Alvaro Valls conversation, participant of Icod Remote 2021, with Carlos Jonay Suárez, co -founder of pueblos remotos.

If you want, you can also listen to the interview:

Alvaro Valls participated in the first edition, and pilot project, of pueblos remotos: Icod Remote. Together with 9 other colleagues, the experience of connected rurality in a luxury environment, the municipality of Icod de los Vinos. 

Nine months later, we talked to him to ask him how he currently sees the project, and know why he decided to repeat, this time teleworking on his own account from the aforementioned municipality:

They have already spent a few months from Icod Remote, with everything more matured, and with some time since the program ended, what feeling do you have with respect to it?

I have a very endearing memory, so I lived there, both for the part of the local actors we met, people who received us with open arms and a smile, as well as the classmates (teleworkors), since they are restless people, with Very aligned values ​​and that makes people connect, that arise synergies.   

Seeing with perspective the project, we had the vision that we were going to contribute our professional knowledge to their projects, but my feeling is that we contribute more in the personal sphere (to the local actors) than in the professional, or at least the staff It was more significant.

Along the same lines, how is your relationship in the “day to day” with the other participants (teleworkors)? And with local actors? 

The fact is that you always connect more with each other, although there was very good tune in general. But today there are several with which I have contact and with which I have made friends, which is normal, since it is the fruit of sharing time and experiences with alienated people with many of your values. In the end I have enough contact with everyone, I follow their experiences on social networks and you want not, that always brings you memories and revives you moments. 

With local actors, I also have regular contact, especially with which I had more synergies. We have conversations from time to time, we send WhatsApp messages and I follow the “day” of almost all through the networks. All this reminds me of the good experiences we had in Icod.

How "connected" do you feel with the project? 

With the project itself, the closest connection I have are the memories of everything I lived there. In the end you connect with people, with the people, with everything. For example, when I have seen ancient images, I could imagine perfectly everything they were living, feeling, etc. 

Five months after finishing Icod Remote, you decided to return to the municipality to telework from the same for 10 days. What were) your main motivation to return? 

Thanks to the possibility of teleworking, you can go with another of the colleagues of Icod Remote (Raúl Navarro) the main reasons were to return to a place where I have very good memories and where I knew that I was going to meet people to whom I have love and with which I had a great time. 

I knew we were going to have very good experiences again and that it was going to be a safe bet. 

How was the experience as a teleworkor from the ICOD of the wines? Do you see the municipality prepared to attract profiles like yours?

The truth is that it was a bit difficult to find “optimal” conditions for teleworking. 

In terms of tourist accommodation, they are prepared to house how many more people (beds) the better and is not invested in a space, within the house, which looks like a job "serious."

We supplied the teleworking part going to a small coworking space that is located in the ICOD center, it cost us a bit to find it, the truth, but in the end it served us to be able to telework well and comfortable.

As for improvements, the municipality is missing a “little” to be prepared, but of course, this is like the fish that bite the tail, right? Do I prepare the people first to receive the community? Do I attract the community and Then I prepare the town? In the end someone has to take the first step (as happened in Icod Remote, where the accommodation was prepared to telework) and start positioning the municipality to receive teleworkors. 

If you want to be prepared, you have to bet a little more, both from the public part, and from the private part. 

Did you retake any of the challenges/projects with a local actor? 

In this second stay, no. We met some of the local actors and commented several things above, but we did not "rise" and put ourselves in the matters we deal with during Icod Remote. 

It was a bit more to rekindle relationships, share with them, etc. In addition, the latent "need" was not so for its part to give this situation to return, it was somewhat more personal. 

But, for example, if what happened that we met another local actress, that I cannot be in Icod Remote and we have had a good time with her knowing her project. 

Do you have Icod in mind at some point or even participate in a future edition of pueblos remotos? 

Back to Icod, of course. I have no date, but I would like to come back soon. And participate in another edition of pueblos remotos, because I do not rule it out, these editions have similar incentives to what I lived in Icod Remote and of course, it is not ruled out to participate again.