Meeting the neighbours (or not)

Thursday, 14th of April 2016

Lately a lot of my family members and friends have been constantly asking me the same question: How are your neighbours like? Have you met them yet? Obviously this is a question that can only be asked when someone you know moves to a different place, mainly a different country where people donˋt speak the same language and tend to behave in a different way than the one we are used to seeing every day.

As it is expected the answer I give to everyone is the same and it will probably maintain the same no matter if you ask it tomorrow or in three months time. No. Those simple two letters that when combained transform into a powerful expression, no, that is my answer. 

I moved from a big city to another huge capital of the world, so why am I expected to know who happens to live in the door next to mine? In Lisbon, I only know the people who live on the second floor and that is only because they are family, my uncle, my aunt and my cousin. Sure I recognize some of their faces, I know there is a family there that used to have their kids at the same school as I was, there is the girl who likes making out with her boyfriend in the middle of the stairs, the scary old lady that lives above me and the crazy screaming bunch that lives next door. Yes I recognize some of them, it is hard after 20 years of living in the same place not to, but I donˋt know them, I donˋt go to their places and they donˋt come to mine, we donˋt attend each others parties or spend time together, except when we are awkwardly standing side by side inside the elevator.

Why should it be any different just because I am now in London? If you want I can easily tell you when they are taking a shower because I can hear the water running through the pipes or even that my next door neighbour has got a cold since he hasnˋt stopped coughing for a while, but that is it, for me they are just noises, it is impossible to associate a name or even characteristics to them simply because I have never seen them before.

Here in England not knowing your neighbours is the key to a happy collective living arrangement. As british comedian Jack Whitehall once said: "Donˋt make eye contact with me and donˋt you dare start a conversation!". This seems to be the running practice around here and in no way seems abnormal to me.

From a girl perfectly content with this situation,

Mariana Fidalgo