Monday

My first one-on-one is cancelled as the Spaniard has decided to pull out of the course. He feels that his English in not good enough and he can't understand any of the Anglos, although he talked with us at lunch yesterday. So I have 1 hour free time.

My second session was with a delightful young young lass and again I am totally gobsmacked with the things this young lass talks to me about. she is a university student and after Christmas she is going to Benin (in Africa) as a volunteer to help to build a school.

During my next conversation we talked about my work in VS and what happens to victims of domestic abuse in Spain. We also talked about her family and her travel and she told me she is travelling to Australia soon to continue her studies and wants to come to NZ.

Lunch time was hilarious and we talked about different expectations of a relationship - one of the Anglos started this debate by making a rather sweeping statement about older men wanting younger partners. We were in hysterics as some of the guys talked about how they feel and one of them telling us the story of his marriage and how he knew he had made a mistake and his mother telling him he looked like he was going to his funeral not his wedding on his wedding day and how he was bored on his honeymoon. OMG what fits of laughter followed that with a couple of the young girls suggesting that perhaps he was the boring one in the relationship.

We then got onto a much safer topic - a card game called Muse, and the Spaniards tried to organise a game for tonight. They again had us in fits of laughter as they tried to explain the rules and antics of the game.

The meals are very well organised. Each day we see the menu for the next day and we have to choose what we are going to eat tomorrow. There are two options for each of the three courses, and there is a salad buffet if you don't want what is offered. Then the next day when we arrive in the restaurant we are told what numbers we chose and pick up tickets for the corresponding numbers and put them on the table beside us. The waiters then just look for the numbers and serve us accordingly. We don't even have to stop our conversations, the food just arrives. (Except for breakfast which is buffet style and we help ourselves.)

Today the first course I chose was vegetables - a huge plate of cauliflower, red cabbage, potato, beans and peas. It was absolutely delicious, and in fact it would have been enough for lunch, but there was another course to follow. This was a delcious chicken dish, with apple and a yellow oily juice from the cooking (olive oil and saffron I think) The dessert was rather strange - some sort of custard, but with bits in ( and I am not sure and nor was anyone at my table quite what the bits were ) with a Vanilla Wine biscuit floating on top!!??

After lunch and time for siesta - and a time for me to go to my room and reflect or rest. This is very intense - I haven't ever talked this much in one day and its only afternoon of Day 2. We still have a group session and 2 one-on-ones and entertainment to go before dinner tonight.

We met in the lobby for instructions from Marissa about phone calls and conference calls before splitting into groups for a group activity - 2 Truths and a Lie. This was so funny - we had to tell 2 truths and 1 lie about ourselves and the rest of the group had to ask questions to try to work out which one was the lie. Marissa gave us an example and we all had difficulty working out which was her lie.

We had so many laughs in our group and there was lots of laughter coming from the other groups as well. My three scenarios were: I have a glider pilot's licence (and I had to explain what a glider was); I did my nursing training when I left school; and I once rowed in a rowing 8 in a 10km race. The group was mixed about which was my lie - some thought I wasn't a nurse, others that I didn't row, and one guy said I sounded like a very adventurous person so I probably did have a pilots licence.

Some of the other examples - one girl had been investigated by the secret police; had a race with a police car and played paddle with a famous person. Her lie was playing paddle. Another said he was a baby model; he met two spanish football players from opposing teams on the same day and he started school in Canada on the day of 9/11. His lie - he wasn't a baby model.

It was so funny - I must remember this version next time we use this at VSW training. It is so much more fun that just trying to guess, as the answers to the questions have to be credible.

I then had a one-on-one with Manuel but this session was hijacked by the Anglo Andrew, as the two guys wanted to go outside for a cigarette before I got started. I said I would go out with them, and Andrew just stayed and we had a 2on1 instead, with a very informative discussion on Spanish politics, and the alliance between Scotland and Spain and Scottish politics and the referendum, with a small dash of NZ politics thrown in for good measure.

My next victims was a confident young woman who is an aeronautical engineer). What a delightful young lady, and we talked about her education and her role in airport safety and security.

The pre-dinner entertainment was funny - Alba has chosen people randomly to act out skits and little plays and we were all in fits of laughter. OMG I hope she doesn't pick me - I really don't feel comfortable on the stage - much prefer to be the Stage Manager, but I am sure my turn willl come. It would seem everyone has to have a turn.

At dinner Joe and Elisa from my group activity and I were joined by three others and we had a good laugh about our 2 truths one lie, and got the others to share their stories - so loads more laughter. What a great activity that was.

There was to be a quiz in the bar after dinner, but I scooted up the stairs to bed. All this talking is rather tiring - and it is in my language - I imagine it must be much more tiring for the Spaniards who have to try and think in English.

But I was in need of another good nights sleep so I tried out the jacuzzi before I crashed. Oh how wonderful that was.