Do you ever stop and think about your neighbors in your community? The people who live around us have little rituals that they do every single day, but we might not even notice them. Sometimes the grandparents who live right next to me on Long Island sit on their porch and yell at the couple across the street if they are mowing their lawn too early in the morning. Right next to their house, another neighbor sits in his big blue car and honks his horn all day. Now, I don't know why he does this, but that is besides the point. I have gotten so used to all the excitment that happens around me that I forget they happen at all.
However, living in Ghana has shaken me up like a jar of marbles. It has reminded me that every community of people is very different. What my community is like at home is quite the opposite from my community here. For starters, at home I am used to seeing my next door neighbors every day. Even if I don't speak with them, I might at least see what they are up to and say hello in passing. Here, every house has an individual wall around it. They are very closed off from one another, so people rarely know the others next to them. However, on the road that I live on, there are many little shops outside my house and along the street. This is how people in the area can meet each other, whether they are getting some hot fresh bread or picking up clothes from the seamstress.
