Troy's House

Ellen Schlabach

April 20, 2013

Borders, Bridges, and Boundaries: Final Paper

There is a house on Third Street that has become very dear to me.  At this time last year, I would have passed it by without second thought.  Set back, like the blue door of Keesha’s House, its paint is peeling, its steps are worn, and there is really nothing particularly exceptional about it as a house.  The connections that happen inside, however, are extraordinary.  The house is owned by Troy, a 26 year old white mechanic, who runs his own shop.  He rents out rooms to Brett and Jerome, both about the same age, white, and factory workers.  Yet finding a day when they are the only people in the house is unbelievably rare.  The house is home base to what has been self dubbed “the Phamily”: a diverse group of young adults that had bonded together through common interest and mutual friendships.  This group includes three undocumented immigrants, factory workers, a special needs teacher, several college students, with degrees ranging from geology to teaching to biochemistry, a bartender, and more, all ranging from the age of 19 to the age of 28.  This place is the ultimate safe house: filled with comfort, love, and friendship.

The members of this phamily have had more than their fair share of problems.  One person has a history of drug abuse.  He was, for a short time, using cocaine, and it was taking serious tolls on his life.  So Troy stepped in, and let him stay at the house for a reduced rent until he got his life together and could pay more.  He worked with him to help him stop his drug use and helped him find a job.  He has been clean ever since.  Seeing as most of the group is over 21, nights at the Constant Spring occur.  On these nights, Troy requires every person going parks at his house, walks to and from the bar, and spends the night at his house.  When a friend of the group died, everyone gathered at Troy’s house and stayed there for several days, creating a web of support and love.  And the phamily is ever expanding.  When I started dating one of the friend group, I was welcomed with open arms and acceptance.  After just a year of knowing everyone, I already consider them my good friends.  

Troy’s house presents a great example of how a very diverse group of individuals has bridged their differences to come together to form a very cohesive friend circle.  I believe this semester spent focusing on stratification of society has helped me become aware of these differences and address them as such.  The most obvious border between the members of this group is that of social class.  This differs so greatly throughout the group, with some members growing up in large homes of the Orchard, and others in trailer parks.  These diverse backgrounds lead to some very different upbringings.  My parents always tried to raise me to accept everyone, regardless of race, religion, class, etc.  But I will admit, at times I had trouble approaching or becoming friends with people in different social classes.  Honors classes in high school were often made up of mostly upper and middle class students, so these were the people I grew up around.  The phamily gave me an opportunity to meet and become friends with people of all social classes.