Almost free holiday....
| Published: 16th July 2008 19:51 |
Almost free holiday.......
I've just had the most wonderful week away spending 5 nights/6 days in a 4* hotel in the middle of the Spanish National Park of Montfrague at no cost at all. How did I manage that?
Well some time ago I read about Vaughantown, it's a total immersion programme for Spanish people to improve their English, and what they need most of all is native English speakers to go over to join their programmes, speak English and enjoy the company of a whole host of new people.
It's a wonderful way of getting to meet Spanish people, understanding their culture, and sharing in a very different experience.
At the end of June I took off to Madrid to meet the other Anglos for tapas the night before we went off to Vaughantown. The English speakers could have been from anywhere as long as English was their mother tongue. I was with a couple of young Americans who had been teaching in Spain but were on their way home; a young Australian travelling as Australians do; two American women who were in Europe for several weeks; a man from LA who was writing about his experiences for a US magazine; a youth worker from Islington; a young Londoner in the first of her 6 weeks in Spain between jobs; a lecturer from Manchester making good use of her summer break, a just retired Englishwoman living in Edinburgh and me.
It turned out we were all talkative outgoing chatters who had volunteered to take part in this scheme to get to know more about life in Spain, take up the free accommodation and generally enjoy ourselves..... but we did have to give up several hours a day to talk to Spaniards about anything and everything to help them with their English.
The following morning we met for the bus journey to Monfragüe, which is across Spain almost beside the Portuguese border in Extramadura. Along with us there was a nervous group of Spaniards looking us over as we gathered. We'd been introduced to each other but not all of them knew one another, and so as we chatted like old friends in pretty fast English they became even more worried about what lay ahead. Half way to our hotel the bus stopped for coffee and for the remainder of the journey we were teamed up - English and Spanish to chat for the rest of the trip and that at least relaxed them a little bit.
What a wonderful hotel we turned up at. In the middle of the park we found ourselves at the welcoming Hospederia Parque de Monfragüe, with a pool, lovely rooms, and a great outlook towards the mountains.
As we got to know our Spanish victims we found we had a physicist, a fruit and vegetable wholesaler, two telecommunications company employees, a business consultant, a financial consultant, an insurance worker, a biology teacher and a couple of people who were taking full time Vaughan Masters certificates. The level of English was amazingly good but still all were anxious to improve and speak more. It turns out that it's the confidence to speak that's the hardest part.
So we talked - we talked over breakfast, we talked as we walked into the countryside or down to the village, we talked over lunch, we even talked in our free time by the pool....then we talked in group activities, we talked again in role play telephone and conference calls, we talked in one to ones and we talked over dinner.....you'd think we'd have had enough after dinner, but it seemed we got along so well that we talked after dinner as well!
Then there was the entertainment. And we were the entertainment! Under the guidance of our master of ceremonies we were encouraged to take part in sketches, plays and improvisations. No-one was pushed, but everyone took part. It was great fun and there was lots of laughter. We had Monty Python sketches, a bit of Woody Allen, and a mad impromptu version of Cinderella.
Apparently we were a great group - and I agree of course. There was such a good mix and we got on from whatever age or country. Mostly people travelled as individuals, there were only the two American ladies who travelled regularly together, and I had met up with someone I'd been to my first Vaughantown week with last year. If you're travelling alone it's a really good way to meet people and feel part of a group. Some people who travel alone see it as a break and a chance to meet with fellow travellers. Some just go for a totally new experience.
For me one of the most enriching things about this programme is the opportunity to get to know people - and to get to know so much about Spanish culture and life. The Spanish group were really happy to talk to us about their lives and share with us. Once you've talked as much as we had you certainly know a lot about the Spanish way of life in a way you never could do as just a tourist.
Vaughantown is always looking for new volunteers to take part in their programmes. They run right through the year at two locations. There's Monfragüe, where I was this time, and Gredos, another beautifully located 4* hotel in the mountains near Avila north of Madrid.
The schedule is quite simple and the same most weeks. You leave Madrid on Sunday morning and return on the following Friday afternoon. Every day you are fed and watered including three course lunches and dinners with wine and water, and each day the Programme Director will post a schedule on the notice board so you know which of the Spanish people you are teamed up with.
Of course you do need to get to Madrid first of all, and you can do that directly from Leeds Bradford these days, and you'll probably need a hotel at least for the night before, and possibly for the night you get back to Madrid, but there are plenty of reasonable places to stay and Vaughantown will help with some names.
If you're interested take a look at their website www. http://www.vaughantown.com/EnglishNew/indexenglish.asp and when you book if you can, please mention this article.
Have fun mis amigos!
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