My life is a movie

So I finally have some time to recap on my last weekend even though it’s almost the next one. This is going to be a long post, but I think this ridiculously amazing weekend deserves it. I decided at some point during our trip to the Spanish countryside that my life is a movie script that someone wrote, and I’m just acting out. Seriously, on several occasions this weekend I just stopped and asked myself, “Is this really my life right now?” The hardest part for me in writing this post is how to break it down. I think the best way would be to explain the set up and the key figures before going into the events.

Let me explain: My friends Liz and Preetal from the UVa program have been here the whole year, and last semester, they met a group of guys. One of them, Rafa, is from Formentera (an island south of Ibiza), but lives in Valencia most of the time. He is extremely nice and speaks perfect English because he lived in London for a year. He is the one who invited us to his house in the country about a 30-minute train ride from Valencia.

Rafa: a professional writer that is independently wealthy somehow. I’m not sure how he pulls it off, but from what I hear, he spends his days reading and writing. Oh, to be that lucky. He also plays a bunch of instruments and loves to play for us when we visit with him.


(Rafa on the left; Ulises on the right)

Ulises: Rafa’s brother that I didn’t meet until this weekend. I think he lives in the country house the whole time. He is an amazing guy and made us feel SO welcome from the first minute we arrived. When we got a tour of the house, Rafa had his own side with a living room full of books and couches, but Ulises’s side was the epitome of a minimalist’s haven. We walked up the stairs to his room, which is shaped like an L with hardwood floors, white bare walls, and giant windows. There’s a rug where he does his yoga and a mattress on the floor to sleep in. It seemed to suit his personality so well, and I thought it was awesome. He also sings Flamenco beautifully. Like he could give anyone goose bumps.

Viktor: We met him on Friday night when we got to the house. He’s a friend of Ulises and came from Barcelona to stay for the weekend. He is hands down the friendliest guy I have ever met. That means a lot considering all the people I’ve met, but Viktor definitely takes the prize. It wasn’t an act like everyone else I know. He was genuinely a very nice guy who made us feel at home even though it wasn’t even his house. He is a true wandering soul and everything he talks about makes him even more interesting. He is originally from Kyrgyzstan, but somehow is part German too and moved to Spain a couple of years ago to be with his girlfriend and didn’t know a word of Spanish when he did. Now he speaks German, Russian, Spanish and English really well. He studied economics for a while in Germany, but now works at a bar in Barcelona and is hoping to work for the tourism industry in Spain. He has crazy blue eyes that look right into you and an amazing smile. I’m pretty sure we all fell in love with him.



Nico: good friends with Viktor, there for the weekend, as well. He works for a non-profit in Africa and gave a presentation on it while we were there. We also painted murals for the children so he could send them to Africa. He speaks some English too, but definitely quieter than Viktor. The two complemented each other really well.

The country house:
So after several not-so-funny and some kind-of-funny jokes about us getting sold into white slavery this weekend, when we got to this adorable villa, we knew everything would be okay. It was built in 1885 and they use it as a resort kind of where people can pay for a weekend getaway. Some people showed up Saturday night, but we had the luxury of not having to pay. Again, Rafa is ridiculously nice. The house is dead in the center of rows after rows of orange groves. It was the perfect escape from the city with the mountains in the background and a river than runs nearby. At night we could see a million stars from the second-floor balcony. Definitely no TV, radio, or any other annoying technology that would take away from the atmosphere.



Friday: We got there at like 9 o’clock Friday night, and some people were already there. We all had some wine and sat down while some really nice guy made us all the most amazing dinner ever. It was this awesome spread of Spanish tortilla, tofu, sausages, salad, and bread. We all got to know each other, and I sat in between Viktor and Nico. We chatted for a bit, especially over the fact that I am studying politics. Apparently it is a huge deal with these people who all hate government and everything it stands for. I didn’t know they spoke English, though, so I gladly had this whole conversation in Spanish. After dinner, we all sat around talking (mainly in Spanish since a few people didn’t know English) and listening to music that everyone played.

Saturday: We woke up and had some coffee and breakfast and then got ready to go hiking in the mountains near the house. We rode over in Mario’s and Manu’s cars (it’s really nice having Spanish friends who can drive) and then began the adventure. We walked by the ruins of a 15th century monastery and tried to sneak in, but there was someone who worked in the park doing work on it. Instead, we all relaxed by this little pool while Viktor taught all the girls how to do yoga barefoot in the grass. I forgot to mention it was 60 degrees and not a cloud in the sky, so it felt amazing. We then began what I affectionately call the hike from Hell. At some point, we lost the trail and Viktor and Rafa were leading us up an animal trail through thorns and underbrush for a solid 45 minutes. All the girls were fed up and wanted to turn around, but we eventually made it to the real trail and then all the way to the top. I’m glad we made it though, because the view was breathtaking. From the top, you could see the whole Spanish countryside, including mountains on one side and the Mediterranean on the other. We hung out at the top for a while, and Rafa and Viktor shared some funny personal stories. Then we headed back to the house.







When we got back, we were all kind of starving, but it was around 6 and we didn’t want to make anything if we were having dinner at like 10. However, Viktor went around asking everyone in the house if they would like something, so he then went and whipped up some couscous. When he asked me if I wanted some, I was thinking just plain old white couscous that would be ready in 5 minutes. Well, 30 minutes later after I’d showered and everything, Viktor comes out of the kitchen with this amazing plate of couscous and fresh vegetable salsa he whipped up on top. The best. Couscous. Ever. I HAVE to learn how to make that vegetable salsa. I dream about it every night.

After a while, more people showed up for the resort part of the house. We were all kind of hanging out with each other and relaxing. I got into a pretty intense argument with Manu (in Spanish since he doesn’t speak English) over socialism versus capitalism since they can’t believe capitalism and I can’t get over how socialist all of Europe is. I only wish I knew more words in Spanish so I really could’ve driven my point home. I’m not sure if Manu likes me anymore, though. After a while, Nico began his presentation on Africa. I went to help make dinner for the 30ish people staying in the house, and eventually everything came together for a really good dinner at a candle-lit table set for 30 in Ulises’s workshop out back. I don’t know how they did it, but everyone was fed and we had really good food. Once we cleaned up, all the guests helped make a collage to send to the African children. Then we had a concert with bagpipes and some instrument I’d never seen before. I was dead at this time, so I went to sleep early.

Sunday: We woke up so rested and decided to go for a walk down to the river. The morning was gorgeous as we walked past all the orange trees and mountains in the background to the quiet river. We spent some time there relaxing and eating fresh oranges before heading back. Back at the house, we made it just in time for some café con leche (and Viktor was the one who made it and asked if we wanted some). Then the yoga class began, so I went up to Ulises’s room where about a dozen of us fit to take my first yoga class. I think I understood most of it, even though it was in Spanish. It was really relaxing, and I want to keep doing it.





After yoga, Rafa asked if we wanted some orange juice. I said yes, so we grabbed some bags and went out into the orange groves to pick our oranges. When we got back, we made fresh-squeezed orange juice that was absolutely the best I’ve ever had. Then, Ulises began making the veggie paella for lunch while Preetal got her hair cut because she had been wanting bangs and one of Ulises’s friends who had shown up for lunch was a hairstylist. Seriously. What are the chances. And furthermore, this girl and her friends were also incredibly nice people that we all fell in love with, too.

We helped set the table that had been moved outside into the front yard because the weather was just so beautiful. So about 20 of us sat around this giant table on Sunday afternoon, eating delicious paella, drinking wine, and enjoying the gorgeous weather in the middle of orange groves. After lunch, Rafa got the guitar, and he and Ulysses played music for us, and the new girls sang along for some of the songs. It was seriously a scene out of a movie.

When we moved back inside, Niko wanted our help making one more collage to send to Africa, so we all gathered around and helped him. By this point, the vino was setting in, so my creative juices were really flowing. I helped do a solid chunk of the collage.



Then they drove us back to the train station and we all reluctantly got on the train to head back to the city. I wasn’t kidding when I said best weekend ever. I can’t wait for the movie version of my life to come into theaters. I just need to figure out how I’m going to cope with going from doing yoga and drinking fresh orange juice in the Spanish countryside on a Sunday morning to running to Bodo’s in desperate search of a hangover cure once I’m back in Charlottesville.