Day 38
Day 38: SPAIN
2/6/09
This morning was hectic. I set my alarm for three different times in hopes of not being late at he bus station. The Pueblos Ingles company, which I was signed up for this week, was leaving at 9:30 am, so I set my alarm for 8 am to walk five blocks. No big deal right? Wrong.
Pueblos Ingles is an English immersion company that advertises for volunteering native English speakers to come to a village or small town and speak English to paying Spanish natives. The Spaniards are either very motivated learners or business people from a company that wants them to speak English better. The company pays for all the volunteers food, lodging in a Very nice hotel, and the bus ride to the small place in the Spanish countryside. And our bus was leaving at 9:30.
Understand that when I reset my watch, I was under the impression that since Spain was right under Greenwich, England, it must obviously also be under the Greenwich time zone which is different from Prague. Nooope! The Greenwich time goes around Spain to only hit Portugal! Spain is in the same time zone as Prague and what my watch used to be set at. So when I changed it from 9pm the night before to 8pm, I was ready for the coming morning. Wrong.
I woke up when my watch said it was 8:30, hitting the snooze a couple of times. Cause I stayed up late, browsing a small part of Madrid, taking pictures, being a tourist. I made my way downstairs, ate some breakfast, had some coffee, asked someone what time he had, he said a little after nine... and I got to thinking. I calmly walked to the hostel's computer, looked at the time and gave a stoic sigh.
Taking the stairs two steps at a time, I went up to the third floor, grabbed my stuff, in my head waved goodbye to the French Canadians and took the stairs two steps at a time down. I walked, briskly, to the metro, hoped and prayed I was on the right side, and waited the agonizing thirty seconds. The next station was the right one and I praised as I jumped off. A quick jog with laptop bag and small suitcase in hand (forget the wheels!) and I was soon headed for Calle de something or another. I stopped, checked my map and note card with directions, and continued in the opposite direction for Calle de Almergo. Minutes passed. I saw the bus, saw my watch, and did not dawdle any further until I was in a relatively close distance to the people chatting by the bus.
A heavy breathed question answered what I already knew, I was at the right place. Suitcase was thrown underneath and I plopped down in an available seat.
Thirty minutes later, the bus finally left the station.
Introductions had to be made for this surprisingly 4 hour long bus ride. I had thought we were going near Madrid. The theme of the day of my incorrectness continued.
A fantastic ride through the plains in Spain brought us into a small blizzard. It probably was not a blizzard but to this Virginian, it was an awesome snow storm. At moments, even though the bus crept along, the snow flew by horizontally and darkened the views of the rolling hills beyond our windows.
I met many people on the bus, all of which are older than I. I'm assuming I am the youngest here but then again, I could be wrong. A lot of career based people are volunteering for this as a vacation to get to go to Spain. Some have done it multiple times, most like myself have never done it before.
I met John who walked on hot coals and likes Michael Moore. I met Edna from California. I met Shelley who is going to teach English like me. I met Colin from Wales. I met Alex from Madrid, one of the Spaniards who rode on the bus; most of the 'students' drove out here. I met more whose name's escape me.
Upon arriving at our hotel outside the village, La Alberca, we were checked in and I found to my delight my room until next Friday. Superb! My room is private but in the same bungalow a Spaniard will be living in the other room. We each have our own bathroom with a real shower! Not one of those Prague showers which is just a tub and a hose. The living room is grand with a fireplace and sink and stove if we had anything to cook. But all of the meals are provided by the hotel, provided by the Pueblo Ingles company.
This is all very exciting. As someone else said, its like going to summer camp, but for adults.
We have a quick break right now and then at 6pm we're meeting. We just had a late lunch, very cultural.
Maybe later I'll have time to write more and fill in all you avid readers.
2/6/09
This morning was hectic. I set my alarm for three different times in hopes of not being late at he bus station. The Pueblos Ingles company, which I was signed up for this week, was leaving at 9:30 am, so I set my alarm for 8 am to walk five blocks. No big deal right? Wrong.
Pueblos Ingles is an English immersion company that advertises for volunteering native English speakers to come to a village or small town and speak English to paying Spanish natives. The Spaniards are either very motivated learners or business people from a company that wants them to speak English better. The company pays for all the volunteers food, lodging in a Very nice hotel, and the bus ride to the small place in the Spanish countryside. And our bus was leaving at 9:30.
Understand that when I reset my watch, I was under the impression that since Spain was right under Greenwich, England, it must obviously also be under the Greenwich time zone which is different from Prague. Nooope! The Greenwich time goes around Spain to only hit Portugal! Spain is in the same time zone as Prague and what my watch used to be set at. So when I changed it from 9pm the night before to 8pm, I was ready for the coming morning. Wrong.
I woke up when my watch said it was 8:30, hitting the snooze a couple of times. Cause I stayed up late, browsing a small part of Madrid, taking pictures, being a tourist. I made my way downstairs, ate some breakfast, had some coffee, asked someone what time he had, he said a little after nine... and I got to thinking. I calmly walked to the hostel's computer, looked at the time and gave a stoic sigh.
Taking the stairs two steps at a time, I went up to the third floor, grabbed my stuff, in my head waved goodbye to the French Canadians and took the stairs two steps at a time down. I walked, briskly, to the metro, hoped and prayed I was on the right side, and waited the agonizing thirty seconds. The next station was the right one and I praised as I jumped off. A quick jog with laptop bag and small suitcase in hand (forget the wheels!) and I was soon headed for Calle de something or another. I stopped, checked my map and note card with directions, and continued in the opposite direction for Calle de Almergo. Minutes passed. I saw the bus, saw my watch, and did not dawdle any further until I was in a relatively close distance to the people chatting by the bus.
A heavy breathed question answered what I already knew, I was at the right place. Suitcase was thrown underneath and I plopped down in an available seat.
Thirty minutes later, the bus finally left the station.
Introductions had to be made for this surprisingly 4 hour long bus ride. I had thought we were going near Madrid. The theme of the day of my incorrectness continued.
A fantastic ride through the plains in Spain brought us into a small blizzard. It probably was not a blizzard but to this Virginian, it was an awesome snow storm. At moments, even though the bus crept along, the snow flew by horizontally and darkened the views of the rolling hills beyond our windows.
I met many people on the bus, all of which are older than I. I'm assuming I am the youngest here but then again, I could be wrong. A lot of career based people are volunteering for this as a vacation to get to go to Spain. Some have done it multiple times, most like myself have never done it before.
I met John who walked on hot coals and likes Michael Moore. I met Edna from California. I met Shelley who is going to teach English like me. I met Colin from Wales. I met Alex from Madrid, one of the Spaniards who rode on the bus; most of the 'students' drove out here. I met more whose name's escape me.
Upon arriving at our hotel outside the village, La Alberca, we were checked in and I found to my delight my room until next Friday. Superb! My room is private but in the same bungalow a Spaniard will be living in the other room. We each have our own bathroom with a real shower! Not one of those Prague showers which is just a tub and a hose. The living room is grand with a fireplace and sink and stove if we had anything to cook. But all of the meals are provided by the hotel, provided by the Pueblo Ingles company.
This is all very exciting. As someone else said, its like going to summer camp, but for adults.
We have a quick break right now and then at 6pm we're meeting. We just had a late lunch, very cultural.
Maybe later I'll have time to write more and fill in all you avid readers.
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