Another post here - after I'd said I would be shutting the blog down. Reason being? I'm here to introduce Rebecca's blog, which she will be maintaining during her 10 months in Montserrat. It's been very interesting to read about her experiences which have somewhat mirrored mine, and I'll definitely be keeping a close eye on all her ongoings! You can read her blog at http://musicalmontserrat.wordpress.com/.
Lately I have been sifting through all my photos taken whilst in Montserrat, feeling great pangs of nostalgia and putting up a few straggling ones on my Montserrat album on Facebook. Looks like there will be more updates on this blog to come!
Showing posts with label Montserrat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Montserrat. Show all posts
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Monday, August 6, 2012
Onwards & Forwards
Becky previously trained as a chorister and has extensive experience leading choirs. She also plays the piano and has musical directed productions with Newcastle University. I am excited to see her carry out the continuation of education and outreach work in Montserrat and I am sure her presence will be a huge inspiration to students and the wider community!
Becky will also be maintaining her own blog about her endeavours in Monty, so stay tuned!
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Dash & Splash
My last two weeks here in Montserrat have been proving to be just as busy, starting with the final assembly for Montserrat Secondary School held at the cultural centre on Tuesday the 3rd, followed by the graduation ceremony for the Form 5s the day after. It was a formal enough affair, with the MSS cadet corps doing a procession with an inspection of the graduands. The choir sang, along with a MSS dance ensemble and of course, lots of speeches. The valedictorian Tiffannie Skerritt - it was quite an American-styled graduation - also got awarded an iPad for her hard work. A pretty good deal if you ask me!
Over the weekend just past was the inaugural Belham Valley Dash 'n' Splash, organized by the Montserrat Running Club. A 1.8km dash down the Belham Valley, navigating past obstacles such as pyroclastic hills and scattered brush, before approaching the Old Road Bay and crossing the finishing line by placing any part of your body in the sea. Of course, stylistic 'splashdowns' were encouraged, and also rewarded.
Oh, and all of this done in fancy dress (of course)!
And so, in the spirit of Montserrat Secondary School and as a reflection of my work there, I decided to dress up in a MSS student uniform. Given the logic that long trousers would impede my performance, I therefore made the strategic decision to wear a female uniform instead. I came in 6th out of twenty-five, so I guess it paid off. Unfortunately, however, I was just ahead of the winner who made (and subsequently won the prize for) the best entry into the sea. As such I had the privilege of turning back, only to see him thrashing butt naked into the Caribbean sea towards my face. Thanks Andy.
The remainder of the photos can be found on my Facebook album at http://is.gd/RCVxi0. Be sure to take a look at some of the hilarious finishes!
MSS end-of-year assembly at the Montserrat Cultural Centre.
Form 5 graduands getting ready for inspection.
The Montserrat Secondary School cadet corps.
Putting on the final touches with a bit of help.
The Montserrat Youth Choir in their final performance with me.
Over the weekend just past was the inaugural Belham Valley Dash 'n' Splash, organized by the Montserrat Running Club. A 1.8km dash down the Belham Valley, navigating past obstacles such as pyroclastic hills and scattered brush, before approaching the Old Road Bay and crossing the finishing line by placing any part of your body in the sea. Of course, stylistic 'splashdowns' were encouraged, and also rewarded.
Oh, and all of this done in fancy dress (of course)!
And so, in the spirit of Montserrat Secondary School and as a reflection of my work there, I decided to dress up in a MSS student uniform. Given the logic that long trousers would impede my performance, I therefore made the strategic decision to wear a female uniform instead. I came in 6th out of twenty-five, so I guess it paid off. Unfortunately, however, I was just ahead of the winner who made (and subsequently won the prize for) the best entry into the sea. As such I had the privilege of turning back, only to see him thrashing butt naked into the Caribbean sea towards my face. Thanks Andy.
All decked out and ready to go.
"If you get injured, then it's your fault."
The wide variety of fancy dress everyone turned up in.
The remainder of the photos can be found on my Facebook album at http://is.gd/RCVxi0. Be sure to take a look at some of the hilarious finishes!
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Centenarians & Reports
I finally had the chance today to get my hands on a copy of the Montserrat Reporter, which had a two-page spread about the jubilee celebrations as well as an entire page dedicated to photos from the recital. An online version of this article can be found here.
Yesterday was what I would expect to be my last pan gig with Volpanics. Cupid called me up at lunchtime yesterday asking if I would be able to play at a centenarian's birthday party. It was a really nice, familial reception of relatives and close friends (which you would certainly accrue after 100 years!) and the governor Adrian was there to present the queen's birthday card.
According to Adrian, this was his 6th 100-year-old party he's attended in Montserrat since he took office slightly over a year ago. Not too bad, if you consider this island's population of only about 4,800.
Performing at the Lookout Community Centre.
Another stunning Montserratian sunset.
Graduation at MSS takes place on next Wednesday, and the principal has requested for the Montserrat Youth Choir to perform. Looks like I'll be kept busy to the very end! Certainly looking forward to it though.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Bonfire & Fireworks
While In Montserrat has been a great success, and on that evening we managed to raise nearly EC$4,000 for our efforts to go to the Montserrat Foundation (UK). Guests were treated to an eclectic line-up of musicians and student performers, including Jo who did a brilliant first half of classical repertoire from Schumann and Prokofiev, amongst other works. Filipe did more than just visit Montserrat when he also took to the piano, and both of them were immensely well-received.
Filipe & I revisited our days in Guildhall when we also performed some four-handed works on two pianos, one of which was collaboratively composed during his stay here in Montserrat and the other completely improvised. The MSS steel pan did an amazing debut appearance, playing Buddy Tom and Hold My Hand, and the Montserrat Youth Choir shone as usual with a few amazing soloists standing out in particular.
I will be posting up for photos and videos up here once I get hold of them.
The past fortnight certainly has been particularly busy - apart from planning this recital, I had Filipe and Jo over from London to visit. And to perform as well, of course. But apart from all that, we also went about to take in the sights and sounds of Montserrat, including a bit of diving, venturing into the destroyed capital Plymouth, and catching the transit of Venus across the sun on the MVO helipad.
Being the week of the Queen's diamond jubilee celebrations, Montserrat as a British overseas territory certainly wasn't left out either. There were fireworks and a bonfire last week, a jubilee medal reception for the fire and police servicemen and women, and of course, the recital itself.
Fireworks & bonfire at Little Bay.
Sunset on the evening of the Venus transit.
Filipe & I heading off to dive at Rendezvous Bluff.
The extended beach at Plymouth.
Venturing into the destroyed capital.
At the jubilee medal reception.
And with barely any time for a breather, exam period at MSS quickly approaches. I, however, have managed to somehow squeeze in time to write all my exam papers, and now with that out of the way, I am certainly looking forward to a quick weekend sojourn in Antigua with Jo this Saturday.
Next week, I will be back in London for a job interview. If any prospective applicant for this project placement would like to have a chat with me then about the work being done here, please do get in touch.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Spring & Song
It's meant to be spring now, however it is anything but right here in London. The weather hasn't been too kind since I arrived back in London for my two-week Easter break, and apart from a sunny spell over the weekend just past, it has been cloudy, wet and very cold (for spring). Oddly enough, upon my arrival in Gatwick airport last Saturday I was mulling over how I haven't done lots of everyday things in three months - travel on a train, get in a lift, and generally not greet every single person passing you by.
It has been nice though, to get re-acquainted with the big city life, if not for the vast array of food that has been now made available, for the next two weeks at least. I've never had such a strong craving for sushi until I moved to Montserrat! And of course, a good pint of cider.
The video of the Montserrat Youth Choir singing at the Rotary fundraiser is now up. Enjoy!
It has been nice though, to get re-acquainted with the big city life, if not for the vast array of food that has been now made available, for the next two weeks at least. I've never had such a strong craving for sushi until I moved to Montserrat! And of course, a good pint of cider.
The video of the Montserrat Youth Choir singing at the Rotary fundraiser is now up. Enjoy!
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Canines & Sunsets
This morning I found myself at the Montserrat Animal Protection Society (MAPS), along with Emily who took me along to one of her regular volunteering duties. MAPS does an admirable job looking after neglected and abused animals on the island, providing them shelter, food and attention until they can be fostered out. It is entirely staffed by volunteers who operate wholly on the goodwill of donors and sponsors.
I have been looking to adopt a dog myself, and hence Emily suggested I head down to the MAPS shelter to get to know the dogs better before making a decision. We had a brilliant morning and I found myself growing quite fond of an active canine named Jack.
The weather recently has been rather chilly - now those of you reading from Europe (how's the snow?) might think me mad, but Montserrat does experience 'winter' too. The coldest months are from December to February; with an average daily temperature of about 24 deg C, this is a few slight notches below summer temperatures which soar up to about 33 deg C. There have been plenty of gales lately, but also quite a few stunning sunsets.
In other music-related news, rehearsals for the Montserrat Secondary School choir have started, and I have started a peripatetic teaching programme for students wanting to learn the piano. Currently I am running it single-handedly, but I will be starting to find out if anyone on the island might be willing to give instrumental lessons to students after school as well. I will be working on more contemporary songs with the choir - I don't think the young ones will quite enjoy singing about Irish immigrants getting off at Ellis Island to carve out a future in the New World!
I have been looking to adopt a dog myself, and hence Emily suggested I head down to the MAPS shelter to get to know the dogs better before making a decision. We had a brilliant morning and I found myself growing quite fond of an active canine named Jack.
The MAPS canine shelter.
Greeting the new visitor.
Em hosing down the kennels while the dogs enjoy a run.
The weather recently has been rather chilly - now those of you reading from Europe (how's the snow?) might think me mad, but Montserrat does experience 'winter' too. The coldest months are from December to February; with an average daily temperature of about 24 deg C, this is a few slight notches below summer temperatures which soar up to about 33 deg C. There have been plenty of gales lately, but also quite a few stunning sunsets.
View of the sunset from my apartment.
In other music-related news, rehearsals for the Montserrat Secondary School choir have started, and I have started a peripatetic teaching programme for students wanting to learn the piano. Currently I am running it single-handedly, but I will be starting to find out if anyone on the island might be willing to give instrumental lessons to students after school as well. I will be working on more contemporary songs with the choir - I don't think the young ones will quite enjoy singing about Irish immigrants getting off at Ellis Island to carve out a future in the New World!
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Balinese kotekan & Scottish reels
And in the blink of an eye, two weeks have passed since my last blog update. Teaching has gone into full swing now, and the response so far from students has been encouragingly positive. I have been planning the work scheme for music to be taught as a subject to the Years 7 to 9 in Montserrat Secondary School, in conjunction with the Ministry of Education. If my objective is to expose students here to as varied styles and genres of music as possible (as was originally the idea), then delivering music education through the classroom has certainly achieved that.
The approach here that I have taken has differed quite greatly from the UK - students here have no formal music education in schools, and don't receive regular instrumental lessons, if any at all. This is unlike back home, where you could hold a creative music workshop made up of any type of student participants, and almost all of them would certainly have had music taught to them in the classroom and have had weekly instrumental tuition. This, of course, makes it easy to explain what the concept of kotekan found in Balinese gamelan is all about and attempt to recreate elements of that on their instruments. Over here, however, I've had to start from the very basics of pulse, rhythm, note values and notation before asking them to identify the time signature of a Scottish reel (which went down quite well), for example. And this could have, in my opinion, been only effectively delivered in a classroom setting.
The Year 9s have been having a go at film music, looking into different styles of today's Hollywood composers, differentiating between elements of film music such as motifs, underscoring and scene music, as well as coming up with storyboards of their own before acting scenes out while accompanying them on instruments, live. Given how there is no cinema located on Montserrat (the only one was previously destroyed by the volcano), I was slightly apprehensive about the relevance of this module. But I had nothing to worry, as I later found out that given the prevalence of broadband internet on the island, a lot of my students regular watch films through downloading or streaming (as one does?) them online. Ironically, I get power outages here about twice a week - but the wifi in my house never fails me. This reminds me of the time last summer when I was in Romania leading students to volunteer on a summer school programme at an orphanage in a village somewhere in the middle of Romania - and the village had blazing fast broadband internet, but no running water.
I have made slight progress on the instrumental front. I have managed to unearth approximately 50 recorders from the Ministry of Culture, as well as get another adaptor for the keyboards - that makes it two now. And, adding on to the Virtuoso piano app on my iPad and iPhone, as well as the piano app on my TA's Kindle Fire (bless her - she downloaded a piano app for her tablet to help me out with the 'shortage'), that makes five accessible 'keyboards' in the classroom.
Sir George Martin has just ended his month-long sojourn in Montserrat, which he and Lady Judy embark on every year. They own a property here called Olveston House - a beautiful house that, when not occupied by the Martins in January, is used as a guest house which has hosted the likes of Sting, Eric Clapton and Paul McCartney during their expeditions here to record at AIR Studios.
On a slightly different note, Montserrat Idol has commenced - yes, even this island has not escaped the television sensation scheme first concocted up by Mr Simon Cowell himself. However, given that there is no television broadcasting station in Montserrat, the only way to watch the competition is to, well, go watch it live yourself. It's held every Saturday evening at this cosy beach bar in Little Bay called Soca Cabana, and the competition is now in it's second year (if I remember correctly). The first prize? Round-trip airfare to Antigua, two-night stay at the Catamaran Hotel in Antigua's Falmouth Harbour, a Blackberry Torch and automatic placement in the finals of the Antigua Idol contest (they have it there too!) for this year.
Also, as inevitable as the sun rises and sets everyday, I have embarked on some steel drums playing myself, having joined a steelpan ensemble on the island called Volpanics (loving the pun here). I've assigned myself to tenor pans duty, only because my limited coordination skills can only allow me to focus when are the notes are one pan instead of being spread out over two or three pans. That, and I just love playing the melody anyway! Will update my progress on here as I, hopefully, improve.
The approach here that I have taken has differed quite greatly from the UK - students here have no formal music education in schools, and don't receive regular instrumental lessons, if any at all. This is unlike back home, where you could hold a creative music workshop made up of any type of student participants, and almost all of them would certainly have had music taught to them in the classroom and have had weekly instrumental tuition. This, of course, makes it easy to explain what the concept of kotekan found in Balinese gamelan is all about and attempt to recreate elements of that on their instruments. Over here, however, I've had to start from the very basics of pulse, rhythm, note values and notation before asking them to identify the time signature of a Scottish reel (which went down quite well), for example. And this could have, in my opinion, been only effectively delivered in a classroom setting.
The Year 9s have been having a go at film music, looking into different styles of today's Hollywood composers, differentiating between elements of film music such as motifs, underscoring and scene music, as well as coming up with storyboards of their own before acting scenes out while accompanying them on instruments, live. Given how there is no cinema located on Montserrat (the only one was previously destroyed by the volcano), I was slightly apprehensive about the relevance of this module. But I had nothing to worry, as I later found out that given the prevalence of broadband internet on the island, a lot of my students regular watch films through downloading or streaming (as one does?) them online. Ironically, I get power outages here about twice a week - but the wifi in my house never fails me. This reminds me of the time last summer when I was in Romania leading students to volunteer on a summer school programme at an orphanage in a village somewhere in the middle of Romania - and the village had blazing fast broadband internet, but no running water.
I have made slight progress on the instrumental front. I have managed to unearth approximately 50 recorders from the Ministry of Culture, as well as get another adaptor for the keyboards - that makes it two now. And, adding on to the Virtuoso piano app on my iPad and iPhone, as well as the piano app on my TA's Kindle Fire (bless her - she downloaded a piano app for her tablet to help me out with the 'shortage'), that makes five accessible 'keyboards' in the classroom.
Sir George Martin has just ended his month-long sojourn in Montserrat, which he and Lady Judy embark on every year. They own a property here called Olveston House - a beautiful house that, when not occupied by the Martins in January, is used as a guest house which has hosted the likes of Sting, Eric Clapton and Paul McCartney during their expeditions here to record at AIR Studios.
George & I in Olveston House on the eve of his departure.
On a slightly different note, Montserrat Idol has commenced - yes, even this island has not escaped the television sensation scheme first concocted up by Mr Simon Cowell himself. However, given that there is no television broadcasting station in Montserrat, the only way to watch the competition is to, well, go watch it live yourself. It's held every Saturday evening at this cosy beach bar in Little Bay called Soca Cabana, and the competition is now in it's second year (if I remember correctly). The first prize? Round-trip airfare to Antigua, two-night stay at the Catamaran Hotel in Antigua's Falmouth Harbour, a Blackberry Torch and automatic placement in the finals of the Antigua Idol contest (they have it there too!) for this year.
Also, as inevitable as the sun rises and sets everyday, I have embarked on some steel drums playing myself, having joined a steelpan ensemble on the island called Volpanics (loving the pun here). I've assigned myself to tenor pans duty, only because my limited coordination skills can only allow me to focus when are the notes are one pan instead of being spread out over two or three pans. That, and I just love playing the melody anyway! Will update my progress on here as I, hopefully, improve.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Lift-off & Whip-cracking
Yesterday saw my first day starting in Montserrat Secondary School, and it certainly was a marked difference to my previous school. Having only one secondary school on the entire island, there is definitely an immense variation of students - the raucous, the studious, the quiet, the uninitiated. Proponents of the meritocracy system will like to know that schools here divide their sets solely according to learning ability, with each form divided into three or four sets, one of which will be comprised solely of students who need learning support.
All music activities and lessons will be held off-site, a former primary school extension located a 10-minute walk away from the main campus. I don't know if that will turn out to be a blessing or not, as being removed away from campus might increase a sense of 'break-away' from the main curriculum in students, or that might mean that they might not just come to class at all! I have been told that there are organizing shuttle buses to ferry students back and forth from the main campus; that should work.
I was given the chance to observe a chemistry lesson during Period 1 yesterday, but throughout the lesson I heard another group of students having a laugh outside along the corridor. Guess their teacher wasn't around? Having spoke to Jo about this yesterday, she replied with some form of cool indifference, highlighting the time she spent in the state school system.
After discussions with the directors of Culture and Education, my job description has begun to slowly take shape. I will be delivering structured classes during curriculum time to Forms 1 to 3, that's Years 7 to 9. Schools in the Caribbean use a syllabus by the Caribbean Examinations Council, simply called the CXC programme. However, at present, only Forms 4 and 5 follow the CXC syllabus (of which music isn't offered as a subject by the school), while Forms 1 to 3 don't follow a structured syllabus at all. So that translates to lots of lesson planning. For community-based work, I will be starting off with working with New Beginnings - an ensemble that is comprised of primary and secondary schools across the island. Run by the Minister of Culture, Herman "Cupid" Francis, this music outreach programme has been in place for a little over ten years. I will also start running extra-curricular activities after lessons, first in the secondary school then stretching out to primary schools.
I'll be trying to garner interest for choirs and ensembles by using the good 'ol posters around the school method. Let's see how that goes. I think a bit of whip-cracking may be in order to get things moving along...
All music activities and lessons will be held off-site, a former primary school extension located a 10-minute walk away from the main campus. I don't know if that will turn out to be a blessing or not, as being removed away from campus might increase a sense of 'break-away' from the main curriculum in students, or that might mean that they might not just come to class at all! I have been told that there are organizing shuttle buses to ferry students back and forth from the main campus; that should work.
I was given the chance to observe a chemistry lesson during Period 1 yesterday, but throughout the lesson I heard another group of students having a laugh outside along the corridor. Guess their teacher wasn't around? Having spoke to Jo about this yesterday, she replied with some form of cool indifference, highlighting the time she spent in the state school system.
After discussions with the directors of Culture and Education, my job description has begun to slowly take shape. I will be delivering structured classes during curriculum time to Forms 1 to 3, that's Years 7 to 9. Schools in the Caribbean use a syllabus by the Caribbean Examinations Council, simply called the CXC programme. However, at present, only Forms 4 and 5 follow the CXC syllabus (of which music isn't offered as a subject by the school), while Forms 1 to 3 don't follow a structured syllabus at all. So that translates to lots of lesson planning. For community-based work, I will be starting off with working with New Beginnings - an ensemble that is comprised of primary and secondary schools across the island. Run by the Minister of Culture, Herman "Cupid" Francis, this music outreach programme has been in place for a little over ten years. I will also start running extra-curricular activities after lessons, first in the secondary school then stretching out to primary schools.
I'll be trying to garner interest for choirs and ensembles by using the good 'ol posters around the school method. Let's see how that goes. I think a bit of whip-cracking may be in order to get things moving along...
Saturday, January 7, 2012
iPlayer & Mini-kingdoms
Well surprise, surprise. I guess the Beeb doesn't consider British Overseas Territories to be suited to enjoy their fine TV programming. Indeed, I am now iPlayer-less, or at least will be for the next seven months. I don't usually get a constant hankering for EastEnders, really. I just don't know why, this isle technically being crown-owned land, am I being denied my occasional indulgence of the finest British soap.
The BBC News app has also denied my live streaming of its namesake channel (it doesn't even give me an error message prompt, it just minimizes without playing) and I now have to, alas, contend myself with BBC World with an ever-increasingly American shift in coverage and other trashy American TV channels which show up to five back-to-back episodes of Wife Swap. (Guilty as charged!) Attempts to download the BBC iPlayer Global app have backfired too because it's only available on the US iTunes store.
In other more exciting discoveries, I noticed while driving around the island that there's yet another small rocky island not too far away from Montserrat. It cuts quite an imposing figure, rising out of the sea with steep cliffs all around topped by an area of grassland that slopes rather steeply. Welcome to Redonda, a very small, uninhabited Caribbean island which is now part of Antigua and Barbuda. It is basically one very large rock, the remnant of an ancient volcanic core. Due to a lack of a freshwater source, Redonda itself is currently uninhabited, except by seabirds and, according to Wikipedia, a herd of feral goats that manage to survive on the poor grazing on top of the island.
Redonda rising out of the ocean.
Montserrat is the closest land to Redonda, which is situated between here and the island of Nevis. Originally spotted by Columbus who claimed it for the Spanish crown despite not setting foot on the island himself, it was subsequently made a British possession in the 1860s (why not?) but was handed over to Antigua and Barbuda when the latter become independent. Interestingly, however, Redonda has been claimed as a "kingdom" and is now considered a micronation. Who by, you might wonder. Here's an interesting blurb about Redonda's history as a mini-kingdom, extracted from Wikipedia's article about the Kingdom of Redonda.
"Redonda also is, or appears to be, a micronation which may, arguably and briefly, actually have existed as an independent kingdom during the 19th century. The title to this supposed kingdom is still contested to this day in a half-serious fashion. The "Kingdom" is also often associated with a number of supposed aristocratic members, whose titles are given out freely by whoever is currently the "King". Currently there are a number of different individuals in several different countries who claim to be the sole legitimate "King" of Redonda.
The idea of the kingdom appears to originate with M. P. Shiel, 1865–1947, an author of fantasy fiction. He claimed that in 1865, his father Matthew Dowdy Shiell, from the nearby island of Montserrat, proclaimed himself to be the rightful, and supposedly legal, "King" of the island of Redonda in order that he might establish his son as the rightful heir to the throne. This story, as first recounted by the son in a promotional leaflet for his books, may be partly or entirely fictional."
Another curious development that has since emerged (in 2007) was when a pub in Southampton attempted to declare themselves an embassy of the "nation" of Redonda, in order to gain diplomatic immunity from a nationwide ban on smoking in enclosed workplaces, including pubs. This was after the pub was granted status as a consulate of Redonda by the island's current king and the pub owner receiving a Redondan knighthood. Of course, this bold plan was eventually thwarted by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, no less due to the fact that if the pub was classified as "foreign soil", it would be allowed to serve cheaper drinks because the pub would be exempt from VAT. You can read more about it on this online news article here.
Above is a map of the area on Google Earth to give you a clearer idea of where this fascinating micro-nation is actually located. Perhaps if I went over (by what means, I have no clue) and planted a Singapore flag there I could make it the first Singaporean colony - given how fickle the process of claiming territory seems to be. For the more musically-inclined, do check out Redonda's national anthem here. If you have a seaworthy vessel which you would like to enlist as part of the Royal Redondan Navy, you can download the application form here.
In other news, today I decided to go for a run around my immediate area just to have a look-see. One-and-a-half miles later I was completely shattered from what was possibly the most undulating run I have ever done in my life. Montserrat really is immensely hilly and certainly very punishing for a casual runner like me. At times the road was so steep I thought it might be less painful to jog backwards instead!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Antigua & Mini-planes
So, here we go. Day 1 on this tropical paradise isle that is Montserrat. Well, I say paradise - that's from what I've seen so far when the Britten-Norman Islander I was in flew above Montserrat as it approached landing. The day started early yesterday with a delayed & packed flight to Antigua from London Gatwick, brought on by terrible gales lashing the runway. By then I was quite grateful to be leaving such foul weather to sunnier lands.
After a very quick & hectic layover in Antigua, I found myself onboard a six-seater Islander aircraft - the only type of aircraft that FlyMontserrat operates - heading towards the Emerald Isle, pop. 4,822, along with three other fellow passengers. Whilst en-route I got to know another passenger who was also starting a new job in Montserrat - the new customs head, who himself also travelled from London. There was indeed a moment of hilarity which ensued when he, having arrived without making himself known to customs that he was their new boss, was asked to step behind the yellow line and wait his turn.
There are currently only two ways to get to and from Montserrat. The first is either a 40-minute long ferry ride or a 20-minute long flight, both from Antigua. Montserrat's former airport, along with the former capital Plymouth, were destroyed in the 1997 eruption of Soufriere Hills volcano. For several years afterwards, Montserrat had been only accessible by helicopters or boats until July 2005 when the new John A. Osborne Airport was completed on the north end of the island, prompting flight services to resume.
Upon landing, I was picked up by representatives from Montserrat Enterprises, then driven to the police station to obtain my local temporary driver's license before being shown to my accommodation. For the next seven-months I'll be put up in the lower half of a colonial-era styled house which has been divided into two apartments, one on the ground floor and the other on the first. I still have yet to meet my neighbour(s), but let's hope they weren't too put off with me blasting the local radio belting out hits from Enrique Igleasis and Westlife (I like this place already!) whilst I was doing my unpacking.
Day One has thus kicked off in the most relaxed manner possible. Last night I sent out a deluge of emails checking-in with the various powers-that-be that I would be working with, but I still have yet to get any response regarding official meetings or school tours. Perhaps I'm just still stuck in hectic big city mode and need to take time to calm down and adapt to the Montserratian way of life.
I have been invited to dinner with the governor of Montserrat, Sir George Martin and their respective families tomorrow. Time to start all that ironing!
After a very quick & hectic layover in Antigua, I found myself onboard a six-seater Islander aircraft - the only type of aircraft that FlyMontserrat operates - heading towards the Emerald Isle, pop. 4,822, along with three other fellow passengers. Whilst en-route I got to know another passenger who was also starting a new job in Montserrat - the new customs head, who himself also travelled from London. There was indeed a moment of hilarity which ensued when he, having arrived without making himself known to customs that he was their new boss, was asked to step behind the yellow line and wait his turn.
There are currently only two ways to get to and from Montserrat. The first is either a 40-minute long ferry ride or a 20-minute long flight, both from Antigua. Montserrat's former airport, along with the former capital Plymouth, were destroyed in the 1997 eruption of Soufriere Hills volcano. For several years afterwards, Montserrat had been only accessible by helicopters or boats until July 2005 when the new John A. Osborne Airport was completed on the north end of the island, prompting flight services to resume.
The pilot & stewardess. Talk about cosy.
Upon landing, I was picked up by representatives from Montserrat Enterprises, then driven to the police station to obtain my local temporary driver's license before being shown to my accommodation. For the next seven-months I'll be put up in the lower half of a colonial-era styled house which has been divided into two apartments, one on the ground floor and the other on the first. I still have yet to meet my neighbour(s), but let's hope they weren't too put off with me blasting the local radio belting out hits from Enrique Igleasis and Westlife (I like this place already!) whilst I was doing my unpacking.
Day One has thus kicked off in the most relaxed manner possible. Last night I sent out a deluge of emails checking-in with the various powers-that-be that I would be working with, but I still have yet to get any response regarding official meetings or school tours. Perhaps I'm just still stuck in hectic big city mode and need to take time to calm down and adapt to the Montserratian way of life.
I have been invited to dinner with the governor of Montserrat, Sir George Martin and their respective families tomorrow. Time to start all that ironing!
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