Neighbors
We always try to retrieve familiar faces in our lives, it could be a smile, voice, manner anything. While being on a walk, moving across the country or world, we always get attracted to certain frames of mind as friends, colleagues, or neighbors. We can't be friends with everyone, but the hunt of finding a face instate the basic communication.
Change of college, jobs, marriage moving is what we all do. However, my very first neighbors in the state was an elderly couple. The lady was friendly with a sweet smile on her face, her white cloudy hair used to remind me of my Grandma. I often use to mention her to my parents and Grandma over Skype. It was my first foreign stay and I felt very welcomed with her warm smiles. I use to had small chats with her, usually about the weather, or how I am today!
American movies had made me familiar to their fire brigades, ambulances, but seeing them often raised my concern for the elderly couple. Later, I came to know, the couple has a middle age special need son, for whom this ambulance comes very often. One day he waved bye to me while I was on a jog and later it became a routine for us. Huge smiles with big hand waves it felt so nice to do the same. One weekend I and my husband went out and when we came back we saw there stuff moving. I never got a chance to say goodbye to them. Wish I could have had more conversation with her other than weather, or I could have told her that she reminds me of my Grandma or invited her over a cup of coffee.
Later, we moved to a new state, and this time a Hispanic couple was living next to us, we both were few months apart from our deliveries and our chats were usually around babies as she was having her second. Soon they moved out for a bigger place, the only thing I wanted to tell her that she was right I was going to have a boy.
By the staring of next month another couple moved in but this time they were ladies. I was new in exploring cultures and from the place where I come the term gay was not that acceptable back then, compared to now times. Seeing them together hugging, kissing goodbye used to make me so uncomfortable. I had an unknown sense of rejection for them and, it took me a while to understand and accept, I grew with time and accept the fact that this is natural. The only interaction we had was the basic 'American smile', which everyone does to everybody.
An introvert like me loves to smile and move on so that the small chats could be avoided. We regularly exchanged smiles at the hallway, with a baby around I was getting busier and then we moved again. The only thing I still wish to say is, 'It takes a lot of courage to be yourself and defend and struggle and break people mindset to be accepted as you, the whole LGBT community lives a daring life'.
The next apartment we choose to live was near my husband's office, and I was really happy as the people living right next to us were from my country but the happiness remained only for few days as they were moving to Chicago. This time, I was really looking for some company for my newborn and soon within a few weeks, another couple moved with a dog.
America is a diverse country, and I think I am lucky to feel a part of such a beautiful country. The couple moved next was a Blackman and White lady, beautiful tall couple. My son helped to initiate the conversation as just 8 months old but he was already chasing their dog. She was delighted and happy at my son enthusiasm for her dog and also suggested me to get one. Our conversation started with smiles and some dog pats before they moved.
In a year we moved again to a better school zone area and my new neighbor was a cute girl. The way women are free in this country and the basic right of being human and do what you want is one of the success points of the west. Half of the world is attracted towards these women driven freedom. As per American culture, we smiled as we met in hallways. A cute baby running around attracts stranger so she gets some happy faces from my marathon chasing of my son.
Though, I have never had bonding with Americans per se or tried to be friendly with them as the conversation always ends up in more culture recognization questions, which sometimes could be hurtful on both sides. Thanks to my introvert nature and accent misunderstanding phobia which always held me to be chatty. This girl has beautiful sparkly eyes and sometimes it felt she wish to ask something but I think she was also hesitant to talk to a total stranger but when she moved she did a very strange thing. She left a scented candle next to my door, no byes nothing, we were away for a weekend and when we came back she was gone and this (pictured) candle was next to my door which made me think about all the neighbors I had in this country well it was fun to write down a few.
I had my share of versatile neighbors while staying in the best part of the world. Some gave us beautiful smiles, memories and some ostracized us completely. Trick and treats fun filled times, I am grateful for everything while writing this sitting back at home, in my own country and all set to look again for familiar faces but this time at home.
Change of college, jobs, marriage moving is what we all do. However, my very first neighbors in the state was an elderly couple. The lady was friendly with a sweet smile on her face, her white cloudy hair used to remind me of my Grandma. I often use to mention her to my parents and Grandma over Skype. It was my first foreign stay and I felt very welcomed with her warm smiles. I use to had small chats with her, usually about the weather, or how I am today!
American movies had made me familiar to their fire brigades, ambulances, but seeing them often raised my concern for the elderly couple. Later, I came to know, the couple has a middle age special need son, for whom this ambulance comes very often. One day he waved bye to me while I was on a jog and later it became a routine for us. Huge smiles with big hand waves it felt so nice to do the same. One weekend I and my husband went out and when we came back we saw there stuff moving. I never got a chance to say goodbye to them. Wish I could have had more conversation with her other than weather, or I could have told her that she reminds me of my Grandma or invited her over a cup of coffee.
Later, we moved to a new state, and this time a Hispanic couple was living next to us, we both were few months apart from our deliveries and our chats were usually around babies as she was having her second. Soon they moved out for a bigger place, the only thing I wanted to tell her that she was right I was going to have a boy.
By the staring of next month another couple moved in but this time they were ladies. I was new in exploring cultures and from the place where I come the term gay was not that acceptable back then, compared to now times. Seeing them together hugging, kissing goodbye used to make me so uncomfortable. I had an unknown sense of rejection for them and, it took me a while to understand and accept, I grew with time and accept the fact that this is natural. The only interaction we had was the basic 'American smile', which everyone does to everybody.
An introvert like me loves to smile and move on so that the small chats could be avoided. We regularly exchanged smiles at the hallway, with a baby around I was getting busier and then we moved again. The only thing I still wish to say is, 'It takes a lot of courage to be yourself and defend and struggle and break people mindset to be accepted as you, the whole LGBT community lives a daring life'.
The next apartment we choose to live was near my husband's office, and I was really happy as the people living right next to us were from my country but the happiness remained only for few days as they were moving to Chicago. This time, I was really looking for some company for my newborn and soon within a few weeks, another couple moved with a dog.
America is a diverse country, and I think I am lucky to feel a part of such a beautiful country. The couple moved next was a Blackman and White lady, beautiful tall couple. My son helped to initiate the conversation as just 8 months old but he was already chasing their dog. She was delighted and happy at my son enthusiasm for her dog and also suggested me to get one. Our conversation started with smiles and some dog pats before they moved.
In a year we moved again to a better school zone area and my new neighbor was a cute girl. The way women are free in this country and the basic right of being human and do what you want is one of the success points of the west. Half of the world is attracted towards these women driven freedom. As per American culture, we smiled as we met in hallways. A cute baby running around attracts stranger so she gets some happy faces from my marathon chasing of my son.
Though, I have never had bonding with Americans per se or tried to be friendly with them as the conversation always ends up in more culture recognization questions, which sometimes could be hurtful on both sides. Thanks to my introvert nature and accent misunderstanding phobia which always held me to be chatty. This girl has beautiful sparkly eyes and sometimes it felt she wish to ask something but I think she was also hesitant to talk to a total stranger but when she moved she did a very strange thing. She left a scented candle next to my door, no byes nothing, we were away for a weekend and when we came back she was gone and this (pictured) candle was next to my door which made me think about all the neighbors I had in this country well it was fun to write down a few.
I had my share of versatile neighbors while staying in the best part of the world. Some gave us beautiful smiles, memories and some ostracized us completely. Trick and treats fun filled times, I am grateful for everything while writing this sitting back at home, in my own country and all set to look again for familiar faces but this time at home.
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