65 percent

That's how many incoming freshman at Berkeley have foreign born parents.
I just let that thought roll around in my head for a while. It's a strong
reminder of the cultural differences between San Francisco and Missouri.
Among many other things, this is a strikingly multicultural place. Half
of the people in the Bay Area have a foreign-born parent. Sometimes I
don't notice it at all. I think nothing of the fact that there is only
a handful of white americans at my office of over 50 people. Other times
I notice quite a bit, although usually not because of skin color, but
rather language or some other cultural difference.

I've always thought of my self as a very open-minded, non-racist person.
But I must admit that Katherine and I shy away from many shopping and
entertainment choices because they are in a certain part of town, or because
of the people who work there or frequent there.

Oh how I miss Walmart. A silly thing really. Most people would probably
not think a thing of it...until they need a box of nails at 11 pm, or
an alarm clock at 6:30 and all the stores have closed. We have a Walmart
15 minutes from our house. Quite easy to get to. But we've been only one
time, the first week we lived here and never returned. While I must admit
that our experience with the service there was horrible, I think it was
more the fact that the majority of people in the store spoke another language.

It's hard to quantify, even to myself, exactly why that bothered me so
much. And it bothers me even more to wonder whether it should. But so
far we are happier driving 30-45 minutes away to do that kind of shopping,
or even doing without. All I can say is...it's comfortable.

I think it will be interesting to see if my feelings change after another
4 years out here, even if I allow myself to continue escaping the situation.
I wish I had a better resolution for this entry, but I'm still working
on it.