Clarkston,WA???HELP! (Asotin: fit in, school, to live)

[NYDramaqueen]

Well i'm 14 and when school ends my family is moving to Clarkston, washington from NJ. I just wanted to know if anyone knows this area. I'm also a "person of color" and i was wondering if they have a disliking 4 my type...I have searched high and low 4 info but the town is simply too small-if anyone knows anything SAY SOMETHING!!! Please!! Thanks

[silverfox]

Hello NY Drama Queen,

Well....I'm 70 years old and I do not live in Clarkston but have been there several times.
Yes it is a small town and across the Snake river is another small town....Lewiston Idaho.

You will have to work on two major things if you expect to live there contently.

a. Try to contain your NJ attitude.

b. Work hard at trying to fit in.

I do not think that being of color should make any difference if you mind your manners and act in a respectful way toward others.
These are important traights no matter what the situation.

You will probably feel challenged for the first year but remember, it's mostly up to you.

Clarkstone is going to take some time to get used to. It's definatley going to be different.

Go at it with a positive but respectful NJ attitude and you should be fine.

I wish you and your family all the best,

Silverfox

[kukla1]

Okay, I've never been to Clarksburg, but I am an English teacher in CA, and my students are 14 - 15 years old. Here are some things I have seen when I get new students from other states:
1. They constantly talk about how it was "back home." Their classmates are interested for a while, but then they get tired of it.
2. Because some are unhappy at leaving their friends, they develop an attitude that says "nothing in this town is going to make me happy." Again, it makes them pretty unpopular. Imagine if someone came to your NJ town and dissed it constantly.
3. They are so depressed because of moving that they don't even try to gert involved in clubs, activities, or sports at school. BIG mistake. The best thing to do is get involved in choir or band, or sports, and definitely a club!

Above all, be yourself. It's really easy to spot some one who's fake. Also, because you are "of color" don't let anyone put you into a "box." Sometimes, it's just assumed that since you're black, you will naturally hang out with other black kids. Don't limit yourself to one group of kids at first, okay? Just hang out with the groups that feel most comfortable to you; science kids, athletes, whatever.

Good luck to you! Say a little prayer, and God will guide you.

[scirocco22]

a. Try to contain your NJ attitude.

I have to laugh, dramaqueen, after reading all of your posts on this thread:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/immig...tml#post567419

As silverfox said, you'd probably have far fewer problems if you don't take that same type of behavior with you to Clarkston.

I don't think you're allowed to post here anymore (noticing your title assuming because of your age) but I'm sure you can still access the forum to read what's going on.

With that said, Clarkston is a great little town. It's actually a place I once considered locating to for retirement purposes. It's located in one of the smallest counties in the state, Asotin. It has a nice climate ...dry and relatively sunny. And it doesn't have a bad demographic mix for such a small town. It's actually more racially diverse than a lot of other small towns in eastern Washington.

For anybody who's interested, there's some great pictures and a nice description of Clarkston at this site:

http://www.gobantams.com/clarkston/Mainpage.htm



Thanks, more later...

--'rocco

[Yac]

NYDramaqueen is no longer a member of this forum.
Topic closed.
Yac.