September 21 2025 Navarro Family Reunion
Hola! Happy Hacking to all hackers, DIY, Creators and tinkers out there.
Last weekend September 20 I caught a fast speed train (AVE) to visit family in Alicante. This time was not a party, or friends motivation, but family reunión that was MUCH needed! I had not seen many of my younger family members in 20+ years or even 30! Since I moved to the USA in 1997 and came back to Spain in 2019, there has been this huge gap with the younger generations who were babies or not even born when I left.
I had such a great time, I was so happy to be in-family I could not stop talking jajajaja. I was excited and happy like a kid in a candy store! We had family come from overseas and different parts of Spain and even Europe. My son Alex came as well, so it was complete!!! Having him there made everything even more special, seeing him connect with cousins he barely knew existed.
The Navarro side was in full force - tíos, tías, primos, sobrinos - generations mixing together, kids running around, the older ones telling stories from the old days in Alicante. The energy was incredible, that Mediterranean family warmth that makes these gatherings so special. You know that feeling when you are surrounded by your blood and everything just clicks? That was it!
My grandpa's part of the family, the Fernández, were not there this time, hopefully I'll visit them soon since now I have some of their contacts. The good news is that I do have a lot of contact with the Navarro side of the family since most of them are willing to run privacy tools or ethical tools like Signal and such because they love me and understand my values. I do not use WhatsApp or any abusive, centralized and proprietary software (you all know me ha ha) so I have around 30 or so family members on Signal already! It's amazing how supportive they are, switching to better tools just to keep in touch with me.
The food was interesting - there was paella but from what I heard it wasn't the best, so some of us including me went for the codillo instead, which was delicious! Also tortilla de patatas, jamón ibérico, all the classics. And the stories! So many stories about when I was a kid, things I don't even remember, embarrassing moments that made everyone laugh.
Got back to my studio in Madrid on Monday, with energy and uphill spirit! The train ride back gave me time to process everything, finally meeting all these young cousins and nephews/nieces who I only knew through photos. Family is important, and seeing the new generation growing up with our values and traditions is beautiful.
I did get time to see some friends too - squeezed in some time on Saturday with Sergio, Sara, Pedro (ElkenUno) y Emilio (Keo) for a bit. We met up and had a bit of food and refresh drinks, caught up on how life is going, kids, things that happened since the last time I saw them in person in March 2025 for the KRS-ONE concert in Alicante. These are my lifelong friends from my teen days all the way to when I left to the USA in 1997. That was good that I was able to squeeze that in, mixing the family time with a quick friend reunion. Also the weather was perfect! September in Alicante is still warm but not the crushing heat of August.
Alicante is the city I grew up in and lived half of my life, so I always enjoy when I go there and have fun, and I always come back happy. Walking through the old neighborhood, seeing the castle of Santa Bárbara on the hill, the Mediterranean sea stretching out blue and infinite... it fills something in my soul that Madrid, as much as I love it, cannot fill.
This reunion reminded me that family is not just about blood, but about shared history, shared laughs, and making new memories. Even after decades apart with some of the younger ones, we connected instantly. That's the magic of family.
Now back to the daily grind - work, hack, study, contribute to free software projects, and planning the next family gathering. Maybe Christmas? We'll see!
That's it for now!
rek2 aka rebel
Much loves
Solidarity and hugs. Love ALL.