Spain: Sustainable Communities and Immigration B 2023
June 29-30, 2023
We sat in JFK airport in a circle playing cards against humanity while we waited for our flight to board. While the wait was long, it was exciting and entertaining. Everyone was socializing and close friendships were found. We had a slight mechanical scan before we took off but luckily once we were in the air it was all smooth soaring. The flight it took decades. The anticipation mixed with the fatigue was suffocating. Yet, it was all worth it when we arrived. Everyone was tired but the group was practically buzzing. We boarded the bus and drove to a traffic packed but incredibly interesting and beautiful city.
We arrived to the Hotel Persal, dropped off our bags and then because our rooms weren’t quite ready we began our adventure through the historic city. We walked through Plaza del Sol and saw the center of Spain (0 km). Then, we continued down to the palace that was modeled after Versailles. In the garden, in the shadow of monarchy’s statue we played a few productive Ice breakers. Most of them were intended to help remember names, and most of them succeeded. The majority of us new all of not most of the names by the end.
Then we went back to the hotel in particularly nice weather and enjoy a two hour siesta break in our rooms. Some slept while others showered and played card games. We gathering in the lobby to begin the second part of our day. Together, as the family we were all quickly becoming, we walked to the beautiful Retiro Park.
As we arrived at the forest of shady trees and the movie that happened to be being made just next to us, we continued our orientation. We discussed our Goals, Values and Concerns for the trip and addressed every single one. No one left that park as nervous as they were when they entered. Sarah, Marta and Carlos succeeded masterfully in breaking the ice and establishing a baseline for the trip.
We also enjoyed some delicious Spanish snacks. After taking a quick photo in front of the glass place, we began our walk to the tapas restaurant. When we arrived we escorted upstairs to a white clothes room. It reminded everyone of the amusing lunch we had earlier that day where we emerged our self’s in the Spanish culture though food. Dinner was delicious and we tried many new tapas that pushed boundaries and formed new bridges. At the end of the day we were family. Everyone could tell that this was going to be an adventure to remember.
Finlay & Phoenix
July 1, 2023
We woke up to the beautiful smell of fresh pastries in to lobby of our hotel. We caught a fast train from Madrid to Málaga, Andalucía. We played games and told stories to pass the time, it was a great bonding experience. After a nice walk a the historic center of Malaga we had a traditional Spanish lunch “Menu del día” and we all tried the scorpion fish pie! We saw a medieval castle, which was worth the long and draining walk. We then visited the beach and had a long awaited swim in the ocean, and played a game of frisbee and had “dulces”.
We then used public transport to arrive to Rosario’s house to cook a homemade delicious Paella, non alcoholic sangria drink and cheese bread. The night ended with the host telling us she thought we had known each other for weeks!!!! It was a rewarding and enlightening day.
By Ava & Hadley
July 2, 2023
Today we woke up in Málaga and had breakfast at the hotel, at 8:30am we took a one hour bus ride to Nerja. When we arrived there, we first visited Las Cuevas, which were extremely spacious and they were full of huge stalactites and stalagmites, it was impressive! We learn about the history of the caves through a guided tour, which took about 45min. After exploring the caves we walked into the town. There were many jewelry, clothing and ice cream shops and beautiful white buildings with flowers and vines. After exploring the town, buying souvenirs and trying new foods, we headed to the beach. We swam in the cool and very clear water and had lunch at a restaurant right on the beach.
After lunch, the leaders of the day, Phoenix & Annabel, split the group up into pairs to go on a kayaking tour along the coast of Nerja. The kayaking guy, Juanca, navigated us through the rocky cliffs and to a swimming area. We had the opportunity to swim and explore the deep sea.
After that we kayaked back to shorre. We headed back to town, got ice cream and eventually headed back to the bus to travel to FES (la Fundación Escuela Solidaridad).
When we arrived in the community, we got settled into our house: Casa 7, and toured the community’s homes, gardens and work centers. We had dinner with the community and then headed back to the house to get some rest for tomorrow, when we start our community service.
By Annabel + Phoenix
July 3, 2023
FES (Granada): Everyone woke up around 8 am. At 8:30 we had breakfast with the community; croissants, fruit, bread and tomatoes with olive oil. We then went back to the meeting room to prepare for our service activities and decided on the tasks each group would work on.
The options included: mosaics, carpentry, furniture restoration, ceramic, ink-printings, cooking lunch, bread making, and candle making. The leaders were all community members and assisted us in our Spanish cultivation. The activities all helped the community grow in different ways; for example we ate the bread we made at lunch.
After lunch we had a “siesta” and then we headed to the pool, where we joined many students and we all swam together, we took turns jumping in the water (some of the resident teenagers did impressive trick jumps!!!!!). After the pool, we listened to some resident’s stories of their journey to FES and their origins. We also shared our own background. It was emotional hearing what they have gone through, but everyone was willing to share their journeys with passion.
By Ravi & Maya
July 4, 2023
Today had an abrupt start at 8am. The temperature was cooler than most days so far. We had a wonderful breakfast with the community. This was followed by circle time where the group was divided into smaller groups to learn new types of services. Some of the services included pottery, printing, cooking and cleaning. We split off and worked until lunch with a short break. I sculpted a pot for plants, and after break I made a candle. The candle making process was especially cool because we used recycled wax. Lunch was amazing because similar to breakfast and other meals at FES we got to eat and speak with members of the community. After lunch, we had a “siesta” followed by pool time. For dinner we were initially going to make our own pizzas, however the kitchen was too small to work in it all together. Instead we waited for pizza while taking turns playing in a heated ping-pong competition. The pizza and focaccia were delicious and they were made by the Italian volunteer Francesco. After dinner we were permitted more free time and with this we played soccer and hung out at the house where we are staying. We also swam in the pool at night under the stars. A final highlight from today was that we got to do laundry for the first time. Overall, today was a fun and memorable learning experience. Happy 4th of July to those who celebrated and…BUENAS NOCHES!!!
By Ava & Julia
July 5, 2023
The morning started with the usual scramble to get ready and breakfast with all of the FES residents in the dining hall. Luckily, it didn’t get hot until later in the day because the sky was partly cloudy. In la Casa Africana, we decided groups for each activity after an eventful sewage flood during breakfast. Ignacio and others did a great job at cleaning it up as much as possible. Finlay, Vivian, and I got to make candles and clay pots until lunch time. It was surprisingly difficult to work with the clay, but we thoroughly enjoyed it. Because of the dining hall fiasco, lunch was pool side and the residents generously let us sit and eat first, because we needed to get on a bus to Granada. When we arrived, we took a walk through a neighborhood and got to observe the difference between Christian and Muslim Architecture as well as spend time at two miradors (view points). We walked to a restaurant, where a dancer named Stefania gave us an hour-lang flamenco lesson. Learning that flamenco is 90% improvised made it seem infinitely more impressive. We started uncoordinated but by the end of the lesson we had gotten the hang of it. Afterwards, we went on a walk and got authentic Andalusian pastries. We had an early dinner around 6:30 pm (tapas!!) but I think many of us filled up on appetizers. The patio seating was a nice one, the sun got low in the sky. We had 3 teens From FES join us on our afternoon excursion and everyone that sat with them spoke in Spanish so that they felt included. Moments like that are reminders of the character of our group. At 8:00pm, we shuffled into a quaint performance room and watched an amazing flamenco show with two singers, two dancers, and an incredibly talented guitarist. We took a bus back to FES and did circle time in a plaza area with lot of cute stray cats. We divided into pool-goers and shower-ers until 11:30, but we’re now finally settling in for the night. We’re having a great time and many of us are thinking about our families, we hope you all have a good night!
– Sierra & Finlay
July 6, 2023
Today we had breakfast rushed to take the bus at 9:00 to the most visited site in Spain: the Alhambra. When we got there, we met up our super knowledgable tour guide, Juan, who’s been doing tours of the Alhambra for 30 years! Alhambra means “red” in Arabic and the palace is called so because of the color of the exterior. It’s obviously quite impressive from the outside due to its grand size, but it’s even more astonishing on the inside because of the intricate details covering the walls and ceilings. It was built by the Muslims in the 13th century, but conquered by the Spanish Christians in 1492 (the queen of Castilla promised to sponsor the journey of Cristobal Colón after conquering Granada). We saw the sultan’s quarters, the prettier quarters of the First Lady (whichever wife, concubine or slave bibe a son first), the chambers of the sultan’s other women, the steam baths, the gardens and the summer house (El Generalife, which means “The paradise of Allah”).
After the Alhambra, our group together with the four Peruvian teens and two new Italian friends from FES, we strolled through the streets of Granada to meet our Moroccan lunch location. We enjoyed eating a delicious menu with “tajin”, chicken kebab, humus, babaganoush and tea with baklava. Afterwards we got to do some shopping for ourselves and those back home. Shortly after we got to see Casa Kuna, where the products made at La Fundación are sold and the profit given back to the community. We also played “el amigo invisible” (Secret Santa) to get to know others in the group even more and support La Fundación. After a bus ride back to FES, we got to split into smaller groups and have diner in the families of the community in their homes. After sharing stories and experiences over delicious home cooked meals, a big party full of reggaeton, salsa, merengue, laughs, smiles and dancing broke out. After a long, joyous night, we wrap up and look towards to the days to come.
By Easton & Vivian
July 7, 2023
We started our day with breakfast at 8:30 with the FES community. We got our things together and distributed packed lunches. We had the option of either a ham and cheese sandwich or spinach omelette which we would be eating halfway through the hike. We left for lan Granada at 9 am alongside 3 students from the FES community however, we forgot Ignacio (the founder of La Fundación) so we had to come back to get him.
Upon reaching the trail, we were given safety instructions for the hike, and we were off! During
the hike, we stopped a few times for rest, hydration, swimming and lunch. We crossed hanging bridges, which were scary at first. On the way back, we came across a beautiful waterfall, and everyone stopped to get in. After the hike, we returned for a siesta at FES before tonight’s party.
During the siesta time we also swam in the pool of FES and played numerous different card games. Today was also Sarah’s birthday so we had to do some preparations for that as a beautiful card in which everybody in our group wrote a small message thanking and congratulating Sarah. After siesta we had an important circle time realizing all the suspense we kept for Sarah’s birthday during the entire day. When she came out we gave her a nice HAPPY BIRTHDAY in multiple languages and gave her the gifts! We continued at the FIESTA celebration for our departure. We had a barbecue dinner with hamburgers and snacks and the members of the community gave us handmade gifts for each one of us. We then thanked them all and jump into the pool!
We all had an extremely special and authentic experience in this unique community. We will be taking home everlasting memories and we all hope that the community continues to prosper and flourish as it is filled with wonderful people.
That was our last full day in FES. THANK YOU!
By Willa & Max
July 8, 2023
Today we woke up to our last day in FES, and after our last meal with the community, Ignacio gave an emotional parting speech. He emphasised his pride in us for our behaviour and action of sharing during our stay in La Fundación. We are extremely grateful for having met the amazing people living there, and for having been able to help them in some way. We truly made so many impactful friendships in such a short time. After breakfast, we cleaned up our rooms and headed for the bus, but not before sati f bye to the friends we made. In the bus we all slept and talked for a bit. We took a pit stop Teo and a half puts in. All of us got snacks or ordered food. After we ate, we got back on the bus and slept u til we were in Madrid. We swiftly walked to the hotel so we could make it to reach the Retiro park on time to get on the boats to spend a good time rowing in groups in the pond.
After that we changed clothes and ate dinner at Ginger. It was DELICIOUS!!! We ended the day with a nice ice cream and doing our circle time in La Plaza Mayor.
By Reilly & Cat
July 9, 2023
Today we had our first full day in Madrid, where most of us woke up to Julia’s voice on the phone informing us we were late for breakfast. After a very quick and delicious hotel breakfast, we met our guide Sebastian at La Plaza Mayor where he told us about Madrid’s fascinating history. As we walked through the cobbled-stone alleys, Reilly found and old skateboard in a tree and Sierra saw a Virgin Mary in the very faraway window of the Cathedral La Almudena, just at the same spot where in older times people were converted to Christianism after using their faith to see the virgin’s apparition. she saw it from the same spot where people were “convinced ” to see it lin the same way . During the tour, we learnt that Madrid fortress was built as a southern Muslim fortress with a perfect view of the Northern mountain range, making it easy to spot enemy troops from miles, or kilometres, away. After the engaging tour, we ate lunch at an Italian restaurant, La Tagliatelle, where we had ridiculous portions of pizza and pasta. We went back to our hotel for a small siesta and then walked to The Prado Museum to meet our tour guide Marta which was awesome! She gave us a super cool experience connecting the paintings with the royal history but that meant we had to walk the entire time. We learned about the Bourbon dynasty, the German royalty whose name we forgot, the war for Spanish succession, and what happens when people inbreed. We went shopping and had then tortilla española and tapas for dinner in a place where the old moat used to be.
After dinner, half of us went back to the hotel while the other half went to watch the new Indiana Jones movie. We wrapped up after a long day and can’t wait for tomorrow.
By Adler & Sophia
July 10, 2023
Madrid / Segovia / Amayuelas
This morning everyone struggled to get out of bed and made it to breakfast to 8:00am in order to catch our 8:30 bus from Madrid to Segovia, but we made it in time and most of us were able to get a little more sleep on the bus ride. Segovia is North of Madrid, and right once we arrived, we were greeted with 2000 year old Roman aqueduct. The city center is surrounded by a wall from the Middle Ages and situated in a hill, so the views was amazing as we walked through the city. We walked past the city’s beautiful cathedral adorned with two domed towers and floating buttresses. On the opposite site of the city from the aqueduct was a huge fortress that also served as a palace for many monarchs of Castile and eventually a few of unified Spain. We had a detailed one hour of the fortress place that explained its history and significance. At the end of the tour we got to go up to the top of the tallest tower of the fortress where there was an even more beautiful view of the city and surroundings territories. We then had lunch at a nice sefardí (Spanish Jews) restaurante where we ate dishes with lots of lamb, chicken and vegetables. After lunch, we had an hour to shop in Segovia before we took our 3:30 bus to Amayuelas, a small sustainable-living village. For the next few days, we will be staying with the founders of the village Melitón & Mariajo.
When the group arrived we got situated into our amazing rooms and played some volleyball after a tour of the property and “el palomar” which is a historic seed bank that before was a house for the pigeons to have their nests. The group settled down for some great soup, handmade bread and tortilla de patata for dinner and afterwards we reflected on our day together.
By Hadley & Easton
July 11, 2023
Amayuelas
We had an 8am wake up in the beautiful house where we are staying, and we enjoyed homemade bread and cake which was a pleasure to be able to eat.
After our meal we got ready for our activities which were brick making and building a room
out of the adobe bricks. Both groups were successful in their activities and managed to stay positive and engaged despite the sun and heat while in the middle of the fields. The room building group finished early and had a very
competitive mud fight with the mud we were using as cement. We then hosed off and moved a wood from a pile into the community’s woodshed. Then showered and got ready for a delicious lunch of “arroz a la cubana” (white rice with delicious tomatoes sauce and fried egg), homemade bread and finishing with fresh watermelon. We then enjoyed enjoyed a calm siesta time consisting of naps, card games and watching Spanish TV. We split off into groups again and our group made fresh bread and pizza dough together which was an incredibly unique experience and very rewarding to see our efforts pay off in the form of a delicious meal. We enjoyed the outside space in our house while waiting for our pizza to cook and we are all very grateful for the foosball table here!!!
By Phoenix & Ava Mae
July 12, 2023
Amayuelas
After this morning’s filling breakfast, the same groups from yesterday switched activities. Being on both sides of the two step brick-making process and our project of building a tool shed for the Amayuelas community made us feel fulfilled, accomplished, and proud of the work. After our service work, our welcoming host Melitón gave us an information tour of the tow/ orchard. After which followed an unbelievable lunch of locally sourced lamb. Once lunch was cleaned up, everyone went into the living room to watch some movies. The first movie we indulged in had relatively mixed reviews: though some appreciated the overall message. Easton’s initial reaction was “pur”. The movie finished and we then ate dinner: fish and rice, tortillas for the vegetarians. Then we frolicked in the hills of the surrounding land as the sun disappeared over the horizon. We ended the day with a thrilling circle time.
By Ravi & Vivian
July 13, 2023
Today we woke up to our last full day of activity service. We got decided into different groups so that we could accomplish our last morning learning from the people that live in Amayuelas. The groups first activities were building laying bricks. Ava H. and Adler stayed at the house and helped cook lunch and clean the house we are staying at. At about 11:30am, the groups came together just to get separated once more when we changed the work we were doing. We helped out watering trees previous Global Works groups planted here and helped pile up fire wood. After we got back to the house, everyone decided to chill until lunch time at about 1:30pm. Once all of us had finished lunch, we all gathered together at the “common area” were we watched “one upon a time in Hollywood” and then took a break from watching TV to make pizza and bread while another half of the group made origamis. After the activities, we went back to watching movies and we ended up watching “ The DaVinci Code” which took up our entire afternoon. During the movies, people kept bringing snacks, which resulted in all of us fighting for them.
One we sat for dinner, we ate pizza and had magnum popsicle for dessert. After dinner, we all went on a beautiful walk to watch the sunset. It was super fun for everybody and a great way to spend one of our last nights. When we came back we had a huge bonfire. The fire was enormous and powerful. We all received some paper and letters to reflect on our trip and to write a letter to our future self. When we finished writing our actual messages, we all decided to sign each others letters as a way to remember a nice final message from all the people. That was our last full day in Amayuelas and our last full day without traveling.
By Julia & Max
July 14, 2023
Today we woke up and had breakfast for the last time all together. We went on a walk around the Amayuelas countryside and ended our walk at the old pigeon house “palomar, which is now a seedbank. There, Marta led us in a yoga class. We then wrote sitting down in a circle to reflect upon our time in Spain. We discussed all we did throughout the trip from hiking and kayaking, to our community service projects in FES and Amayuelas. We discussed what we are going to take with us, what we are going to leave behind and one word to define our trip saying it with an intention to a basket full of seeds that afterwards we will spread to the fields. After this reflection, we walked back to the house to pack up our bags and to clean. The lunch was beetroot pasta, burritos and lots of bread. After our last lunch together, we left Amayuelas for a 3.5 hours bus ride back to Madrid arriving at 5:30 and getting ready for a night of Karaoke and our last dinner together. From 7 to 9pm, we sang songs and danced together with the other group of students from GW. At the end, the last special song we sang it was “Clocks” by Coldplay for our friend Ava. After, we had our last tapas dinner together and an ice cream while walking to the streets of Madrid, while reflecting on the program together and enjoying our time with our Global Works family for the last time. Before going to sleep, we got back our phones in order to be prepared four our journeys home in the morning.
By Annabel
