VaughanTown Newsletter 2: Gredos Program kick-off: Volunteer Meet and Greet Gredos: Getting There and Back Expenses and Insurance Accommodation Place and Climate Gredos www.vaughantown.com
00 / 01 Años / VaughanTown Escolares en el Extranjero E.S.O & Bachillerato 1. Program Kick-off: Volunteer Meet and Greet The program unofficially commences with our special welcome tapas sampling for all of you the day before your program, Spanish style of course. This is your chance to meet all your fellow Volunteers, to socialize and relax before the program begins. Please RSVP your attendance. The meet & greet is quite informal, no need to dress in any special way. As soon as you feel tired or sleepy you are free to retire to your room as there is no official end of meeting time. Click here to see where the Tapas Reception will be held! The bus to Gredos will leave at 8:45 a.m. from Eurobuilding 2 (calle Orense, 69 Madrid 28020) 2. Gredos: Getting There and Back Our VaughanTown bus will take you to the charming, stately 4-star hotel in Gredos. The bus ride will be approximately 3 hours long with a coffee break in between. On the bus, you will be accompanied by the VaughanTown staff and by some of the Spanish participants. The rest of the Spaniards will probably drive straight there in their own cars. Diferencia Academica Here s the schedule for the bus departure and estimated arrival times: Madrid VaughanTown Departure: 8:45 a.m. Hay muchas Arrival: diferencias 12:00 p.m. entre el modelo pedagógico / académico español y el de otros países angloparlantes VaughanTown (High Madrid School americano, IGCSE & A-Level Departure: inglés, 3:00 Junior p.m. & Leaving Certificate Arrival: irlandés). 6:30 Si bien p.m. el nivel académico en España puede ser superior, el énfasis del modelo pedagógico *Arrival times en are estos estimated países es roughly el uso as de they depend la educación entirely en el on día the a día, punctuality un sistema of que the enfoca participants, so mas la puesta please en be práctica on time! de los conocimientos de cada estudiante y su experiencia en el mundo real. Proyectos, We suggest presentaciones you book y your prácticas outgoing forman flight the day gran parte after de este the program, modelo. Al at estudiante the earliest se as le to da avoid stress responsabilidad and rushing. e independencia If you must para fly out hacer the sus same day the propias investigaciones, program ends, sobre please todo book en your cuanto flight a los no earlier deberes se than refiere, 9:30 los p.m. cuales The conllevan bus will not una make gran any special importancia stops en el at resultado the airport, final bus académico. stations or hotels on the way back.
Vaughan Systems / 02 3. Expenses and Insurance The only expenses not covered by VaughanTown are your flight to and from Madrid and the accommodation for the night(s) you are not in the program. Our company will cover all costs once you board the bus for Gredos and until you say goodbye six days later. You will be covered by an accident insurance policy throughout the program. If you get sick, we will take you to a doctor, but our policy does not cover medical costs. For lunch and dinner we will be serving a 3-course meal with wine and water. The only expenses you may have once you re on the bus to VaughanTown are in-between meal snacks, drinks, refreshments (other than the wine and water served during meals), or medication required from nearby village pharmacies. We would recommend by the time you board the bus, that you have a minimum of 30. There are no ATMs (cashmachines) in Gredos, so please bring cash and keep in mind that Spain isn t very traveller s-cheques friendly. 4. Accommodation You will be in a four-star, rural hotel with a breathtaking view of the northern face of the impressive Gredos mountains. The hotel was built on a 15-acre piece of land. You will each have an individual room unless you specifically ask to share with another Volunteer (couples, etc ). Each room has the following: Telephone Television Safety-box Air-Conditioning/heating Hair Dryer Heated Towel Rack A special surprise for you to discover! In addition to these amenities in your rooms, the hotel is also equipped with the following amenities subject to additional fees which VaughanTown participants are entitled to a 50% discount: Basketball Court Paddle tennis Tennis Court Indoor Swimming Pool Small Gym Large Jacuzzi Sun Deck Dry and Wet saunas You can find some information in Spanish on the hotel at: http://www.izanhoteles.es/en/hotel-barco-deavila/hotel-izan-puerta-de-gredos/home
03 / VaughanTown 5. Place and Climate VaughanTown takes place in a village called El Barco de Ávila, in the province of Ávila. This is in the Sierra de Gredos mountain range and is located 150 kilometers or two hours directly west of Madrid, not too far from the Portuguese border. The northern face of the central Gredos range possesses a continental climate with relatively dry temperature extremes. Although the average temperatures are quite accommodating, there can be cold fronts with wind that can chill you to the bone. Therefore, always be prepared for the cold, especially in the evenings and early mornings. Please see the table below for average highs, lows and rain-fall averages: Month Avg. high for the day Avg. low for the day Avg Rainfall Days Fahrenheit Celsius Fahrenheit Celsius January 48.2 9 30.2-1 12 February 53.6 12 32.0 0 9 March 60.8 16 35.6 2 10 April 62.6 17 39.2 4 14 May 69.8 21 46.4 8 13 June 80.6 27 51.8 11 7 July 87.8 31 55.4 13 5 August 86.0 30 55.4 13 5 September 77.0 25 50.0 10 8 October 66.2 19 44.6 7 14 November 55.4 13 35.6 2 13
Vaughan Systems / 00 04 6. Gredos Contact Information: The telephone number at Gredos is country code 34 number 920 345 171. The fax number is (34) 920 340 884. The address is: Carretera de los Llanos S/N 05600 Barco de Ávila Ávila, España Food and meals The dining room in the hotel can easily accommodate our entire group in one sitting. All the meals will be hot and served by waiters. Breakfast is at 9:00 a.m. and consists of a buffet with typical Spanish and continental breakfast dishes. It will be free seating for all the meals assuring each table has two Volunteers and two Spaniards. Lunch and dinner are 3-course meals that feature typical Spanish food, served with wine and water. If you are a light eater, you can simply tell the staff, through the Spanish participants, that you would like a green salad and nothing more or only a banana, for example. The restaurant has a bar that serves beer, wine, soft drinks, and mixed drinks all day long and well into the night. You will pick up the tab on your own in-between meal snacks or drinks. Concerning alcoholic beverages, please bear in mind that nothing beyond light social drinking will be permitted. If you have any dietary restrictions, we need to know so we can plan with the hotel kitchen accordingly. We are able to accommodate vegetarians and special diets, but we need to know in advance. Tap water and food hygiene The tap water everywhere in Spain is drinkable and it even tastes better than many bottled waters. You may not be used to the taste of the tap water, but it is perfectly drinkable. It s very rare for a visitor to get sick in Spain because of the food or water. Please don t be afraid to eat anything or drink water from any normal tap. Phone calls If you want to make a phone call, or be reached, the best time to do so is from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., as you will probably be in your rooms resting or having a siesta. Here is the phone number again: (34) 920 345 171. You can use your calling cards and your 800 cards (in Spain they are 900 cards), but be careful with the phone calls you make as you will be charged at the end of your stay. Internet Connection There is DSL access in every room, but you would need to bring your own laptop AND cables (CAT-5 or similar) to have access. There is WiFi in the lobby. If you absolutely MUST have Internet access during the six days in Gredos, the we highly recommend that you come to the program with your own equipment. Voltage 220V. Please make sure you bring converters for the standard 220V European electric current (the two pronged circular plugs). Laundry There are no laundry facilities on site. The hotel has its own laundry service, which usually takes a day or two. You will be responsible for the cost, so be sure to pack enough for the duration of the program. By the way, there are no irons or ironing boards in your room. Health There are first-aid kits in the hotel. In case of any illness or accident requiring medical attention, we will take you to Barco de Ávila (5 minutes away). If there is a true emergency, we will take you to Salamanca or Ávila. Finally, as stated previously, you will be covered by a health and accident policy while participating in the program, including the bus journey to and from Gredos. Feet, Legs and Lungs (Very Important!) You will walk a lot during this program. One Spaniard gave a speech on the last day of his experience saying: Over the past six days I have learned 110 kilometers of English. You probably won t walk 110 kilometers, but you could easily end up walking 60 kilometers. Now, if you prefer to sit in the lounge or out on a bench and talk to your corresponding Spaniards, that s perfect too. But still, it is wise to bring comfortable walking shoes.
05 / VaughanTown Dress Code Many Volunteers send us emails concerned about what to wear during the six days and we always say the same thing: bring comfortable clothing! You will be doing a lot of walking, so good shoes are necessary. However, walks will not be over any rocky terrain, so if you re comfortable with slippers, sandals or loafers then that will be fine. No heavy duty outdoor gear is required. In general, casual wear is quite common, although some participants bring a nice outfit for Thursday, the last night of the program. The Volunteer meet-and-greet is casual as well. Even during the summer, we suggest you bring a light jacket or sweater for the evenings. Smoking Smoking is prohibited in the public areas of the hotel, the restaurant, lobby and your rooms. If you are a smoker, please bring your own supply of cigarettes to last the duration of the program. Drinking Light, social drinking is okay. Spaniards are not heavy drinkers. Of course there are the odd alcoholics here and there, but their alcoholism is usually due to drinking half a bottle of wine per day for 30 years straight. It s not very common to see a drunken Spaniard. Don t be overwhelmed by the free wine that is on the table at every meal. You do have to be clear-headed afterwards. but remember, you can always email us (anglos@ vaughantown.com) with any further queries. And as Don Quixote said to his trusted squire, Sancho Panza: Amigo Sancho, there is nothing more prized in this world than freedom. Without it all great things accomplished come to little joy. Let us remember the wise words of our noble knight and remember also that our Spanish visitors, who need so much to extract from us the essence and vitality of the English language, must endure the frustration and lack of freedom that comes from not being able to freely express themselves on the international stage. These professional adults, accustomed to winning contracts and achieving goals in their native land, suffer tremendous embarrassment and frustration when seeking the same abroad. They despair of their English, but they re good folks and you ll enjoy their company immensely. That s it for now. Regards, The VT team Partying Spaniards are famous for their love of night-life and their ability to stay out into the wee hours of the morning. We ve had a lot of fun healthy partying in every program we ve held up to now. Different people get together, both Spaniards and Volunteers, to play games, go for walks, or just end up chatting under the stars or in the lounge. We do not recommend staying up so late that you can barely make it to the breakfast table, but the incredibly rich linguistic atmosphere achieved in these late night gatherings makes us reluctant to prohibit them. Therefore, the only advice we can give is the following: have fun, enjoy the rich human and cultural mix, but keep your head on your shoulders. If someone is clearly losing his or her edge because of the festivities, we will be forced to ask them to leave the venue and the program. That s it for now dear friends. We hope this newsletter answered some more of your questions
Vaughan Systems / 06 Contact us If you would like us to clarify anything please feel free to contact us via email (anglos@vaughantown.com)
www.grupovaughan.com Madrid C/ Orense, 69. 1ª planta 28020, Madrid Telf: 91 133 58 31 Email: cursos@grupovaughan.com 100.4 FM Arapiles C/ Arapiles, 18 28015, Madrid Tel.: 91 444 58 46 Email: arapiles@grupovaughan.com 100.04 FM Barcelona C/ Gran Vía Carlos III, 86. Torres Trade, Torre Este 08028, Barcelona Tel.: 93 339 86 87 Email: barcelona@grupovaughan.com Santander C/Hernán Cortés, 1, 1-B 39003, Santander Tel.: 942 31 49 95 Email: cantabrico@grupovaughan.com 106.0 FM Valladolid C/ Las Mercedes, 3 47006, Valladolid Tel.: 983 22 80 16 Email: valladolid@grupovaughan.com 88.2 FM Vigo C/ Oporto, 19 36201, Vigo Tel.: 98 644 27 24 Email: vigo@grupovaughan.com 91.8 FM Valencia C/ Chile, 13 46201, Valencia Tel.: 96 389 17 37 Email: valencia@grupovaughan.com 104.7 FM Bilbao Avenida Lehendakari Aguirre, 26 48014, Bilbao Tel.: 94 646 61 16 Email: bilbao@grupovaughan.com 106.7FM Zaragoza Avenida Jose Anselmo Clave, 55 50004, Zaragoza Tel.: 976 11 09 76 Email: zaragoza@grupovaughan.com 96.0 FM In any event, Vaughan Intensivos Residenciales reserves the rights to modify, for organisational reasons, the location where VaughanTown programs are ultimately held, proceeding, in said cases, to inform participantes of the change and the new location as soon as posible. Copyright 2012 Vaughan Intensivos Residenciales, S.L., con domicilio social en C/ Orense, 69. 28020 Madrid, Inscrita en el R.M. Madrid, Tomo: 23.175, Folio: 177, Sección: 8ª, Hoja: M-415365, Inscripción: 1ª.- C.I.F. B-84820919 VT-GREDOS-2016.03