Photo by Seán A. O’Hara

By Young Lee Hertig

After 13 years of living in a quaint block in South Pasadena, we moved to Monterey Hills among a hill full of condos in mid-September.  I am grateful for this new place, but leaving behind my house on my familiar old block, though still close by, was not easy.

Despite Southern California’s culture of driving everywhere, the old cul-de-sac where we used to live provided the rare privilege of walking to the neighborhood Trader Joe’s, farmers’ markets, local coffee shops, and stopping by my dear friends’ homes along the way.  Unlike driving, walking in the neighborhood creates opportunities to make friends and catch up on the latest news on the block.

During a sermon at church, I mentioned how soulful it was to walk in my neighborhood.  Afterwards, a person raised the question: “Is it safe to walk in your neighborhood?”  His question struck me with the challenges of living anonymously with neighbors — the norm of how we live in this crowded city.  Knowing all your neighbors and hanging out with neighbors has become a novelty.

In our new condo, instead of having a front porch, the garage doors face our neighbors’ garages, which remain shut most of the time.  Rarely do I see anyone talking, with the exception of a three-year-old boy who stopped and greeted us which caused his father to also stop and talk.  Despite the spatial challenges, I found a way to get to know our immediate neighbors next door by dropping a note in their mailbox.  More than a week later, I heard a knock on the door from that neighbor who happened to be a very nice person.  Eventually, my husband Paul and I found ourselves guests in their living room.

There is something comforting about knowing your neighbors and befriending them.  Indeed, I cherish soulful walking in my old neighborhood.  I had no idea how much I’d miss walking to the Metro gold line and walking by my friend’s house, stopping by for hugs and tea.  Our new place is only an 8-minute drive to the old block.  But there is a huge difference in walking rather than driving to a friends’ house.  When walking, spontaneous conversations with neighbors feed your soul in this highly-structured culture where appointments must be scheduled ahead of time.  I realize now that I took neighborliness for granted.

One of my New Year plans is to bring some changes to this neighborhood.  Being a nonconformist, I nominated myself to a board of director position of our HOA, proposing to create a hospitality committee, once elected. Perhaps, as the new kid on the block, I may find a way to turn this concrete-covered space into a soulful place.

Rev. Dr. Young Lee Hertig is executive director and a founding member of ISAAC (Institute for the Study of Asian American Christianity) and AAWOL (Asian American Women On Leadership). She teaches in the Global Studies and Sociology Department at Azusa Pacific University and is an ordained Presbyterian clergy as well as a commissioner of the Presbyterian Church USA to the National Council of Churches Faith and Order.