It Has Happened

Oh, dear. I fear it has happened to me. My friends will hate me. My family will think I am insane. My neighbors will shake their heads when I come home. I will be shunned on Friday nights.

I have become a paranoid city person.

Okay, not really. But it feels like it sometimes.

Old life: My car was never locked, my garage door broken and held in place by a piece of wood, and the only reason my windows were ever locked was because it kept the heat in better.

New life: I stare at the door, freaking out before deciding to lock the deadbolt, the nearest grocery store is on a four lane road, and I have used a taxi because the stretches of road here have people on them that I don't know.

I know I have already discussed missing my small town life, but I feel like I am truly changing. I think about safety so much more now.

Maybe its just knowing that crime happens everyday here. Back home, I'm pretty sure the biggest crime ever was a train robbery.

Yes, that's right. A train robbery. And the train tracks have been gone for years and years and years.

Well, there was that time our mayor got arrested for a DUI, called his wife, and she got arrested for a DUI because she was drunk when she came to pick him up. It made it on Letterman. Oh, and the drunk guy who smashed a two-hundred year old water wheel from the original mill. But other than that, no major crime.

I think its the calmness that I miss. Here, I stress. I have break-outs because of all the stress. It's not good for a girl. All my city friends are like, "this place is great! A little small, but fun."

Small? How is Daytona Beach even remotely small? Of course, one of them is from Houston. They have high schools there that are five times the size of my town, population-wise.

Another thing. I had never seen a "ghetto" in my life, until I came here. Yeah, I know, Cleveland, Akron, Youngstown, and Columbus all have them, but I'd never actually seen one. Those are scary place, my friends. And depressing. They are so crowded and run-down. I think if I lived there, I would fight tooth and nail to get out.

Actually, I'm doing that now. But its not the same. I don't hate the small town life, but I hate the thought of getting stuck there like so many people I know. Plus, lake-effect snow really sucks. There's never enough salt, the snowplows never go down my road, and, well, I'll probably talk about that in December when I go home.

Anyways, safety. I'm thinking about getting myself something like pepperspray or something. But I don't know yet. It seems like a good idea, just in case. I've never really had to think about things like this before. It's weird.

I think I've taken up enough of your time, at least for today. If anyone knows the best things for personal protection, they should definitely comment about it!

Love Always,
Kait