Arrived and Settled In (12th January 2011)

After the worst flight possible from Gatwick (50 pounds for excess luggage, three times through security because my hand luggage was also too big, announcements through the speakers, etc), I finally arrived in Barcelona. I was met at the airport by the headmaster of the school, who drove me back to the school. Its about forty five minutes by car from the city, but there is a shuttle down the mountain as well as one of those cabins which are pulled down by ropes. 

And there it was, in the distance. The mountain seemed to look down on everything around it. As we went up, the buildings disappeared, then the road became an ant trail, and finally we reached the top. The school is in Montserrat town. Its not a big town, more a jumble of old hotels, a few odd houses and an endless number of museums. 

Through the abbey, up some steps, down some long corridors, across the cloister, through the school, up three more flights of stairs, I finally reached my room. Its a teacher’s room, so its even en suite. Luckily I face across the abbey and over the whole mountain, and there are the most incredible views I have ever seen from the bedroom window.

Then came the beginning of all things administrative. I won’t bore anyone with those. After supper with the headmaster I met some of the kids from the school, all of whom tried to make me speak Spanish (I’m not allowed to speak Spanish to them as my job is to teach them English properly) which was quite a challenge and will probably be more so as the days go by. During this blog I will try to concentrate solely on any events not related to school life. 

Prayers was interesting. I’m already accustomed to this through school in England, and as Montserrat is also Benedictine they follow the same Rule. Here, however, they do prayers in their library… and its more of a discussion than prayers. The headmaster and “house master” introduced me here to the pupils, and then they did their prayers: this is practically a sung hymn and a very speedy “Our Father” in Catalan! The hymn had a bass line, which I started humming after a bit to get used to it. One of the younger boys sitting next to me leant forward, and being a music pro as they all are it would probably be to make sure I was singing correctly!

At the end of prayers they all shake their hands with the headmaster and house master and the boarding tutor (and myself), so the next five minutes were spent shaking tens of hands. Its quarter past ten already; you can see that I am working in Spain already!