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Published: November 13th 2009
SUNDAY 8 NOVEMBER - VAUGHANTOWN, GREDOS
After an early check-out and breakfast, the four of us ‘Anglos’ who were staying at the same hostel grabbed a taxi to the bus meeting point. The bus left at 9am and it was about a three hour drive out to Gredos where we would be staying for the next five nights. We stopped for a brief coffee break at a place where we could see the old city walls of Avila which was quite pleasant.
When we got there we had an introductory session with our MC, Rob, where we all had to introduce ourselves and Rob explained a bit more about the programme. Then it was the first of many three course meals before siesta, which I used to walk into the small nearby town and have a look around. Everything was mostly closed so I looked at the church and the castle and headed back. Then it was the start of the ‘one to one’ sessions which would form a large part of the next five days, before a three course meal and an early night.
MONDAY 9 NOVEMBER - FRIDAY 13 NOVEMBER - VAUGHANTOWN, GREDOS
To repeat from the last entry - the programme requires ‘Anglos’ (as I would be known for the next week) volunteering their time to talk to Spanish speakers in English basically non-stop for five days. In return for talking, you get put up in four star accommodation - your own room with TV, Jacuzzi, heating, etc. We also get all meals supplied for five days - including three course lunch and dinners. So it was a chance for me to get some good sleep, meet some Spaniards and eat some normal food for a week. Plus save some money since I wouldn’t be travelling, etc.
The VaughanTown programme consists of several different activities. Each morning we would have breakfast (buffet) at 9am. You had to ensure when you sat at tables that there were two Anglos and two Spaniards, or if you were at a table of five, that there were three Anglos and two Spaniards. The idea is to introduce them to larger conversations where two Anglos talk to each other. The objective of the programme for the Spaniards is two fold. Firstly - to enhance their understanding/ comprehension and secondly, to improve their fluency.
After breakfast we would then have four 50 hour sessions with a 10 minute break in between each one. A large majority of these sessions were one-to-one, and so I ended up spending quite a bit of time walking around the hotel - down to the nearby lake, up and down the road and even to see the ostriches at the farm next door. I would learn to hate that road by the end of the week!!
As well as one-to-one sessions, we would also have telephone sessions where we would each be given a scenario. We would each have to go back to our respective rooms and then follow through with the scenario on the phone. As an Anglos, our objective was to keep them talking for as long as we could - but no less than 10 minutes. My first two phone sessions were the same scenario with two different people - but I was essentially booking a room at a hotel for me and my husband who can’t walk up stairs. Once we finished the conversation, we would spend whatever was remaining of the session chatting as we would a one-to-one.
The other type of session we had was a conference call. Anglos were given their conference call scenario the evening before and got to choose from three different options. All conference calls had three Spaniards in one room speaking with an Anglo who was in their room. The scenario that I chose was to be the US Marketing Director speaking with my marketing colleagues in Spain about creating and launching a new toilet seat. I wanted it to be funny which is why I chose that one. But when I actually had to explain what a toilet seat was… I had second thoughts!! But it went ok and I kept the three of them chatting about different ideas (heated, internet, comfy seat like a couch, etc etc) for about 40 minutes or so.
As there were two more Anglos than there are Spaniards we would also occasionally have free time which was nice as talking non-stop does get quite tiring - even more so for the Spaniards though. As part of their participation they also had to do a 10 minute presentation on a topic of their choice so some of the later one-to-ones would involve us listening to them and helping them out, or even sitting in more formal rehearsals to simulate how they would feel on the day.
The food we ate was quite varied although I do wish I had of said I was vegetarian. Over the course of the week, for starters we had a few different soups, a few different salads and even things like red peppers stuffed with prawns. For mains we had everything from fish, salmon, beef, lamb, duck, veal, lasagne, etc. The best dessert was the first night which was cheesecake but we also had icecream, fruit salad, sorbet, rice pudding, all sorts of things. Never the same meal twice. Except when we got salad as a starter, we always got the same salad on the table - made up of lettuce, tomato, carrot, onion and tuna. It was pretty average but a recurring theme!!
Each day after siesta (from 3:30pm until 5pm) we had a group activity which was mostly to wake people up. And then each evening at 8pm we had an hours worth of entertainment before dinner. The entertainment consisted of people playing and singing songs, poetry, jokes, stories and also some skits. The first few nights skits were ‘created’ by Rob and the ‘actors’ were all chosen by him. They had a few hours to learn and rehearse beforehand as well. They were all pretty funny.
On Wednesday six of us (three Anglos and three Spaniards) were chosen for a skit with a difference. We were given three hours to come up with an idea, write the script and then rehearse it. After some discussion we decided on a script which saw a Spanish couple visit an English hotel. It only went for about five minutes but started with the husband telling his wife that he had been practising his English. At reception, he couldn’t understand what she was saying and we had a bit of a play on words with suite and sweet. I was the porter and whisked them off to their room and when I put out my hand for a tip he shook it. Then there was a discussion with the cleaner about him asking for a sheet but saying it like ‘shit’ with the cleaner telling him that the bathroom was next door. He got angry, she stormed out and he sat on the bed sighing why can’t nobody speak English. Then it was onto the restaurant where not only was he confused as to why there was no egg in his eggplant, but the waitress although thought that he was asking for a piss and was directing him to the bathroom. In fact, he was asking for a second ‘piece’ of bread - again a play on accents and him not understanding. There was also an interchange where he was asking for a ‘fork’ but it came out sounding like something different - and him saying he wanted a fork on the table. The waitress was shocked that he would say such a thing in front of his pregnant wife. Anyway, it ended with the Spanish husband saying to his wife he didn’t understand and wanting to go back to Spain. She answered - in perfect English - that perhaps next time he should let her do the talking. We got quite a lot of laughs and even a standing ovation for Urbano who did an outstanding job remembering not only his lines, but to say certain words with a certain pronounciation so that the audience would get the joke!!
On some of the nights after dinner we also had some ‘entertainment.’ While you didn’t have to go, most people did, particularly those who didn’t want to go to bed with a very full stomach. After an early night on the Sunday, on Monday night we went up to the meeting room and Rob got out his guitar and sang. On Tuesday night they made a traditional Spanish drink - Copanna?? - and saying a ritual that goes with the making of it in three languages. Wednesday night was an early night so the Spaniards could practice their presentations and Thursday night - the last night - was party night which included Sangria, dancing and karaoke.
On Thursday afternoon we also all got to go into town as part of a two hour group activity. Because it was pretty cold and getting dark, after buying things like chocolate most of us went to the local pub for a quick drink and we ended up playing a bit of cards which was very entertaining - with people elected to be the ‘killer’ (they would have to wink at people who then died) and the policeman - who would have to find the killer before he killed everyone. It was highly amusing.
As the last day was check-out, we had a bit of an easier day which was lucky as the party night was a late night. We mostly had some two-to-two sessions before the presentation of the certificates and then lunch. Then it was back onto the bus and back to Madrid!
Was a really fun experience although very tiring, I can only imagine how much more tiring it was for the Spaniards who had no extra free time and who had to think and talk and listen the entire week in English!! Better still - the accommodation was great, I had my own room and in a week spent about 20 euro at the most!!
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Julie Mobbs
non-member comment
LOL sounds like great fun