INTERVIEW
Before the meeting Carlos and Marta prepared some questions for the culture councillor, and one of them was:
-Which activities are carried out to make people get to know Spain?
-The culture’s function is much more than this, I mean, it has a lot of repercussion in the GDP or PIB (Gross domestic product- Producto interior bruto). Functions that enter in direct contact with the members related to the culture. They establish a relation; singers facilitate the access to artists, painters, musicians... There are lots of cultural events, like theatre plays.
So they are a way of communication, they work like a “bridge” or like a “connection” between two sides (two countries in this case). Here an example:
At the end of June ends Spain's leadership of the UE. Important people are invited and there will be a special celebration with a Spanish Mezzo Soprano. In fact it is one of the best in the world. He is going to receive 20.000 Euros for one evening.
-Do you know which is the most famous destination in Austria?
I am sure it is Sissi’s Palace.
- Is it necessary that the staff at the embassy is Spanish?
That depends on the department; The diplomats must be of Spanish nationality, the civil servants too, but other employees can be Spanish, Austrian or of a third nationality.
-Which languages are indispensable for a diplomat?
English, Spanish and French are obligatory, but you can also be a diplomat with more languages of course; Russian, Arabic, Italian…
After this meeting we had the opportunity of getting to know the Spanish Embassy building from inside. The culture counselor showed us around the main rooms, where they usually invite people.
Everything looked very elegant and the staff was very professional. We saw different rooms. The last room was the most important: There was a very big table and the decoration was amazing. Actually they tried to copy the former style of the building, because it all had burnt down in the war.
At the end of the excursion Carlos de Álvaro and Marta Hernández thanked Jose Luis for receiving us and for his time.
My personal opinion is, that it was the best excursion we have had, because the topic is intriguing! In other words, I think it was a great idea to have a meeting with someone who works at the Embassy, because he can transmit a lot of personal and noteworthy information. In addition I liked that it was in Spanish. I felt "at home" and could relate to the culture counselor easily. But the main reason is, that I am thinking about going that way as well, one day maybe forming part of a embassy.
I am really interested in the issue, because I love languages and travelling, meeting new people, new places… So, this excursion was very positive for me and for the rest of my school mates as well. We enjoyed it a lot.
To sum up I have to say that Jose Luis was very nice with all of us and he knew exactly how to make us feel comfortable.
by Marta
Before the meeting Carlos and Marta prepared some questions for the culture councillor, and one of them was:
-Which activities are carried out to make people get to know Spain?
-The culture’s function is much more than this, I mean, it has a lot of repercussion in the GDP or PIB (Gross domestic product- Producto interior bruto). Functions that enter in direct contact with the members related to the culture. They establish a relation; singers facilitate the access to artists, painters, musicians... There are lots of cultural events, like theatre plays.
So they are a way of communication, they work like a “bridge” or like a “connection” between two sides (two countries in this case). Here an example:
At the end of June ends Spain's leadership of the UE. Important people are invited and there will be a special celebration with a Spanish Mezzo Soprano. In fact it is one of the best in the world. He is going to receive 20.000 Euros for one evening.
-Do you know which is the most famous destination in Austria?
I am sure it is Sissi’s Palace.
- Is it necessary that the staff at the embassy is Spanish?
That depends on the department; The diplomats must be of Spanish nationality, the civil servants too, but other employees can be Spanish, Austrian or of a third nationality.
-Which languages are indispensable for a diplomat?
English, Spanish and French are obligatory, but you can also be a diplomat with more languages of course; Russian, Arabic, Italian…
After this meeting we had the opportunity of getting to know the Spanish Embassy building from inside. The culture counselor showed us around the main rooms, where they usually invite people.
Everything looked very elegant and the staff was very professional. We saw different rooms. The last room was the most important: There was a very big table and the decoration was amazing. Actually they tried to copy the former style of the building, because it all had burnt down in the war.
At the end of the excursion Carlos de Álvaro and Marta Hernández thanked Jose Luis for receiving us and for his time.
My personal opinion is, that it was the best excursion we have had, because the topic is intriguing! In other words, I think it was a great idea to have a meeting with someone who works at the Embassy, because he can transmit a lot of personal and noteworthy information. In addition I liked that it was in Spanish. I felt "at home" and could relate to the culture counselor easily. But the main reason is, that I am thinking about going that way as well, one day maybe forming part of a embassy.
I am really interested in the issue, because I love languages and travelling, meeting new people, new places… So, this excursion was very positive for me and for the rest of my school mates as well. We enjoyed it a lot.
To sum up I have to say that Jose Luis was very nice with all of us and he knew exactly how to make us feel comfortable.
by Marta
