My Charity Shop

When you want to learn a new language you have to do a huge effort. There are a lots of ways that you can follow and I tried all of them.
I watched English films, with English subtitles and without it.
I read English books, newspaper and a photoshop magazine to learn more about photography.
I listened English songs, I read the lyrics and tried to sing it, with not beautiful end ...
But one of the most pleasant way was make a volunteer in a charity shop.

My charity shop was situated in Park Street in one of the main roads of Bristol. It was a clothes shop, where all of the money that we have been earning is destined to a Childre´s hospital. In this hospital live children who have life-limited. South west Children Hospice try to make smile them and their families in their last days. British people give us the clothes that they are not going to use anymore, and we can sell it for low prices.

In Spain we don't have this kind of shops but it is a good idea to help people. I have learnt a lot there, it is a good community. I feel very proud to collaborate in this organization. Now I am going to tell you my experience and feelings that I have been living there.

My first day like all of the beginning was my coldest day. They don't have heating in the stock, but I was steaming the clothes so I could survive. In my house I have ironed but I have not ever steamed before, so it was a new task for me. Some people can thing is a bored task, but when I was looking how I was improving the clothes' appearance, and the clothes would bought they would be bought, I started to feel satisfying.  In the same day I had met my first british colleague, she is Julia a woman who has lived a lot of experience in her life in the hospital and traveling around the world. She helped me with Hannah my manager to introduce myself in the team.

It was a wonderful experience work in a English team, know how they work and think about business. Quickly I gave my personality to the job with a big smile always. I missed my shame and the atmosphere was becoming warmer than before.

A lot of volunteer from other countries have been helping the shop. I have meet italian, french and spanish people there, but we were always speaking our best english, because we wanted to improve it. However not all of the team is foreign, it was more than 5 british volunteers who helped us in our work. It's incredible how more than 10 people were working in a shop without earn money. If you tell Spanish person that you are working without earn money, they will think that you are crazy.

From my point of view, Spanish people should think more to help before earn money. You will get money when you give a service to someone. The concept of work sometimes is wrong, everyone have to look for a space in the life, where they can do something that people wanted of them. It is a big mistake think about to earn money doing something that people do not need. And if you don't know to do anything it is the best opportunity to learn, you have your mind free to get the best information. Practice in a company for free, learn how you can work, how you can help and complete your knowledge. If you are clever a lots of company will be interested in you, and if it doesn't happen trust in yourself and try to start of a new business.

Finally I want to be grateful with Hannah and all of the South West Childrens Hospice team for help me, not just to improve my english. I have learnt many things about the life and how I can be a better person. Thank you.    

 

My class and classmates.

In this occasion I am going to speak about one of the most important things of my second experience in Bristol.

When I arrived to the school I hadn't need to do a test, I started in the same level that I was the last year. But inmediately Dan and Sara realised that I was doing the same book that I have been doing during my last three months, so they suggested me to try the test. I did the test and I went up to High intermediate level.
So in my second week I was going to start again in a new class, with new classmates, I hadn't enough time to get very close with my first classmates, but with some of them I got a good connection. In my opinion I am very extroverted and easy going, so it is easy to know me fast if you are interested.

My first impression about my new class wasn't so good. They were a lot of Spanish people and very serious. Perhaps it was my first day and it is always harder than the next ones. The time was going on and I was winning confident in the class and my jokes starting to flow. The class was becoming better, my classmates starting to laugh and try to answer my jokes. It was really satisfying when you see a man from Libia laughing and participating in my games. Differents cultures but in a nice atmosphere produce many news situations. My old friend from my last class Alberto passed to my class, he had been being my classmate since he arrived on November. My best friend, my brother one of the clue of my happiness here. The class experimented other change with him, more crazy things happened when we were speaking in class. He has lived a lot of experiences in the life and as me, he is always trying to make laugh everybody.

But the team was completed when another Spanish woman landed in our class. She is from the capital of Spain, but she is as crazy as me or even more it is depend on the moment. My friend Carolina the first week was shy like everyone of us in our first week, but after she became crazy too.

It is strange, but all of us we wish coming to the class. We were learning a lot while we were enjoying the lessons. All of the class changed his behavior, and we were always happy. We wrote funny stories, we did awesome performance, we sang a incredible rap, we watched amazing videos with unexpected end. I spent 6 weeks with the best company, with two fantastics teachers Lara and Donald. They are guilty to made me enjoy and improve my English. If one year before you had asked me if I would have been happy going to the class, the answer it had been certanily no. The lessons usually are boring, because you can't understand some words, you have to focus on, to try to do your best, is a hard work.

However when someone is trying to help you, when They are thinking how they can do a nice and productive lesson for you. You must to do your best, and try to take advantatge of this chance. Although is a pleasure for me make their job easy and funny, I think is the best way to take back their effort.

Really I am not going to forget each moment with you Shelly, Caroline, Ian, Lara, Donald, Alberto, Carolina, Pilar, Muttaz, Stalvio, Erika, Zoe, Eduardo, Margot, Marta, Krist, Son, Jose, Naiara, Franchesco, Wiam.

My first day in my second experience in England.

My second experience started with a little bit of problems. I think this second experience I have learnt how I can get over the bad moments. How one thing is bad, the next one is worst, but always you have to smile and believe in yourself, because just you have to continue.

I was having a dinner with my lovely friend Cyril, and he remind me my landed to Bristol on 15th of January. After a beautiful Christmas with my family, enjoying more than ever because after three months without see them, every moments were special.
I had arrived at 5.00pm (I had a problem with the difference between am and pm, I will tell you in the other story), when my friend, who has rented his flat for me, phoned to tell me that He couldn't come to collect me in the airport. I knew that, because I have learnt here to not depend on anybody. Anyway I got in my bus direction city centre. I was happy imagining the face when my old friends saw me again. I had fixit my english sim card in my phone, when I started to receive a lot of watshaap. Welcome was the most repetitive word that I read, but all of them were busy. While I was reading the text messages, I forgot to go down in my bus stop. So when I realised I asked to the taxi driver where the next bus stop was. He told me that it was so far, however he was very nice, because open me the door in the next traffic light near city centre.

Raining in the street, dark evening and I was alone walking to the school. I did not know where I was but I did not care, I had the confident to find the place. After ten minutes walking I decided to ask some bristolian in the street to help me. He had indicated me some directions, that I could not understand very well. Not because he was english and I am spanish, it was because he didn't know exactly where the school was. Finally I have arrived, wet but on time to do all of the dealings.

I entered exhausted to the reception, and the first faces that I saw were the Cyril and Stella's smiles. Really it was the most warming welcome that I hoped. Really I needed this feelings, when you receive something from someone, you have to apreciate it. And this people always have their smile to make your life easy.

After that I took another bus to go home, because now I was in my area, Nothing bad was going to delete the smile in my face.
I arrived home, the door was opened because in the house there are some people rebuilding the basement. I unpacked my luggage, I started my laptop, nobody was conected in facebook. So I was sit in my bed, alone in my bedroom at 7.00 pm without anything to do. When two tears were sliding through my face. I could win all of the barrier that this day were putted in my way, but at the end I was alone.

La última semana empieza hoy Lunes.

Cree este blog para poder desahogarme cuando me sentía atrapado, superado por las circunstancias o como via de escape a mis emociones. Voy a intentar durante estos últimos 10 días que me quedan aquí en Bristol, desatar el nudo de emociones que tengo en mi estomago. Vine a Bristol a estudiar inglés, a mejorar mi speaking, mi listening y me voy bastante satisfecho con lo logrado, empecé en low intermediate, y he acabado en upper intermediate, una evolución notable. Aunque como siempre he comentado los niveles aveces no se corresponden con el nivel de cada persona, yo creo que si mejoré. Mi segundo objetivo aquí en Bristol era ampliar mercado, buscar promocionar mi negocio y lograr algún nuevo cliente. De primera impresión, creo que mi resultado es negativo pero nunca se sabe si de tanta gente que he conocido alguno en un futuro decide venir con su familia a la playa, realmente esta vida da muchas vueltas y todos son contactos que pueden abrirte puertas en el futuro. Por lo que ingresos directos no he logrado, pero tal vez si he logrado captar nuevas ideas y ampliar mi visión empresarial para poder mejorar ahora que vuelvo a la guerra. Dejando de lado los objetivos, y el motivo del viaje. Realmente os preguntaréis como fue la experiencia! Vivir en el extranjero. Como todo en la vida esta lleno de altibajos. Pero siempre hay que buscar el lado positivo a cada experiencia que no enseña algo nuevo y seguir disfrutando la vida. Hasta el mismo día que llegué no sabía donde iba a dormir, realmente estaba muy preocupado. El amigo-cliente de varios años se comprometió en buscarme alojamiento, que no me preocupara de nada. Empezando por esos nervios, de no saber donde dormir, donde ir, donde vivir, como desenvolverte, costumbres... Primeros días de clase, nuevos compañeros, presión de no tener el nivel, de no entender nada. Porque aunque no lo crean, todos los estudiantes la primera semana no entendemos nada en las clases. Si si tendrás mucho nivel, pero al llegar en clase, hasta que encuentras tu hueco y consigues seguir el ritmo de la clase te sientes totalmente perdido. Luego va apareciendo el lado bueno de la experiencia, que es la convivencia de la gente. Somos muchos jóvenes en la misma situación, a muchos kilometros de casa, sólos sin nuestra gente, con un idioma que no es el nuestro en la indecisión de no saber donde mirar adelante, y constantemente mirando hacía atrás apenados sabiendo lo que hemos dejado atrás. Pero lo logramos, conseguir olvidar nuestro hogar y desarrollar nuestra nueva vida aquí. Haces nuevas amistades, pruebas nuevas comidas, aprendes a sufrir el tiempo. Y los días pasan y poco a poco no quieres volver a casa. Porque estás vacaciones son inmejorables, cada día es una nueva alegría, tenemos la suerte de vivir en Bristol una ciudad con mucho ocío donde poder elegir cada día hacer algo nuevo. La gente puede pensar es mucho dinero, es muy caro. Pero el dinero está para eso, para disfrutarlo. Nunca sabemos donde acabermos mañana, así que aprovéchalo hoy y mañana ya veremos. He viajado mucho durante este viaje, Suiza, Londrés, Gales, Escocia... He intentado hacer todas las actividades posibles, karaoke, bailar salsa, intercambio de lenguaje, teatro, ayudar en una tienda de caridad, escuchar a los chicos del greenpeace de la calle, ir a conciertos en vivo de música. Es una locura como se ama la música en esta ciudad, como en cada rincón se huele. Pero todo tiene un principio y un final. Es triste, pero así es la vida. Nacemos y morimos, empezamos un noviazgo y termina, cocinamos un plato delicioso y luego fregamos el plato. Nada es interminable aunque una buena amiga me abrió los ojos diciéndome que los recuerdos siempre permanecerán. Me siento muy orgulloso de todo lo que he vivido, de todas las decisiones que he tomado, de toda la gente que he conocido, de todas las alegrías sufridas y todas las decepciones vividas. Cada lagrima derramada durante este viaje, es porque he logrado sentir muchas emociones que si no hubiera estado aquí jamás hubiera sentido. Esas emociones olvidadas, o quizás emociones que nunca antes sentí, me las llevo conmigo porque a pesar de no ser las deseadas, son también hermosas.