The document describes Sophie and William's visit to different neighborhoods in Bearwood on a Sunday. They took the bus from town and neither had visited Bearwood before. They chose 3 places to visit based on Koops' knowledge of living in the city. Their first stop on the main road made them feel uncomfortable and out of place as the area was very ethnic-oriented and not designed for people like them. They felt safer in the residential streets but still stood out due to their clothing. Their final stop made them feel even more out of place as locals stared and made rude comments towards them for being white outsiders in a predominantly minority neighborhood.

1. The Derive
By Sophie and William

2.  Sunday 8th October 2013
- in itself out of place for Will because of
faith and the fact that Sundays are usually
family time.
 61 bus into town and then 82 to
bearwood, neither of us had ever been here.
 Choose 3 places we wanted to visit, this was
based on Koops’ knowledge of living in the
city.

3. • busy main road
• Ethnic shops and very much
orientated around home owners and
consumers.
• Very ethnic orientated
• Not made for us in mind
• uncomfortable
• Quite quiet on 1st visit due to timing
• Definitely felt out of place and out of
our comfort zone
• We revisited this area later and had
different views.
• In the minority by way of clothing

4.  accessed by a small alley way which
was ok in day light but we both would
have avoided it at night.
-residential units felt more like Selly
Oak – so not out of place but almost
intimidate place, not home but not
foreign.
- group of boys on bikes -bit
intimidating and not just to us as
others diverted paths due to them.
- bit uncomfortable - weird looks as
writing
 Still in the minority by what we were
wearing and doing.
 We were given interesting looks by
passers by as if they were surprised to
see us here. And perhaps they viewed
us as out of place.

5.  very nice houses here
 2 sides of the road differed
 Left hand side was where we felt at home as
there were larger houses with more familiar
facilities such as gates and gardens ( and solar
panels) but the right was more working class
still pleasant but more cluttered and less open.
 We felt safer on the left than on the right as
maybe it reminded us of being students and
the dangers that come with that and student
housing areas.
 We felt at home and in place here as passers by
smiled at us and engaged with us particularly
when there was a humorous event of a man
jumping away from a bee!
 Being a white man dressed in jeans and a smart
jumper certainly was not out of place here.
 This felt more like a smart suburban area.

6.  It was now much busier here and we were more out of place
than before.
 The girl in the group was immediately wolf whistled at and the
gentleman felt obliged to offer her protection.
 When passers by looked at us they assumed we were together
and made jeering comments making the woman feel like an
object.
 we were confronted when people saw us taking photos.
 Many more people were about and the fact that we were white
and not wearing the Muslims clothing was noticed, the only
white people about were those who had a purpose to be there
such as builders to onlookers we were tourists with no reason to
be there.
 Shop keepers did not even try to engage with us, perhaps
showing they believed we would not even think of buying their
groceries which were geared at the Caribbean and Indian groups
living there.