It was pretty isolated. It felt strange for quite a while. At first, I said I want to go home, but we were home. They loved their new house, Bastear said, but she didn't feel as though they belonged to the neighborhood. But now, after a few months and potlucks with neighbors, the awkwardness is wearing off.
People are nice.
Learning to adjust to a new neighborhood and lifestyle can be a huge challenge regardless of age, occupation and social status, say homeowners and officials in the housing industry. Feeling at home in today's huge subdivisions can be especially difficult for people who commute to work, thereby turning their neighborhoods into virtual ghost towns during the day. They often are busy trying to juggle family, work, school, recreation and home life into a few hours in the evenings and on the weekends and have little time left to meet people and make new friends. Usually, it starts with the person. Once folks do that, they'll find there are plenty of organizations, places of worship, school functions and other activities in the community to draw people together, she said.