Julian Nazar is a student at the Soka University of America and is an ISA Featured Blogger. He is studying abroad with ISA in Granada, Spain.
My first full day in Lanzarote, one of the Canary Islands off the coast of Spain, began alongside the gorgeous shores of Playa Famara, a popular beach spot for the locals. With mountains looming in the distance, it felt as if I had entered into a canvas. After spending several minutes absorbing everything, I left and headed towards the house of one of my friends, Paula for an “asadero”. In Lanzarote, asaderos are the equivalent of large barbecues with your friends. As soon as we had arrived, Paula began laying out small plates of food for us while another person in our group began preparing chorizos canarios on her grill. As appetizing as the food looked, the spectacular view of the beach had captured my full attention.
Once everyone had arrived, as a group, we headed down towards the water. From her house, there is a rocky path that leads directly to what they called “the jacuzzi.” The jacuzzi was a small body of water situated near the ocean and enclosed by large, dark igneous rocks. With the sun beaming down on my neck, the tantalizing prospect of submerging myself in the small pool became unbearable and I bolted ahead of the group. It didn’t take long until I had arrived. As I slowly dipped my toe into the water, an icy cold jolt ran up my spine. The temperature of the water was anything but that of a jacuzzi. My initial reaction had seemingly dissuaded the rest of the group from even attempting to test the waters.
Meanwhile, everyone else had claimed their respective spots along the rocks and were bathing under the sun. Later, after I had returned to the group, we created our own form of entertainment. One of my friends had placed a soda can on top of a large rock that sat several feet away from all of us. Given that rocks of all sizes laid at our feet, the objective of the game was to knock over the soda can with a rock. However, the reward for doing so was having to go pick up the soda can while everyone else pelted you with small stones. I quickly realized it was in my best interest to not showcase my hand-eye coordination. Time flew by as we joyfully engaged in this activity. Our laughter drowned out the noise coming from the ocean.
Following the conclusion of the game, many members of the group headed back up to the house. A couple of us stayed behind to collect limpets (lapas), a common pastime for people on the island. To do so, we waded in shallow water along the ocean and used sharp stones to remove them. I personally collected five of my own. There is something to be said about catching your own food. As dusk settled in, we made our way back up to the house filled with pride knowing that our efforts would reap a delicious meal to cap off an unforgettable day.
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