A few words on our American Neighborhood

I have not lived that long in any house, let alone one located in an American suburb.

Berkeley is not your typical American neighborhood. I can go for a coffee or run some errands without a car. Houses here are not all identical. They are of different architectural styles and colors, and some are built from wood, whereas others are built from brick.

Not all have manicured lawns in the front yard. In the gardens I do not see that many American flags, but rather signs supporting Bernie or Hillary. Garages are often used as extra rooms, and cars are parked in front of the houses. The land is expensive here, so you have take advantage of every square meter. Visitors from Texas, where real estate is much cheaper, must be surprised that people are willing to spend such a lot of money for such a small spaces!

There are not so many alleys where you can play basketball, but there are parks and cafes. Near us there is also bakery, with challah baked specially on Fridays, pastries, pancakes, whose owners are from Algeria, Berkeley Bagels, a florist, bicycles repair shop, organic store, and even a mysterious booth with a fortuneteller.

As for the neighbors, they are all ages, different races, and religions. On our street there are a lot of children. Near us there are a lot of people who were not born in the United States. We are not far from Berkeley Village is located, where recently, I had the opportunity to talk to mothers from China during a children’s sing along.

Using the Nextdoor platform, I can see communicate with neighbors, and see their names and adresses of Berkeley residents. A few weeks ago we participated in a nice gathering, organized by a Nextdoor user.

Few people came this time. We tasted Indian snacks. I hope we will meet up again.

A typical American lives their own live and is quite private. They are polite, but in my opinion, not easy to establish a closer relationship with (excepting my husband:). They will warmy say “hello, how are you,” but they will not easily be your friends.

It would not be easy for me to ask my neighbors a favor. Perhaps it is a sign of the times? It is easier to ask the on internet for suggestions repairing the roof, than to knock personally on somebody’s door?

Dean remembers that when he was a child, most mothers did not work and their children were often sent to a neighbor for a symbolic “cup of milk,” which really was just a way to get them to play next door. Today, fewer children play outside, but perhaps this is not only the case in the U.S.? This bothers me a little. When we choose a preschool for Rose, I will certainly be looking for a place where children go for a walk during the day. After all, we live in California!

I did however meet neigbors several times with great reactions. Once, my neighbor quickly moved my car for me. It was parked on the wrong side of the street on a cleaning day. Unfortunately, another time, I made a similar mistake, which led to my first American ticket, for fifty dollars!

We recently found out that for a small charge our neighbor will wash our car; he does that for his friends every weekend. Several times our close neighbors checked on our house during our absence, and picked up our mailbox. Another time we returned the favor. As a thank you gift, we received lemons straight from from their tree.

Our favorite place for lunch is nearby Kiko Sushi with Japanese-Korean food. Some time ago, we were approached by a photographer from nearby Albany. He said he could happilly take our family photos, for free!

We of course agreed. Dean heard some advice on gardening and cars.

North Berkeley, where we live, is considered a safe “neighborhood,” but we still got a home alarm. I thought we were wasting money, as it is not easy to break into our house. But recently a friend of mine told me that her home, a bit father away, was unfortunately robbed. I also wonder how many people here keep a gun at home?

On weekends, especially when it’s warmer, garage sales are put on. Usually it is a lot of really used crap and worn out toys. On many streets, there are also Little Free Libraries book stands with books to borrow or exchange at any time, without the need of membership.

And so are our days pass peacefully. I think that the upcoming presidential elections will shake up our neighborhood at the end of the year. Another event on our way is a picnic celebrating the American Independence day, the 4th of July organized in a nearby park. I am sure I will certainly see American flags then!