It’s been a while, I know I know. I’ve been hiding in the mountains for the past few weeks. Somewhere near Granada, in a tiny town called Órgiva. Far away from cities, phones and laptops. Close to nature, to the changing phases of the moon, the sunrise and sunset, the snowy mountain tops. Close to the 23 people whose paths and lives crossed mine for a little while. Our interest in permaculture and love for nature brought us together, living in community while taking a permaculture design course for 16 days in the south of Spain.
I’ve been wanting to write about this experience of living in community, sleeping in my tent under the starriest sky I have seen in a long time. How every morning was magic. I would open my eyes and listen to the birds for a while, before crawling out of my sleeping bag into the crisp morning air. Pastel skies with a fireball of a sun rising over the mountains.
The kitchen would still be dark and quiet, the silence before everybody trickles in. Kettle on, 24 cups of tea. Toast and morning pages outside before class. As soon as the teacher arrived it was full power. Learning a million things an hour, from topics as diverse and interconnected as sacred geometry and how to build a compost toilet. Urban permaculture and food forests and so much more. My head is still digesting all the things I’ve learnt in such a short amount of time. An intense immersion into the wonderful world of permaculture.
Now I’m back home in Valencia, it all feels like a dream. Something that happened long ago in a faraway land. Ah! That forever inner struggle of longing to be fully submerged in nature and at the same time, to be entirely chewed up and swallowed whole by the city. The love for both, the not knowing how to marry them into a longterm passionate relationship.
I’m sure I’ll find a way. I’m still landing softly, taking the time to reflect on these past weeks and all the knowledge shared. Being surrounded by other humans 24/7, and now writing for hours on end in my little solo city nest. To make the transition softer and sweeter, I spent some days in Granada before taking the trip back home. Wandering the labyrinth streets of Albaicín, winter sun on my face. Soaking up all the coloured leaves and pure beauty that city oozes.
We were still a sweet bunch of us in Granada, sharing meals and memories of what felt like an important journey in our lives. The trip back to our roots, back to nature, back to basics. To me, it was a journey filled with gratitude for what I have, all I get to experience in this life, the inspiration everywhere, the family I'm so happy to surround myself with, and my dear friend and new wifey who joined the voyage, like a perfect honeymoon.
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