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.