New Neighbors and Friends

As of today, I think our neighborhood has pretty much filled up.  School begins next Monday and I am sure newly arriving families want to get settled and over the jet lag well before then.  Although there are a few "non-American" families in Premier Place 2, most work at the U.S. Embassy.  This is not the same in the other neighborhoods in Nichada as, on my morning runs, I see diplomatic license plates from many other countries.  Chevron also has a big presence in Bangkok and quite a few of their employees live in Nichada as well.

Over the weekend, a family moved in on one side of us.  Last night, a family moved in on the other side.  The homes across and down the street are all now occupied.  The pool is busy and there are a lot of kids riding bikes and playing outside.  Caitlynne and Christopher have been walking to pool to meet up with their friends to swim and play in the afternoons.  I am really happy that we are in this community and that it is turning out to be exactly what we wanted when we decided to live here.  I know there will be times when I get frustrated because (similar to Australia), we do live in a fishbowl and everyone wants to know everyone else's business but, for the kids, it will be great for them to have their friends close by.

It is interesting to meet and chat with the other families.  Although we are all Americans, we are all arriving in Bangkok having lived in very different parts of the world.  The family next door arrived from Rome, Italy.  Two doors down, the family moved from Budapest, Hungary.  Another family has just arrived from Japan.  We have met families from Moldova, England, Zambia, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.  I am thrilled that Caitlynne and Christopher have the opportunity to be friends with other children who have such unique life experiences.  I am pretty sure I did not even know where to find Zambia on a map when I was 12!   Everyone has been so friendly and helpful.  The new arrivals seem to assimilate very quickly and I wonder if, having been the "new kid" so often, encourages everyone to be more welcoming and inclusive?