Sunday, 19 March 2017
Wednesday, 1 March 2017
One week with WAU by Josh Weeks
Last
week I was lucky enough to go on a number of trips as part of the WAU
Erasmus project. Not only did I have an amazing time, I was also
inspired by the sheer hard work of everyone involved in putting the
project together! María Luisa created a fantastic programme of events
that began with a hike around the Tabernas desert. Led by a geology
professor from the university of Almeria, the trip was geared towards
helping students and staff alike understand the implications of the
over-exploitation of water in the province. More detail was given when
we stopped to look at an aquifer – one whose output has significantly
decreased over the last twenty years. ‘Why do you think this has
happened?’, asked the professor. I raised my hand and took an educated
guess. ‘Climate change, maybe?’ He shook his head and proceeded to
explain how a number of olive groves had a monolopy on much of the water
produced in the area. The “sea of plastic” I saw on the way back to
school only attested to severity of the problem he was speaking about.
The
next day we visited the Alhambra, which was one of the most amazing
experiences I have had in Spain! The Nasrid Palaces are absolutely
stunning, and I was really excited to walk the same rooms as Washington
Irving – an author whose book, Tales of the Alhambra, was written
during his residence there. The Albaicín, also known as ‘the Old Town’,
was equally beautiful, with narrow streets and quaint houses giving the
whole place a feel of charm and antiquity.
Little
did I know at the time, but our visit to the Alacazaba the following
day would have its climax in a theatre piece staged by a number of
students and staff! I was cast as the king’s counselor, whose role was
to inform the king that his daughter – the princess – had fallen in love
with a slave. Although my acting skills are absolutely awful, I really
enjoyed the experience, and I learned the fascinating history of the
Alcazaba and its early Moorish rulers.
Finally,
on Thursday, we were given a fascinating lecture on scientific
techniques for detecting water pollutants at the university. Given the
fantastic work that those guys are doing to help preserve the water we
use everyday, I sincerely hope that they receive the adequate support to
reach their final goal. This was followed by Camel riding which was so,
so fun! I loved every minute of it, and all of my friends were so
jealous when I showed them pictures!
As
some of you may know, however, I am kind of obsessed with food, and so
it’s no real surprise that my favourite part of the week was going for
dinner with the teachers every night! They were great company, and it
was really interesting to talk to people from various different
cultures. I believe, after all, that this is the purpose of these kinds
of projects: to bring people from different cultures together, and
direct them towards a common good. In our case, it was the conservation
of water. Who knows what will be next.
Thanks to everyone! You really made it a special week.
Josh Weeks
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