Harry and Rebekah: A Dog and His Girl
In 2015, Rebekah Freed was accepted to UNC to pursue a PhD in Learning Sciences. She moved into Odum Village, a 60s-era apartment complex on campus, but soon had to find a new home when Odum was slated for demolition. Rebekah turned to Facebook, describing the living environment she hoped to find – close to campus, dog-friendly, lots of trees, open areas and pathways nearby for exercising herself and her dog, Harry. Most of her replies named Glen Lennox. She found Glen Lennox very much to her liking and has lived here for two years, with two more to go finish out her degree. She says, “Nearly everyone in my program had lived here at some point as a student, grad student or professor.”
As a grad student, Rebekah is a bit older than the average undergrad and has a philosophical view of Glen Lennox. “I see it as a place of transition – we’re all going through something, including me – I don’t know where I’ll be after I graduate. In each of the last two years, my next-door neighbor has been a visiting scholar from China and her daughter. The moms and kids experience America for a year then go back. We’ve got the recently divorced, trying to find themselves, couples moving in together for the first time, and moms with children who are going through a divorce and want a place with other kids. We’ve got professors and students from the U.S., China, India, Africa, Mexico and the Middle East living with family members. It’s common for neighbors to gather outside in the early evening while all the kids are playing together. It’s great to be in a place where kids still play outside.”
“I grew up in Los Angeles, and there’s a feeling of community and a welcoming, open culture here that reminds me of LA. Along Hamilton Road here’s a big, tree-lined grassy area with apartments on either side where I frequently walk my dog. Around dinner time, especially Friday and Sunday, kids are out playing in the open area and as you walk down the center you can smell cooking from India, the Middle East, Mexico and every province of China from the open back doors. It’s fabulous!”
On their daily walks, Harry and Rebekah routinely encounter like-minded dogs and their human companions. “Some of the kids in the neighborhood are from places where dogs aren’t so common. Harry is very friendly, and they’re drawn to him, they sort of know me as ‘the teacher with the dog’. The parents have come to know and trust me and bring me food for being so welcoming to their kids, like homemade falafel with hummus and traditional Chinese hot pot. Some of them have never met a Jewish person, so I’ve made them ‘Jewish penicillin’ – matzo ball soup!”
“I’ve always been curious about how and why people make choices, choices like where they live or even what kind of dog they have and why. Harry is more than just a pet. He’s named after my grandmother, Harriet, who was very outspoken about education, especially of women. Nana Harriet made me promise that I would get my Ph.D. When the pressure’s on or if I start to lose focus, I have Harry to inspire me to persevere.”