Segovia & Toledo: hidden gems near the big city

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Individual:

Before all of the day trips, I have been a little bit disappointed because I have loved each city we've been in so so much. However, once we arrive at each destination, I am in awe of all of the beauty that I would've missed if we hadn't gone to each new place. This has been such a great lesson for me, in the aspects of cultural intelligence as well as everyday life. When I'm in my comfort zone, I often don't want to leave it. However, when we take a leap of faith and do a crazy thing, often times it leads to even more incredible opportunities. Life isn't all about finding a nice place and camping out forever, but always striving to do better. I am so thankful for all of the incredible places we've visited these past three weeks, and will never forget all they've taught me. As Liverpool writes in Leading with Cultural Intelligence, gaining CQ drive is all about being honest with yourself and working for something bigger (Leading with Cultural Intelligence, 47).

Relational:

I have been struggling a bit the past week with staying positive. I am a typically positive person, but being around others who are negative is quite draining. A few of my friends on this trip have been complaining a lot about each of the activities that we've been doing, and it has been really hard to maintain a positive attitude in the midst of so much complaining. I only really knew one person before coming on this trip, and I have loved getting to know everyone on the trip. However, some people have been more difficult to be around all the time simply because of their more negative outlook on things. Although this is not a reflection of the way that they are all the time, it has been difficult to handle while being on this trip and surrounded by so many people all the time.

Social:

Something that I've noticed in a lot of the cities that we have been to has been that it seems like tourism has overpowered the true culture of the cities. With the constant influx of visitors, many Spanish people have made a living through tourism. However, I feel like the growing tourism industry has led to a decrease in the amount of traditional Spanish culture left in some of the cities. So many people nowadays feel that they have to adjust to social norms, and I sincerely hope that Spain and all other countries will maintain their traditions and culture in the midst of all of the social change taking place in our world today.

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Photos

swords in toledo

segovia