G'day ,
The building I live in consists of (1) eight flats. Because it's a smaller building, we know each other, at least enough to say 'Hi'.
OK, I only know most of the other people enough to say 'Hi'. I don't usually go around chatting with strangers - it's just not me. Not being a confident German speaker hasn't helped. But some of the other residents (2) don't seem to want to talk much, either.
The Caretaker (3) has the most contact with us all. He will stop and have long talks. It's interesting to listen to his stories and learn about his hobbies. I now know about the different Euro coins (4) from each country.
An older man lives next to me. He's retired. I don't know whether it's funny or strange - he sometimes looks over onto my balcony to see if I have the light on at night, to know if I'm home or not. He thinks that my work routine is weird.
Maybe he's lonely and wants someone to chat with, but he goes out regularly and talks about being at 'the club', so I think he has friends. Plus, his daughter and grandchild don't live too far away. And although she doesn't live with him, there's a lady in his life.
We sometimes talk - maybe on our balconies or on the stairs. He always asks about where I come from and my life in Germany. I find that funny, because he is an immigrant as well. But he's been here a lot longer than I have. Maybe the difference is that he only came from another European country, and he's amazed at me coming here from the other side of the world.
When I think about it, most of the people in my building are immigrants. And we all come from very different parts of the world. So I should talk with my neighbours more, not just to be friendly and learn about them, but also to learn about the different cultures they come from.
Do you live in a big building with lots of people in it, , or a small one? How much contact do you have with your neighbours? Are they German, or immigrants?
Wishing you a wonderful week!
Andrea
(1) consists of - is made of, has (eight flats) in it. A cake consists of sugar, butter, flour, eggs and milk.
(2) residents - people who live in thee place we're talking about. The place can be a building or a village/town/city
(3) Caretaker - the British English translation for 'Hausmeister'. You might see the word 'janitor' - that's more American.
(3) coins - 'pieces' of money that are made from metal and are usually round
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