إينيس، إسبانيا

“After a very challenging year in my personal life, this experience came as a breath of fresh air — or better said, a moment of grace. Stage 4 of MED25 has been much more than a project or a learning opportunity for me: it has been a space of reconnection — with myself, with others, and with God.

From the very beginning, I felt embraced by a group of people so different in background, beliefs, and life stories, yet so incredibly similar in heart. That discovery — that beyond borders, religions, and languages we are deeply close — was humbling and healing. It opened me up in ways I didn’t expect. I shared thoughts and questions that had rarely left the walls of my mind. And in return, I found listening, warmth, and real human connection.

Somehow, in this shared space of uncertainty and difference, I found a safe ground. I faced fears I had been carrying for a while. I practiced forgiveness — especially towards myself. And I met people I will carry with me for the rest of my life, because they left a mark in the deepest part of my being.

Although we were not able to reach Lebanon due to the missile conflict between Israel and Iran — a reality that saddened me at first, perhaps a little selfishly — this unexpected turn made the time we spent together even more precious. In the unpredictability, our group became closer, and the experience more intense. Sometimes, it is in the pause, in the not-knowing, that something sacred unfolds. The reflection shared by Ada from Palestine came to me just at the right moment. She reminded me of the value of being a single drop in the sea. Her words touched something deep in me and helped me realize that even when we feel small or helpless, we are never alone — especially when we choose to love and to stay.

As for the session’s theme — religions in dialogue — I now see it less as a concept and more as a way of life. Dialogue is not simply about agreeing or disagreeing, but about being willing to see the other, to let oneself be seen, and to walk a few steps together. I experienced that many times during the stage: around a meal, in a shared silence, through a joke, or in vulnerable conversations. We didn’t erase our differences — we honored them — but they became doors, not walls.

Finally, when I think about Mediterranean integration, I don’t think first of politics or economics — I think of faces. Of names. Of stories. This stage reminded me that integration begins with relationships. That a more united Mediterranean is possible, not only through big strategies, but through small, real gestures of encounter — those that create bridges where borders once stood.

With deep gratitude”

Inés