Life in the Barn

I was going to go swim this morning at 7:30, but I didn't sleep well at all so I skipped it.  The director had arranged for the hotel to open the pool at 7:00.  At breakfast, it turned out that no one who had said they were going to swim this morning actually went (including the director) because we all slept badly.  I plan to go over during siesta, right after lunch (which is in about 30 minutes).  I had three one-to-ones this morning (I'm not exactly sure when you would use the phrase "to go off on" in a business setting, but I suppose anything is possible).  On my first one-to-one almost everyone decided to walk down the road, since it was still cool.  Now it is not.  The sun is intense here, so I practically bathed in sunscreen this morning.

My losing streak continues, as I was the first one to lose their room key (it dropped out of my pocket while I was sitting talking), so now I have taken to keeping it in my nametag holder.  That requires me to disassemble it whenever I need to go to my room, but I suppose that's the price I have to pay (idiom!). 

My bedroom

My room is in a former barn, and the walls are thick stone.  The other building of rooms is different, with a little balcony up underneath the overhanging roof.  The balcony has a skylight, but other than that, there is no light into the room.  Strange.





My little sitting room,  Practically useless, since I don't watch TV and I don't have wifi in the room.

They told us that they usually don't put Vaughantown people in these rooms, but the hotel is full of other guests.  I wonder what they make of us, sitting or walking around in pairs, talking, wearing blue lanyards and nametags!

This afternoon there will be two telephone sessions, a group activity, and some "entertainment".  Everyone is beginning to relax a little and get to know each other.  The Spaniards that I have met so far have mostly had really good English, so it is easy to talk to them.  One or two, not so much, though they have to pass an interview to be allowed to come.  The Anglos are a mixed bunch.  There are two Californians, a US expat living in Portugal, a US expat living in Spain, an Egyptian, an Italian (who turns out to actually be working for Vaughan as a classroom teacher), a couple of Australians, a guy from Scotland, a woman from Ireland, a guy from N Ireland who now lives in England, and a couple of others that I can't remember just now.  One of our group (one of the expats) is a guy who comes from a banking family in the States, but who never held a job (he says) until he "retired" to Spain (he is probably my age).  He now teaches English on the internet and telephone.  Judging from the way he is, I would guess that his family gave him money to just go away.  One of the Spaniards described him as "special" in that way that means a little on the cray cray side.  I would actually say he was a LOT "special".

 Off to swim now (siesta)!