The first thing that crossed my mind when I heard we had to take part in a six month placement for uni was: great it’ll be down south. I’ll be far away from home and family, which I’ve not had a summer away from since, well, ever! But for my friend Alicia this was an all too real experience when she set out on an adventure to northern Spain for her work experience. All my friends have gone off and experienced some great work placements, travelling all over the country, some even taking part in two. But travelling to Spain or further seemed like a daunting task to me. So I thought I would bring you a little bit about the Spanish speaking, ice cream eating colourful sock wearing Alicia Lee.
Alicia is from Oxfordshire where she events or in her words “I massacre dressage and my horse jumps for me” but don’t let this fool you, she is actually quite good at what she does. Alicia is on the same course as me at the infamous RAU but unlike me she worships all things Spanish. She loves our Spanish classes and in her spare time can be seen in a stripy sock/ Jodhpur combination with numerous Spanish books open. She has been known on occasion to just break into Spanish mid conversation, so it seemed like the correct place for Lici to do her placement.
When at home Alicia has her trusted boy by her side. Alfie or Assuming Nothing, is a bay gelding with no white markings- especially important to the Lee family! Here he is described perfectly by Alicia “he is a typical work-aholic and hates it when he’s not in work. When we are in the arena he does everything in is power to do things correctly, he treats me like a goddess, however when you aren’t riding he treats you like you are nothing more than a slave. When I went to try him I hadn’t even seen a picture, all the dealer said was ‘I have this four rising five year old. He is unclipped but you can see him if you want to.’ We saw liked and bought, and the rest is history as they say.”
Alicia, as long as I have known her has loved Spain, especially helping me with all my Spanish coursework. So heading over to work for a Grand Prix dressage rider has suited her well. Other than improving her dressage skills she took on the adventure to improve obviously her Spanish and learn how an international equine business works. On top of all her hard work Alicia gets a dressage lesson each day… so I hope to get many free lessons myself when she’s back on home soil!
One thing that I imagine many would think about before heading off for the summer is the homesickness. I for one am a home bird. But speaking to Alicia she gave me a pretty good idea of how she is handling the time away from home. “I have always wanted to work for a top rider for a set period of time. Learning the ins and outs of a business but I never imagined it would be a foreign one. This isn’t what I necessarily want to do as a career but something I am very glad I’m doing as the experiences and skills I am developing are nearly second to none. Ten years at boarding school means that I am dealing with being away from home quite well but I miss my family copious amounts, I am a bit of a daddy’s girl.
Besides her interesting tan lines which she has described as being more British farmer than Victoria Secret model. Alicia has had some great experiences while being away but nothing can compare to her superb sign language which she has developed while being out there.
I would like to wish Alicia all the best with the rest of her journey and time in Spain.
