After our day of service we took a walk to the restaurant in a hotel called Hotel Rural Zerbinetta, which was on top of a big hill. The view was amazing as we ate dinner around a large table with the sunset in the background. During the dinner we shared our roses, thorns, and buds, sharing our wonderful experiences with each other, in turn furthering our group bonding. In our opinion, dinner and the day without phones was a great idea because it brought the group closer together. Throughout the dinner you could hear laughing, singing, and everyone just enjoying each other’s presence. We ended the night off with a long quiet bus ride back to the hotel.
This afternoon we went to a flamenco show that was, to say the least, incredible. The expression and passion of the dancers and musicians really gave us an incredible feeling and a lovely experience. The professionalism and skill of all those involved really made you question how much connection was between the performers and how much was rehearsed. If it had to be described in one word, it would be riveting. The guitarist’s fingers flew across the instrument with inhuman speed, the music was immaculate, and the callouts of those not dancing made it feel more like a family than a group of performers. They had a dynamic unlike anything we’ve experienced before. And you know it wouldn’t have been the same if it was in English. The Spanish language in the performance enhanced the authenticity and experience we had, not to mention that that we were all super close to the stage, and it felt like we were inside of the performance. If you ever get the opportunity, we recommend you see an authentic flamenco performance.
The last thing we did that day was dinner. We were all able to go off in groups of six to practice our Spanish and decide our cuisine for ourselves. We all ended up in the same restaurant for dessert before returning to the hotel. It was a lovely opportunity for bonding. Once we finished that, it was finally time for bed.
On Tuesday we did our service work in the town Dílar, where we did so many things. We were on a patch of land where we got to learn about permaculture. The entire area of land is very sustainable and healthy. The owners of the land, Irene and Mateo, don’t use chemicals for their plants, they use dry toilets, and the buildings use solar energy. We started by gathering in a dome where we would eventually learn flamenco. We then got to see the river, which was one of the clearest rivers we’ve ever seen. We then got to see their chickens, which we later fed the weeds that we cleared from their garden. They had water that came from an underground spring, which was incredibly fresh. Some students even claimed that there was a hint of mint. After getting some water, we split into two groups to work in the garden. One group was pulling weeds while the other was planting lettuce. After a quick break we switched.
Later in the day, after the aforementioned feeding of the chickens, we all gathered to play a creative team game that involved movement, chanting, and lots of repetition. After, we got to have a break for lunch and we had some delicious pasta made with home-grown ingredients (some students even helped Mateo with its preparation). We proceeded to a perfectly executed masterclass in flamenco. We did some rhythm practice and dove into some real moves and got to experience the emotion of last night, but actually got to perform and experience it from a different perspective.
After our day of service we took a walk to the restaurant in a hotel called Hotel Rural Zerbinetta, which was on top of a big hill. The view was amazing as we ate dinner around a large table with the sunset in the background. During the dinner we shared our roses, thorns, and buds, sharing our wonderful experiences with each other, in turn furthering our group bonding. In our opinion, dinner and the day without phones was a great idea because it brought the group closer together. Throughout the dinner you could hear laughing, singing, and everyone just enjoying each other’s presence. We ended the night off with a long quiet bus ride back to the hotel. Everyone was asleep.
Tomorrow we’re off to Córdoba!
Buenas noches,
-Janiel, Liam & Owen