Could you tell something about yourself?

Ok, my name is Bolel, I work for [?] in the church, and I live here in City Heights community, in the neighborhood for five years now. I'm 31 years old, I'm single, yeah, that's it.

What was it like moving to your neighborhood?

City Heights?

Yeah.

I think it's ok. 

What kind of ok?

The rent is cheap. K. The rent is cheap. Apartment is cheap. And then, I think I'm ok with.

What were your first impressions of the neighborhood? [clarification] How did you feel about it when you first moved over here to City Heights?

I feel good, but later on, you know? I feel good, it's ok. 

Can you explain more on what kind of good you feel about it?

You know I'm from small village, you know, I'm from countryside, so right here, I think it's ok, and a lot of different people, like different ethnic groups. I think that's cool.

What kind of vibe do you get out of this neighborhood?

I don't understand that much, like what kind of feeling, sensation. I don't know.

How safe do you feel in your neighborhood?

I think it's not safe.

It's not safe?

Yeah, it's not safe. 

Why do you say that it's not safe?

You know, a lot of crime, a lot of. I think that, I don't mean to let me say, it's not good to say, there's a lot of people that use drug, drug-addicted, and then I think a lot of crime right here. That's why I can say that it's not safe. I think that it's not really good. The neighborhood. I'm staying in it for me because of economy, really cheap, can live here, I'm ok, you know.

How do you stick to your cultural roots when you move to a new place?

You know, as I was saying, I'm from foreign country, I grow up over there, I'm new here, so I don't feel, like I don't change it much. I live by myself, you know? [laughs] I just adapt some culture, how to say, how to communicate with some other people, how to follow the law, not to break anything, you know? I just practice my culture, stick with it.

How do you experience cultural identity in your neighborhood? How do you experience cultural identities of others?

So, a lot of different people. As far as I know, people from Somalia, Vietnamese, I'm from Burma, and Filipino, say, the Asia, you know? From Africa, from Middle East, a lot of people different ethnic group, different custom, different dress, different restaurant, different food, different like, market, you know, everything right here. I experience it all. Many cultures.

Is it important or do you feel the need to experience or maintain your cultural identity in the neighborhood?

I don't think so. I don't think so. I don't have to maintain my culture living right here, but…

Why do you feel you don't have to maintain your cultural over here?

As I said, you know, right here, in America, the culture, the way we live is individualism, you know. I live by myself, I live with friend, family, so I don't have to carry anybody. So as long as I'm not doing wrong thing. So I don't have to carry my identity you know? I don't have to maintain or like protect my identity. Culture or identity?

Cultural identity.

Culture, yeah, so I think that this is America. I just live by myself. I think this is [?]. American culture influence us, you know. Sooner or later. Our culture is changing, and we adapt that culture. Because, you know, I don't think that my cultural identity is better than other people, but that's why, I don't have to, my cultural identity maintain.

Since you are single over here, do you accept different cultures?

I think, yes, of course. I accept other culture. I respect other culture too. For example, like, you have to adapt that, the culture where we live. I don't mean we have to adapt everything, but we don't know it, we practice, we live right here.

What kind of people live around your apartment, like your neighborhood?

I saw white, African American, from Somalia, Asian, for example me, I'm Burmese, I saw some of like, Filipina, Chinese, different people. Very diverse city.

Does it have any impact on your life, the diversity? Like does it have any effect on your life in a good way or a negative way?

I think it's good, you know. I learn a lot.

Can you tell me what is one specific thing that you learn from the diverse community that you live in?
I meet people right here, you know, that always ask me that kind of thing. You know, you experience that. Before I came here, I came to move here, I didn't see Somalian people, I didn't see other people, you know, I mean, but I wanted to meet them, we have conversation, that's a good experience, and they're all so nice. I think that culture, good cultural experience.

To what extent can you be yourself in your neighborhood?

Yeah. What do you mean, to what extent?

To what extent, like can you always live by yourself, or you have to be pretending like someone else, or do you have to be like, scared of someone knowing who you are, or you are ok living the way you are right now?

You know, I don't have to worry who am I, you know? Everybody asks me where you from, I'm from Burma, I'm Asian specifically Burmese ethnic, I don't have to be ashamed of it, and I proud of it to say it, you know have a friend, you have a neighbor here from Burma. I also ask where you from, are you from Somalia? Are you from Congo? Are you from Iraq? Are you from Afghanistan? You know? What kind of religion are you? Are you Buddhist, Muslim, or Christian? Something like that. [pause] So, nothing to worry. So, I don't, I don't have, for example, like I don't have to go say “I'm Burmese, I'm Asian, mmmnnmmmmhmhmm” Something like that. You know? But everybody came here, everybody live together, oh you are my brother, you know? Oh you're a human being. I mean, you know, we're the same.

Cool. Where do you hang out with your friends and family? Where do you hang out, in the City Heights or outside of City Heights or where do you hang out?

We are maybe like, the church, right? Family home gathering, the park, barbeque, the beach, City Heights, traveling, you know, all kinds of things, you know? There is no specific places.

Talking about your church, what kinds of people do you work in the church, what ethnicity?

So I work for, I just, I'm [?] the Burmese is a different dialect, different ethnic group, [?] and then Karen, Karenni, [?], those people, those people.

How would you describe City Heights to a person who had never been here?

Very easy. City Heights, very populated, City Heights is migrant neighborhood. City Heights, a lot of homeless, lot of drug-addicted people. A lot of crime. Robbery, thief or something like that. City Heights is like in a bad way, you know? It's not really nice. Scary, you know, it's not safe. So to the point not really good neighborhood. The way I feel like that. On the other hand, City Heights, the rent is cheaper and also there's a lot of people from different country, different ethnicity, different dialect, language, it's beautiful, a good experience too. And then, all this thing are there, it's good too. You can go to Muslim market, you can go to Asian, you can go to Mexican market, you know? It's like a …

Do you want to add anything more, like about City Heights community? Like any other things that you want to feel or say about City Heights?

I don't know. City Heights is I think, houses, apartment, a lot of apartments, you know? Apartment, houses, the road is very old and then um, need to be developed, like need to renovate, you know? And there's a lot of police, too, around here. There's a police officer, you see any [unintelligible] they pull over people, they arrested many people. So far I live for five years, I'm ok. I don't know, I don't do anything wrong, so then no police stop me, pull over me. 

So would you say, in City Heights, if you are not doing anything wrong, you are safe?

No I don't mean that.

It depends on the person?

It depends on the person. Saying that like, the police officer they protect us, right? You were doing something wrong, right? They stop and um, pull over, search, arrest, something like that So if you are ok, you have nothing to worry, but I know there's also many places like it's not safe. It's not safe. I saw, um, I feel it's not safe. That's all I can say. I don't want to say much more than that, you know?

What other kind of crime that you see in City Height rather than drug addiction or drug dealing stuff?

Fighting, and also, shooting, and also, homicide. Those things.

Do you want to add some more things on those crimes?

No. Behind my apartment, last year, one person, homeless, one person was killed, maybe, like one or two days, and we didn't know, and then someone discovered it, and the police came and knocked my door, do you hear anything like shouting or something like that? I told officer, no, I didn't hear anything like that, you know? Second time, twice, my cars, they, people broke my car twice, and then one of my roommates, people stole his car twice. [laughs] Its like that, you know? This Asian homeless guy opened my car, and one of my neighbors saw it and called the police, and they came and arrested the guy. Feel so sorry for him, you know? It's like that. So in my neighborhood, shootings, killings, something like that, and that's all right here.

Thank you so much for your time.

You're welcome.