LIVING in a CULTURAL MOSAIC
My niece Emma, her husband Tau and her son Jack live in a block of 4 townhouses in Auckland. They all love living in a ‘cultural mosaic’. Emma describes her neighbours as ‘so friendly’. Someone is always home so she feels super safe no matter the time of day. Emma has been given baking, curry leftovers, traditional Eid desserts and once a whole frozen chicken. Conversations are always respectful, friendly and reciprocal. One night they had friends over for a rowdy karaoke. They warned the neighbours ahead of time - one replied that she’d let them know the winner in the morning!
The front house has four generations of an Indian family living in it. They have invited Emma and her family over for significant birthdays. The second house is a Palestinian family. Members of this family work for a refugee organisation. The third family is Muslim and they have children in their early 20’s. They are very social and Emma is reassured by their friendly chatter as they walk up and down the shared driveway. The mum feeds Emma’s cat even though she is terrified of cats.
Neighbours over the fence drop off extra Feijoa in season and in return she drops off baking to them.
Emma was raised in a single house (rather than a group of townhouses) and wasn’t sure how she would adjust to having other families living so close. She needn’t have worried. “It’s such a good vibe”. She loves how multicultural the city is. It is Jack’s ‘normal’ and she loves that for him. Learning about culture through neighbours is a bonus and a lesson in kindness for us all.
The front house has four generations of an Indian family living in it. They have invited Emma and her family over for significant birthdays. The second house is a Palestinian family. Members of this family work for a refugee organisation. The third family is Muslim and they have children in their early 20’s. They are very social and Emma is reassured by their friendly chatter as they walk up and down the shared driveway. The mum feeds Emma’s cat even though she is terrified of cats.
Neighbours over the fence drop off extra Feijoa in season and in return she drops off baking to them.
Emma was raised in a single house (rather than a group of townhouses) and wasn’t sure how she would adjust to having other families living so close. She needn’t have worried. “It’s such a good vibe”. She loves how multicultural the city is. It is Jack’s ‘normal’ and she loves that for him. Learning about culture through neighbours is a bonus and a lesson in kindness for us all.
Comments
Post a Comment