...Off in Some Empty Day Dream, Going Nowhere...

It wasn't until we turned the corner of the winding, dusty road leading to the Nowhere Festival that I truly understood what kind of experience I was in for. Gate workers stood happily, half-naked at the entrance, waiting patiently to greet festival goers with hugs and wristbands. Assortments of tents and shade structures both big and small, colorfully dressed people all smiling ear to ear, and a sprinkling of wild art sculptures filled the gaping landscape that made up the Nowhere grounds. There were three of us in the car: Carlos-my CS host in Zaragoza, Dominique-an English girl who needed a ride to the festival, and myself. None of us had ever heard of Nowhere before this week. Yet here we all were, driving into the heart of the Monegros Desert, anticipating some sort of beauty and epic greatness that could only be birthed from a group of like-minded people whose hearts were in the right place at the right time.

For five days in the desert we were a family of a thousand. We hid nothing and shared everything. We laughed and cried; we partied and pondered; we learned how to be decent human beings for once-working together like clockwork to create a community of love and trust, and despite the harsh Spanish sun that mercilessly beat down on us every day, we never stopped smiling. Not for one second.

Nowhere was created in the image of the Burning Man festival in Nevada. Meant to be safe place where money does you no good and self expression is encouraged, Burn festivals are a sanctuary for creative thinkers to be themselves. They can show their art/music/poetry/body with out the fear of being rejected-something that is quite rare in the real world. The only difference between Burning Man and Nowhere, however, is the size. This year, there were maybe 1,000 people at Nowhere. Times that by forty and you generally have the size of Burning Man, and it gets bigger every single year.

But while I've never been to Burning Man, I have a feeling that when I do it won't compare to Nowhere. With such a small crowd, it was possible to meet wonderful people-and then actually be able to find them again the next day. And thanks to Nowhere's diminutive size, I got to walk away with a handful of new friends whom I know I'll keep in touch with and see again.

The minute we got inside the festival grounds we were overwhelmed by the kindness of our fellow burners. As we pitched our tents in the 100 Degree weather, peeling off clothes as the sun rose higher in the cloudless sky, the members of the Swiss camp next to ours brought everyone ice coffee to help beat the heat. Later on, after our camp was set up and there was nothing else to do but explore, we were greeted with hugs by nearly everyone we met, and sometimes with cold beer :). We got unbelievable lucky with our neighbors, an amazing American couple living in Grenada who brought everything one could possibly need to survive for five days in the desert. They fed us every day, served us cold beer and sangria, and cooled us off with there amazing shade structure that they brought from their patio back home. The second night they even made martinis and ribs for anyone with an empty stomach-a meal that our dry tuna and salami sandwiches just couldn't compete with.

Every minute was like a playground for the senses. There was always something to see and something to do. Whether it was getting a massage at the Shhh! tent to unwind after a day in the sun, or erotic art seminars in the Middle of Nowhere tent-which was exactly what it sounds like ;). There was naked body painting, strange and sinister fashion shows, arts and crafts and good conversations to be had everywhere you look. We had Tai Chi and Yoga in the mornings, Reiki seminars and meditation in the afternoons, and hard-hitting DJ sets each night under the vast, twinkling black sky that would last until the sun rose above the Spanish mountains.

It was the best festival I have ever attended, and it is an experience I will never forget. Burn festivals truly give me faith in humanity and our ability to be kind to one another and leave the pettiness of life behind. I hope that wherever I will be next Summer, I will find my way back to Spain to enjoy the benefits of a community that will accept you regardless of where you come from, what you look like or what you believe in.