El Campo de Extremadura

An experience of a lifetime. I will be telling this story to my grandkids. It is a simple story but very profound to my experience here in Spain. As I have said in previous blogs, I am staying with a woman and her son. On September 13th, Joel and I finished class at noon. Javier then invited us to go to his "campo." I knew this word as campsite, countryside, and a field of sorts. However, Javier told us that he had a pool and a tennis court. So, I assumed we were going to a recreation center or gym. We drove about 12 minutes out of the city and into the countryside. Javier turned onto a long, dirt driveway and drove up to a gate of a fenced-in ranch. The ranch was very nice, very western-looking, and similar to that of New Mexico. The ranch house was decorated with luscious plants and ornaments. The tennis court, with some wear and tear, was funcionable. The pool gleamed with refreshing water. I felt immersed not only in the Spanish culture but with the culture of "Country Living Extremadura."

Javier's friends then came over with their guitars and tobacco (tobacco is very popular in Cáceres). For about 2 hours we sat next to the pool talking, laughing, and singing. His friends played Flamenco, a genre with a lot of popularity in Extremadura. Marcos, Javier's friend, would start a song on the guitar and then they would all chime in with lyrics. Very awesome. I played for them, "Simple Man" and "Free Fallin." They seemed to enjoy that.

Suddenly Marcos looked at me and said, "Quieres ver el campo?" Yes, I absolutely wanted to see the countryside. Ten minutes later, I was bouncing around the fields and hills of Extremadura, stuffed inside a small SEAT crawler, blaring Flamenco music, with five other amigos. A profound experience I'd say, being with Spanish friends in there hometown and having new experiences left and right. We were learning and gaining perspective, and impacting each others lives with love and kindness. Gracias mis hermanos.