This is an old picture but one that brings back so, so many memories. When we lived in Barcelona our children attended the Benjamin Franklin International School. BFIS had a few portable buildings that looked more like a traditional school. However, the office, cafeteria, and many classrooms were in this old villa. When you walked into the building there was a grand staircase up to the 2nd floor library and computer room. The main way that students went from the basement cafeteria to the 2nd floor rooms & the 3rd floor classrooms was a narrow spiral twisty staircase that would never ever have passed safety inspection in the US! There was also an enclosed fire escape on the outside of the building so the kids were safe! You can also see the terrace on the roof. Students didn't go up there much as far as I know!!!
During the years that we were a part of the BFIS family there were approximately 300 students from nursery to 12th grade at the school. About 1/3 were American, 1/3 Spanish, and 1/3 from 27 other countries. Our children had friends from Korea, Japan, India, Sweden, Columbia, Italy, Turkey & Holland as well as Spain and the US. The student body was so small that Johnny once said, "We recognize everyone's backpacks". That was true!
So many of our family's wonderful memories are from our 5 years at BFIS. The year we went we had a 2nd grader, 5th grader, 9th grader, and 11th grader. Mary and Matt are both alumni of BFIS. What a fantastic experience that international school was for all of us, not just the 4 children! It was an important part of our lives in Barcelona!
So cool to hear about this and to see the picture of your wonderful BFIS. I love how something like a picture of a building can bring back a flood of memories just like it was yesterday. Thanks for sharing!
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