Today I enjoyed an afternoon I will remember for a long time. For the first time, one of my flamenco students invited me into her home to spend time with her and her husband. After so many years in Japan, that gesture meant a great deal to me.
Her husband once travelled around the world with a backpack, including a visit to Spain. How wonderful to talk about my homeland with someone who had explored it as a traveller.
The house itself astonished me. I had never seen a home quite like it, full of beautiful warm timber. I was told that her husband had red pine brought specially from Finland to build it. Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) is widely associated with Nordic timber building and admired for its grain and warm appearance, though I cannot confirm the precise species or construction method used in this particular home.
I felt genuine admiration for the dedication and years of hard work that must lie behind such a dream. This was more than a beautiful house: it felt like a story of determination.
The sun lit up a lovely garden full of flowers. Inside were delightful blue and yellow budgerigars. The family's little dog and Batres kept barking back and forth, as if they had an endless conversation of their own.
Before I left, my student kindly gave me a beautifully scented cream and some wonderful Japanese grapes. More than the gifts themselves, it was her thoughtful kindness that touched me.
To me, my students are more than students. They have become an important part of my life, almost like family. Today I wasn't there to teach flamenco. I was simply there to share a lovely afternoon with people who had opened their home to me. I would love to visit again. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
AlitaDePollo