Hi!

On Labor Day I met the boys who stand in the window and say, "Hi."

Somehow, before I met them, the two brothers and I started a game where we say an animal name to each other and then make the sound. This often happens 4 or 5 times a day. The younger one really like monkeys and frogs, and the older one loves ducks and dogs.

Mom came outside with the boys on Labor Day when I was home by myself and I walked across the street and met her, her brothers-in-law and the boys. It felt nice to make an actual connection (not that, "I'm a duck - quack quack quack" isn't super meaningful and grown up, it just was nice to use multiple word sentences).

They're moving in less than a month. Which is kind of sad to me.

It's not like I became bff with this mom, or her kids for that matter. But I am sad that we've moved rapidly from saying: "Hi!" --> "I'm a frog, ribbit ribbit, ribbit" --> actual grown up conversation in the last month that they'll be living here.

I want to build community in our neighborhood. It's hard though. Our neighborhood has one of the highest turnover rates in the city (which is partially why I waited in line for more than two hours to vote on election day, everyone was new to the neighborhood and needed to register). When a community is constantly in a state of change, how do you create a sense of belonging and community ownership?

One of the best protective factors for kids against drug use, teen pregnancy, gang activity, delinquency and crime, is a sense of connection to their school and neighborhood. I don't have the resources or the know-how, to help parents not have to move so much. But I do like to help people get to know one another and create a sense of welcome and belonging. That's something that fits with my personality and gifts.

So the question I'm thinking about is, how do you instill pride and connection in a community that may only be your community for a short time? Do you have any ideas?




PS - This is related to the animal sounds, not so much community.

I'm trying to squeeze in as much Spanish practice as I can before classes start on the 28th. Today I was listening to this podcast, "Showtime Spanish" while I was doing data entry at work, and I learned that dogs in Spanish say, "guau guau" not super useful, but fun.