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Foreword

The $50,000 question all Spaniards wanted to know: “ Why are you here...what is in it for you?” No matter how may times they asked this question, they could not understand why the native English speakers would volunteer to live in seclusion to teach them English --the need to understand was insatiable. The first time being presented with this question, I simply answered after much thought--“I don’t know.”

There is a personal gratification and a social nobility to donating your time to the impoverished. However, in this case, the Executives were obviously more prosperous than the majority of the volunteers. It perplexed all involved as to why so many people liberally gave of their time to the well-to-do.

The pitch to get the “Anglos” to attend was simple, free room and board in this charming Spanish cobblestone village. Free is obviously a powerful word, the program is never in short supply of speakers. What they did not tell us, was how well they would treat us. Charming accommodations, 3 course meals served with wine everyday, no money is needed. Most participants were already in Europe and it was a great way to extend their trip. The “catch” is that you are required to talk to the Spaniards all day and night. They estimate that the talk time will total 117 hours, but I think this figure is rather low. I would guesstimate it to be around 130 hours. The reason for the disparity is because we found ourselves talking to one another even in our spare time; oftentimes, talking about how we were tired of talking. We didn’t just sit and converse by any means. We went on hikes, trips and played games such as Mus, a complex Spanish version of poker (see link for rules). Friendships began to develop very quickly. It may seem bizarre, but how often do you spend time talking with your friends in a normal situation? If you have a full-time job and a family, probably not much time. One or two hours a week total? You leave this program with 117-130 hours of relationship time under your belt. Most friendships cultivated in Valdelavilla do not end when the participants go home.

Each and every English speaker was on a journey. A quest of some kind brought them to Spain, and for many it was a soul search. It is believed that conversations there are not guarded because it feels “safe” to talk to someone that doesn’t live in your everyday world. You know that you will return to your life, and your vulnerabilities that were shared will not cross an ocean to haunt you. On the last day when asked again why was I there, my answer was more poised: I just formed life long friendships with people I would never have had the opportunity to get to know otherwise. Our friendships were put in pressure cookers and a deep relationship was formed. We have had the opportunity to live and learn about another culture and found out that although there is a great deal of diversity, we are essentially more alike than different. I have also learned a lot about myself in the process. I am more laid back and easygoing, and that's all I have ever wanted.

My House

This is a view of the house I lived in while in Valdelavilla. My bedroom was located on the third floor of this beautiful stone structure. The top window is my room. To the left is the entrance to our courtyard. Should I ever strike it rich, I will build a grand courtyard of my own. The garden would be lavish and the center fountain would be an absolute spectacle. Our courtyard was humble, quaint and inviting, but fabulous nonetheless.

Englishtown Photos: June 2005

Englishtown Photos: June 2005

Random Photos

-From Left to Right: Hamish AUS, Gavin IRL, Lauren CA, Rob UK and Tony UK on our last day.

-Hiking to the nearby
village.

(below)"mainstreet".

-Pedro stops to catch his breath and take in the view. Our village
was located at approximately 3,000 feet of altitude.

Meeting Noreen

Noreen and I exchanged a few emails prior to coming to Spain. They were-- "just the facts, ma'am" type of correspondence. There was little way of knowing what type of personality or temperament the other possessed. We met at the Ole International Hostel and meshed immediately. We ended up staying in the same house in Valdelavilla as well. After late nights out until 3 or 4 AM, we would come home crawling up the stairs from fatigue. Noreen and I would always end up in a looong conversation standing in the sitting room of the second floor. Noreen is a brilliant woman from Vancouver. She has her degree in Biology, but I am trying to persuade her to become a Comic Writer. In one week I think we have exchanged 100 emails, I am going to get fired from my job for sure! In this photo, we are sitting on our favorite windowsill in the “Main House”.

The Vultures

We were all growing tired of late nights followed by days of nonstop talking. We decided to “cheat” by going to see the vultures that nested on the top of the mountain. In the US, the vulture has a bad reputation. Normally we associate these beautiful gliders with death and ravenous greed. In Valdelavilla we had hundreds of these prehistoric birds as our neighbors. This particular species “The old-world vultures” are making a comeback after almost becoming extinct due to lack of food. Now the mountains are “stocked” with animal carcass. These graceful creatures are stunning to watch up close. They can reach 110cm with a wingspan of 250 to 280cm. In order to get close to the nest, we had to be very quiet, and the silence was lovely.

Party Night

We always got together at nights to relax, but this party was sponsored by E-Town. It was a good time.