“We are like Islands in the Sea – Separate on the Surface but Connected in the Deep”
– William James
What a year it’s been. A year that none of us saw coming. A year of isolation, separation, restrictiveness and uncertainty. A year that showed us once again that we own so little control over what happens to us. The year that showed us that external circumstances fundamentally shape our lives and lines of thinking. The year that showed us that we cannot view the world as we want it to be, we have to view it as it is. In many ways, this year brought the brutal reality to a dream-like world we’d all been living in.
Surely we can all say that the social isolation spanning over months has taken a toll on each of us on a personal level. If I can describe the year that was scarred by the pandemic in one word, I would call it raw – before anything else. Raw. In a sense that this year confronted us with the reality of ourselves, our circumstances and the people around us. Many things became crystal clear while others became blurred. We suddenly felt what it’s like to be stripped of freedom and lightness of life and instead be left with uncertainty and a sense of restlessness. The pandemic showed us the gruesomeness of disease and the ultimate helplessness of humanity against nature. A large part of this time felt like an iron curtain resting on our shoulders, pulling us down and pushing us back when we are trying to move forward.
I was fortunate to have spent the past eight months in Barcelona pursuing my Master’s degree. While the city of my heart is just as beautiful as I remembered it from my numerous stays prior to moving here, I not once felt the typical freedom and happiness that I usually connected to being in this city. As a person who is thriving in vibrant environments, full of inspirations, new learnings and pure people, I was often confronted with situations that left me feeling even more empty because these things simply weren’t there. Contrary to Germany, we were still allowed to attend 50% of the classes on campus (which I’m very grateful for) – but constantly wearing a mask and being forced to keep a distance from others doesn’t only create a physical barrier, it also fosters an emotional one. It makes it close to impossible to truly get through to people, which again leads me to describing the feeling of pure emptiness. The lack of interpersonal encounters during a very arduous and demanding path to a Master’s degree often got to my core.
While summer has arrived in Barcelona and life seems to be coming back to the new normal, it’s easy to look past all these dark moments that kept revisiting me over the last few months. While the sun is slowly shining again, I want to remember these moments as part of a journey that taught me a tremendous amount of new learnings about myself, people and life as a whole. And as an obligatory part of studying abroad in Spain, I want to share some impressions of visiting the Balearic Islands.
Ibiza
My trip to Ibiza already dates back to the very beginning of my time in Spain. Together with some friends we rented a house outside the city center. One day that remains very vividly in my mind was the trip to Formentera with the ferry and spending the day exploring the island that is located around 30km from Ibiza.
Another beautiful location in Ibiza is the viewpoint of Es Vedrá, a small rocky island off the south western seaboard of Ibiza.
Spontaneously, my boyfriend came to visit Ibiza and I extended my trip for another two days. We stayed at the Micasa Boutique Hotel at the marina.
Mallorca
Even though I’ve been to Mallorca before, this time around it really hit me differently. It’s truly such a magical island. We went just around a month ago in late May. My favorite day was our evening trip to Cap Formentor, a magnificent view point at a lighthouse north of Mallorca.
The Balearic Islands hold a lot of treasure, hidden gems and beautiful viewpoints for catching the sunsets. Even though my stays in Ibiza and Mallorca were short, they gave me some of the energy I’d been craving. It reminded me of the beauty of a world I hadn’t seen in many months before.
Even though this year was more about separation than anything else, we should never forget that we are all connected in the deep – just like islands in the sea. We are not alone and we have all dealt with the pandemic in our very own ways. While on the surface it may seem that others endured this time under less challenging circumstances, deep down we have all fought our demons and we should acknowledge it. Our mental well-being is often something that comes secondary during a global health-crisis. But more than anything else, our mental health determines everything we do in our daily lives. Always remember to check-in with your loved ones as they may be fighting battles no one can see. And may we look forward into a future full of freedom and happiness, while we are working our way out of this difficult year.
Love always,
Joana
Joana Serein 