I hate this place more than anyone's words could possibly describe. The smell overtakes my nose and works its way into my brain, where it is burned into my memory forever. Just the atmosphere of one segregated part of my life has the tendency to make my skin crawl. It feels as though debt, shame and unanswered questions are burrowing through my body and taking over my soul at the same time. It is an understatement to say I don't fit in here. I feel like the black duck trying to fit in with a family of white geese. This place is the reason for my hatred of anything traditional, the reason for my desperate attempt at being unique. Who would guess I come from a place so barren, so *****, so empty? A place of constant attack and scrutiny and yet, this is home. This place is where chapters of my history have been written. So many of my tales have ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- been etched into these walls. This is where my unlikely fairy tale begins. This place keeps me safe and always saves room for me at the table. These are my roots. My support system that always keeps me anchored.