Getting to Know Your Neighborhood

If you’re like us who’ve never lived anywhere else but Manila before going abroad to study, adjusting to your new neighborhood might take a few months. We must confess that even after several years of living in the US, we still find ourselves thinking of home and favorite neighborhood haunts.

You’ve declared your independence (somewhat), so there’s no point thinking of the lovely comfort that familiarity brings. The best way to get used to our new surroundings is to go out there and explore. Walk often, three times a week for half an hour is the doctor’s advice for exercise, and should give ample time to orient yourself in your new neighborhood without the help of a map. Try different routes, check out historical houses and sites which may be within your vicinity, stores, markets, and coffee shops along the way. A street map of your neighborhood from the local news agency would be very helpful. In the UK an A to Z is used even by locals to get around, purchasing one will prove useful.

When Lia moved back to the Philippines, Tricia moved to Prospect Heights in Brooklyn. This meant adjusting to a new neighborhood, yet again. Together with a friend she walked around taking different routes. On one of these occasions, they happened upon a place called Tom’s Restaurant. When they walked in, they entered a diner which looked like it had the décor, chairs and tables from the 30s. It was like walking into a time capsule For Tricia and her friend Tony (now her husband), Tom’s Restaurant also served the best fruit-filled pancakes topped with creamy strawberry butter ever! Not only was the restaurant a wonderfully interesting find, the food too was excellent.

So for experiences like these, walking around is tip no. 1. But then, don’t go around thinking your pleasurable little walks are meant to spot remarkable places to write home about, you’re also on your walk to take note of the location of the following key agencies which is pretty much necessary for your day to day survival:

1. Supermarket
2. Bank
3. Library
4. Nearest bus train stop, shuttle stop, subway station
5. Post Office
6. Oriental supermarket
7. Drug store
8. Dry cleaners
9. Gas station (if you have a car)
10. Park

Wise Words: You’ve never walked in Manila as much as you’ll have to when you’re in London! Of course you could also get yourself a bike.—Yeyey Cruz, Royal
College of Art, London

We also advise that you do the same in school. There are always interesting things advertised on the bulletin boards and most of the time they’re free: student plays, concerts, film showings, art exhibits, poetry readings, even public lectures by some of your favorite writers. Only by walking around and being nosy can you what’s going on and then decide if you want to take be part of it. Get a map of the campus and check out the following offices:

1. Office for International Students
2. Your department office
3. Library
4. Cafeteria
5. Infirmary/ health center
6. Chapel
7. Student center
8. Computer center
9. Registrar
10. Bookstore
11. School Theatre
12. Art Gallery
13. Arboretum/ Nature Center

Another thing you ought to get intimate with is the public transportation system in your new city. If you find yourself in a deafeningly silent neighborhood, an exciting life of bar hopping, independent movies, soccer games, and contemporary exhibitions might just be a subway ride away. The secret to taking the Subway (NY) / Metro (Paris, Milan, Madrid)/ Tube (London) / S-Bahn (Germany) / MRT (Manila) / JR (Tokyo) is to figure out the final destination of the train before you hop on it. It’s quite frustrating finding yourself taking the wrong train. Or, you can turn it into a blessing in disguise and check out the area you’re in before you transfer to the correct train. But be warned, there are some bad areas and you may not be aware of it when you do decide to become adventurous at your wrong stop. Just make sure you bring your map with you when you get off, and follow your gut feel if you think the neighborhood you find yourself in isn’t safe.

Wise Words: The tube in London stops between 12 and 1 in the morning. If you plan on staying out late, plan ahead. If you want to take a cab, take a black cab they are well-trained. Be wary of the mini-cab drivers. –Mike Wilson, Royal College of Art, London

The bus, actually is a wonderful exploration vehicle because you can see more of the city without exerting as much effort as walking. You can look out the window, see if you like the surroundings and then hop off. Our alma mater, NYU, has a free bus service. If you find yourself in New York visiting you can’t miss it, they’re deep purple buses that look like street cars. The NYU buses take NYU students from the university to different university dorms around New York City. We’ve both taken advantage of this shuttle service to get a ride to the nearest dorm, to get to our individual apartments, and explore that dorm’s nearby shops and restaurants while we’re there. Find out if your university offers a similar service.Most big cities have very reliable public transportation services, but if you find yourself living in a city where cars seem to be the primary mode of transportation, places where despite having walked for more than half an hour and all you’ve seen are urban housing, you might want to look up the yellow pages or do a search on the internet for the location of the key services mentioned above. You might also decide to make contact with your neighbors with small talk while in the elevator or the parking lot and casually ask where they go for dry cleaning, the location of the nearest post office, even the nearest supermarket. The sooner you know your neighborhood and where the key agencies are located, the sooner you’ll feel at home.

Wise Words: The best thing about my new home, the new environment. No pollution and no TRAFFIC! –Annaly O Elegado, University of Queensland, Queensland