Adios and Goodbye

Sorry about having no pictures yesterday.  The wifi signal and/or my netbook were not cooperating.  They have now been added, if you look back.

 

It is a little late, I know, to say much about the Spaniards, since this is our last day, but I will give a quick rundown.  We have two Oscars (Oscar and Oscar G) and two Javiers (Javier and Francisco Javier), Jose from Argentina, Paula from Portugal, Ana, Elena, Pedro, Pilar, Begoña, Victor, Teresa, and Miriam..  There are a couple of them with not a great deal of English, but they have improved so much this week.  They are all natural comedians and a lot of fun to talk to.  Yesterday, in advance of the presentations, a couple of the guys shaved, when they had not been doing so all week. They looked so different that I hardly recognized them.

 

They are mostly somewhere in their 20's-30's, though some are older. Many of them work for US companies or others that do international business, or they work in the information technology field.  Besides the previously mentioned surgeon, there is also a school psychologist, and a civil engineer,  One is the European brand manager for Centrum vitamins, and two others work for drug companies.  And one works for everyone's favorite Spanish beer, Mahou, though he says he can't get anyone discounts.

 

 

There is really no way to describe how such an exhausting week could be so fun, but it was.  The certificate ceremony just before lunch was a chance to say some last words to everyone, and Oscar G summed it up pretty well when he said, "In the future, I might forget my English, but I will never forget you."  There were tears, and hugs, and kisses, Facebook friend requests and business cards exchanged, and a group photo taken.  Then a last lunch together (except for a few who had come in their own cars and didn't stay for lunch).

 

Now I am back at the Westin Palace in Madrid in a fabulous room overlooking the Neptune Fountain.  Tomorrow I plan to go get a little culture at the Prado Museum, then head to the airport for my flight to London.  Just two more sleeps and my trip will be over.