Yo, MD peeps! I grew up in Baltimore County but more like the city. I currently live in Nottingham, it's between Perry Hall and Fullerton. I was born in Nigeria and live there until I was three. My dad came over to the US to do his residency and set up everything so my mum and I can come over. We lived very close to the city until my father died when I was 4 going on 5 then we moved to Nottingham and I've lived there for 14 years and going (until I find my own place).
The Nottingham / Perryhall / Fullerton area is basically a Wal-Mart, Giant, some other stores, and fast food joints kind of place. Nothing to do except go to White Marsh mall.
There isn't much of a gay community but I knew some older gay people.
I went to private school all my life. The topic of homosexuality was never really brought up until high school. I went to an all-girls prep school and to me even though the school seemed conservative being a Catholic all-girls' school, it was somewhat liberal in that there were three lesbian teachers. They weren't open about it but they never really hid the fact that they were gay.
I remember one incident when a nun decided to become an “ex-nun,” or whatever the proper term is, because she used the Church to hide her homosexuality and she wanted to be more open about. She resigned because I believe my school was going to fire her because having an openly gay nun at an all girls’ school? Scandalous!
To me, the majority of the school population was pro-gay everything or didn't care because it wasn't affecting them.
Outside of school, I didn't know how accepting people were because there are still racist people who live around my area but they're all on the down low.
I'm neither proud nor embarrassed about my hometown, which is an hour and some change away from Gettysburg.
When I came to Gettysburg, I felt more comfortable not just with my sexuality but with myself as a whole. My family is very boring, and at Gettysburg I can do so many exciting things.
When I visit home, everything goes back to the way it was pre-Gettysburg. I do nothing but watch my family do nothing.
I'm not out to anyone within my family but my mum and my sister. I don't remember if I told my brothers but the oldest wouldn't care because he respects everyone but the younger thinks the "gays" are yucky. I'm still working on getting him to see the light.
Same situation at Gettysburg. I tell people if they ask me but I haven't told a lot of people.
9.05.2009
COMING TO AMERICA: From Nigeria to B*More (Adaeze)
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Adaeze Duru,
Baltimore,
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Catholic School,
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Nottingham,
Perry Hall,
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