I didn't move here until I was 9, but I tend to consider this town home (at least until I move somewhere else permanently). Most of you probably know what I mean by hometown- it's the kind of thing that crosses all other boundaries. "Hi, we have nothing in common, but I grew up where you grew up, let's chat!"
You think I'm kidding. I'm not. Returning to school from Logan Airport, I met a man who was an African expert, who had been to several peace talks and such, and while we were chatting, I mentioned I was from Georgia. He asked where. I said Dublin. He didn't believe me for a minute or so. His mother taught at my high school. He grew up on the street I worked on last summer. We talked about home, because he'd been out of the gossip loop for a while, and he told me some things that happened before my time. It was really cool.
This is my home. There isn't much to say about it. It's a house. I live in it. It's pretty decent, as houses go. It fits a lot of stuff. I dread cleaning out the attics someday.
We live in the house because it's really close to the hospital, which is where Dad works. Behind our house is a lake, which is really just a glorified pond, but it has some pretty big fish in it. You can tell right now, because the water's so low that there's actually a beach (instead of grass growing right up to it), and the bigger fish get stranded sometimes, or come up and splash the surface. The other side of the lake was once nothing but woods, but the nice lady who owned the land died, and her son let it be developed. It's now another neighborhood, like ours.
We almost have a room for every kid now. We converted the room over the garage into a bedroom for Rob, just after Lulu was born. Now Lulu and I share a room, instead of the boys sharing one. I'm not sure it's quite a fair trade- my room is smaller, and Lulu is, well, younger. Lots. But I'll be leaving soon, and she'll have it all to herself, and everyone will be happy.
This is my high school. Yes, it was as boring on the inside as it looks on the outside. I'm glad I got out when I did, though. It's all been going downhill since. They have a really strict dress code now (as if our clothes were somehow responsible for our fights), and they have a no tolerance policy for fighting, which just means that the kids who get beat on will get in deep trouble the first time they fight back- for some reason, those are always the ones that get caught. If you live here, my suggestion is to home-school instead. I hear the Jr. High is even worse.
On the other hand, there are some great teachers at this school. I don't know whether it's loyalty or the impulse to help people, but we've attracted some of the smartest people in the state to teach- too bad they don't get treated better. I think teachers should be considered more important than administration, but they aren't. I guess that would take a miracle.
Let me stop and put in a good word for the Debate Team, though. Many of the literary activities, including Drama Club and Quiz Bowl, are really strong here, despite the emphasis placed on sports. But the Debate Team totally rocks. Yes, I'm biased, but check out our track record- from nobody to second in state, in 4 years. We attended All-State three years in a row. I have a closet full of old speaker awards, and the coach actually had to give most of our regular trophies to an auction- they wouldn't fit in the room anymore, and only sports trophies go on display in the library or the front hall. And we didn't produce just 4-5 good people, either. So if you live around here, don't run to the county if you want to debate.
Mom is the co-founder of Heart of Georgia Healthy Start, a program to help mothers and babies reduce their chances of health problems and death. Our area used to have one of the highest infant mortality rates in the country, but that is rapidly changing. Healthy Start offers programs similar to others around the country, such as help for family members who want to quit smoking, or education about children's diseases, immunizations, and SIDS. They also can help mothers learn to breastfeed or apply for WIC. If you live in the area covered by the South-Central Health Department, you may be eligible to get help.
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Last Updated: June 22, 1999
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