February 3rd, 2017

Is there a certain instrument that reminds you of a specific place or your past? When you listen to that instrument, do you close your eyes & remember a specific memory the instrument's song reminds you of?

For me, that happened today in performance seminar. There were a series of guitar performances, seven if I remember correctly.

The first performance, done by my friend Alexander Moore, reminded me of the time my sister and I got in an umbrella fight under the aqueduct in Segovia. Another song reminded me of my family's travels in El Valle, Panamá. I remember looking out into the lush, colourful valley & it seemed endless. I also remembered how windy it was in El Valle. It was still about 70ºF outside, but it was less humid & the gentle breeze (or Brees haha) cooled us off. I remembered the trees, the flowers, & the towering patches of grass blowing in the wind as we were driving up the mountain.

Another performance reminded me of a day trip my family & I took to El Torre de Hercules, a gigantic lighthouse located in the province of A Coruña. The stairs inside the lighthouse were so narrow & so long that I remember asking my parents when were going to get to the top of the lighthouse every ten seconds. I also remembered the roaring & the crashing of the waves by the lighthouse.

In another composition, I decided to challenge myself & bring myself back to what I remembered of my Saturdays in Madrid. Most Saturdays, the entire family would head to El Parque del Buen Retiro, which was only four blocks away from our flat. I would spend hours rollerblading or scootering (is that even a word?) with my sister. Mummy always made sure that I wouldn't break a bone while I was rollerblading, which apparently paid off. We also used our Saturday to go to the local supermarket which was 2 blocks and a corner away from our flat. The flan there was delicious. I had a tonne of trouble remembering what shoppes were to the left of our block when I would step out of our flat, but I did remember el Café Mallorca to the right of our block! My sister would always & only order anything with whipped cream, or nata. But I did remember the four clicks the lift would make before the lift got to the ground floor, jumping off of the merry-go-round at El Corte Inglés (I did fall & it hurt), running across the man-made lake with the stepping stones, the hours I would spend reading in our kitchen, and the farm of large bulls we would drive past during a long road trip. There were so many memories flooding back to me all at once & so many memories that I wish I had a clearer depiction of.

This performance seminar reminded me of my dream of returning to Spain. Even if I am not living at Velazquéz 55, 4A, even if I am living in the suburbs of Spain, I will be happy (hey, if I live in a house, there will be enough space for a furry friend!). I know it may be a long, difficult process, but it will all be worth it in the end, especially when the family will be able to visit.