Culturally Relevant

I was walking into our castle this past Friday and low-and-behold someone was moving in. Actually, five or six someones into the same two bedroom (805 sq ft) apartment we own. These six someones have only been in the US for six and a half years (yes, they're legal) and hail from the great country of Sudan. They're very friendly, dark as night, guys that we hope to build a friendship with.

They offically moved the rest of their stuff Saturday. We stopped by mid-afternoon to bring them ice-cold water because it was so bloody hot outside (can you believe upper 80s in October?!).

What I don't understand is this: how do five or six people fit in that appartment? The two of us fill it perfectly...not to big, not too small. A third person would make it crowded and I would feel a bit congested. The space in the apartment isn't all that evened out. We have a generous master bedroom and good size walk-in closet. The living room is bigger than we would need too. The kitchen is on the small size but still very workable. The dining room is probably perfect for a four foot round table (but their long rectangular table over flows that). The only thing that is obsurdly out small is the second bedroom...seriously, its probably one and a half of of my cubical at work and my cub is a normal cub.

So how do they fit all of them there? Well, as I pondered this with my hubby and brought it up with my mom, we all reenforced each other's notion that its all culturally relevant. They come from Sudan where the houses are probably small, few rooms, and crowded with many bodies. They probably don't realize that to me, that would be crowded (afterall, less than a mile from our apartments are two bedroom, 1,000 sq ft for only $21 more a month).

Don and I were talking with the people who were helping them move. The wife said that when they finally arrived, they knew nothing, they had to be taught to work a light switch. So I obviously their living standards are a bit different than mine. I could relate too...as could Don...the difference living from country to country, especially contentant to contentant requires you to learn many things all over again.

Culturally Relevant.

A funny thing happened with the Sudanese in Apt 6...One came over Sunday night about 9pm, and kindly asked if we could watch his apartment while he went to work. It struck me as odd but then again, we were the only people they knew in the apartment AND it was very new to them.

And so goes the saga of our little Castle.