Article written by Gonzalo Fernández, participant in the 'Pop-up Coliving' Almagro 2024, as well as in the experiences of Antigua and Fuencaliente.

¿Cuánto tiempo se necesita para trascender?

One year is 365 days, 52 weeks, and 8760 hours

Pueblos Remotos was born on March 14, 2021

3 years (which is 624 weeks) later they publish their First Impact Report, you can see it here .

On March 14, 2024, the second edition of Pop-Up Coliving came to a close, this time in Almagro (Ciudad Real), which I will tell you about here.

35 days, which is 840 hours, is the time that has passed (approximately) from the end of the experience until the completion of the writing of the article (April 19, 2024)

What does it mean to transcend?

According to AI, "Transcendence" refers to going beyond established limits , exceeding a certain boundary, or extending into other areas, producing consequences . In a deeper sense, transcendence involves becoming flexible, opening oneself to new experiences without judgment, and overcoming one's own limitations, beliefs, and ego to reach a higher level of consciousness and explore new opportunities in life . In philosophical terms, transcendence involves going beyond possible experience, penetrating the hidden, understanding something that was concealed, or reaching a higher level of comprehension . Transcendence is related to personal growth, continuous learning, overcoming obstacles, and expanding consciousness to attain new meanings and perspectives in life.

According to Google:

To exhale such a vivid and strong smell that it penetrates and spreads over a great distance.

Said of something that was hidden: To begin to be known or recognized.

According to the RAE, you can see it here .

For me, there are:

• People

• Experiences

• Places

• Artists

• Songs

• or other things 

that transcend across your life, even " forever ".

To give a personal example: Ana Ruiz Sánchez , now a partner at the sustainability and impact consultancy Transcendent , had a profound impact on my life. Thanks to her mentoring me on my AppDermis project, I discovered that not all my skills were technical and that I was capable of launching a project from scratch. Furthermore, in the digital health sector where I did it, it helped me discover my Ikigai: helping people through technology.

I wouldn't be working as a Project Manager at Roche if Ana Ruiz hadn't surpassed me.

Elsa mentioned in this article that if the Pueblos Remotos project had to be shut down today, she and Carlos (the project's co-founder) would have already made a lasting impact; and they would have impacted countless people who participated in one of the Pueblos Remotos experiences . Not only that, but the term "Connected Rurality" has allowed these connections between people to extend to rural places and entrepreneurs.
I wouldn't know that the Canary Islands offer more than just "sun and beach" tourism if it weren't for Pueblos Remotos.

Finally, the first (and previous) edition of Pueblos Remotos Pop-Up Coliving was in Villarejo de Salvanés (province of Madrid), and my inspiration for writing this article came when I was running past Ramón Park in my hometown. Ramón was a man who had no family (which might suggest that his life wasn't particularly noteworthy), but today the park is named after him because he left all the money he earned for community use.

I wouldn't have discovered things about my town if I hadn't helped them define the first edition of Pop-Up Coliving in Villarejo.

The second edition of Pop-Up Coliving was held in the town of Almagro (province of Ciudad Real). Examples of rural entrepreneurs included: 

• Almagre olive oil brand (an ochre color very typical of the province of Castilla La Mancha) to be able to feed her daughters consciously, combining nature and health in her project

• Vero, who showed us why she decided to return after living in Madrid to dedicate herself to what she loves most (teaching how to work with limestone ) from her partner's village.

• To the people who learn to make bobbin lace every Tuesday and Thursday at the Lace and Bobbin Lace Museum, with Nati as instructor.

• Thanks to our guide Belén (who allowed us to visit Almagro (physically and in a theatrical way) to learn in detail about all the lives the town has had and how the corral de comedias (open-air theater) helped make it a tourist destination.

• And finally, the Cabesota Cheese Factory , which transcended our stomachs through a pairing workshop with their cheeses; they are a generation of three siblings (Virginia, Cristina and Lorenzo) who carry out the entire process of sheep cheese production (and we know that new generations are on the way)

Even if people with the bobbin lace textile technique disappear, there will still be things in the world made with these interwoven threads (bobbin lace) 

In addition to the above activities, we were able to enjoy:

• A collaborative leadership workshop led by Elsa.

• A regenerative design workshop organized and led by Nuria.

• A mastermind session was a must, this time facilitated by Lara.

• An exquisite dinner organized by Clem, who in addition to having sensational prints is an excellent cook and is starting to organize dinners in Barcelona.

• And billions of impromptu conversations that turned into mentoring sessions or even inspirational talks by several people aligned with their values, which are usually the same as those held by Pueblos Remotos.

Are you sure you don't want to join the next edition (and transcend)?

On transcendence (in Almagro)

Last night was the unofficial “farewell” to the Pueblos Remotos Pop-up Coliving Almagro 2024 experience 🌾 and Sabela (one of the participants) has inspired me to write this text.

Penetration, insight.

Result, consequence of a serious or very important nature.

Several articles discuss the impact of achieving transcendence in life (personally through family or professionally through your job or the projects you participate in/create) and how this affects our mental health. These days, we live less and less in community, and this affects our daily lives (both as individuals and as employees).

She mentioned that the other day, while visiting a logistics and delivery company, she lost a little faith in humanity (because of the magnitude of what she saw and how much we can consume), but right after that she came to this experience; and as she commented, "I think there are still people who can make this world a better place.".

To be transcendent, as we understand it today, is to leave a legacy in time for when you no longer inhabit this world in the future (there was talk of building monuments, creating religions, etc.). 

In this particular case that applies to us: what Carlos and Elsa have been able to achieve with their Pueblos Remotos project is:

• To create a community of people that transcends the experiences they organize, because the contact between them isn't limited to those seven or 21 days. There are people like us who have been left out of these experiences, and we want to share time together, just as they've been doing since last year. They created an annual event last year in Villarejo and this year in Almagro, which will take place next weekend.

• Bringing together people from different backgrounds and sectors (the only thing that unites us at first is that we can work remotely) around a concept such as Connected Rurality, aligned in mission, vision and values ​​(when the annual events happen and we start to share experiences we realize that we are all on the same wavelength);

• And lastly, and no less important as mentioned yesterday, the fact that Pueblos Remotos has already transcended Carlos and Elsa as a project; because their soul as good people is already within that project and they don't need to be there for the people who participate in their experiences (as we could be or the participants of some other previous edition) to enjoy something (transcendent) that in the current society we live in sounds almost strange: the present moment, being present with the people around you and working remotely in pueblos remotos empowering a local and sustainable life.

• Furthermore, today, as the project celebrates its third anniversary, they are launching their 2021-2023 Impact Report.

Long live remote communities! Thank you for reading.

P.S: 

1. I hope this article motivates you to create something that transcends more than yourself, since we are a medium in life; and as Marcus Aurelius would say, "we must remember Memento Mori."

2. On the other hand, this article was written while the following (transcendent) songs were playing:

   1. «We Are The World» – OFFICIAL 35th ANNIVERSARY VIDEO

      (part of the documentary The Greatest Night on Pop )

   2. “Something that serves as a light” – (part of the interview “Supersubmarina lives on because we are alive”)
      “SUPERSUBMARINA lives on because we are alive”: end to their silence after their accident | EL PAÍS