Translation of thug in German

There are about fifty families who are having very tight connections. Too tight in my opinion. It's like a small town in this aspect. Joanna though is very satisfied with the place and the atmosphere.
Usually in a place with a homegenous society hatred towards foreigners can grow much more easy as a small disturbance to the homogenity may upset the entire society. People are not used to changes.
I got up at five in the early morning because I wanted to take pictures of the sunrise. I hoped that there would be some fog, as it would add to the atmosphere and would results in great shots.