A Working Vacation

I can't believe it, but we are already at our fall break. It seems pretty soon in the semester (well it is, really) but there we are. All the other students in my program are off traveling through Europe, to such places as Munich, Paris, London, Glasgow, and Bilbao. I, however, opted to stay in Segovia. I really wanted to opportunity to practice my Spanish, and I was afraid to take myself out of a Spanish speaking environment so early in my study abroad experience.

Alcázar in Segovia

To keep myself busy over the next 11 days of break, I am doing an internship at the Office of Tourism here in Segovia. Basically, my job is to stand behind a desk in the office and answer questions that people visiting Segovia have. Most of the time, I just show them a map, point out the most important monuments in Segovia, and they are on their way. Other times, they have questions about where specific churches or restaurants are, which is where I lack knowledge. But I am learning (quickly) a lot about Segovia, and the other people who work in the office are really helpful when I'm unsure of things.

Sometimes I end up speaking to people who are from other countries and thus speak English (all the tourists from English speaking countries joke that I have a really good English accent). But most of the tourists that come in are from different parts of Spain, and they speak incredibly fast. Usually I can figure out what they are asking for, but yesterday, my first day, I was totally thrown off by a question. A young man asked me something (in Spanish) about the aqueduct; at first I thought he was asking if he could walk on top of it, to which I said no. But that wasn't right, and then I thought he asked if there was water in the aqueduct now, and I said no not anymore. But apparently that was also not the question. Then, I thought he was asking if there used to be water in it, and I said of course, that's what it was constructed for. And he looked at me like I was a crazy person. So I just chuckled, apologized, and he said not to worry about it.  I was just so confused, so thrown off, I did not know what to do with myself.

Today, my second day, was much better, communication wise. However, it being a Saturday, the office was busy almost non-stop during the four hours I was there. I probably sat down for a total of 10 minutes the entire time. Although I was busy, I enjoyed the fact that I got to use my Spanish intensively for good chunks of time. In class and at the dinner table, I don't always feel like I can contribute to the conversation, and thus don't get an opportunity to practice speaking. However in this environment, I am actively answering questions, and get lots of practice.

I am only working the mornings, so my plan is to explore more of Segovia during the afternoons, both in terms of architecture and gastronomy (I plan to try every cafe and bakery in the area of my house and the school). I can't wait to get started!