Sometimes it's hard describing where we live to people in the UK because it doesn't really fit in any category of housing location that we're used to. You'd never find this kind of neighbourhood in the UK. We live in a flat in a 14 floor apartment building, surrounded by other apartment blocks. The ground floor of some apartment blocks is used as shop space. We live right on the edge of the city. We also live at the foot of a mountain. The streets are wide in this neighbourhood and there are small parks dotted regularly around, with grass and trees. It's hard to find a large grassy space, big enough for a game of football or ultimate frisbee though. Although the apartment blocks are well spaced out, there are no detached or semi detached houses as you might find in the UK. There are a few detached houses right on the outskirts of the apartment block forest, usually either rather basic houses with land attached, or villa-type houses (often used as summer houses).
Does that make any sense to you?!
If it's a little hard to imagine, some pictures might help.
Our apartment building, situated right next to (behind) a mosque
Our apartment building on the right, surrounded by other blocks and with the mountain in the distance
The view from our balcony. This is what we mean when we say we live at the foot of a mountain. L uses the mountain for his running routes.
Another angle from our balcony
And looking the other way from the balcony
Our neighbourhood, from one of the playparks
And again from the same park
