A Visit from my Granddad

During the summer, I had the opportunity to meet up with my granddad in Madrid during his trip to Spain. I hadn't seen my family in six months, so I was thrilled that the timing worked out. We went out for drinks, took a double decker bus around the city, walked around Puerta del Sol and went to La Mallorquina (the best bakery I have ever been to), went to the Sorolla Museum, and played lots of chess on the hotel patio using my mini chess board that I carry with me everywhere I go. My grandad taught me how to play chess last year after we both watched the Queen's Gambit on Netflix, and chess is now one of my favorite hobbies. What I was even more thrilled about though, is everything that my granddad can still do at 90 years old. Not only does he still travel internationally but he also paints the inside of his house, cooks meals from scratch and hosts dinners, drives his car and his motor boat, plays golf, walks miles without assistance, and has excellent mental acuity. Until his mid-80's he was skiing down mountains.

His secrets to longevity: being social, spending time on the ocean, petting dogs, spending plenty of time with loved ones, being active, not smoking, and eating healthy but also eating a candy bar every day. Yes, you heard that right. Some of my grandad's favorite candies are Jujyfruits, Mike and Ike, Charleston Chews, and Oreo thins. In general, choosing to do what brings him joy is why my grandad is still alive today. One of the things in life that brings him the most happiness is traveling. In his lifetime, my grandad has traveled to over eighty countries. Whenever he travels, he makes it a point to be out and about in order to learn about the history and culture of the place as well as meet locals. He always has interesting stories to tell from his time spent in other countries and I knew from a young age that I wanted to experience those things for myself one day. 

After I graduated high school, my grandad surprised me with a trip to Barcelona which would be my first time traveling to Spain. We got to spend one-on-one time together, walk all over the city, and learn a lot about each other. I appreciate how my grandad has always been an intentional gift-giver. He makes an effort to really get to know everyone in our family and give them gifts based on their interests. He also understands how much youth need quality time and as such, has started traveling one-on-one with each of his grandchildren in order to share his love for exploring new places with them. My grandad chose to take me to Barcelona based on my love for learning Spanish (I recognize Catalan is also an important language in Barcelona), being near the ocean, walking, and staying up late. He is especially good at being able to see from a young person's perspective because he stays informed about what is going on in the world and the younger generation. At the end of the trip, my mom asked my grandad and I to describe Spain in one word based on our experience, and we both said "vibrant". I knew Spain was a place I wanted to return to one day and I was grateful to my grandad for introducing me to it. 

However, when I was offered an opportunity to study abroad in Córdoba during my junior year of college, I hesitated to take it because the pandemic was still going on. Additionally, as a Neuroscience major and someone who is considering medical school, I worried about not being able to complete as many labs. My grandad who has always been a proponent of traveling, was one of the people who convinced me to go and reminded me of the benefits of learning outside the classroom. I am glad I listened to him because being abroad has been an amazing experience. Being abroad in Spain has reminded me of how important it is for me to make time for friends, family, and other loved ones. 

Although I was happy to have visited my grandad in Madrid, I was unable to attend his upcoming 90th birthday party at his house in Maine that my mom was putting together because I would still be in Spain. The theme of the party was American History and there was going to be a trivia activity. Even though I would not be at the party in person, shortly after I returned to Córdoba from Madrid, I was able to create and scan a piece of artwork to be printed on mugs which would be prizes for people who answered the trivia questions correctly. I decided to do a mixed media water color and colored pencil drawing of an old bar in my grandad's town that now serves as a café and place for people to gather after the town's only café shut down. Getting coffee at the café every day was an important part of my grandad's social life and I have fond memories of going there every morning when I visited him during previous summers. I met many different types of people who had done very interesting things in their lives and were eager to share their stories. I am grateful that the woman who had bought the old bar to prevent it from becoming more dangerous, graciously opened up that space to the town and has worked hard to make sure there is coffee every day and heat during the colder months. Although it is not the prettiest building, it has a beautiful meaning. I tried to capture that beauty through my art because the building represents the beauty of bringing people of all walks of life together, much like traveling does: 

I look forward to traveling with my granddad in the future. Although he loved many of the places he has traveled, his favorite has always been New Zealand. I hope I can experience this country with him one day even though he has cautioned me about traveling to New Zealand many times because "you'll never want to leave." As long as we both continue traveling, socializing, and eating candy, we will be well on our way to making that happen.