It has already been three months since I arrived in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria to complete my end-of-studies internship at EcoIsleta. Time is flying by at an absolutely crazy, almost unreal pace.
Sometimes I feel like I arrived yesterday, and yet when I take a moment to look back, I realise how much these three months have already brought me, both personally and professionally.
December, synonymous with the festive season…
This third month has been particularly memorable, mainly because it has been punctuated by the festive season. It was the first time I had spent Christmas and New Year away from my home in Belgium, and I must admit that it was a strange experience at first.
The festive season is often synonymous with family traditions, landmarks and well-established rituals, and being abroad at this time can cause a certain feeling of disconnection.
However, this feeling very quickly gave way to something much warmer.
A home away from my usual place of residence…
Over the weeks, I found a kind of second family within the coliving community. The shared living environment, daily exchanges, spontaneous discussions and moments spent together created a particularly caring atmosphere.
To celebrate Christmas, we organised a communal dinner and a Secret Santa, a tradition that allowed everyone to participate and bond, even among people who sometimes didn’t know each other very well.
It’s often these simple moments that make the biggest impression and give meaning to the coliving experience.
Jonatan, the founder of EcoIsleta, also wanted to mark the end of the year with a very kind gesture. He offered us everything we needed to prepare a convivial aperitif, as well as several desserts typical of Gran Canaria.
It was a wonderful way to introduce us to the local culture through gastronomy, but also to strengthen our sense of belonging to a community.
We also organised a meal to celebrate New Year’s Eve, before ending the evening with a walk on Las Canteras beach to watch the fireworks organised by the city.
Standing in front of the ocean, surrounded by people from all over the world, to say goodbye to the past year, was a particularly powerful and symbolic moment. It was a wonderful way to start the new year.
The arrival of the Three Wise Men…
One of the highlights of the month was undoubtedly the celebration of the arrival of the Three Wise Men, Balthazar, Gaspard and Melchior. In Spain, this holiday is hugely important, especially for children, who eagerly await this magical night when the Three Kings come to deliver gifts.
The whole city celebrates the occasion. In the afternoon, there are numerous parades accompanied by music, dancing and concerts, creating a joyful and festive atmosphere in the streets.
In the evening, the historic district of Vegueta becomes the centre of the celebrations. Live concerts are organised throughout the area, attracting both locals and visitors alike. We took part in these festivities with the coliving residents, and it was a particularly enriching experience.
Discovering this aspect of Hispanic culture from the inside, surrounded by local and international people, gave me a better understanding of the importance of this festival in Spanish society.
It is moments like these that add another dimension to the stay and allow you to go beyond a purely tourist view of the destination.
Many expeditions that make you realise the reality of the island…
Beyond the festivities, this third month was also marked by numerous expeditions across the island.
The atmosphere within the coliving community was particularly vibrant, with several individuals playing a key role in energising the group and encouraging everyone to go out, explore, and engage in physical activities together.
In my view, this collective dynamic is one of the major strengths of coliving: it naturally encourages residents to step outside their comfort zones and to fully immerse themselves in the local environment.
One practical aspect of Ecoisleta is the way the community is organised through a WhatsApp group, which allows anyone to propose activities and mobilise others around their ideas or projects.
In addition, I regularly facilitate brainstorming sessions in order to collect ideas from the coliving community and try to provide participants with the tools and guidance needed to turn their initiatives into concrete and successful projects…
Hike Pico de Las Nieves
One of the wonderful activities we had the opportunity to do was a superb hike around Pico de las Nieves, the highest point on the island of Gran Canaria. The route was about fifteen kilometres long, with an elevation gain of nearly six hundred metres.
It was clearly not a simple walk in the park, but the effort was well worth it. The landscapes we passed through were breathtakingly beautiful, with mountains, pine forests and stunning panoramic views.
These moments spent in the heart of nature, far from the hustle and bustle of city life, helped to strengthen the bonds between the coliving residents and create strong shared memories.
Coffe Farm
Another visit took us to a coffee farm located in the beautiful Agaete Valley. We had the opportunity to taste different types of coffee and learn more about the process of transforming coffee beans into the drink we enjoy in our cups.
It was really interesting and particularly enjoyable to have a guided tour of the farm.
Another great activity that wouldn’t have happened without the ideas and motivation of the coliving residents!
Road Trip to Maspalomas
We also organised a road trip to the south of the island, towards Maspalomas. This region is renowned for its sunny and stable climate, making it one of Gran Canaria’s major tourist attractions. The landscape there is very different from that found in other parts of the island.
Hotel resorts are everywhere, land use planning is highly structured, almost down to the last millimetre, and the population is made up mostly of tourists from northern Europe.
Everything seems perfectly organised to meet the expectations of mass seaside tourism. This setting can sometimes seem almost unreal, so smooth and controlled is it.
Contrasts in tourism management…
However, I think it is important to show this reality to the residents of the coliving space. The south of the island is an integral part of Gran Canaria’s tourist identity, and to ignore it would be to have an incomplete view of the territory.
Understanding how tourism has developed there, what choices have been made in terms of development and what the consequences are, allows for a broader reflection on existing tourism models.
To contrast with this experience, on another day, we took the road to the west of the island. This part of Gran Canaria offers a radically different landscape. Here, nature is largely preserved, and many areas enjoy natural park status. The terrain is more rugged, the villages more discreet, and the tourist footprint much more limited. The atmosphere is more authentic, calmer, almost timeless.
This contrast between the south and west of the island is, in my opinion, particularly revealing. It highlights the impact that mass tourism management can have on a region, its landscape and its local population.
Seeing these two realities with your own eyes helps you to better understand the issues surrounding tourism development and the importance of devising more sustainable models that respect local characteristics.
Until you have seen both sides, it is difficult to gauge the extent to which tourism choices can transform a locality.
La Isleta Neighbourhood
And then there is the situation in La Isleta. This neighbourhood of Las Palmas is also under pressure from the city’s tourism development. Sometimes, when talking to Jonatan, one wonders whether the Ecoisleta is part of the solution or part of the problem…
It is clear that the arrival of tourists in the neighbourhood affects residents, both in terms of rising prices in local shops and restaurants and in terms of gentrification of the neighbourhood.
It is true that this is a difficult question, and I would need a little more time to be able to answer it. I hope that by the end of my internship here, I will have a better understanding and be able to provide a reasoned answer to this question.
In any case, what I am sure of is that the strength and uniqueness of the Ecoisleta Coliving community lies precisely in its focus on community, trying to create social and connecting events.
Conclusion
This third month at EcoIsleta has therefore been extremely rewarding, both in terms of human experiences and cultural and territorial discoveries.
It has allowed me to strengthen my sense of belonging to coliving, to better understand the complex reality of Gran Canaria and to continue to feed my reflection on sustainable tourism practices. I can’t wait to find out what the next few months have in store for me and to prepare the activity in honour of Día de la Isleta with Manolo!
Written by Charlotte…
