57 Camino de Rhonda

First cloud cover yet in Granada, right next to my apartment

At first glance Granada's bustling streets and flow of people marching to the rhythm of their own day can be intimidating. But just as the frame of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and rows of the small cobblestone streets create Granada's outline, stories are written in daily commutes, scratches on keys that enter an apartmento, and coffee stained clothing that creates a compilation of short poems, books, and novels of granadinos and guiris (tourists). For me my short story is only seis semanas ( six weeks), and it begins at 57 Camino de Rhonda in apartmento 8C. 

Mi apartmento 57 Camino de Rhonda

I live in what I would call the "neighborhood district" of Granada on one of the busiest streets, Camino de Rhonda. This means every morning, before my little host brother goes to school as well, I get to see families and children in uniforms making their way to the office, classroom, or wherever their own miniature novel takes them that day. For me... my walk always begins with a cautioned cross walk, as pedestrians are not at the top of the transportation chain as they are in Ann Arbor. To my right, durecha, is Mercadona. It is lined with aisles of paper goods, frozen foods, bright lights, household items, and for some reason it reminds me of home, because grocery shopping and wanting check-out aisle candy is universal. 

Mercadona

If I begin my walk to the left only a few blocks, I find myself on Calle Recogidas ( below on right) and on my way to my clase de español. Many streets here in Granada are made of beautiful marble and tile, and I often find myself slipping with my sandals and I attempt to shave off a few minutes on my morning walk. 

I am very lucky to say that I live only 10 minutes or less walking from Parque Garcia Lorca, one of Granada's biggest and most beautifully maintained parks, somewhere that I often go after siesta to meet with friends, lay in the sombra (shade), and go for jogs at night as running life here begins after the sun sets because of the grande grados ( big degrees). If I walk to the right further past Mercadona, I find myself running into the Rio Genil( river) and into a different barrio with more apartments, parks, and green space. The right side of my city, farther away from el centro de la cuidad ( the center of the city) has become my current favorite slice of Granada. I cannot wait to spend more time here doing tarea ( homework), and relaxing and enjoying with mis amigos. 

Rio Genil

 Granada is beginning to become smaller and smaller and I wonder and explore and can easily find myself back at a main calle (street)  within 15 minutes. After exploring I would say I live on the edge of the business and tienda ( shopping) district and I am between ( entre de) the Rio and green district and the bar, restaurant, and gimnasio (gym) district. This puts me in a great position to experience a mezcla ( mix) of tiendas ( shops), restaurant and tapa life, park and green space, and a neighborhood ambiente ( environment). 

Hasta luego mis compañeros, amigos, y familia,

Grettie