Anecdotes from Cadiz Part 3: Surprise on the Hilltop

 When I was at Bolonia Beach in Cádiz, with the Italian-speaking friends I made during the trip, I spent a significant amount of time taking in the amazing views from where we were sitting: the clear turquoise ocean, the soft white sand, the green dunes and other plants, and the mountains in the distance. In particular, I couldn't help but notice the large hill behind where we were sitting. It was quite steep and I was curious about what was at the top. Given that the views of the ocean and landscape were already amazing from where we were, I predicted that an even more amazing view was on the other side of the hill. I imagined beautiful cliffs with the ocean below. I knew I wouldn't be able to leave the beach without knowing what was on the other side of the hill. Who knew when I would be back at Bolonia Beach again. It was either now or possibly never.

I asked my friends if they wanted to hike up the hill with me. Although most of them were too tired and too hot, I had one taker, which was all I needed. We put on another layer of sunscreen then grabbed our beach cover ups and flip flips (the only hiking equipment we had with us), and made our way toward the hill. I could already feel my feet getting hot from the sand, but that wasn't going to stop me. As we climbed up the hill, my friend and I talked about a wide range of topics, to how hot the sand was to our hopes and dreams. We paused every now and then to take in the vastness of the sand as well as observe the interesting driftwood and stones we encountered. A little while later, my flip flop broke, but that wasn't going to stop me either. We continued hiking up the hill, and as we approached the top, my heart was racing with excitement. This could be the moment when I experience the most beautiful view of my life.

However, this excitement turned to disappointment a few minutes later when we reached the top. There was no ocean on the other side of the hill; there was only sand and shrubs as well as an older woman with pink hair in the distance. At least I had an answer to my question, but it was also frustrating to have hiked so far only to find nothing interesting.

As I was deep in thought, the woman approached me and my friend and said something I didn't understand. It sounded like Italian, which was confirmed once my friend responded to her. My friend proceeded to take the woman's picture (which must have been what she had asked). Then they began to converse. Fortunately, both of them knew Spanish and were able to translate so I could be included in the conversation too. The woman explained that she was talking about how traveling doesn't always open your mind. She knew people who had been to more places than her, yet were close-minded. Therefore, it’s not how many places you go, it’s what you do there. Are you seeing the place for what it is or are you living in a separate world of complete luxury where people wait on you hand and foot? It’s the effort that you make to understand the history and culture of the place you visit and to connect with the people there. It’s the effort you make live the way the people of the place live or at least try to understand how they live. It’s the effort you make to learn the stories of others and share your own. It’s the effort you make to pause and observe what is around you when something is taking awhile rather than wanting to get to the next item on the itinerary.

This conversation made me feel proud of my decision to study abroad through a language and cultural immersion program, when I could have done an easier program that did not have a language component and wasn't as immersive. My experience in Spain has opened my mind and I am grateful to the woman at the top of the hill for reminding me how far I have come on my journey abroad.