Sunday 15 November 2015

One world in a street?


It is grey November in Northeast Scotland. Aberdeen is the centre of my world, but my owner Gail has lived many years in London and two years in the USA, and she occasionally complains that we are a bit boring up here, lacking in cultural diversity.

Can this be right, I ponder this morning, as I walk down the street in the drizzle.

True, our nice French neighbour Jacques, who arrived in Aberdeen in a 1970s to work as a diver in the nascent North Sea oil industry and married local girl Lucy, has recently moved to a bungalow in Brechin. The house has been sold to a couple returning from Dubai, although they have not yet moved in as the house is being remodelled by Polish builder Waldemar and his 'boys'.

Neighbour 'other Gail', three doors along, will miss her good friend Lucy, although she keeps busy between looking after her half-Russian granddaughter Fedosia, and flying off to visit a daughter who lives in Australia.

Next to 'other Gail'  and also relatively new to the street, is an African family (Nigerian?) whom we don't know much about yet, except that they all greet us with big friendly smiles whenever we walk by.

Across the road, you'll see Neil and Yvonne's house. Yvonne, like Gail, is an 'economic migrant' from England, although Yvonne's Jewish family originally came to London early last century, fleeing pogroms in Lithuania.

Now I'm standing next to Mike and Kirsty's house. Mike might be an avid supporter of the Scottish Nationalist cause, but he was born half a world away in Pakistan.

We have't seen so much of Jim at No. 2 lately, ever since his labrador Mackay died of old age. Jim is a private man, who a few years ago became the centre of unwanted attention when one of his sons was reported in the papers as having been kidnapped in Afghanistan.

So this is just one quiet street in one not very cosmopolitan part of the UK.

We are all connected, and had better try to live together in peace, don't you think?


21 comments:

  1. Bertie that was a SUPER post. We all are neighbors on our slice earth and only when we respect and to accept each other, this earth will be a peaceful place. We have people from russia, thailand, kenia, france, usa and germany in our family and it works, we are one family. Like all people of this planet.

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  2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2VCwBzGdPM

    Louie said it very well

    Gus

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  3. What a street! Do you have restaurants that reflect the neighborhood? MMMMMMmmmmm!

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  4. Even here in central NSW, we have many people from around the world. So far we're a homogeneous group who smile, or say hello when we meet. We wish the world could be so tolerant.

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  5. Hari om
    bravo Bertie lad... and do you,know, the vast majority of the world does live as one family, but like any family, there is the recalcitrant teenager, slamming the door and claiming s/he is misunderstood and creating as much discomfort for the rest of the family as s/he can get away with.

    Am delighted to read of your 'room' in the great family of the world, brightening up the Granite City! Hugs and wags, YAM-aunty xxx

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  6. What a wonderful example of peaceful diversity, Bertie!
    Smileys!
    Dory, Jakey, Arty & Bilbo

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  7. Bertie Bertie and Gail...what a very very beautiful and well said post. How very interesting to learn what is behind each and every door in your lovely neighborhood. Maybe I missed it but I don't recall any of the lovely friends you told us about being natives of Scotland....but a blend of caring friends.
    Bertie it is up to the pups of the world to each the humans how to love unconditionally...because you guys do it best
    Hugs madi your bfff

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    1. Most of the street are in fact Scottish natives, including the abovementioned Lucy, 'other Gail', Mike, Kirsty, Neil and Jim. Really, what I was trying to point out was that even amongst the 'locals' there are so many close connections with different parts of the world.

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  8. Bertie - Does everyone in the street know you ?

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    1. Angus, I think it's fair to say that Gail only knows so many people in the street because of me.
      Toodle pip! Bertie.

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  9. Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the prefect present for the test for civilization, Gandhi said that. We are failing! So many cannot see the beauty in diversity or the strength.
    Thanks for being a friend
    Sweet William The Scot

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  10. Hi Bertie,

    I think you live in a great street! As you know I am living at uncie's place at the mo, and his area has become very multicultural in the last few years. Peeps have weird clothes and stuffs on their heads ... and mum complains that the little supermarkets are now funny delis that have different languages on the front windows and on the food stuffs inside. She says it has changed a lot. I particularly like barking at peeps who wear funny stuffs on their heads though!

    Tail Wuggles, Rubie xxx

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  11. Yes, yes, yes. In peace.

    Love, love, love.
    xo
    Tootsie & her mom & Dachshund Daddy

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  12. Sounds like a great neighborhood. Dont worry Bertie.....NO ONE throws me in the leaves!!! Hey!! They are afraid that Ill chase them in to the leaf pile!! BOL

    Wags
    Addi

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  13. Well said, Bertie. You are a very smart terrier!

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  14. You are right, we all connected and need to get along. Nice to find your blog.

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  15. My goodness your neighborhood sounds very interesting and exciting. Yes, we are all connected with more in common than not in common. If only more of us realized this ...

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