I take Pepe!

Out of all of the things that i will take out of my experience here in Valencia, (My relaxing time on the beach, the amazing friendships I have built, life lessons and my new found appreciation for my health), the one thing that I take, with utmost pleasure, is Pepe.

Pepe Navarro, was one of my closest friends in Spain. He was a hilarious, beautiful and compassionate man: without a doubt, one of the most interesting people I have ever met. Pepe Navarro, my 74 year old “compañero de café” or “my morning coffee partner”, would meet with me every weekday, half an hour before work at a small café that was on my way to the university. There, we would discuss the versatility of tomatoes, his experience during the Spanish civil war or museum expos that were showing downtown.

Would he not have began a conversation about his grandfathers oranges, that lucky morning in July and would I not have taken the time to listen to what he had to say, I would never have become so close to this perfect stranger who subsequently made my mornings so pleasant.

So for that, I take Pepe: The immortal figure who will always remind me to take notice and appreciate the wonderful people who surround me and make my life so much more pleasant.