I grew up in a beautifully designed city with a modern architecture style of the 60s and 70s. Can you imagine? The designs normally limited to mansions by a coast and involving expensive architects was made available to the masses in a third world country throughout my childhood.
First it was my parents and myself in one of these "small family" units.
Then we moved to a townhouse elsewhere.
Here is an areal view showing some of the villas in the same style of the neighborhood. You are also looking at a portion of my high school. That is its pool.
Every school day, I went through here.
To go to this primary school.
Adjacent to this... whatever it is.
And yes, I had to go to this nearby mosque. Thanks to the lady who took these pictures of herself.
I enjoyed going to this McDonald's.
Then I went to this middle school.
Here is an areal view showing a nearby mall I used to go to after most school days.
Rotating a bit is where my van-pool driver lived, I think.
And this is where I went to summer school and the neighborhood where a friend lived. They had steep carpeted stairs we used to slide down over and over again.
Going back towards my neighborhood from here, you had to pass by "bachelor housing" in one neighborhood...
Onto "high-density housing" or apartments in a different neighborhood right next to mine.
Which had lots of space for congregating and kids.
Not to mention how wonderfully, whimsically, and simplistically it was designed... at least in certain parts of it like this streetlight shining over a random bench next to a parking lot facing a wall with a grid of holes.
And that's the end of the photo tour. Of course, I never really want to go back there physically. The city is run down now. Look at the paint. And that's just minor damage.
And it is really much different than what I think or remember. The city lives in the decaying present. My memories are from the past and live in me. For example, this is how my middle school really looks like compared to an earlier much more romantic shot.
The whole city is just a bunch of parcels... in the middle of sand, built by royal declaration (read: money), for much higher economic reasons than mere beauty, and had to be nursed through 4 reigns. But this is how I see it, because I grew up there and I love it.
Alas, I wouldn't choose to socialize with the inhabitants, nor they me. But the memories and nice feelings remain and live on in the image of this style of architecture and whatever triggers it. Most importantly, they live in me and symbolize inner joy which I can now summon using this imagery anytime I forget, or locate it in anything I see.
Ahh, I miss you my dear city.