I can’t believe we are almost half way through the program. This week has been incredible and full of new experiences, especially ones that pulled me out of my comfort zone.
I started the week at the farm with Bernardo designing the chicken coop which really taught me a lot about my creative process and how much I truly love design. Tuesday night for about an hour, I walked around the space where the chicken coop would stand and my mind all of a sudden light up. I could see every possibility in front of me for this coop and some of my favorite parts of that hour were when I would run into problems. Solving those problems was the adrenaline that kept me going. I had so much fun, standing in 95 degree heat in an open field, just thinking. And I know by that feeling that I am a creative and a problem solver at the very core of me. Knowing that makes me confident that I will find my calling at some point, a little patience just might be necessary.
Wednesday and Thursday I was back at the farm, but this time not designing. Bernardo and volunteers had built a bio structure out of hay bales, a calcium hydroxide and sand mixture and a few supporting pieces of wood. It wasn’t quite completed yet. They needed to put another coat of the calcium hydroxide and sand mix on the inside walls and one of the outside walls. The consistency was sort of like watered down cement and we basically just spread it on the walls. It was simple, but exhausting work. There were four of us doing it and Bernardo was making more mixture as we went. But the feeling of accomplishment at the end was incredible. I always work for that feeling in everything I do.
So you might be wondering where's the hate you were talking about? Well, the heat is a killer. I don't do well in it and here it is getting to the point where it's heavy on your body and all the sweat just pours out of me. But honestly, that's all the hate I could possibly have for this place because it's so amazing there's nothing else to dislike.
Talking about the heat brings me to a bittersweet experience I had on Saturday while hiking the Cahorros in Monachil, a small town outside Granada city. Before I say anything else, I want to say that the hike was ABSOLUTELY worth it and I don't regret a thing. But, I misunderstood the intensity of the hike and my asthma and my B12 deficiency caught up with me quickly. It was very frustrating that I had to keep stopping along the trail to get my heart rate back down and my lungs functioning properly again. Luckily I had a friend to stay behind with me, but I was still very frustrated with my body. It felt like my body couldn't keep up with my mind because I just wanted to explore the beautiful forest and scenery around me. Having the destination of a waterfall kept me going and I was so happy to arrive and get in that cold water. I think I will always look back on the experience as a positive because of the stunning beauty of the place and how much joy it gave me by looking around. Even though the pain kept me back, I will never let it control me because then I would miss out on incredible experiences like that one and I will never let that happen.
Friday, Caroline brought up the idea of going to Sevilla on Sunday since we weren't doing anything else and being the spontaneous person I am, I signed right up. Caroline, Chiara, Megan and I booked tickets that night for a bus ride and small apartment on Saturday night. Meg booked a bus ticket for the morning and planned to meet us there. Our bus left at 6:30pm and thanks to the rockstar Caroline who stalled the bus driver for me, I didn't miss it. After the three hour ride, we found our home for the night in a cute little inn with a mixture of hostels and apartments. That night we went out for a drink and a peek at the town and since I had eaten very little, I needed a full meal in my stomach. We found a cute little Irish pub on the river with great fish and chips.
The next morning, we woke up with a mission and free breakfast to get us started. We walked around a beautiful neighborhood called Triana with lots of colorful buildings and then we made our way to the Plaza de España, my personal favorite of the day. The architecture was stunning and it was a gold mine for photographs. I loved being able to take pictures of my friends at this spot and getting to be creative with poses. That is my favorite type of photography, portrait, which I have only discovered in the past couple months, but I have loved exploring the genre.
After the Plaza, we went to the Palace which was incredible to explore. The style reminded me very much of the Alhambra and it seemed to go on forever. We got lost on multiple occasions. Our final stop was at the cathedral, known as the biggest gothic cathedral in the world and it wears the title very well. The minute I walked in I felt my heart skip a beat. The giant columns were bigger than I could ever imagine and the ceiling was so majestic. There was so many gothic paintings from many different artists and many tombs including the tomb of Christopher Columbus. After the cathedral, we had dinner at a Mexican restaurant and then headed for the bus station to go back home. I had blisters on my feet by the end of the day, but it was all worth it. The city will definitely go on my list as one of my favorites for sure.
And now I'm here. This past week was crazy, but so amazing and filled with many many memories. Here's to another!
