My first week volunteering with Vaughan Town is in Pedraza, a small walled village, about 1.5 hours north of Madrid. It is sooo amazing! There is one door / gate into the town and hardly any tourists here during the week, but I understand that it gets very busy on the weekends.
It Is a beautiful medieval village on the top of a hill with a small castle. The buildings have stone walls, big wooden doors, and wooden beamed ceilings. This is my room with a lovely Juliet balcony.
We are up at the crack of 8, with breakfast at 9, and then from 10 - 2 there are 1 to 1 conversations. We are free to talk about anything we want and to roam anywhere in the village, as long as we are back in about 50 minutes to meet with our next partner. Lunch is at 2 with free time / siesta till 5, then more sessions from 6 & 7, and an entertainment session at 8. As the week progresses, the sessions include telephone conversations, conference calls (with pre-determined topics), group activities, and rehearsals for that evening's entertainment. We are each slotted in to the schedule so that we do a bit of everything. It's sort of a cross between summer school (for the Spaniards) and summer camp for adults. Because the conference calls involve 3-4 Spaniards and only 1 Anglo, we get some extra blocks of free time to rest, explore the village, or whatever we want.
I have met some amazing people from all over the world and had a great time. It was well worth a week of my life as I had a great time and am looking forward to a second week in El Tiemblo starting tomorrow.
It Is a beautiful medieval village on the top of a hill with a small castle. The buildings have stone walls, big wooden doors, and wooden beamed ceilings. This is my room with a lovely Juliet balcony.
We are up at the crack of 8, with breakfast at 9, and then from 10 - 2 there are 1 to 1 conversations. We are free to talk about anything we want and to roam anywhere in the village, as long as we are back in about 50 minutes to meet with our next partner. Lunch is at 2 with free time / siesta till 5, then more sessions from 6 & 7, and an entertainment session at 8. As the week progresses, the sessions include telephone conversations, conference calls (with pre-determined topics), group activities, and rehearsals for that evening's entertainment. We are each slotted in to the schedule so that we do a bit of everything. It's sort of a cross between summer school (for the Spaniards) and summer camp for adults. Because the conference calls involve 3-4 Spaniards and only 1 Anglo, we get some extra blocks of free time to rest, explore the village, or whatever we want.
Looks like a wonderful time! you look so happy in the picture next to the gentleman in the blue shirt! Good for you!
ReplyDeleteIt was at the end of a wonderful week. The Anglos were each presented with a certificate of appreciation and a flamenco styled apron by one of the Spaniards.
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