Wow!! What an unexpected turn of events last week!! My friend and travel companion for the next month broke her ankle while "walking and talking" (something they encourage during the English Immersion programs because the theory is that it helps keep the conversation flowing more smoothly in English, but it's something I don't usually do because I like a lot of eye contact to best understand the conversation - and I'm afraid of tripping if I'm not watching the ground!! I now feel justified)!! Sorry, I got a bit off-topic!!
So ANYWAY.... poor Durdaana stepped into a hole she didn't see and BOOM - fell to the ground!! We thought it was just a sprain, so she hobbled around on it for about 12 hours, but then she wisely went to the hospital to get it checked out (since we had an interpreter and figured the care might be easier to get in Spain than Morocco - which was our next planned destination)! Good thing she did because it was a fractured fibula, and she'll be in a cast and on crutches for quite a few weeks!! She definitely wouldn't have been able to navigate the winding streets and multiple stairs in Morocco, so we decided to cancel that part of our trip!
After a few days of discussing options and "sorting things out" (while still doing all of our usual talking and participating in the Program), we decided it would be best (and easiest) for her to return home as soon as possible. I decided I wouldn't continue with our Morocco plans because it might not be the best place for a single woman - not bad or scary, but perhaps not as easy to navigate as some countries.
Soooo.... just like a snow globe that looks all peaceful until it is turned upside down and shaken, my plans changed and my trip was "falling to pieces" (or so I thought for a split-second when I was extremely tired and feeling overwhelmed - until I reminded myself that everything always works out as it is meant to, but not always as expected)!!! And just like the snow globe looks beautiful in a different way with snow covering the landscape, it turns out my experience will be just as beautiful as the one I had originally planned - it will merely look different!
I wasn't sure what to do next since it was all last-minute and unexpected, so I asked if they might need a volunteer for this week with the English Immersion program. It turns out they had a last-minute Spanish addition, so they needed one more volunteer (and the timing was impeccable)!! And as if that wasn't a clear enough example of manifestation/providential intervention, there was more!!
After I found out my first week was covered (figuring that would give me time to find a house-sitting opportunity or an inexpensive AirBnb or something), I had a lovely one-to-one session with a Spanish participant who asked if I would stay with them and help them practice their English! At first was hesitant because I didn't want to be an imposition (I always fear that people are "just being nice" and feel sorry for me or something.... maybe something to explore internally....?!?)!! But something inside said, "Why not?!? Take a chance and trust that they really want you to stay!!" So I agreed!!
And "just like that" (I'm snapping my fingers), and with very little stress or effort, the 3 weeks I had planned to spend in Morocco were covered!! A new plan emerged that is just as beautiful (and Morocco will always be there for future trips)!! And to top it off, I felt very honored because I had not one but TWO invitations from different Spanish participants to come and stay with them and their families (as their guest, and in order to practice English when they are at home in the evenings)!
One of the other participants had asked me earlier in the week if we would like to come to their house for dinner, but we were scheduled to leave for Morocco on Friday night just after the program so we had to decline. Later in the week when he found out our plans had changed, he invited me to stay with his family!! I had already committed to stay with the other family, but I felt honored to be asked!!
I ended up taking the first participant's offer and met his sweet family on Friday evening after the last program, but then I also got to meet the second family on Saturday when they invited me to lunch (with an open invitation to visit/stay with them anytime)!! And THIS is what I love about Spanish culture (and a more personal/intimate kind of traveling) - the open hospitality to visit, the long, relaxed afternoons that turn into evenings filled with chatting, neighbors and friends stopping by, and lots of laughing and connecting! It's hard to imagine most people in the United States inviting a complete stranger into their home for a long lunch or for two weeks (although I know it happens!!), but I'm amazed at how many offers like this I've received from the wonderful Spanish participants in these programs!!
I'm often asked by the participants why I volunteer my time, pay for my own airfare and accommodations (before and after the program) just to "work" for 10 hours a day speaking English?!?! It's hard to explain that it's all about the relationships and connections with new people in different cultures that makes me feel like I AM the one who is receiving a gift by participating in these programs!!
When I'm a tourist and wandering around just looking at sights in a city, I'm not really able to connect with people (maybe a short conversation with a waiter or someone, but not the deep, meaningful connections I find in these programs)! I feel like it is a gift I can receive only with close connections to individual people within a culture. It's the perfect example of "slow travel" that I'm always talking about....not just seeing 10 cities in 10 days, but REALLY connecting with each others' humanity, kindness, generosity, compassion and JOY!!
Soooo....here I am again in Barco de Avila excited about the opportunity to connect with even more people (although I'm feeling a bit exhausted after two full weeks of talking!!), and very happy I'll be visiting with "my Spanish family" for a couple weeks after this program before heading to Barcelona in March to meet up with my sister Carol for a bit of sight-seeing and yet ANOTHER English Immersion program (this time on the south coast of Spain staying in a beautiful seafront hotel in the sunshine)!!
I have a short break, so I think I'll rest up a bit, but I just wanted to keep you posted on the latest upheaval and wonderful twists and turns of my Journey!! Xoxoxo
P. S. I didn’t get much time to sightsee last week, so I’m just posting a picture of the Summer Palace in Aranjuez that was DIRECTLY across from our hotel (very cool!!), and a picture of me back at Barco de Avila!!
So ANYWAY.... poor Durdaana stepped into a hole she didn't see and BOOM - fell to the ground!! We thought it was just a sprain, so she hobbled around on it for about 12 hours, but then she wisely went to the hospital to get it checked out (since we had an interpreter and figured the care might be easier to get in Spain than Morocco - which was our next planned destination)! Good thing she did because it was a fractured fibula, and she'll be in a cast and on crutches for quite a few weeks!! She definitely wouldn't have been able to navigate the winding streets and multiple stairs in Morocco, so we decided to cancel that part of our trip!
After a few days of discussing options and "sorting things out" (while still doing all of our usual talking and participating in the Program), we decided it would be best (and easiest) for her to return home as soon as possible. I decided I wouldn't continue with our Morocco plans because it might not be the best place for a single woman - not bad or scary, but perhaps not as easy to navigate as some countries.
Soooo.... just like a snow globe that looks all peaceful until it is turned upside down and shaken, my plans changed and my trip was "falling to pieces" (or so I thought for a split-second when I was extremely tired and feeling overwhelmed - until I reminded myself that everything always works out as it is meant to, but not always as expected)!!! And just like the snow globe looks beautiful in a different way with snow covering the landscape, it turns out my experience will be just as beautiful as the one I had originally planned - it will merely look different!
I wasn't sure what to do next since it was all last-minute and unexpected, so I asked if they might need a volunteer for this week with the English Immersion program. It turns out they had a last-minute Spanish addition, so they needed one more volunteer (and the timing was impeccable)!! And as if that wasn't a clear enough example of manifestation/providential intervention, there was more!!
After I found out my first week was covered (figuring that would give me time to find a house-sitting opportunity or an inexpensive AirBnb or something), I had a lovely one-to-one session with a Spanish participant who asked if I would stay with them and help them practice their English! At first was hesitant because I didn't want to be an imposition (I always fear that people are "just being nice" and feel sorry for me or something.... maybe something to explore internally....?!?)!! But something inside said, "Why not?!? Take a chance and trust that they really want you to stay!!" So I agreed!!
And "just like that" (I'm snapping my fingers), and with very little stress or effort, the 3 weeks I had planned to spend in Morocco were covered!! A new plan emerged that is just as beautiful (and Morocco will always be there for future trips)!! And to top it off, I felt very honored because I had not one but TWO invitations from different Spanish participants to come and stay with them and their families (as their guest, and in order to practice English when they are at home in the evenings)!
One of the other participants had asked me earlier in the week if we would like to come to their house for dinner, but we were scheduled to leave for Morocco on Friday night just after the program so we had to decline. Later in the week when he found out our plans had changed, he invited me to stay with his family!! I had already committed to stay with the other family, but I felt honored to be asked!!
I ended up taking the first participant's offer and met his sweet family on Friday evening after the last program, but then I also got to meet the second family on Saturday when they invited me to lunch (with an open invitation to visit/stay with them anytime)!! And THIS is what I love about Spanish culture (and a more personal/intimate kind of traveling) - the open hospitality to visit, the long, relaxed afternoons that turn into evenings filled with chatting, neighbors and friends stopping by, and lots of laughing and connecting! It's hard to imagine most people in the United States inviting a complete stranger into their home for a long lunch or for two weeks (although I know it happens!!), but I'm amazed at how many offers like this I've received from the wonderful Spanish participants in these programs!!
I'm often asked by the participants why I volunteer my time, pay for my own airfare and accommodations (before and after the program) just to "work" for 10 hours a day speaking English?!?! It's hard to explain that it's all about the relationships and connections with new people in different cultures that makes me feel like I AM the one who is receiving a gift by participating in these programs!!
When I'm a tourist and wandering around just looking at sights in a city, I'm not really able to connect with people (maybe a short conversation with a waiter or someone, but not the deep, meaningful connections I find in these programs)! I feel like it is a gift I can receive only with close connections to individual people within a culture. It's the perfect example of "slow travel" that I'm always talking about....not just seeing 10 cities in 10 days, but REALLY connecting with each others' humanity, kindness, generosity, compassion and JOY!!
Soooo....here I am again in Barco de Avila excited about the opportunity to connect with even more people (although I'm feeling a bit exhausted after two full weeks of talking!!), and very happy I'll be visiting with "my Spanish family" for a couple weeks after this program before heading to Barcelona in March to meet up with my sister Carol for a bit of sight-seeing and yet ANOTHER English Immersion program (this time on the south coast of Spain staying in a beautiful seafront hotel in the sunshine)!!
I have a short break, so I think I'll rest up a bit, but I just wanted to keep you posted on the latest upheaval and wonderful twists and turns of my Journey!! Xoxoxo
P. S. I didn’t get much time to sightsee last week, so I’m just posting a picture of the Summer Palace in Aranjuez that was DIRECTLY across from our hotel (very cool!!), and a picture of me back at Barco de Avila!!
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