We moved again. Had been living with my mom, and we are now living on the outskirts of Castle Hills.
Because it is us, we are not in Castle Hills, we are in a sort of pocket-ghetto which shares the same zip code and school district.
And yes, this place is a ghetto. Whenever there's an "ice cream" truck out after dark, you know you're in the 'hood. And last night when we came home there were TWO of 'em on the block. Also, I'm fairly certain at least one of our neighbors is not here legally, because when we showed up to look at the place she kind of grabbed her kids and hid inside her apartment.
Not that I'm complaining overmuch. We have central air! Something I have not had the pleasure of since leaving Virginia. And the fourplex we live in is well-insulated, so that all we hear of the neighbors (and, I pray, all they hear of us) is the occasional bump of something being dropped or the screech of furniture being moved. AND the stove is gas.
Still, I am well out of my element. The closest HEB is the Alon Marketplace, which is like a crazy yuppie hybrid of HEB and Central Market. It's impressive, well-stocked (multiple Kosher sections, y'all--in the bakery, frozen foods, refrigerated foods, & dry goods), and...really, really pale.
True story: my first year at Camp Capers, which is the diocesan summer camp, I sat at a group gathering staring around myself in sheer amazement...I'd had no idea at all there were so many white people in Texas. This area of town fills me with much the same sort of general unease. For all that I am {mostly} white, I have never been around white folks in any number and I don't know how to act around 'em. Thank goodness I'm not expected to actually interact very often.
The really nice thing about our current location is that we're close to West Avenue, which seems to be the Avenue of Indian/Thai/Vietnamese restaurants. Not all in the same restaurant (though OMG if such a place did exist and had a buffet..well, you'd have to grease me up to roll me out the door), but nearby!
So that's what I've been doing...trying to adjust, considering studying SWPL, and making an absolutely ridiculous amount of baby clothes. Seriously, this kid is not going to need to be in store-bought stuff for months.
2 comments:
There's a concept: re-gentrifying San Antonio! From my one visit there, I didn't realize there could be a "white" HEB.
The northwest side of town is very white. It reminds me of Orange. This actually is one of the best-integrated large cities, apparently, but the little bedroom communities have large concentrations of white folks. It is very odd to me. The idea of voluntary segregation is just bizarre.
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