José –
 
We have spent the last 24 hours mostly around the hostel getting to know the people here. One man we have spent most of our time with, Jose a kind man in his 40’s from Tenerife, is here on a vacation. During the summers he travels Europe selling clothing and cooking at music festivals.  He knows the Barcelona well and has walked the Camino twice. He took me on a small tour around the gothic quarters yesterday. Today he bought us some fresh herbs to take with us and taught us to cook a couole local dishes. He also gave Rachel a beautiful handmade sweater from his friend in Peru.  We all planned a trip up to a park overlooking the city today, but the rain is holding us back currently. There will be plenty days walking in the rain to come. We may go tomorrow instead, and go to the circus store to get Rachel a hula hoop today. All is well.

The New Yorker

I was sitting on the terrace on the roof of our hostel this morning when an American woman walked over and introduced herself. She loudly asked where I am from, and explained that she is from New York. She seemed uncertain as to what she was doing in Barcelona. She seemed uneasy so I prodded her a bit to open up. She is an English teacher in Istanbul, but fled to Barcelona yesterday leaving behind her fiance, job, and cat. She left because yesterday there was a suicide car bombing that killed 5 people where she lived. She seemed lost and terrified. May the force that brings us together be with that woman. I pray that she will find peace, and be free of her fear.

Fear –
Yesterday I asked José how he is so ‘tranquilo’ during all of his travels. We has been sitting on the terrace talking when a couple Romanian men came up and talked for a while. They carried a presence that gave me goosebumbs. After they left I asked how José could be so comfortable traveling with so many ‘personas locas’ in the world. He explained that fear is pointless, it is a waste of time and energy. We must fight the good fight, we have to carry on and push through the fear if we want to have peace. ‘Tranquilo sin miedo’.
Tranquil without fear.