The chapter Hydra House, in Cisneros’s “A House of My Own: Stories from my life” talks mainly about her residence in Greek when she decided to become a writer. There are multiple essays throughout this chapter; some depicting life in the Hydra House in Greece, and some about her life in the States.

When describes the Hydra House is an extremely positive and dreamy manner: “It had a high garden wall, thick walls, gentle lines, and rounded corners, as if carved from feta cheese. From the upstairs bedroom window you felt you could leap and soar over the town, a geometry of sparkling sugar cubes…” The way she describes her abode in Greece makes it seem like it is the IDEAL home in the world. Everything is so fantasy-like, and it seems like it would be the best place to be in the world. She goes on to include small snippets of her life back in the States, and when compared to Greece, it’s like living in a run-down shack. Given it was a story from eighth grade, it provided great contrast to what her life is like currently. She describes the incident where a boy stole her first kiss, and that story exuded nothing but sketchy vibes, at least for me. Looking at the sketchy city scene next to the Hydra House in Greece shows you how much Cisneros loves it there.

The Hydra House provides great significance to Cisneros. Not only is it such a beautiful place, it also helps her focus on her goal, being a writer. Living in a such a fantasy-like place helps her feel at peace, and can inspire her.

My own Hydra House would be very similar to Cisneros’s. My dream living situation would be somewhere on an island, like Hawaii, where the scenery is just so incredibly breathtaking. I love nature, and find it incredibly inspiring and motivating, so with all the nature around me in Hawaii, I feel I would be in the same situation as Cisneros; I would be ever inspired and love it there.