No less than seventeen neighborhoods make up the city of Arrecife and we almost always hear about the same ones, although each one has its charm, its peculiarity, which makes it different. Throughout history they have been constituted and grown at different rates, however, they all have something in common, their neighbors. Some have grown up in them. Others have lived moments of their lives that they will never forget. And, as a result, they will always have their neighborhood in their memory; hence the appreciation they have for it.
A few weeks ago I started to rediscover them. Starting from mine, Titerroy, where I grew up and reside, I visited them walking. When one starts walking, one realizes how the different neighborhoods have been developing unevenly. They all lack something. Some have streetlights without light or even don't have any. Others have broken sidewalks or lack them. With the garbage, the truth is that I was surprised, not by seeing the full containers without being collected, but by the garbage that was on some streets. The reason is not the fault of the public administrations but of us, who are sometimes uncivil.
As for the roads, more of the same. Who hasn't played in the street as a child? We would fall and with a jump we were playing again. Over the years the streets have been paved, although the trend is to see them patched. Linked to this last point is the horizontal signage of the roads. A paint job wouldn't hurt, as it poses a danger due to the lack of visibility. And so a thousand details that we all know because we always talk about the same thing.
But there are also good things that surprised me. I found squares and corners that I didn't know. Places where neighbors gather to chat, play, walk... In short, spend some time outside their home sharing with the rest of the closest citizens. Almost all have shaded areas or trees that have gotten many of us out of trouble when the sun is strong and we take shelter under them. Although I did miss a greater abundance of vegetation, both in quantity and even more species of native flora. We have to bet on green areas, parks and gardens that are the lungs of our city.
I came across a sports court where who hasn't played when they were a child. Important youth meeting point where we have enjoyed with friends, family, acquaintances and, by the way, we have done a little exercise. Although the really important thing was to have a good time with our friends and distract ourselves from the routine.
Some neighborhoods have socio-cultural centers, where all kinds of cultural, recreational and sports activities are carried out. They are the souls of our neighborhoods because both in their facilities and around them, the movement of the neighbors is generated. This includes the stores of a lifetime, the ones that got us out of many troubles in their day when the big surfaces did not exist. To which we went every day to buy something and were another meeting point in which to relate to our neighbors.
All neighborhoods have something in common and that is their connectivity. I walked to each of them, because there are streets that unite them, and that, sometimes, are avenues or the Rambla Medular. Charming places, which invite to stroll, sometimes surrounded by trees and with its peculiar benches where to rest and observe the evolution of the city. But nothing like the coast: who has not gone walking along the shore of the tide, enjoying the sound of the waves along the Arrecife marina.
After touring them all on foot, I reiterate my thought that all neighborhoods must be treated equally, promoting those that have been left behind in time and maintaining those that are better. Not all are the same, however the charm of each one makes up the city in which we live and that, sadly, many do not know how to appreciate. Thanks to this initiative I was not only able to rediscover the unique beauty of each of them sharing it through social networks, but also to notice the needs and points to strengthen of all our neighborhoods of Arrecife
Nauzet A. Duque Torres, Secretary of Training and Action in Networks of the PSOE Lanzarote.
