Gishwhes (English)

Last week, Gishwhes (pronounced gish-wes) took place (gishwhes.com). Like every year since 2011, the first week of August, the world is taken by thousands of people trying to make it happier, kinder, more creative and awesome. This event is a contest where the teams have to complete as many tasks (items) as possible following the directions given and exploring their creativity going from the weirdest thing as the recreation of a Goya painting with candy, to spend time with the elders in a nursery home or performing a sock-puppet show in a children`s hospital.

Gishwhes not only helps to explore every contester`s creativity; Gishwhes makes us leave our comfort zone to discover an amazing world, a world that can be improved by random acts of kindness.

This is not a talent show. This is not X Factor. This is the Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen.

I joined Gishwhes with the only intention of paying my subscription as part of my annual project of helping a NGO. Gishwhes is the major supporter of Random Acts (randomacts.org) an organization founded by Supernatural’s actor Misha Collins, who happens to be the founder of Gishwhes. I thought I would be given the chance to decide whether I wanted to join the Hunt or not. I was wrong. And I have to say this was the sweetest mistake in years.

When the timer strikes zero, the Hunt starts. All the challenges (items) are published and the teams have one week to complete as many as possible. The organization looks for creativity and passion but above all, to take the Hunt to the outside and change the world, make it beautiful and more human.  You can join the Hunt in your living-room, but I can say that it’s amazing when you take its meaning to the outside world.

This week, I have shared free coffee at one of the main bus stops, I have pretended to be Picasso by painting a portrait of one of the Supernatural’s actress, I have become a first class parcel and I have been taken pictures in a weight-scale and in the post office and I have been a model wearing my own designed bra to support of myhopechest.org, an organization that helps uninsured breast cancer survivors to afford breast reconstruction surgery.

And, if this wasn’t enough, one of the last items was collecting founds to help two Syrian refuges families. In a couple of days, the Hunt collected as many funds to help four families.

Thanks to Gishwhes, I have met fourteen amazing, brave and talented women who have taught a whole new world; each of us located in a different part of the world. This week we have shared creations, ideas, jokes, knowledge, we have laughed and we have been the support to each other in hard times. When the team was completed, a family was born, sharing our passion for Supernatural and the desire of making a better world.

myhopechest.org

But, above all of it, I have learnt to feel confident and safe facing the unknown. I have left my comfort zone and taken risks. I have gained self confidence and I have found out skills that I never thought I had. This has been a profound, personal and collective, catharsis; a new way of communion with the world around and ourselves.
If you ask me if I am going to join the Hunt next year, the answer is yes. I’m going to be stronger and willing to risk even more, trying to make a bigger impact on people and the world, dragging people with Gishwhes tide.


Because, if you have not noticed yet, the Scavenger Hunt ends when we find ourselves.