I want my friends in Spain to know that I miss them. Not only do I miss the aspects of the culture and the traditions of years of history and ancient remains, but I miss the people. Each region is different and just like in any country, each person is unique. And yes, each person is special. Some of my friends I made in Spain are native to the country and some are not and living in Spain as foreigners.
In the northern region of Asturias are my musician friends. I got to sing with a trio of them and enjoy performing a concert of classic jazz standards. We would get lunches together and they would give me much-needed correction and practice for my Spanish-speaking skills. A few times we enjoyed salsa dancing and being out in Oviedo till five in the morning. The Spaniards start their fun late at night and go all night.
Rota, Spain along the southern coast in Andalucia is where I got to live for a month with fantastic women who are originally from the US. Mother and daughter Sara and Carolina became like family to me. Cooking my dinner creations in their kitchens were like enjoying a date with myself. I love cooking and believe it to be therapeutic, especially after what a good time I had cooking there. The three of us enjoyed good food, wine and cheese, walks on the beach and chic flicks in the evenings. I got to know their Spanish community of friends and enjoyed discovering the history of the ancient town of Rota as well.
The center of Spain is for me the heart of the country and perhaps I am rightfully biased because it holds someone dear to my heart as well; my mother. Spending time with her in the small rural village of Higuera la Real in Extremadura were some of the most special moments of my recent time in Spain. The countryside there were my playground, delighting me with walks along dirt roads, past fields of sheep grazing below olive trees. The skies there are bright blue and the clouds that develop there are spectacular, not to mention the sunsets. Here is where I experienced the feel of time. It taught me of the layers of history and the energy that remains in the land and people, the buildings and the towns, from all the thousands of years of civilization that have existed there.
I miss you Spain! And how does it feel, this missing you? It’s full of the faces of my friends and family that I spent time with there. It wasn’t just about the times with friends and family…it was also a combination of the precious times I spent on my own as well. Those quiet times alone to be with my own thoughts and to simply sit in my feelings. Amazing, how one can face things during times like this and come to know and trust themselves. I feel this opened me up to experience and feel Spain in an even deeper way that I ever have before. Through God, me and others is how I really experienced Spain and that is the Spain that I miss. My heart is with you still. Not a day goes by that I do not think of you and I am working to get back to you soon!
