the park along with their two-year old…alone…although this might possibly be preferable to the parent who drives them to the park but then sits in the car the whole time and drinks a 40 while the children play.

    But you also have your good sides, White Center. Here are a few…

1) If I don’t feel like getting dressed and showering on a particular day…it’s totally okay! And even better, I can go around town and still feel like I completely fit in and actually feel pretty good about myself because I still have my teeth.

2) There are really great dollar stores here. In fact, a lot of our decorative items come from there and no one is the wiser…once we saw our doorstop in a fancy store selling for, like, 40 times the price we paid.

3) We are indeed very close to the city…in peak traffic it only takes me 20 minutes to reach downtown, and along the way I can pass judgement in my own privacy about the people that have really fancy vehicles, but live in a shack with 10 of their relatives because having a cool car is soooo cool.

4) I always feel like I am the best mother in the world…in comparison to all the completely crazy parents I’ve met here…and they all think I’m really “cool” ’cause I’m too much of a wuss to be like “uh, could you tell your 4 year old not to swear, please” or “Your kid is about to walk into the very busy street right now, dumba$$” (hey, I’m trying to keep this G-rated, but it’s hard!!

5) There are great taco vans around here…and I’m not trying to be funny on this one. They are fantastic!

6) I feel closer to God because, whether I like it or not, I can hear the sermon from three blocks away in our front yard…and understand most of it, even though it’s in Spanish.

7) I get to see, for real, the guys that make an exceptional living doing random illegal what-have yous. Before moving here I thought that the guy with the 6 different gold necklaces, baggy clothes and fancy, I’m talking fancy car was kind of a character, but now I know it’s for real…and the head honcho’s son plays with my kid everyday at the park and we’re on a first name basis, so I guess I’m “protected”.

   All in all, White Center, you are a quirky gal, but I’m glad to call you my home (or at least until my son is old enough to pass by the meth house and ask “Mommy, what’s that smell?”).

       Love,
          Kirsten

P.S. Here is a picture of a fabulous find at the dollar store today…and kid sized umbrella for the rain.

P.P.S This is meant to be “cheeky”, and White Center is actually very cute…(Dave is sensitive about this subject and wanted to make sure that I didn’t scare any of our relatives that live outside of Seattle).