“I know, it sounds weird. I thought I would want to skip it, but trust me. It’s the best thing the group does, I swear.”
I was hesitant. The former GW Madrid student seemed oddly enthusiastic about it at orientation, but how exhilarating could a burro excursion really be? It sounded a bit overhyped.
But there we were, an hour outside of Madrid and strapped atop donkeys strolling along the hillside and it was hilarious. The eleven of us looked ridiculous and very out of our element. It was a cold fall afternoon and we were all bundled heavily in anticipation of rain. The young man leading us in front wore a thin t-shirt on the other hand, and carried a cat in one arm and the reins to the first donkey in the other. He occasionally looked back at us with a bemused expression as we squirmed while passing large puddles or sharp turns. We were definitely not modern day Don Quixotes.
For an hour we wandered down the path, passing horses and cows and patches of dense trees. The shifting clouds changed the light in the valley and the strong breeze reminded us of our distance from the city. At first we were all lively, laughing and competing to get to the front of the pack. Each donkey was stubborn, determined to either not let another pass or determined to eat plants along the way. Some students shrieked with every sudden movement, but slowly we all grew quiet. Perhaps because it became colder as the far away storm crept closer, or perhaps because we settled into the stillness of the environment. It was so far from metropolitan Madrid life and somewhat demanded a more serious, meditative mentality. As we drew closer back to the cabin we started from, the breeze picked up and it slowly started to rain.
For the next two hours we huddled by the fire, assembled along a long wooden table, and feasted on Spanish tortillas, steak, chorizo, morcilla (blood sausage), stew, and much more. Everyone collapsed and fell asleep as we drove back to the city through the storm. As I started to drift asleep I thought to myself what I’d tell the next GW Madrid students about the burro excursion. It sounds weird, but trust me, it's the best thing the group does.