Diplomats Give Training to the Housing Service Corporation Staff: A Tour of Spain
2016-08-08

 Following the cultural training provided by diplomats from countries like France, Italy and Japan, diplomats from Spain offered a cultural training session in 2016 as well. Being the fourth largest economy in the Eurozone, Spain, with its rich cultural heritage and unique regional characteristics, is attractive to all of us. On May 27 afternoon, at the request of this Department, the Spanish Cultural Center in Beijing - Cervantes Institute offered training to more than 30 people from the Housing Service Corporation (HSC), a chance to have a closer feel of the charm of Spain. Lin Li, Deputy General Manager of the HSC, was also invited to participate in the training.

 For many years, the HSC and the Embassy of Spain have maintained strong friendship. Mr. Jose Luis Garcia, Deputy Head of Mission of the Spanish Embassy who is currently living in the DRC, had participated in many cultural activities organized by the DRC. After being provided with the agenda of the training session for the HSC, he has, despite his busy schedule, offered a particularly warm welcome speech to the HSC visitors. He said the Spanish Cultural Center - Cervantes Institute is the ideal place to learn Spanish and works closely with the Embassy to promote cultural awareness. Spain has rich cultural, tourism and natural resources, and the Spanish language is used by over 550 million people worldwide. He expressed hope that this event will allow more people to be interested in Spain and in the study of the Spanish language, and that it will deepen cultural exchanges at various levels. Then the video entitled “The National Business Card” were broadcasted, showing us the colorful and the picturesque Spain. Explanations made by Yi Ma (transliteration), President of the Cervantes Institute, also allowed us to know more about the context of the founding of the Cervantes Institute as well as the Spanish language programs offered and various cultural events organized by the Institute.

 On behalf of the HSC, Lin Li, Deputy General Manager, thanked Ms. Yi Ma and Mr. Garcia for their warm hospitality, hoping to make this visit an opportunity to trigger interest of people in the DRC in the study of the Spanish language, deepen their understanding of Spain and showcase the Spanish style. At the same time, she also thanked the Spanish Embassy and the Cervantes Institute for the full support they give to the HSC. DRC will offer a better service, and hopes that the cooperation between the two sides will be even broader and deeper in the future.

 Then, guided by President Yi Ma, all trainees visited with interest a contemporary art exhibition of the Rioja Region and the library of the Institute, admired the Spanish classic works exhibited and the collection of different translated versions of "Don Quixote" of the Institute, and enjoyed modern art of classic literature. The film “Vivir es fácil con los ojos cerrados”, recommended by the President of the Institute, won in 2014 three Spanish Goya Awards namely Best Film, Best Actress and Best Original Screenplay. Based on a true story, it tells the story of different experiences of people from different backgrounds trying to approach and meet John Lennon. Through the dreams of three heroes as well as their anxiety and revolt against reality, the film reflects the Spanish society's spirit and attitude of constant pursuit for the ideal in life.

 Through this training and visit, we have gained a deeper understanding of Spanish culture, experienced Spain in a warm and friendly atmosphere, and become more aware of the importance of the wide use of the Spanish language worldwide. After the event, seeing our strong desire to learn Spanish, the Deputy Head of Mission of the Spanish Embassy expressed his joy and support, and pledged to offer the BDS two free places to learn Spanish in the institute. The Spanish language programs are offered according to students’ language levels which are divided into 13 levels from A1 to C1, and each module comprises 60 hours. Many years of highly efficient services given by the DRC allowed it to gain a high level of trust from the Embassy of Spain. The two sides have deepened their cultural exchanges and mutual understanding as well as achieved fruitful and win-win results.