Sonya's Patates Braavos: Edition #16 💌🥔

TLDR: Spain week three

welcome note 👋 

Hello, brave patates! 🥔 It’s nice to go away but it’s even nicer to come home.

travel blog 🇪🇸

Monday was our last full day at the resort on the Atlantic Ocean. In the morning, we went to the beach and then grabbed lunch in town at a nice local restaurant. Look at this incredible food that we only paid 43 euros (CAD$63) for: and we got at least 5 dishes + espresso + wine + beer. Canadian costs are so atrocious and going out is so unattractive nowadays. Anyways, then I did some work and listened to Misha’s first lesson as part of my coaching program. In the first lesson, we learned that every negative emotion is a result of cognitive dissonance - when our expectations don’t match our idea or prediction of reality. Dissonances are affected by temperament (personality), what you experienced as a child/youth/adult, and your surrounding environment and conditions. Many are not permanent and it is possible to change them with mindset work and experiencing tough emotions in a safe place with your coach, because it teaches your brain it is ok and forms new neuron pathways. Otherwise, many people stop just before the results because they are afraid to fully feel difficult emotions like shame or fear. Starting my course during the trip was enriching and interesting. Continuing to work, however, was too much of a mental load so I don’t feel like I got a “vacation.” My expectation was to feel relaxed and refreshed before a busy summer of work and I definitely don’t feel that, causing me some uncomfortable emotions. Jet lag is also a bitch lol.

Moving on, on Tuesday we took the train back to Madrid and stayed with David’s sister a couple more nights. We went shopping - Europe has a great range of sizes for short people, petite people, and a lot of bra size options that don’t exist in Canada. I had more meetings for my course - it’s very structured: new 1.5hr lecture every week, a group meeting with mentor coach and 12 students, a buddy meeting with 2 students to practice, and bi-weekly personal coaching with my own coach.

On Wednesday, we went to Toledo - an ancient town with a Jewish quarter. As long as there have been Jews, there has been antisemitism. In Toledo, Jews did not have a good time. “Under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toledo multiple persecutions (633, 653, 693) and stake burnings of Jews (!!!) (638 CE) occurred; the Kingdom of Toledo followed up on this tradition (1368, 1391, 1449, 1486–1490 CE) including forced conversions and mass murder and the rioting and bloodbath against the Jews of Toledo (1212 CE).”

We saw the Jewish quarter and the synagogue from the 14th century, which was then converted to a Christian church and then de-converted and turned into a museum. After seeing the Christian colonization so widespread throughout all of Europe, it was refreshing and healing to step foot into a Jewish building and see a David’s star. I felt incredibly emotional thinking of all the Jews who suffered in this town and throughout Spain, not to mention all over the world today. At least there was some common sense graffiti.

We got back on Friday and I’ve been sleeping 10-12 hours trying to recover. Being an ambitious overachiever I booked tickets to an event today. I am very glad I went though. It was to hear Adiel Cohen speak—he is an activist and a reservist IDF artillery commander who was on the ground in October and November. Great educational content on his socials. He showed us harrowing videos from October 7th.

till next time!