Language assistants

During our stay in Malaga we've been pulling out all the stops to meet the locals. Any encounter is an opportunity to improve our Spanish, learn about the culture and make new friends.

To say it has been a successful strategy is an understatement. By going along to what are called intercambio groups (language exchange groups where half the time is spent speaking in Spanish and half in English) we have met lots of people.

One of them is Toñi, a female teacher. We have met up with her two or three times and today she invited us to join one of her classes at which she was teaching English to Spanish people.

It was great fun helping them - and it also gave us the opportunity to practise our Spanish.

When the class ended we were preparing to go, but no! We were invited to enjoy 'merienda' with another class (delicious cakes and coffee), before taking part in a game of 'parchis'.

This is very similar to ludo, but slightly tweaked rules make it an absorbing strategic game, in which our friends revealed an intensely competitive side to their personalities!! But it was great fun, and another lovely memory from our time in this great country.

I've cheated on the photo. It was taken by the tutor and shows my wife and me in separate groups helping the first of the classes.