The Dean's List - Does Rochester Give Me What I Need?

I always love looking back on old blogs I've written.  I'm posting this as I sit in Phoenix, Arizona - My last stop. More on how I ended up back here a little sooner than I expected in the near future.  For now, check this out.....

August 16, 2010 

Over the last week or so, I've been re-reading some of the blogs I've written over the last 3 years.  It will be 3 years next month that I returned to Rochester from Phoenix.  This blog stood out among the rest!  It was also printed in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle's Editorial section.  Has Rochester given me what I was looking for??

Originally run in the D&C in August 2007

Almost 5 years ago to the day, I wrote a "farewell to Rochester" that was runon the Opinion Page of the Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester, NY local newpaper, as I planned my move to Phoenix, Arizona. I wrote about how much I would miss the place I was born and raised, but I also mentioned how much I looked forward to starting over in Phoenix.

Guess what? I'm coming home.

Arizona is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. As the 5th largest city in the US, Phoenix offers anything your heart desires, or does it?

Employment in Phoenix is plentiful. If you want to work, the jobs are here! With 185 thousand people moving here on an annual basis, needless to say, the housing market is booming! There are new houses going up everywhere, new schools are being built in every section of Phoenix, and new businesses large and small open everyday. We will host the 2008 Superbowl at our new state of the art football stadium and rumor has it that we will host the NBA All-Star game in 2009. All of the new hotels as well as the new light rail system will be ready for the influx of sports fans by the end of this year. Phoenix is a HUGE city for sports fans. Even though our football team (Arizona Cardinals) and baseball team (Arizona Diamondbacks) haven't fared to well over the last few years, our basketball team (Phoenix Suns) is on fire. People are Suns crazy here. We are also the Capital for baseball's Spring Training. And then there is the weather. Ifyou can get through the excessive heat June – September, the rest of the year is perfect and the sun shines at least 355 days a year.

I'm sure you are asking yourself, "Why would she want to come back to Rochester?"

All of the wonderful things I've mentioned about Phoenix come with a big price. I had to get my house 45 miles away from the city where I work so I could afford it. Unlike Rochester, people move further out because the cost of housing is cheaper. Unless you decide to live in a crime-infested neighborhood, you can't purchase a house in the City of Phoenix for less than 300K, and that would be a "fixer upper". You may say 45 miles isn't that far to drive to work. There are 5 million other people trying to get the work at the same time I do! I'm on the road 3-4 hours a day just to get to work and go home.

Years ago, you hear about people moving to Arizona if they had breathing issues. Well, that's not the case anymore. We have weekly "pollution advisory" days where people with any type of respiratory health issues are encouraged to stay inside. As you approach the city on the 12-lane freeway, doing about 5 miles an hour because of the traffic, you can see what locals call "the browncloud" hovering over the skyline of downtown Phoenix. And then there are the dust storms that happen almost instantly sometimes during our Monsoon season. Picture it this way – a brown blizzard of nothing but dust and debris.

Critters – there are a lot of them here!!!!!! Scorpions, rattlesnakes, javelinas, coyotes, and the one's that made their home on my front porch, Black Widow Spiders. Yuck!

Our County Sheriff, Joe Arpaio is a character to say the least. Knownin these parts as "Sheriff Joe", he has re-instated the chain gang and makes his inmates live in outdoor tent cities as Arizona temperatures climb to 115 and above while wearing pink underwear. That's only a sample. All you have to do is conduct a search of his name on the Internet and you will be shocked at some of his methods of rehabilitation.

Everyday as you watch the National news, you hear about Immigration. Well, we live it here. Being a border state with Mexico, Hispanics are the Majority in Phoenix. Some, yes, are here illegally. Whether you want to hear it or not, or if you think I am being politically incorrect, "Arizona would not survive without the work of illegal immigrants!" They do the jobs that most American's won't do like picking up garbage on the sides of the freeway for 10 hours a day in scorching heat. Yes, there is a downside as well. Crime comes with the territory as it does with any illegal activity, such as "Coyotes". No, not the ones on four legs you see on the side of the road out here, but the illegal immigrant smugglers. They bring illegals to Arizona and are paid per head. When they first arrive, they "store" the people in what are called "drop houses". They lock them inside with little or no food, water or electricity and keep them there until they can sell them. Once sold, I won't even go into how I've seen some of their bosses (I call them Masters) treat them publicly. Modern Day Slavery!

The Community. Where do I start? When living in Rochester, the sense of Black Community was so very strong. There were always events that brought the entire community together. Now there are events in Phoenix as well that brings us all to the same place, but for some reason, I've never felt as if there was a "Black Community" here. The Black Pages for instance has always tried to bring "us" together (thanks Desmond), but it never seemed to move beyond that event. If I had a dollar for every time I have gone out of my way to speak to someone in Walmart or Fry's that looks like me, and didn't get a response, I'd be rich. It's almost like they go out of their way not to speak. Dating has been a challenge here as well. I would never judge anyone for their personal taste, being the off-spring of an Italian mother and Black father.  Maybe it's just me, but it seems as if the majority of Black men in AZ are either married to or dating White women. I've actually talked to a few Brother's and they have admitted that they prefer to date White women because there aren't many Black women in AZ or that Black women expect too much.

I have no regrets about moving to Phoenix. It has allowed me to prove to myself that I can make it away from the comforts of home and given me a clear picture of how life is in the big city. My resume' has blossomed in 5 years, working for a Fortune 500 Company for the first four years and a Not For Profit Foundation for the last year. I've become a Certified Events Planner that has given me the opportunity to plan events at some of the most elite resorts in Scottsdale and the country. I even planned a three-day for event for 75 people and played 18 holes at Pebble Beach, CA. I've learned Graphic Design and HTML. I've traveled to Nevada, Utah, California and Mexico. I've acquired skills and experienced things that I probably would've never done if I hadn't left Rochester.

So again, why come back to Rochester?

Even though I haven't decided if my homecoming will be permanent or not,there are things that want to gain from home on what I'm calling "my sabbatical". I need to feel the closeness of family, friends and community, which truly lacks in a city of this size. I want to go anywhere in the city and get there in less than 15 minutes. I want a good piece of pizza and chicken wings. I want to be able to go to Wegman's and run into someone I know (especially someone that looks like me – a whole other story). I want my Aunt's potato salad. I want to walk the pier at Charlotte Beach and see a real lake instead of a man made one.

I want HOME!

I'll miss you Steve Nash. Bring it home for Phoenix next year! I'll be back for the finals.

Phoenix Arizona has made The Dean's List