| Charity Begins... Away from Home |
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A six-month career break on the Costa del Sol has turned into a complete life change for Marisa Cano.
When Marisa Cano arrived in southern Spain in spring 2002 she didn’t plan to stay longer than a few months. “I was bored with my job so I left and decided to take a ‘career break’,” she says. “What I didn’t bargain on was a career change.” “That brought me to San Pedro de Alcántara, near Marbella, where I stayed with friends. I really did plan to have a complete break from work, but a few days after I arrived I saw an advert for an English-speaking personal assistant to work for a local lawyer. “I applied for the job almost out of curiosity. I didn’t think I had a chance because my Spanish was pretty non-existent: even though my dad’s Spanish he didn’t speak the language at home so me and my two brothers never picked it up. Unbelievably, I got the job and within two weeks of arriving I found myself working for Bélen Cepero, the senior partner at Premier Law in Marbella. Bélen was happy because she wanted someone who could deal with her mainly British clients and I was happy because this was a new challenge and something in a totally different field. “My GCSE Spanish only got me so far, but I took lessons and improved, and picked up the legal side of things as I grew into the job, so that eventually I was acting as a legal assistant more than a PA. “I moved into an apartment in San Pedro with three other girls – one Spanish and two British – and started to work a few evenings in a local bar to improve my language skills and meet people. “I also started teaching dance. Originally I intended to take lessons – I’ve been dancing since I was three - but when I arrived at the school the oldest pupil was 16 and the owner asked me to teach. I had passed my student teacher exams for tap just before leaving Britain, so I started teaching every Saturday morning. “All this might seem like a lot for someone who went to Spain for a break, but I’m that sort of person: I love being busy and meeting people, so it made sense. “Also, it can be very difficult when you move somewhere alone, away from your friends and family – especially in a foreign country. Sure, there are plenty of British people on the Costa del Sol, but I wanted to meet locals as well. “Over time, you do build up a network and I now have a few real friends out here as well as acquaintances – people I might just go out for the night with. But it has taken time to settle. “It was good living with the other girls, but 18 months ago I moved into my own apartment in Estepona, and that was an important step too. It made things seem more permanent.” Four years down the line, Marisa was beginning to get itchy feet again. Her job was no longer much of a challenge and she was thinking about moving on when her boss jumped ship. “Bélen joined C-International in Marbella as one of three partners in January last year and I went with her,” Marisa says. “This was a law firm unlike any I’d ever known. The atmosphere was great, really open and friendly, and the whole ethos was to make you feel part of a team. “Even so, I was looking for a change of direction and explained this to Bélen. She and her partners had a talk then decided to offer me the chance to work as manager of the charitable foundation set up by the company. “This was something very different again and the timing was right as well. Last year was very difficult, with bereavement and serious illness in my family. It forced me to really think about my life and I had already decided I needed to be in a position where I was ‘giving’ something rather than just taking. “The job they offered me was just right. The Fundación Premier has been set up to benefit local causes, and 10 per cent of C-International’s profits go to support it. The trustees are the three partners of the law firm, though of course the fundación is run independently. “Bélen had started the fundación while she was still at Premier and I had pretty much organised the charity ball which got it going. That was something I really enjoyed and I was able to draw on my experience of exhibition work. This was taking things to another level. “I went back to Britain in the autumn to attend a fund-raising manager’s course and when I got back I was thrown in at the deep end, taking control of pretty much everything as chief executive officer of the fundación.” The fundación’s aims are to help and support the elderly, to encourage children’s education and environmental protection, and there are local projects up and running or planned in all three areas. “It’s very rewarding planning programmes for local causes,” Marisa says, “and it brings home the fact that this has given me new motivation. I’m doing something which has a purpose and something I love at the same time. “Life has become even more busy. I go to the gym and play sport every week, I travel to different areas at weekends to make the most of living in southern Spain, and I occasionally find time for a night out. “I do miss friends and family, but the lifestyle is unbeatable. And I’m now doing what I would have chosen to do in the UK, so to get the chance here is perfect.” |
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