Portrait of life

Fascinating discussions and exchanges In January 2024 On the boat that takes me to the island of La Gomera, I sit next to a lady. I started chatting with her and her journey is very interesting, here is a summary. She is of Polish origin and, accompanied by her husband, she left her country for Germany, around the age of 30 (she is 71 this year). Her husband’s grandfather (now deceased) had served in the German army and in exchange his children and grandchildren were eligible for German citizenship.Her level of English being very good for a person of her age, I asked her where she learned it and there, she told me about another interesting part of her life. Her husband died, she started a new life with a German and they bought a mobile home in the Yukon, Canada. They go back every year and she maintains her English level by reading thrillers. She and her partner were in the Canaries for 3 weeks on an “all in” tour, I shared with her my experience of direct travel planning which for me is richer than hotels. I hope I gave him a taste for adventure.In any case, I was delighted to talk with her. We can’t imagine people’s journeys. La Gomera: an astonishing island You’ve probably heard of Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote or Fuerteventura but what about La Gomera?It is one of the 7 islands that make up the Canary Islands archipelago. Like El Hierro or La Palma, it is little known to mass tourism but delights hikers. It covers almost 370 km² and is home to 20,783 inhabitants (2015).During the few days I stayed there, I discovered several amazing features: 1/10 of the island is occupied by the Garajonay national park, listed on the UNESCO world heritage list: a laurel forest dating from the Tertiary era. These deciduous trees, covered in lichen, retain their leaves all year round, capture humidity from the clouds and transform it into water. Silbo: a whistled language still practiced The Silbo practiced in La Gomera is one of the rare whistled languages in the world. Included on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage since 2009, it is still practiced by part of the population and taught in schools and in certain public places. It was invented by the Guanches, the first inhabitants of the island, to allow better communication from one valley to another when there were no other effective means. Its range is estimated at around five kilometers. Public transport is free (in 2023, a minimum of 15 trips were still required to then be free) And I save the best for last… If you are a resident of La Gomera, you will be entitled to repatriation and a free funeral. This measure is part of the political program of the island council (cabildo insular) because many Gomeros (inhabitants of the island) have emigrated, either to neighboring islands or abroad and in particular to Venezuela. For your information, according to the newspaper gomeranoticias, this measure costs €659,716 per year and is very appreciated by the population. I wondered if with this measure the cemeteries were not overcrowded, it seems not.

A hermit at the end of the world At the end of a path whose only exit is the sea, at the western tip of the island, lives an astonishing character. I met Rente by chance while wanting to explore the ruins, which I thought were uninhabited, of a house lost in the seaside rocks. He appeared and invited me into his humble yet astonishing abode. For 30 years, he has lived there, like a troglodyte, and lives by barter: fish and shellfish for rice and pasta, and a few beers, or even more.Seeing the bottles lined up, I first thought of a seaside bar, but no, it was his house. However, I suspect he is inclined to drink. Remarkable hospitality What I like about Rente is his free hospitality, his enthusiasm: he invites passers-by to come and talk to him, he even has notebooks where travelers write down their comments. By chance of life, I met a few days later a Belgian couple who had also stopped by Rente and had eaten a dish of shellfish pasta (lapas in Spanish). They confirmed to me that there was no money transaction, just the pleasure of being together, of sharing. Rente could be a misanthropic hermit, embittered by the society from which he has strayed. Well no, despite his isolation (or perhaps thanks to it), he seeks human company.He even prepared some fishing rods for the children who will come and join him for a fishing trip.

Canaries or Germany? Caregiver, 23 years old – in a home. Earns €1200 net per month, would like to go to Germany to earn more.But when I tell her about the cold and the lack of light, she already hesitates. A friend had already spoken to her about the treatment of elderly people in homes in Europe and told her “it’s not for you, your heart is too sensitive”. I suggest he instead see how to earn a better living by staying in the Canaries.Take it in his consideration ? She then tells me about a friend who launched a medical assistance project for German expatriates in the Canaries and it is starting to take shape.He even offered to collaborate with him… This conversation teaches me: creating what you don’t yet have at home is also a solution. This will require him to know the languages better and perhaps take a trip to Germany to learn the language of ??? and also cultural codes. But her goal will be to come back here to contribute to her friend’s project. Is the grass greener elsewhere? Many immigrants leave their country in the hope of a better life elsewhere, who dream of saving enough to then return to their country to spend their old days. From what I have seen and from those I have met, this program is an illusion because once you emigrate, you start to put down roots: Immigrants are then torn between their original plan and the one that life has constructed.Not to mention the fact that once they leave, life in the country evolves, and over time, immigrants can idealize a life that does not exist or no longer exists. One option is to have a foothold in the country of origin and to return there for more or less long periods. Or not having children or children who decide to travel and live elsewhere.

Katharina: jewelry and freedom Katerina is German, she has lived here for 30 years, alone in her finca, with her little dog Lili. She arrived here with her then-young daughter (she is now 24 and studies biology in London). Katerina sells jewelry and natural stones first in a store in Los Llanos (one of the 2 main towns of the island) and since covid, she has restarted her business and sells in the markets or at the invitation of friends who own restaurants or guest rooms. Katerina feels freer this way: no more hours, no charges to pay.She would like to sell her finca which requires more and more work to buy a small house that she would rent and live in a van. Ambra: travels and explorations Today, at the market, I met… AMBRA An Italian woman in her forties who has lived on the island of La Palma for 13 years. I chatted with her and she told me a part of her life, here is the summary.And she agreed for me to share it with you! She is originally from Milan and is the eldest of three children.She was born when her parents were 18 years old and developed a relationship with them that was more of friendship and complicity. She always felt out of step with her friends who loved fashion and appearances. At the age of 18, she left her family to travel the world for 15 years. She lived in Hawaii, Australia, traveled extensively in Southeast Asia. She has now lived here for 13 years and in the summer she goes to Corsica to work in an ecological campsite to guide campers. Ambra speaks Spanish, Italian, French and English. She lives with her partner, originally from the island, in a finca (a sort of farm-plantation). During the covid episode, they found themselves with stocks of avocados that they could no longer sell. She then drew inspiration from what she had learned in Australia: creating her own natural cosmetics. Now, she extracts the oil from avocados to make creams, balms and soaps which she sells, among other things, on the markets. She and her partner plan to build an ecological house.A Belgian-French or Franco-Belgian also resident on the island is helping them there. Sania: Textiles and energy! Sania is Slovenian and sells textile items in markets: I didn’t get a chance to talk much with her because she was busy setting up her booth. But I was amazed by his energy and determination. She travels the roads and markets in her van with her 5-year-old daughter. In the summer, she migrates to another island: Ibiza where she spends her season.She told me that billionaires who come to spend their vacation sometimes spend 3,000 euros on the market. Having a credit card terminal is essential.

La Venezolana She works in a stone and jewelry store on the beach. 6 years ago she met her husband who is originally from Germany and was already living in La Palma. As a jewelry designer, he opened this store 25 years ago. La Venezolana also lost everything during the volcano eruption. The couple had not insured the house or the stock of jewelry and everything was swept away by the lava. Located on the southern slope, they had 10 minutes to carry the essentials, no more, and they were unable to return. La Venezolana nevertheless keeps her smile and her beautiful energy. She and her husband rent a house where he continues to create while she works at the store. I am amazed by the resilience of these people who face natural elements and who get back up, move forward, and persevere while cultivating their joy. Uli He comes from Germany and he likes to spend the winter in La Palma. He even bought a small house there. Bad luck, she was in the path of the lava flows and she was swallowed up. Disappointed, disgusted, shocked, he swore to himself never to come back here. However, Uli came back and found his optimist: “There’s nothing we can do anyway, what’s the point of complaining? and then, we are still lucky to be able to come back and spend the winter here, to see our friends again while the locals have lost everything”he told me. So if he no longer has his house, he rents, for 3 months a year, a room in a friend’s house, in Tazacorte, a coastal village. Katia Originally from Germany, she had been renting a house on the island for several years. Since the eruption, she has returned to live in Germany and returns to La Palma from time to time but no longer stays there for long periods. “Nothing will ever be the same again,” she tells me and talks to me nostalgically about her plant collection: for 10 years she grew a collection of orchids and ornamental plants. During the evacuation, she could return to the scene to collect personal effects: no more than 10 minutes on site and had to be accompanied by an official agent. Now she looks ahead to the future: “There are so many beautiful places in Europe to visit,” she says, mentioning Prague and other cities.

Man of many talents Aleksei is originally from Venezuela. He started his professional career as an IT specialist for oil platforms, which he then left to create his IT services company in Barcelona. Unfortunately, he went bankrupt and life led him to share his passion for origami in the markets, particularly in Berlin. Today he is back in La Palma where he continues to sell his art in the markets. His project is to recreate a business, this time creating multilingual websites. A multifaceted man, he also plays the piano and performs in concerts.