Between the hours of 3:00pm and 7:00pm, while walking down the streets of Harlem River Drive in Washington Heights for the first time in my life, I noticed that even though the place was completely unfamiliar, I still felt somewhat at ease. I found comfort in the fact that most of the people surrounding me where Hispanics as well, and despite the fact that they were total strangers, they gave me a friendly smile. I noticed how people who share commonalities seem to clique easier, in comparison to others. I distinctly recall this man and woman, who were both accompanied by dogs, walking on opposite directions on the sidewalk. As soon as they passed each other, the man stopped because the dogs started to smell each other, as dogs usually do. I could not make out or hear what the man and woman said to one another due to the fact that I had my headphones in, but I did notice that the woman smiled pleasantly, and then walked away with a smile on her face.
As I kept strolling along the sidewalks, a familiar smell opened up my nostrils. It was the smell of Spanish food, and it reminded me of home so much that it made me a bit nostalgic. As I looked around, I saw a few restaurants opened, clothing stores full of customers, and a school whose playground was full of screaming children and teenage boys playing basketball. I thought about the park right outside of the building where I live, and how everyday when I came home from school, it would be packed with boys playing a basketball game, or even handball. I thought about how most of those boys probably didn’t know each other, but since they shared the same interest in ball, they would automatically become cool with each other.
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