the pension

It is so interesting how a place so far from home, and so unlike home, can begin to feel like home so quickly. When I first arrived in Guardamar, Pension Jaen was nothing more than a hotel lacking air conditioning, with a café downstairs operated by what I believe to be the kindest man in Spain. But now, the Pension feels like home. This feeling of home becomes even more evident after our excursions, which keep us away from the Pension for several days at a time. Though time away exploring the rest of Spain is an incredible opportunity, arriving at the pension doorstep after five or six days gives a great feeling of comfort. The daily routine of the pension can once again commence. The repetitive action of climbing up and down the five flights of stairs to get to my room or the terrace. The daily meals at café Jaen. The daily conversations with Vicente. The bread and the alioli. The beer. The sangria. The wine. All so foreign, but so comforting. Sure, I’m about four thousand miles away from my home in Penngrove, CA, but the Pension Jaen is my new home; well at least for the remainder of my time here in this beautiful country.

- diego