Archive for February 2009
Woo Hoo, it's February, Peublo Ingles here I come!
Posted on Tue, Feb 03, 2009 at 18:09 by Michelle
I booked to go to Pueblo Ingles just before Christmas. I had a week of study leave in November when I really wished I'd gone (I had first been Nov '07), so I booked for my next half term which is now only a couple of weeks away, and I'm counting the days.
I can't really afford a 'proper' holiday this year, and as the kids have their amazing school, and Kate has her prom as well as her sweet 16th and Dave is off to Glastonbury in June, this suits me fine. I sort of wished I could go when it is a bit warmer, but all of my other holidays the kids are off school as well, so February it is.
The first time I went I felt rather brave. I traveled to Spain for the first time on my own at 40 years old. I stayed in a youth hostel in Madrid and was very impressed by it's facilities I'd definitely stay there again (although ear plugs are a must), and when I returned from La Alberca I couchsurfed with a wonderful couple close to Madrid centre.
The 'more than English' experience is great and I still chat with many of the friends I made over that week. It is very intensive for the Spanish students who are immersed in English for the whole week. (Although you hear a little more Spanish late in the evening around the bar). I saw so many wonderful things, Charlene giving us a wonderful belly dance performance and getting us to try some moves. Gareth playing guitar as well as showing us a Maori dance demonstration. The wonderful talk John gave us on walking the Santiago Way and the very funny sketches performed by the talented Spanish actor Victor Clavijo.
It is a full day and mostly filled with talking, listening and correcting English, tiring for me, but much more so for the Spanish, who have to live and breathe English for the week. We are woken by the telephone ringing 30 minutes before breakfast at 9am, enough time for a quick shower and then over to the pleasant dining room, for a buffet breakfast. The day starts proper at breakfast, it is expected that there will be a mix of Anglos and Spaniards at each table to make the most of communicating in a relaxed and informal environment. From there on the day is filled with a full schedule of chat, entertainment and presentations until dinner at 9pm, this is late for the Anglos, but early for the Spaniards and the night is still young for many, enjoying the delights of the bar until the wee hours.
We have a break in the afternoon for Siesta when there would be an occasional trip into town, or a little sight seeing, but surprisingly for me (as I rarely nap) I enjoyed the time to relax in the afternoon and it left me revitilsed for our evening sessions.
It seems a full on day and by the end of the week I was very tired, but I loved it, probably because I am so nosy and love to hear about people and their lives. I speak only a very little Spanish and learned one new word while I was there. The very beautiful Marissa was describing the spice in our dessert and said it was Canella as she did not know the English, I know the spice as Cinnamon and the Spanish word has stayed with me, leading me onto a future post on improving memory which has led me down all sorts of rabbit warrens or, more correctly, memory palaces.
I learnt such a lot in my week at Peublo Ingles about the working and family lives of people from Spain, Mexico, USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the UK. Conversations I would not have access to as a tourist. Like couchsurfing PI throws you straight into the mix and you have the ideal opportunity to realise that strangers are just friends that we don't know yet.
