I took a pill in Ibiza

If you read my blog attentively, you know that I actually planned to post a blog post regularly (ideally once a week). Now my last post was almost 2 months ago... it happens to the best of us. A lot has happened lately, and there have been many ups and downs. That's completely normal, and I realize it over and over again when I exchange experiences with other volunteers, but sometimes it frustrates me when things don't go exactly as planned. One of the ups was definitely the trip to Ibiza. My roommates and I spent 6 days on Ibiza. From there, we attended an online seminar that provided further education for our volunteer service. The seminar was quite interesting, although it was a shame that it was online, but the organizers made an effort to make it interesting. I especially liked the Spanish lessons and the meme contest on the topic of culture shock. Besides the seminar, I had plenty of free time. Ibiza's nature is beautiful. Before I went to Ibiza, I had no idea what it looked like and only associated it with partying. But Ibiza is definitely much more than that. Actually, I didn't even party in Ibiza, maybe next time. Instead, I experienced other great things that I will certainly not forget and will keep in good memory. I was completely surprised by Spanish hospitality, and I realized that you don't have to be afraid to do things alone. There were a few minor problems at the beginning as well. The three of us managed to overlook the fact that our super cheap flight was the day before, so we simply had to book a new one. Since we were on Ibiza during the off-season, we had a bit of bad luck there as well. Our Airbnb was in the village of Cala Llonga. The bus only runs there four times a day, so a rental car would have been quite useful. We wanted to buy groceries, but every single supermarket in the area was closed, and there were many supermarkets. But that didn't help us at all, because they were closed. The next day, we drove to the city specifically. Fortunately, we had everything we needed for the week. In the evening, I wanted to cook pasta, but the only problem was that I had no idea how to use a gas stove (despite watching a YouTube tutorial). After wasting six matches for my attempt, I had had enough. After some searching, I ended up at a newly opened restaurant/bar. At first, I was the only one there, and they were showing a football match. They offered me the premium spot with a perfect view of the TV. I ordered a cheeseburger, which was really delicious. The bar had filled up by then, and I started talking to a woman who then invited me for a sangria. I was very happy about that; she was a bit drunk but still very nice. Actually, I met her again at the beach 2 days later, and she even remembered my name. I went to that restaurant two more times afterwards. The last time was in the evening when Spain played against Costa Rica. Spain won 7-0. To celebrate the victory, I got a free glass of white wine, and before that, there was Iberian ham as a snack for the game. I started talking to the waiter (Álvaro). I told him that I work in Barcelona and that I'm on vacation here. He was really nice, and it was really cool to talk to him because we spoke Spanish the whole time. When I told Álvaro that it was my last night in Ibiza, he shouted that throughout the whole bar and then bought me another glass of white wine. This time, the bartender raised his glass with me, and I talked to him. The conversation was really challenging for me because I could hardly understand him since it was loud and he spoke very fast. I felt really comfortable there because all the people I met there were very warm and friendly. I didn't feel like I had to pretend or be ashamed of my Spanish. I would have loved to see Germany vs Spain in that restaurant; that would have been really funny. I'm very grateful for the time I spent there because it made me more confident. I hope that I am brave more often and leave my comfort zone. Because here it was so worth it. On the last day, we went to another part of Ibiza and ended our time at the beach. I definitely want to go to Ibiza again to explore the island better, enjoy the beautiful nature, party, and of course, visit Álvaro and friends 💗!