Diverbo day 1

We meet at the bus outside the office and board the bus with our Spanish participants. Some of the Spanish are coming by car so we are not all paired off. I get to know Joss a Michelin chef who now works as a culinary judge and restaurant critic. He is Dutch but has lived in the States for many years and is a veteran English volunteer. He finds the program great fun and has attended several. I also get to know Catherine a retired Lawyer from Vancouver.

Avila and medieval wall

We pass through Avila, a really cold place and a town with one of the most complete medieval walls around the city in Spain.

The hotel and cottage accommodation.
We arrive at La Alberca and the hotel. It is very attractive. We are assigned our room mates and in my case both Spanish and Anglo. I am sharing with Lauren from Houston Texas and she is lovely but jet lagged and she has just arrived from a very stressful period at home.  Her mother has just passed away and her son has just graduated and is going away east to college.  She is very tired and this program was a way to keep her busy and distracted. This I understand. We get along really well.
Our Spanish roommate in the attic has not arrived but eventually turns up quite late after drivingfrom Gallicia.  she is Marge.  There are fifty two participants and we get introduced to the way the week will go, some icebreakers then it is  right into one on one conversations.  Talking is something I do very naturally( as my friends and colleagues know!)  so  this is easy and we have an interesting time moving from person to person every hour with a ten minutes break in between. Our throats are dry after a time but everyone is in high spirits.  We have  a delicious lunch and then more talking and later dinner.  I am trying to eat light and small so I don't put on all the weight I have lost. Instead of sitting and talking we decide to walk and talk. That is good  and stops us from getting tired.
The weather is colder than everyone expected so they are all struggling with their clothes choices and some only have thongs. I am in my jeans and walking boots, probably all week!
It is a full day and everyone is tired by the end of the day. The Spanish particularly because they have  been struggling with the language.  Generally they have a good competence so if I want to do the Spanish equivalent I will need to improve considerably. Volunteers get a €400 discount.

The village 

Paul from Massachusetts

Then next day we  have some group activities and during siesta Paul from Massachussetts and I head into town which is about 2kms away. It is a very quaint and medieval  and is quite a tourist attraction apparently.  We have talked so much that we are a bit confused about the return track. Eventually we find a track that leads us through the bush and eventually back to  the hotel, just in time for our next sessions! We have theartre which is histerical. Pedro is a tall Spanish and is a great comediian and the women and Jimmy dressed as a woman are excellent. Everyone is so confidant! We have a great time.

There are presentations from the Spanish and also two Anglos. It is a good day.