I know you are wondering from looking at my title, if I’m crazy. How can you familiarize yourself with a place that is already familiar to you? Well let me explain. I was born and raised in the city of Detroit. After being in Detroit for 18 years, I thought there was nothing that anyone could tell me or show me about my city. But boy was I mistaken!

I left Detroit in 2007 to pursue my education. Now after 7 long years and two cities, I am back in Detroit with a lot to learn and discover. It is so easy to get comfortable and take for granted a jewel that you have right in front of you. Since becoming a Challenge Detroit fellow, my eyes have been opened to so many things that I have not seen and a new Detroit that I need to get to know.

In the last few weeks, I have had a few firsts in my life, all in a city that I have spent the majority of my life. I went to my first live Detroit Lions game at Ford Field, I had great pizza at the Motor City Brewery, I went to the Boat House and the Casino on Belle Isle, I had great chicken wings at City Wings and I went to see the Heidelberg Project. I also moved into my very own apartment in Downtown Detroit. Who would have thought that there were so many first that I could experience in a place that I thought I already knew?

This is only the beginning for me. I want to discover all that Detroit has to offer (i.e. the DIA, Opera House, Slows, etc.) and familiarize myself with things that I have not seen in a while (i.e. the Giant Slide, Detroit Zoo, Charles H. Wright Museum, etc.). Challenge Detroit issued us a challenge to set goals for what we want to achieve throughout our program and my ultimate goal is to familiarize myself with a familiar place. Although I have seen a lot and love so much about Detroit already, I want to get to know my city more. I want to do new things, go new places, meet new people and create new experience that will make me fall in love all over again. I’m ready to start my new life in Detroit, the city that has formed me into whom I am and that will shape me into who I will become.