Shamos and Hoey (1975) defined a neighbor as somebody who exists just within or around your residence. No one chooses who will be his or her neighbor but several studies have shown that there is a relationship that lies under the myth of coexistence. There are several reasons attributed towards cultivating the sense of togetherness and character traits that make a person. Having a person who cares for your welfare is far much better that a good meal at a party full of anonymous and first time friends. Apparently all families have different heads of households and this reflects even on the set up of how the family is run.
In this study, neighborhood observation was done to look intractably at the setup and normal running of daily activities of my neighbor who goes by the name Mr. John.
Situated about thirty five miles away from the city, the home is characterized by a live fence covering about five acre pieces of land. These assessments were done on the twenty-ninth day of April of the year two thousand and eleven. The land lies on a gentle slope with an aspect of about twelve degrees to the eastern direction. The house faces in the windward direction and is built using bricks and concrete on the walls. The roof is made of terracotta tiles supported by wood in a hipped roof design. Generally, the housing condition of Mr. John is excellent since it has been shielded from strong wind and rain necessary for protection.
There are three houses within the compound with the big one depicted as the main house of his family while the rest is a servant quarter and a garage respectively. The compound is well greened with several whistling pine trees and other garden flowers within the compound. There is plenty of grass in open areas and this signifies good greenery and yard condition. There are no many of abandoned houses or equipment within the compound but there is a vacant space that has been left for sunbathing during summer. There is a swimming pool on the lower side of the compound and the waste deposit cite on the rare side of the compound. The amount of waste generated from the house is not very huge since the garbage collector comes twice in a week recording about thirty kilos cumulative total. Most of the waste generated is kitchen waste and cigarette filters. The condition of waste can be said to be well managed.
The roads and sidewalks are all weather and are very good since not so many people use the facility. There is therefore less traffic and the drainage of the latter is excellent. Although only one acre has been designated as the home compound, there are two acres that have been set aside for horse riding and grazing. Mistakenly, one might think that the horse park belongs to someone else due to the big gates that have been put up after every compartment. There rest two acres have been designated for farming where corns are planted during the seasonal planting. There are several watering points within the farm and this allows the crop to be fast growing despite the changes in climatic conditions.
Beyer et al, (1999) describe a well significant neighbor as a person who cares for not only his welfare but also for others. Mr. John has been an exceptional example since he has shown this through the regular visitations we give one another. Although our area is not very densely populated, we experience the hospitality of various people who come for cite seeing and family visitation in the neighborhood. The area enjoys the best infrastructural and social amenities. We are served with a shopping mall that is about less than a kilometer and it contains that entire one my need in day to day running. This provides a one stop shop with a major chain of fast food, liquor stores, Bars/lounges, a chemist, a gym house and a car service station. Food in the fast food and coffee shop can be delivered door to door by placing an order and has a wide variety. Having this mall in our neighborhood has reduced the hustle bustle of running uptown and downtown to look and purchase goods and services. The mall is reliable and hygienic thus offering services that are upto standards.
There are many schools and academic institutions in the vicinity from kindergarten to colleges and universities, both public and private offering either or both local and international curriculums systems and with different standards depending on how much one wants to spend on a school term basis. Public and private libraries in the area provide students and the local residents an adequately good environment for people who stay around and within the study area. Religion is an important issue to every human being, thus it is crucial for everyone to get a place of worship close to his/ her house. Mr. John doesn’t have to walk for a long distance as there are two churches found within the seven hundred meter range from his and our homes leaving the choice in our hands on which of the two we want to attend.
Gaede and Gunther (1998) describe health as one of the most crucial aspect of any living being. Other researchers have argued that health is not valued until sickness occurs. Within the small community of existence, when it comes to health matters, there is a regional public hospital with several private clinics and dispensaries that offers medical and health services. The staffs are highly skilled and qualified, this ensures that the residence has access to proper and high class medication and care. The hospital is also served with several ambulances that are at standby for emergencies and a mortuary incase of any deaths. For physical fitness there are several gyms at the shopping mall with professional trainers who are always ready to help. There is a jogging track in the neighborhood for those who prefer morning exercise.
The area security cannot be left in question since the area enjoys a high and detailed coverage from the police station that is located just a few yards away from the house and the street lighting that provides maximum surveillance twenty four hours in a week none stop. You can get to your house safely any time even in the middle of the night without any worries of being attacked. The neighbor offers hospitality because we are more of a socialist village than a capitalist one, creating a relation where you have to be your brother’s keeper thus ensuring accountability, incase of any unpleasant visit, you have people to count on.
A national reserve park is a walk away offering lovely scenery from the neighborhood and a public playground that is maintained by the government thus ensuring residents have a pleasant place for leisure time. The landscape offered by this park is so magnificent and breathtaking. The breeze is cool and quite, presenting a nice place to relax and meditate with is good both physically and spiritually. The scenery is a tourism attraction due to its aesthetic condition and the wide variety of biodiversity that the park offers.
The interview with Mr. John was quite an eye opener to some of the things that are going on within the village. Clearly there is less to worry about when it comes to living and making the whole family happy through sharing and taking care of each other. Mr. John has all he needs at a stone’s throw and a loving neighbor to interact with daily. This makes him a better person and citizen. Living life to the fullest requires different things put in place, and for this Mr. John has the conventionally placed him and his family to the neighbors to take care of this beating all odds. Having his own dream house, dream career and friendly neighbors make Mr. John live in peace and enjoy his life. The study of my good neighbor Mr. John helps us to conclude that it is important for everyone to learn that charity begins at home, makes your home peaceful and beautiful, then you can make a difference to other people. Always think local but ultimately act globally and make an impact on the whole world.
References
Beyer, K., Goldstein, J., Ramakrishna, R. and Shaft, U., (1999) When Is Nearest Neighbor Meaningful?, Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Database Theory, Jerusalem, Israel, pages 217-235.
Gaede, V. and Gunther, O. (1998). Multidimensional Access Methods, ACM Computing Surveys, Vol. 30, No. 2, pages 170-231.
Shamos, M. and Hoey, D., (1975). Closest-point problems, Proceedings of the 16th Annual IEEE Symposium on the Foundations of Computer Science, pages 151-162.