During the summer of 2018, I had an idea in my head that I wanted to spend the summer in Spain. After visiting the previous year, I knew that I wanted to go back as soon as possible. This opportunity presented itself almost one year later, when someone (a stranger at the time) was looking for help opening her coliving and coworking space in Tenerife.

With little information besides knowing that there would be wifi, a bedroom for me in this old mansion, and other people who were ready to help, I booked my flight and prepared for the amazing summer ahead of me. After a 14 hour travel day from Cancun to Madrid, and finally to Tenerife, I had arrived, ready for whatever experiences were in store for me.

During this summer, I worked and lived alongside a group of strangers that quickly became close friends. We all worked our full-time jobs, and in our “free” time, we would tackle different areas of the house that needed to be painted, remodeled, cleaned, or redecorated. When all of the work was done for the day, we would have community dinners, and use this time to get to know each other better. On the weekends, we would take time to explore the island, have a beach day, or learn to surf. But for the most part, we all did it as a community.

When the summer was ending and it was time to officially open Nine Coliving, it was bittersweet. It was a great moment to see all of our hard work come together into something that would be shared with so many other people, but sad that our once-in-a-lifetime experience was coming to a close. The people I had met had become some of my best friends, and I wasn’t ready to say goodbye. However, all great things must come to an end, and to commemorate all the work that was done, each person had a room named after them.

Thus, Ashley’s room was born, and remains now in 2021. It’s a reminder to me that I was part of something bigger than myself, and took a chance on something simply because I wanted it badly enough. This summer will always hold a special place in my heart. And now, I’m happy to be sharing these memories with all of you!

Included here is a collection of photos from the final stages of Nine Coliving after our crew finished preparing and decorating the house for opening. You may recognize some of these images from Nine’s website, because they were used to advertise the rooms prior to additional redecorating!

Here is a continued look at my summer in Tenerife, Spain. While the Nine Coliving images were solely images from the house after the remodeling was completed, these images highlight the adventures we had in between working and remodeling.

Whether it was weekend surf sessions, hiking through the incredible mountains or along the cliffs, camping on the rocky beaches, or having rooftop dinners, many of the activities we did were as a community.