My Neighborhood

When I first arrived in Granada I was surprised to see that most of the buildings here were much like the United States.  Well, I mean that the building structures are much like the United States.  I was expecting to see things that seemed more foreign and romantically constructed in some way.  In other words, I thought I would probably stay in a ravishing foreign house.  However, I soon learned that most of the living style is very similar to ours. I will take you on a tour around my neighborhood and share with you some aspects of my own neighborhood so you can recognized the similarities.  

The name of my street is called Pintor Zuloaga.  This is a picture of where I currently stay while in Granada.  I live on the left side - closer to the door where you see the motorcycle.  I enjoy living here because the people are extremely friendly and I am neighbors with one of classmates.  In my opinion, these apartments look very similar to ones that I've seen in the United States.  However, unlike the United States, everyone in the apartment have lines outside their homes to hang clothes after washing.  I think these were one of the social norms of this society which caused me realize how privileged we are as Americans. We can simply wash and dry our clothes without worrying too much about the cost, etc. 

  

I was also surprised by the amount of small stores that surrounded the apartments in Granada.  In Detroit/City where I grew up, there were many side stores and other small stores as well.  However, there is a plethora of stores here with that specializes in specific things.  For example, in Granada, there are many stores that are specifically for vegetables and fruits, some specifically for fish, and others specifically for sweets and other goods.  I don't believe we have as many specialty stores in the United states.  Take a look of all the different kinds of stores that I saw as I walked through my neighborhood. 

I am grateful that I have many different stores in my neighborhood because I have the munchies all the time and if feels great to be able to simply walk downstairs and purchase sweets :) - I guess it can also be a bad thing since I've gained a lot of weight over the past few weeks.  

Anywho, we also have a Curves - which is a gym specifically for women.  We have many other gyms as well, that resonated with me the most simply because there is one in the U.S - and because I loved going there with my mom as a child.  

The structure of the streets is the main difference that I see that Granada has, as it relates to my neighborhood.  The picture below illustrates just how narrow the streets are in Granada.  The streets around my neighborhood are extremely narrow - more narrow than I've seen while walking around other neighborhoods.  I've also realized that there many cafes, bares, and pastry shops in my Granada neighborhood than my neighborhood back home.  

There is also a river near my neighborhood.  The river runs long, from the mountains and past the street that I live.  This is a great place to go running, walk the dog, or simply spend a romantic evening with someone.  There are many restaurants, bars and stores along this river. 

Overall, I really enjoy where I live.  I wish I had the time to explore it more :).  Nevertheless, I am grateful for the time I had to reflect on this experience and draw comparisons and similarities of the different societies - it's all very interesting :).