The first 15 days in Bravo, Galicia @the Foundry
Hello, my name is Julia Eckert and I am on an Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs exchange in Bravos, Galicia for six months, ending on the 12th of September. So, let me tell you about the adventurous first 15 days here. Looking back at it now, I can definitely say I’ve never seen so much rain in my life. It seriously feels like it’s been raining non-stop since I arrived here on the 12th of March. And let me tell you, that rain can cause some serious trouble. Not only emotionally. The kitchen in our community house has been under water a couple of times already, flooding in from the garden and the close by river. Dennis said it has never been this much. I realized (again) how powerful and humbling nature is. The very sweet and beautiful part of all this has been the local community. They didn’t hesitate to lend a hand and support us through it all. It’s been a real eye-opener, seeing how people come together in times of need.
But it’s not all about the rain and the floods. I’ve been learning so much since I got here. Dennis, the founder of the Foundry and my entrepreneurial host, has been teaching me all sorts of important maintenance work for a stone house. I never thought I’d be so fascinated by things like fixing leaks and patching up and painting walls. But here I am, soaking (haha) it all in! Unfortunately, our planned gardening days have not been able to happen. So far, we have been planning the structure and the planting and hopefully in the next days, when it gets warmer and sunnier, we can actually start!
Next to the rainy adventure, it has been very interesting to get to know Dennis and his local and international community here. We’ve been spending a lot of time sitting in the community kitchen, talking and learning about each other’s projects and visions. It’s been incredible to see how passionate he and everyone is about what they’re doing. And what’s even more beautiful is how aligned our values and visions are. It’s like we’re all on the same wavelength, working towards a common goal. I will talk in more details in the next stories and articles. I am also thinking in starting a blog to write down and share my experiences and learning here. Let’s see!
Last but not least, I also gave a personal regeneration session! It was super exciting to share my knowledge and guide Dennis through a somatic journey. It went really well and it already made me more confident and excited to continue sharing my skills. We’re planning to do it again when the time feels right for both of us. I am happy he is open to learn about regenerative princples and how to apply them to his personal life. So yes, these first 15 days have been pretty wild, to say the least. I am very happy that I get to experience authentic Galicia, meet so many inspirational people, learn about similar projects and get out of my everyday life, which was my motivation to go on this exchange! So, thank you Erasmus! Bring on the next six months 🙂
