Sheila Bean | Article and Photos

A typical street scene in the medieval village of La Alberca , Spain

A week in the European countryside , room and board provided . What ’ s the catch ? Ya gotta speak English .

During the past year , I ’ ve volunteered at two oneweek English-immersion programs for adults — one was located four hours outside of Madrid and the other two hours outside of Munich . To volunteer , you needn ’ t be a teacher ; you won ’ t be teaching formal lessons . You simply need to speak fluent English and be excited about talking to strangers all day . And I mean all day .

Each day begins with breakfast and continues well into the evening , with a two-hour siesta in the afternoon — a chance to rest , catch up on emails , or do as you please . Spanish meals are served at 9:00 a . m ., 2:00 p . m ., and 9:00 p . m . ( one hour earlier in Germany ), and mealtime conversations are vital English practice .

A big chunk of time is spent on fifty-minute one-on-one conversations . You can go for a walk and generally shoot the breeze , but also touch on explanations of a specific phrasal verb , such as “ give in ,” and an idiom , such as “ the elephant in the room .” There are small-group discussions , phone conversations based on a scenario ( for

example , recent travel ), and conference calls based on a scenario ( for example , damage control for a company that goofed up ). The day includes trivia games , short plays , skits , songs , or other entertainment . Volunteers might teach a Celtic dance or share photos of their job in Antarctica . Students present topics ranging from cyber security to mindfulness .

The entire week is organized and hosted by two Diverbo administrators . Your days are mapped out for you , and your job is simply to listen and talk — in English . All English , all the time . Even the language learners must speak English to each other .

But back to the meals ! The food is ample , carefully presented , and professionally served . Breakfast is served buffet-style . Two choices are offered for dinner , and maybe lunch , too ( plus wine and dessert ), and the kitchen caters to a host of dietary restrictions . In this part of Spain , ham is a regional specialty , but you don ’ t have to choose the ham . In Germany , look for Bavarian specialties such as pretzels , strudel , sausage , venison , spätzle , and dumplings .

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