Week 4: Cultural Cues

The neighborhood I work in, Brightmoor, reminds me of some neighborhoods back home in Saginaw. A lot of the houses are vacant and boarded up. But I noticed how much more full of life the streets of this neighborhood are than in Saginaw. Families are often out walking and taking care of their yards, kids ride their bikes around, teenagers meet up and walk around the neighborhood and park across the street. Since I spend most of each day outside in the yard gardening, I see what goes on and interact with a lot of the people who walk by. Everyone who walks by is friendly, and most inquire or comment on the garden. People have told me to be very careful and not spend time outside in neighborhoods that look like how Brightmoor looks, but I’ve never felt unsafe or unwelcome, or even encountered anyone unfriendly. What I have learned is that people around appreciate if you initiate conversation. This past week, we had a group of volunteers from a Catholic work camp come help us clean up Hope House property. It was interesting to see their reactions and observations of the neighborhood, as they primarily came from white suburbs around the midwest. Over the week, they ended up being impressed by the friendliness of the neighbors and the effort put in by everyone to keep the neighborhood clean and safe.