On July 22 a group of 24 people, most of us students, gathered in the nursing home with bikes and tricycles. We gave three elders a yayacleta ride to Estanca and we all stayed in Villa María, the cottage we’ve been given in Estanca. Two students from Estella, Anne and Iraia, joined us for the day. 

We cleared the surroundings of Villa María cottage, mowed the lawn, moved bricks… There are so many things to do in Villa María! After the hard work, we had a snack and started debating in the shade. We covered several topics, like what we enjoyed most in Ireland (four of the students in the group had taken part in that trip), what we’d like to have in Villa María (ping-pong table, petanche, badminton net), etc. We finished devising a 4-day walking and biking trip: route, accommodation, materials needed, food, dissemination… It was exciting to brainstorm our own ideas and start dreaming together.

Three elders went around Estanca with our tricycles several times and took part in the debates. Libia’s children (Arturo, 7, and Jimena, 4) and husband participated in the activity too.This intergenerational approach made the experience much more pleasant and meaningful. We helped to make lunch (rice with chicken and salad) and enjoyed it together in the shade. As it was pretty hot, we went to the swimming pool after lunch.  

At night, there was a concert in Corella and we went to party. That was the way a fun day finished. We all agreed that the whole experience was exciting, original and absolutely relevant. I encourage other students to participate in future gatherings because they’ll enjoy the event thoroughly.