Monday 3 October 2011

One step closer

Back in July, I went to Centro Cultural de Corralejo to enquire about a possibility to give Zumba classes there. From there (“Fitness? That’s sports, not culture!”) I was sent to Escuela Naútica where I was given the telephone of somebody in ayuntamiento (municipal council) in La Oliva. That was the end of the story then, for I was not quite prepared to phone there and explain myself in my embryonic Spanish.

Last week, the unexpected help came in the form of Tai Chi Chuan teacher Annalisa Paloschi. Not only did she take me from one desk (in Escuela Naútica) to another (in ayuntamiento), but also helped to fill the solicitud (application) and even volunteered to give her telephone number as a contact in case they phone back. They didn’t, so she did phone them instead. What an amazing lady.

Today we went to La Oliva again, to meet the person responsible for all the sporty activities. I brought with me the photocopies of my qualifications, the printout of Acerca de Zumba® Fitness from the official Zumba website and a promotional DVD. And, hooray, it looks like I have a slot booked for regular classes: Sala Pabellón de Corralejo, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:00 to 12:30!

The catch? Before I start classes, I have to ensure there’s some critical mass of students (five or six, I am told, will do). You see, ayuntamiento is not that interested in walk-in classes. They rather prefer people to pay monthly, via bank. I see a bit of problem here: what if you enrol to do Zumba and after a few classes want to leave? The only way to avoid that is to make sure that absolutely everybody loves my Zumba classes.

So now it’s publicity time. I am working on a flyer to distribute around the town. The prospective students presumably should phone me and I take their details down. Then, when I have collected those, I contact ayuntamiento again and say, well, now I have my six students and ready to party!

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