The Old Country

Something that I have always thought was weird about my neighborhood was its streets. Not the pavement itself. The neighborhood looks just like any other. It isn't grotesquely poor nor is it grotesquely posh. It is just a regular neighborhood where the neighbors try to look out for each other and their community. What I mean by streets are the actual streets signs. The giants slender giants that loom over head on the street corner. The large majority of them are named after European countries and cities. The street names are surprising and somewhat out of place in this neighborhood. The strangest part is the is the juxtaposition of the street names and the things that are found on those streets. The Italian American Social club is on Russia Street, the Chinese Hospital on Paris street, the Salvadorean bakery on Persia. Somehow Persia flew under the radar. Back to the point. It is so odd to walk down the streets here and see all of the organizations and businesses that cater to a specific national culture be on the street named after a completely different culture.