Mario is a civil servant in the town hall of Villaviciosa de Odón, Spain. He had to study for years while working to pass his exams to become a civil servant. As a civil servant, his job is to serve the community and ensure the welfare of the village. His department is responsible for contracts and public infrastructure projects. Mario believes the most important things for the village are taking care of the environment and fostering good relationships between neighbors to ensure a high quality of life.

1. MAGAZINE CALATALIFE ARTICLE
BY MIGUEL MILLANES MELGARES - 4TH C

2.  Miguel: Thank you for your time, Mr. Millanes.
 Mario: You’re welcome.
 Miguel: Today, I would like to ask you some questions about your job as civil servant in our village’s town hall: Tell us about your
background—how did you become a civil servant in the village of Villaviciosa de Odón?
 Mario: I had to prepare my access for a couple of years, time ago (about 28 years) and finally, I got it. It was hard because I had to
study many hours a day at the same time I was working. My friends were having a good time at weekends while I was preparing my
exams...
 Miguel: So, how is being a civil servant?
 Mario: It’s a job for the village, for the neighbours. I work everyday in order to obtain a better place to live in. We must serve the
community. We work in departments. In our department we prepare contracts—whatever you can imagine. I mean, everything public
buildings, schools, cultural centers, libraries and so on need for working. Our main purpose is the village welfare.
 Miguel: What is your favourite thing about the village of Villaviciosa de Odón?
 Mario: I think this is one of the best places to live next to Madrid. It’s a quiet village where you can enjoy a walk in the Forestal, practice
sports and visit our castle, our most appreciated symbol. At the same time, you can get all the activities of the big city in just half an
have to confess that Villaviciosa is where I was born. So, I feel I’m working for the neighbours.
 Miguel: If you could change one thing about our streets, our village, livability—what would it be?
 Mario: In my opinion, we can improve everything. For me, the most important thing is to take care of the environment and the good
relationships among villagers, so that we can keep the best of our surroundings. Our future depends on it.
 Miguel: Okay, thank you so much again.
 Mario: You’re very welcome.

3. INTERVIEW ARTICLE
I very much enjoyed my dialogue with this intelligent and polite gentleman – his
attiude was truly pleasing and engaging.
He is a civil servant in Villaviciosa de Odón’s town hall. Mario answered to our
questions related to his work. First, he told us he really had to prepare his exams
while he was working, but finally got his job position in the town hall’s contract
department, reponsible for the village welfare. Then, he explained his job
consists in serving the community; in fact, he believes his job is for the village,
for his neighbours, as he reveals he was born in this village. He finally gave us
his personal opinion about Villaviciosa de Odón; from his point of view, the
favourite thing about the village is the proximity to Madrid, because of all the
activities offered by the capital, as well as its quietness, natural surroundings and
tourism. Therefore, he stresses the importance of taking care of the environment
around us and the relationship between our neighbours.