Happy Independence Day in the Hood

It took me until later in life before I realized how lucky I was growing up. My family had a decent sized house that did well handling the seven of us: my parents, four siblings, and me. At times it felt cramped, and going back to it, it looks smaller than I remember it being. But what my childhood so great was the neighborhood that I grew up in. All up and down the block, there were families with other kids my age, and we would venture out of our homes all of the time to hang out and have fun. There were many events during the year where we would get together, and the neighborhood became an extension of an already large family.

As I grew up, and moved to my own places, the spirit of that neighborhood was something that I constantly would look for, but it eluded me. Of course, I had neighbor or two over the years who were great, and I have made some great friendships along the way, but the neighborhoods I found myself in had more closed doors and people keeping to themselves. They would not have the same atmosphere that could be found in my neighborhood as child.

I have found some things like this with becoming an international teacher. There was an instant group of people that had a common experience and they would form a quick community. But the international scene also has a revolving door of employees coming and going, looking for their next adventure. I do run into some of those people during the breaks I have, and in my travels, and I enjoy it. Still, it misses that history that is created by living in a neighborhood for a long time when I get to watch people grow up and this feeling of family that is created.

The other night, I got to experience that feeling from my childhood again. I went to an early Fourth of July celebration at my brother’s neighborhood. Families from all up and down the street came together to join in the festivities. There was a shared history among the people, and as they created new memories, they talked about old ones. They welcomed me in as one of the group, and I felt like I was in my childhood again. It made me excited to know that neighborhoods like this still exist in the world, and those who find themselves in such places need to recognize how lucky they are to be living in them. Not every neighborhood is like that, and if they do exist, it could be a short time before they fall apart as people come and go. I hope that they embrace the experience while it happens because they could spend the rest of their lives finding that same feeling again when they have realized what they have lost. I was lucky enough to embrace it for one more night this summer, and for that I am grateful.