We transferred to our current residence almost 2 years ago. We have made friends and acquaintances in our neighborhood over that time and when we go around for walks or jogs, we already have a healthy number of hello's and hi's among the people we meet along our route. There are many foreigners in our village and it seems a lot of them are here not only because they work or have schooling (many are missionaries working and/or taking courses in a nearby seminary) but also because its a good neighborhood with a very nice environment. In fact, we've seen many homes with cars bearing diplomatic plates so I guess these are families whose members are working for embassies or agencies like the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank. The wife and I even joke among ourselves that we seem to be living in a white neighborhood. :)
The more interesting neighbors are the elder residents of the village. We always greet them when we pass them during our walks and they almost always are eager to have short conversations. We have one neighbor who is of Spanish descent and she is always cheery and has a lot of stories about the old neighborhood. She's very proud of her grandchildren and is always malambing to our daughter.
Recently, we met an elderly man who was clearing his front yard of dried leaves. He also has a lot of stories about what the old neighborhood looked like and how it was with residents. I mentioned my old grade school buddy who lived along the same street the old man was residing at. He knew their family and pointed to a new house where my friend's family's home used to be. It is always nice to know about the place where you live. Ours is one of the oldest if not the oldest residential subdivision in Antipolo. There's been a recent wave of homebuilding and relocations in the village; infusing new residents and young ones to the neighborhood. We like our home and our daughter enjoys her walks and her interactions with new friends - young and old.
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