Today, in our “Talent Pictures” section we are honored to interview Simon Harris, the author of “Going Native in Catalonia, a book that draws on his 25+ years experience as an expat in Catalonia. This man of many talents, married a Catalan woman, appeared on TV as a musician, become a father, taught English since 1988 in the Catalan capital and eventually become a University lecturer. Always looking for new challenges and relying on an extensive experience of many successful projects, he is now working on Spain Football and on his own language consultancy business in Barcelona “Barcelona Language Learning for Learners, Teachers, and Translators of English, Spanish and Catalan.
Barnatalent: Simon, what are you passionate about?
Simon Harris: Life, love and laughter!
Barnatalent: Why did you choose to live and run your business in Barcelona?
Simon Harris: I didn’t choose Barcelona but rather Barcelona chose me. I came here on holiday in ’86 and came back for a longer stay in ’88 and never escaped.
I got married, had a family, a teaching career and Barcelona is much more my home than England is now. I explain this at length in the last chapter of Going Native in Catalonia.
After more than 20 years of teaching the Catalans about English language and culture, I decided I wanted to teach English speakers about Catalan and Spanish language and culture – I wrote the book, got it published and my Internet career happened almost by chance!
Barnatalent: Guidebooks to Catalonia are aimed to tourists and focuses on the same old landmarks, beaches, food and attractions. Could you please explain us what is “Going Native in Catalonia” about?
Simon Harris: It’s a very personal view of Catalonia – a bit of history, a bit of culture, food, language and other things. I take a look at thirty towns and give you my own personal view of them often including an anecdote. My Mum said that I always seem to be sitting in a bar having a beer looking at the back wall of a Gothic cathedral or talking about a museum I’ve just visited. I make no attempt to be complete but my Catalan friends go into raptures about it and say that I talk about things that only someone who actually feels Catalan could possibly know. I just try to express how my own identity has been changed by becoming an adopted Catalan. Going Native in Catalonia says it all really.
Barnatalent: You had an extensive experience of over two decades as a Teacher of English. When you learn a foreign language, the professionalism of the teacher is a key to success of learning process. What do you think are the most important skills for an English teacher?
Simon Harris: Any teacher needs to be passionate about his or her subject and also passionate about learning itself. I love language and I’m almost obsessive about the history of English. Equally, I love speaking Catalan and Spanish because coding ideas into another language turns you into a different person. If you can transmit this enthusiasm and show students how learning another language will open up the minds and their world then teaching is extremely easy.
Barnatalent: Speaking of teaching and learning English, what is Barcelona Language Learning about?
Simon Harris: Barcelona Language Learning is really work in progress. I want to provide information for Learners, Teachers, and Translators of English, Spanish and Catalan. The static site is more or less done in three languages and now I want to create a Community with profiles, forums and personal blogs, so that language professionals and students can contact each other free of charge. The problem is that Spain Football is occupying so much of my time that I’m finding it difficult to get started.
Barnatalent: You are passionate about football since your childhood. What is Spain-Football.org about?
Simon Harris: Spain Football began life because I wanted to write a second book about the history of Spanish Football, using the rivalries between the clubs as a metaphor for the political confrontations in Spain throughout the 20th century. So I started a website and wrote profiles and histories of all the clubs in Primera and Segunda. Then I decided it would be a good idea to provide tourist information, so there’s tickets, hotels, car hire, airports etc for all the cities that have major clubs. Then at the start of this season, I created a Spain Football Community with Blogs, Forums and the Talking Barça podcast. The site is now ranked number 3 in Google for Spain Football and I get about 50,000 visitors a month … and I’ve got interest from a couple of publishers to write the book, which will probably be a history of the rivalry between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid now.
Barnatalent: You love music. At the university, you were guitarist and singer in new wave bands, and then you played jazz and African music in London. In 1988 you arrived to Barcelona with a guitar on your back and started make your living as a musician. Could you please tell us more about your ten year experience as a Professional Musician?
Music would be another interview. I was reasonably successful with my band If All Else Fails during the Post Punk period and had the good fortune to play with some excellent jazz, African and reggae musicians when I moved to London in the early 80s. On arriving in Barcelona I was soon playing in groups, I got asked join Spain’s number one African band Songhai and we toured and made a couple of records. My last band was the legendary One Drop but when my daughter was born in 1994, I decided I wanted a quieter life. I still play mainly for friends and very occasionally at jam sessions, but I have the soul of a jazz musician. Everything I do is informed by the discipline and creativity of improvised music. But I don’t like to talk about music. I just like to do it.
Barnatalent: Networking events have been booming since 2007 in Barcelona. What is your vision about networking?
Simon Harris: Networking is all about creating mutually beneficial relationships and showing yourself to be a complete, interesting and intelligent person. You should always share and always reciprocate. Be generous with every click of your mouse. You’ve got very little to lose and so much to gain, because if your content is interesting and people like you, your message will reach millions. The dark side for someone as passionate and impetuous as me is that you don’t have face to face contact so it’s easy to be misinterpreted – I have to be very careful about swearing online, particularly after if been down the bar to watch the football.
Barnatalent: Thank you Simon for sharing your talents and experience in Barcelona with us. What are your best wishes for 2012?
Simon Harris: I’d like to see if Catalan TV or radio would be interested in a ‘guiri’ football commentator – a bit like Michael Robinson but in Catalan. I did a programme on British Culture for Catalunya Radio a few years ago, so let’s see if they still remember me. But mainly I just want to be happy and healthy.
All The Best Simon Harris
The Beautiful Game In Sunny Spain!
Going Native in Catalonia on Amazon.com
Going Native in Catalonia on Amazon.co.uk
I just want say a big thanks to Elisa for the article and I look forward to hooking up with her on the Barcelona Network in the very near future!
All the best
Simon
Thank you Simon, let’s keep in touch!
Very good to learn about you, Simon. Thank you for publishing it, Elisa.
You’re welcome. Thanks for your visit!
Good read and thank you for sharing about yourself as well as Spain
Thanks for your feedback Geoffrey!
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Nice read
Thank you!
As somebody who has known Simon for a long time, I was delighted to read this interview. He is passionate and deeply knowledgeable about Catalonia, its language and football. (I know NOTHING about music, so cannot comment. I think he nearly had a cardiac arrest when I said that I quite liked Las Ketchup!)
I have read and re-read his Going Native in Catalonia and would say it should be obligatory reading to anybody who has a passing interest in the region, its history, culture ……and future!
I am a regular visitor to his football forums. We are never going to agree about football as I am committed madridista whilst he is a dedicated follower of Barcelona (and each and every team that plays Real Madrid that week!) but I respect his views which are otherwise always well-thought through and balanced.
I shall now go and ask him whether he thinks the SEVEN points lead we have over Barcelona confirms that Pep has thrown the towel in La Liga and is hoping for silverware from a Copa del Rey victory against Mirandés. I am sure we will not agree but, as always, it will be interesting to read his response!
Simon really is a man of many talents!