Friday, August 04, 2006
Separation Anxiety
There is a new home in the family. Yep, we're in the big city of Oakland now. Haven't gotten robbed yet but the bank clerk did warn me not to come in during the first days of any month - that's when social security is due, and he said the banks all resemble monkey houses on those days. Lucky I'm not on welfare or I would've punched him for that.
During our year in Berkeley I got to know the streets, the trees and the neighbors. I also got to know people that I wouldn't have gotten to know if I drove around in a car or didn't take public transportation. Not that I really know these people, but I recognized them - the lady in front of Berkeley Bowl supermarket, begging for dimes in a high-pitched voice "Ma'am, spare a diiime?", the old fella who most of the time sat at the curb and wanted to give me a high five every time I walked by - sometimes he also wanted a coin, or a dollar, but mostly not - and the somewhat friendly but utterly crazy, crazy as in insane, man that did his laundry in the same place as we did. He would come in with a boom box, a small set of drums, maybe a few books, and his laundry , all in a baby carriage. Usually his laundry consisted of a shirt or maybe two that he partly washed by hand, partly by machine. His boom box, the drums, and books would come out of the carriage and be meticulously organized on one of the tables. They wouldn't let him play the stereo inside the laundry, which invariably upset him; but he would only curse (under his breath, for about 15 minutes, continuously) and go on with his laundry.
Walking around as much as I did I also got my share of comments from random people. Mostly they told me to smile, and mostly they were black guys (I'd say at a ratio of eight out of ten) although a couple of white skateboarders pitched in a few times. My favourite must be the rhyming "why don't you smiile, let that beauty shiine" - try saying it with a slight R&B rhythm and you'll get it right.
So far my human contact in Oakland has been limited to bus drivers, and so far they seem just as eccentric as your regular Berkeleyite might. So thanks to them, my separation anxiety has been slightly alleviated. I also found the nearest branch of the city library, only a short walk away, and know where to go shopping for fresh vegetables. That's all a girl needs to get started.
During our year in Berkeley I got to know the streets, the trees and the neighbors. I also got to know people that I wouldn't have gotten to know if I drove around in a car or didn't take public transportation. Not that I really know these people, but I recognized them - the lady in front of Berkeley Bowl supermarket, begging for dimes in a high-pitched voice "Ma'am, spare a diiime?", the old fella who most of the time sat at the curb and wanted to give me a high five every time I walked by - sometimes he also wanted a coin, or a dollar, but mostly not - and the somewhat friendly but utterly crazy, crazy as in insane, man that did his laundry in the same place as we did. He would come in with a boom box, a small set of drums, maybe a few books, and his laundry , all in a baby carriage. Usually his laundry consisted of a shirt or maybe two that he partly washed by hand, partly by machine. His boom box, the drums, and books would come out of the carriage and be meticulously organized on one of the tables. They wouldn't let him play the stereo inside the laundry, which invariably upset him; but he would only curse (under his breath, for about 15 minutes, continuously) and go on with his laundry.
Walking around as much as I did I also got my share of comments from random people. Mostly they told me to smile, and mostly they were black guys (I'd say at a ratio of eight out of ten) although a couple of white skateboarders pitched in a few times. My favourite must be the rhyming "why don't you smiile, let that beauty shiine" - try saying it with a slight R&B rhythm and you'll get it right.
So far my human contact in Oakland has been limited to bus drivers, and so far they seem just as eccentric as your regular Berkeleyite might. So thanks to them, my separation anxiety has been slightly alleviated. I also found the nearest branch of the city library, only a short walk away, and know where to go shopping for fresh vegetables. That's all a girl needs to get started.
# posted by Aino @ 10:01 AM 
