A Week in Europe — Free!
Jock Mackenzie, Story and Photos
An entire week — for free! Four-star hotel with food to match. Set in the
Spanish countryside. Interesting Anglos from around the world. Spaniards
from business and academia whose English is already very good. What more
could you ask? From our experience — nothing.
A retired teacher told us about
a wonderful program called
Diverbo — so wonderful he’d
participated numerous times.
The intention is to provide
Spaniards with a week’s worth
of immersion in English. They’re
asked not to speak their native
tongue for the entire seven
days, but to fully engage in
one-on-one and two-on-two
conversations, in phone calls, in
scenarios, and during mealtimes
and evening entertainments.
Is there a catch? No. We did
have to apply and prove to the
Diverbo staff that we had had
a variety of life experiences
and that we understood their
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program. We did have to fl y
to Madrid and pay for our
accommodation before and
after the Diverbo experience,
but we added a tour of Madrid
for several days and then a
two-week vacation in France
afterward.
Our journey began with a bus
ride from the Diverbo offi ce in
Madrid to the program site in La
Alberca, just outside Salamanca.
All of the Anglos and some of the
Spanish participants took the
bus. And it was there that still-
ongoing friendships began.
Fifteen Anglos came from
Canada, from the United States,
and from the United Kingdom.
The Spaniards were those who
had chosen bus transportation
over use of their own vehicles.
And what an interesting mix!
Francisco was a manager with a
tobacco company, Cristina was
a college professor, Michael was
between jobs and hoped that
improved English was his key to
re-entry.
The Diverbo staff on the
bus and at the La Alberca
venue consisted of a program
coordinator and a master of
ceremonies. They were energetic
and enthusiastic gentlemen. The
Diverbo website states, “The
venue we commonly refer to as
‘La Alberca’ takes place in the
Above: Fun group activity