You can read about places, but there is a point where you reach the limit of what you can take in without actually being there.

My first semester abroad experience was in Santiago de Compostela, which, for most people, is famous for the pilgrimage. A lot of people who heard I was going there thought I was doing the Camino.

But anyway, my neighbors are planning a trip to Fatima, Portugal, and they will stop by Santiago on their way back.

Of course, that place is near and dear to me. It’s a beautiful, foggy, rainy oasis of calmness. During my time there, I learned so much about the whole region. It is truly a beautiful region with such rich history (part of it, especially for Santiago, being that the pilgrimage was started by the European aristocracy and royalty who, in the Middle Ages, could afford the pilgrimage/travel, hence the inflow of gold in the region).

When I heard they were going there, I considered it my time to shine. I spent half a year there. I could prepare them for everything they need to know/visit/do/try.

And it got me thinking, among other things, about coffee. Coffee is very important in the Balkans, so I figured I might have a few recommendations for them.

Now back to that initial thought about learning about places.

In all my time there, I didn’t have good coffee. Or, actually, it wasn’t to my liking. I tried many cafes. I prepared it myself in my accommodation, but something about it was peculiar to me.

Now, when I prepared my coffee, keep in mind I was a student, so it was all budget-friendly. There was this type called mezcla. This isn’t a brand. It’s a type of coffee, and I knew it meant “mixed”.

It didn’t occur to me to ask about this or consider that there might be a reason for this coffee type. I took it at face value, as I was used to the coffee back home.

This was a long introduction to tell you about mezcla, a blend of roasted natural beans, which make up about 70% of the mix, and torrefacto.

Torrefacto beans are made by coating the beans in sugar in the final stages of roasting. It was done to prolong the coffee supply and lower the cost in the post-Civil War era. Today, it is more like a custom, something the locals are used to and prefer in terms of taste.

Sugar cannot caramelize at such high temperatures. Instead, it leaves a coating that is burned black and tastes a bit bitter, creating the effect of stronger coffee.

Had I tried the coffee and didn’t like it, I would have concluded that Spain doesn’t have good coffee (which would be a gross exaggeration anyway, because I haven’t been to all of Spain, and there are other options besides mezcla).

This way, I saw, tried, and learned a bit about the history I knew virtually nothing about. It would never have occurred to me that this would be a reason, but now it highlighted what it means to know a place, what it means to travel, and to travel intentionally.

(I spent years after wondering about this coffee until I found out why.)

my usual coffee order

My Little Hawk

2026-08-28 08:15:00

what are the chances?

I don’t even remember what day it was or what I was doing. It might have been Sunday, and I was cleaning the table after lunch. I remember, though, walking into the living room, where the TV was on.

The movie’s called The Way. I don’t think I saw the beginning on that first watch. I caught up on it in later rewatches. I don’t know exactly what caught my attention, but I was captivated by the story. That was also when I first found out about the pilgrimage called the Camino.

Coincidentally, many years later, after that silent, absent-minded promise I made to myself in front of the TV about doing the Camino, I stood in that rainy city, in front of the massive complex that is the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.

Or maybe it wasn’t a coincidence. Maybe it was the first brick I had placed on the path I took to today. It was the walk that brought me to who I am today, and the catalyst for so many subsequent choices I made that, come to think of it, really started with that movie.

And, no, I didn’t do that Camino. Not yet, at least. But that movie caused a familiarity with the application for an Erasmus program in Spain. I might have been scared otherwise. But when I saw the location was Santiago de Compostela, I did take it as a sign.

I thought it was meant to be. I’m not exactly making a pilgrimage, but I found my way to get there. It was my path. And then, that journey also became an escape from the city that reminded me of loss and grief, and that would’ve buried me if I stayed.

It was also what prompted me to start this blog. My Little Hawk could’ve been an unrealized idea I occasionally daydreamed about, but never actually got the courage to start. I would’ve procrastinated it until I convinced myself I shouldn’t do it, and that would’ve been the end of it.

But it just so happened that I created this site just before I went to Spain. The excuse was that I would write about my experiences during the exchange, to help or intrigue other students. Nobody was reading it.

But then that first exchange gave me the boldness to try again. I got a taste of what it’s like to live abroad, meet people from all over the world, speak another language, learn at every step and every corner, and I was high on that feeling. Weirdly, I was ready to leave after those five months expired. But not because I was nostalgic for home, no. I was ready for something else. Somewhere else.

And that led me to a place where I met my happiest self. It was another fleeting goal I had as a kid. I heard about Lithuania, but I only knew about it vaguely. Turns out, I would wind up in its capital, and guess what? The scallop shell of the Camino de Santiago followed me there!

On one of my first days in Vilnius, I strolled around the old town. I stumbled upon a church and went inside. It was really peaceful, but my mind was buzzing with all the novelty, excitement, and worry. So I went back outside.

I remember seeing it by the exit, to my left. I missed it walking in! The golden shell was right there, in front of me, precisely when I was dizzy with all the emotion. I had a tough start coming to Vilnius, so I was both thrilled I was there and anxious because of some issues I had with my uni.

I remember thinking, Spain was so much easier. Why was this such a struggle? But things never happen the same way twice, so I decided to suck it up and make the best of this new and challenging period in front of me.

But I did need guidance, and I got a clear sign. It was literally showing me the way. You’re on the right path. You’re right where you’re supposed to be. And how true that was! I was the happiest, most like myself! (And I’ve never met her before! It was a surprise to me, too!)

I met the real me! (I also met my favorite people there.) I saw what I could be if I let go – no doubt, no fear, no insecurity. And okay, for a moment there, I lost her. These couple of years have been a silent rebuilding. But she’s still on that path. She’s getting there!

And, by coincidence, or fate, it all started with that movie.

---

Study Abroad

A blog about books, thoughts and travel

^{mylittlehawk (My Little Hawk)}

ما أفضل طريقة لمقابلة أشخاص جدد أثناء السفر؟

Thus, digital communication has led to a widening gap of isolation between people, even though it is supposed to be designed to bring them closer. While we find family members in one place, we notice that each of them lives…

Immersion in the digital world: loss and alienation

There is no doubt that the digital space is no longer just a means of communication or a window to knowledge, but has transformed in the lives of many recipients into a reality parallel to their real reality, as it consumes most of their time, occupies most of their interests, and reshapes their thinking patterns, behavior, and social relationships.

With the rapid pace of technological development and the widespread use of smartphones and social media platforms, people today live in a state of almost constant immersion in the blue screen, to the point that separating from it, even for a few hours, has become almost impossible for some.

Although the digital space has provided great services in the fields of knowledge, education, work, and communication, the excessive use of it by some has produced negative side effects that are no longer hidden from anyone. The long hours that the recipient spends in front of the screen have reduced the value of direct family meetings, friendship, reading, physical activity, and emotional reflection.

Perhaps one of the negative consequences of excessive immersion in the digital space is alienation, where the recipient gradually loses control over his time and interests, after becoming a prisoner of alerts and chasing an almost endless stream of news, clips, and posts, so that his priorities for being present in the information space become dependent on what the algorithms dictate, not what his real needs dictate.

Thus, digital communication has led to a widening gap of isolation between people, even though it is supposed to be designed to bring them closer. While we find family members in one place, we notice that each of them lives in his own digital world, where the language of direct dialogue between them declines, live emotional interaction is absent, and gatherings lose some of their warmth, which has always been the cornerstone of human relationships.

It should also be noted that the massive influx of information, without scrutiny or verification, may contribute to the formation of superficial opinions and a confused culture, and weaken the ability to think critically, which makes the recipient more susceptible to being influenced by rumors and being drawn into low-quality content at the expense of useful content, after the digital space has entered every home and become an integral part of daily life.

Therefore, it has become necessary to deepen the lively family dialogue, visits, reflection, and practicing hobbies, with the aim of restoring the balance that man needs, in a time when digital influences crowd his mind and time.

Therefore, the question that should remain is: Are we now the ones using digital technology, or has it become the one using us, after this excessive immersion and the growing isolation that reflects the state of loss and alienation that most users of the digital space are experiencing, and who no longer find themselves except in its virtual reality?

honoring the good things of coffee for the coffee day:

1- growing up as a sheltered Mormon whose religion prohibits "hot drinks," I had my first coffee at 15 years old from a circle k convenience store. Loaded with creamers. I brought it to the counter and they didn't id me, my naivety about the limits of religion had me thinking that they wouldn't sell this item to me without an ID, like tobacco. The coffee tasted like liberation.

2- long after leaving religion I came back to coffee, settling in with a caramel macchiato as my favorite. It took me years to break out of the sugared coffees before realizing that I really prefer a breve sans sugar. (and the occasional afogato, which I kept forgetting the name of until I realized that I-forgot-o the name sounds like afogato)

3- spending new years in a coffee grove growing in the north of Thailand. The quiet peace of coffee shrubs growing amid banana and papaya trees and all of the old growth trees above us all. This amazing magical bean that brings me joy and focus, grows delightfully right from the Earth, her gift to us each morning.

#coffee #3goodthings #ThreeGoodThings #blog #BlessedConsciousLife