For me, the last couple weeks in Sevilla were a blur. So many things to do, to see, to enjoy, to love. It was different leaving Sevilla this time… I was content. I don’t know why. I was sad to leave, don’t get me wrong, but it was different. When I left Argentina after living there I was a waterworks show. Crying… sad… depressed… for days. I can’t explain why it was different in Sevilla. Perhaps, deep inside when I left Argentina I knew that I may never come back here to live… the life would never be the same as it was those past 11 months that I had been there… and for me Buenos Aires signified so much… I changed, I grew, I became someone I never knew I was, I taught, I loved, I cried, I lived, I did things I never thought I would, I felt change, I struggled, I fought, I saw life differently. I lived in Sevilla for the same amount of time as BsAs, but it wasn’t the same experience. I’m more mature now, I know what I want in life, I trust myself more, I feel more capable, I have more faith, I believe in myself more, and I know deep down (and not so deep down) that I will be back. Very soon.
G and I did the Camino de Santiago after we left Sevilla and it was magnificent, inspiring, unforgettable, galvanizing and fantastic. Can you tell I liked it? For those of you who don’t know what this is I’ll fill you in. A camino in Spanish is a ‘way’ or a path of some sort. There are many caminos across Spain that you can ride your bike, sometimes drive in your car, walk, run, ride a horse…. however you want you can take this path and there is always a certain destination. More traditionally caminos are considered pilgrimage paths or routes and have religious significances. The Camino de Santiago must be one of the top three routes in the world. There are many different ways that you can do the Camino de Santiago, but all of them have one thing in common, the destination. Santiago de Compostela is where the apostle James is believed to be buried and for this reason there has been a massive cathedral built on this burial ground and bam! the camino was created. Pilgrims from all over the world have traveled these routes, leading to Santiago, for hundreds of years all in search of different things. Nowadays many people follow these infamous routes for leisure, clarity, zen, challenge, holiday, love… you name it… I’m sure it has been a reason.
Since I heard about my friend’s camino experience last year, I have had an urge to do it also. So, as a closure for our time in Spain we decided to head up north to Galicia and do the last 120 kilometers of the camino (it is 800 total, but we only had about 5 days). Oh, and 5 days just wasn’t enough! I’m addicted now and want to do the whole camino next year! It was so cool. I can’t explain why it was… but I can try. You change as a person, things happen and this was only 5 days… can you imagine 5-6 weeks? The people you meet, the places you see, the ideas and thoughts you think about, and the times you have alone and with people make you a better person, no matter how you look at it.
An average of 24 km of walking a day it was the best way we could have finished our time in Spain. I kept a journal while I was walking, but it is full of way more rambles then this blog could ever handle.
Flying back home was exciting. I missed my family and spending a month at home was exactly where I needed to be.
More to come… as always.
L
