Day 3-10 La Alberca, Spain

---

Day 3 -- Pueblo Ingles at La Alberca



We took a taxi from our hotel and proceeded to the meeting place for our bus trip to La Alberca. This jewel of a town in located about 4 hours from Madrid. Beginning on the bus, the Spaniards were not allowed to speak Spanish. We all spoke English, even speaking Spaniard to Spaniard. Everyone paired up, one Anglo and one Spanish. This was how most of the program worked. Upon arrival at the hotel we all piled out of the bus, collected our luggage, and had lunch. We were given our room assignments afterward. Mike and I shared a villa with Ignacio, a Madrileno (Madrid resident). He looks like a movie star. Good looks, and a confident way of presenting himself. Ignacio had the upstairs room, and we had the ground floor. There is a common area outside our room with a tiny kitchen area and a sitting area with a fireplace. It was too hot to have a fire, but I am sure it feels very nice and cozy when the weather get chilly.



This was probably the most intense and rewarding experience that we have ever had. Diverbo has almost every waking moment scheduled for us, and the days were long. You start with breakfast at 9AM and continue until well after 11PM. It was gratifying to see the progress of the Spanish as the week continued. Some of the activities included one-to-one talks, two-to-two talks, group activities and excursions. We walked into La Alberca one morning, about a 25 minute walk. The town has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And it is! It dates from over a thousand years ago. The streets in the town center are cobbled, and one wonders how they can drive in such tight spaces. The tables at mealtime were structured with an equal number of Anglos and Spanish, except for a few, since we were not equally divided. The careers of the Spanish were quite varied. We had at least three from their NRC (nuclear regulatory commission). Makes you wonder who's minding the store! There were teachers, professors, business people, doctors, microbiologists, and even a man who arranges art exhibits all over the world. Many of these people are required to speak English for their careers. So this is no holiday for them, and some have more than a little pressure to be proficient. We have made some fast friends that we hope will continue over the years. I am hoping to have some of the Spanish and Anglos come to New Mexico for a visit. The Anglos hail from all over the world, too. We had Brits, Yanks, Canadians, Scots, and South Africans. If you are interested in participating in this program, check our their website.



After a long, tiring, rewarding week, we returned to Madrid for one night. We departed in the morning, after picking up a rental car, and continued on to Grazalema.

---