Great Nature and Warm People in the Southwest

Old Town of Blue Sky

Santa Fe was the dream land for me.
Huge, blue sky above adobe buildings,

Something spicy in dry and warm air,

Look around from the plaza,
Talking, walking, driving cars,

Tastes spicy like Mexican food.

The old town Santa Fe is unforgettable.

Great Nature and Warm People in the Southwest

I noticed many differences between Spokane and the Southwest when I traveled to New Mexico and Arizona. First of all, I loved the beautiful and huge blue sky in the Southwest. In Spokane, most of the time, there is gray sky instead of blue sky. We sometimes can see the blue sky in Spokane, but there are a lot of trees and mountains, so we cannot see the whole sky from the horizon. Second, buildings were very different from Spokane. I saw adobe buildings for the first time in New Mexico. I thought there were a few abodes there because they were traditional architecture, but actually almost all the buildings were made by adobe, so I was surprised. I have never seen adobe in Spokane and there are usually common buildings or European buildings, so I felt a building in the Southwest is one of their feature. Third, there are many Spanish cultures in the Southwest. I was shocked by a clerk when I had a lunch for the first time during the trip because the clerk at Subway didn't understand my English at all. I didn't use any difficult words, but I wasn't able to make myself understood. I guessed she probably was Hispanic and had a different accent. I also met a Hispanic man at New Mexico University. My partner who talked in Japanese class said he can speak both Spanish and English as his mother tongue. I seldom see Hispanic people in Spokane, so I found differences in people. Finally, I felt there were many Native American cultures. I thought the Southwest has three mixed cultures, English, Hispanic, and Indians. I visited some shops and restaurants which were managed by Native Americans. Also, I visited some museums about Native Americans. There are also Native American areas in Washington States, but I don't think they are related to people's lives. In Santa Fe downtown, the jewelry and tourism are very related to Native Americans because there is a area where only Native Americans sell jewelry. There were many differences in the Southwest, but I loved the great nature and warm people.