Hi, my name is Ashley Shaw, and I am addicted to seeing the world.
I was born in Seattle, WA, but spent most of my childhood in Tucson, AZ, which may explain why I love rainy gloomy days as much as sunsets in the painted desert. I started riding horses when I was 4 years old and it is a passion that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Although I’ve owned many horses throughout that time, one in particular saw me grow from a naive 13 year old girl to a 22 year old woman who is brave enough to move to Spain–again. And I have every reason to thank him for that.
I am a recent graduate from Arizona State University, double majoring in Print Journalism and Sociology. I think the greatest thing that I ever took away from my years at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism is the realization that every single person has an amazing story, and sometimes they are just waiting for you to listen.
The spring semester of my Junior year, I studied abroad in Granada and Sevilla, where I acquired most of my Spanish minor. Although it was not my first time in Europe, I fell in love with Spain and felt like my heart had found a place to call home. It was one of the most important decisions I have ever made and it taught me so much about myself. The people of Spain taught me how to embrace life and appreciate every day. My passport is a collection of visas and stamps from places and people who have changed my life. The friends I made during that time I carry in an incredibly special place in my heart. Before I even had returned to America, I knew I was going to spend the rest of my summer and Senior year figuring out a way to get back to the place I had come to love so much.
Now that I am officially “post-grad,” I am ecstatic to say that I will be starting the next chapter of my life back in Sevilla, where I will be teaching English for the next year. This blog will be following me through my next adventure with Spain and wherever else life takes me.
Finally, I would like to share with you part of the inspiration for this blog.
I have had an entire year to come to terms with the fact that I was returning to Spain, and still had yet to commit to doing the one thing I had always wanted to do: write everything down about it. I always said “I will create a blog… I’ll do it… eventually.”
Sadly, I was given a heartbreaking reminder of the brevity of life. A friend I had come to admire so much for the smile that he always had on his face, the love that he always shared with the people around him and the passion that he always had for this beautifully complicated thing that we call life, was taken away from us much too soon.
I was given the distinct privilege of sharing a country like Spain with him at the same time. The last time I saw him I gave him a gigantic hug as I excitedly told him that I was going back to Spain and he was so happy for me. We both shared a passion for seeing the world and I watched as he continued his travels to South America, a place I still have yet to go.
On August 1, 2010, he passed away in a mining accident in Peru. But even after leaving this Earth, he has continued to bring strangers together and inspire us all to reach out to those that we have let slip away, to pursue our wildest dreams, to explore the world, to not take time for granted, to tell our friends and family that we love them more often and to hug people like we really mean it. He taught me that simply through someone’s genuine kindness, they can change the world. I know we often try to heroize people in death, exaggerating certain qualities and glossing over certain faults, but with Ravi, there is no fabrication or exaggeration necessary. He was, in all honesty, the greatest man any of us have ever known.
The symbol you see as a banner above this page is something that means a lot to me. So much, infact, that on my last day in Sevilla, I got it tattooed on my body. It is the symbol of the city of Sevilla. “NO8DO” translates to no me ha dejado, meaning “It has not left me.” You take a piece of Sevilla–or a piece of what you love–wherever you go in life, no matter what. You may leave it, but it never really leaves you. Although you have to say goodbye or have to sadly part ways, people and memories can never truly be taken away from you because you carry them in your heart everywhere you go.
But I also think that when you love a place like Spain as much as the two of us did, you leave a piece of yourself there. This time, when I go back, I know that he will be there with me. And every time something makes me smile, I will think of him and know that he is there in spirit. Because he left a little piece of his heart there for us. Thank you, Ravi, for showing me what it is like to truly live your life to the fullest. This next adventure’s for you.
Ravi Lucas DeFilippo 9/1/86-8/1/10. Rest in Peace, my friend. You will always be loved and missed.