It's started with a bang! From our arrival at the residence up until now it's been a race to take in as much as possible...
Domingo, Sunday, has arrived and it marks the end of my first week in Spain - along with it, it brings anticipation! Heaps of excitement builds inside as the thought of what I've learned, seen and experienced in one week has been more so much than I expected, I can't imagine what an entire 21 weeks will amount to.
Above every sight, smell and taste I have been introduced to, I have been introduced to an amazing variety of new amigos. Each one of them brings their own flair to the program and by not introducing them, you would miss half of the program.
North America
Miriam Much - United States, Seattle
My short companion, with a lot of smiles and a kind heart, Miriam is always cheering up the group. She clearly has a lot of passion for what she does and has a special place for each chef that has thought her.
Nick Palamaro - United States, New York
Nicky, student from the CIA is an obvious hard worker. Back in America he has spent a lot of time studying Spanish in order to communicate better in the American, or as he says in order for the Spanish not to make fun of him in American kitchens!
Carla Castro - Canada
Currently studying in Canada, she has become the groups translator with her Portuguese / Spanish background and Brazilian roots. Carla has instantly become the 'mother figure' in the group!
South America
Sabine Caubarére - Argentina
Originally from Uruguay, another saving grace as her first language is obviously Spanish. It is however important to note that every country's Spanish dialect differs.
Europe
Ciaran Doyle - Ireland
With his milky, satin skin, he is surely the entertainer in the group. He also happens to sit next to me in Spanish classes, and I often hide behind his quick understanding and learning of the language.
Sandro Zinggeler - Switserland
Sandro, the most energetic of the group and often found singing, speaks Swiss German, which is closest to my own mother tongue, Afrikaans.
Sylvester Koscuik - Poland
Sylvester is quiet and hard working. Naturally Sylvester and Blaz (Eslovenia) became quick friends with no language barriers.
Blaz Kostansjek - Eslovenia
The long man from Eslovenia with the hard accent, turned out to be the friendly guy who seems eager to learn.
Asia
Kouta Koubayashi - Japan
Without a doubt the best mannered person I have met in a long time. Kouta is always seen revising recipes or learning Spanish with his dictionary. Although he doesn't speak English and only basic Spanish, he fits in the group perfectly!
Nigel Lobo - India
Definitely the man with everyone's favourite accent. I admire him for currently learning his 5th language.
Samuel Quan - Singapore
A short guy that is always seen smiling and laughing. Sam's first language, Mandarin, is world's apart from Spanish - a great effort from him for learning a new language.
Shao and Shu
With a bit of a struggle the language barrier, their culture is the furthest away from my own Westernized culture. Shao is always found sitting about until the early morning hours, obviously still struggling with the time zone differences.
And finally South Africa, and the Southern part Africa is represented! Wearing the South African flag with pride and cooking my way through Spain, I am having the time of my life!
From the land of citrus and saffron
Liezl
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