But now 'time banks', as they are called, are being used by expats as a way of integrating into Spanish society.

The idea has caught on in the town of San Javier, in Murcia, south-east Spain.

But it could soon spread beyond there as more and more expats appear to tire of remaining in their ghettoes watching satellite television and instead want to discover Spain.

Spaniards are also keen to join in the experiment in San Javier.

So, after three years, the town's time bank has 300 members, who range from artists, doctors and engineers to architects.

There are young people, the retired, Spaniards and foreigners.

Fifty of the 'account holders' are British expats.

"Yo te doy masaje; tu de das ingles" (I give you a massage, you give me English) ran the headline in the Spanish daily El Pais, as it explained how people were exchanging their skills for whatever anyone else wanted to learn.

Jose Carlos Valsera, 36, a black belt in kung-fu, gives classes in Tai Chi.

In return, Maureen Bassett, a retired British expat, gives Jose classes of English.

Maureen said: "This keeps me active, is a lot of fun and I get to meet people I would never know."

Discovering real Spain: In San Javier, time banks help integration

The time bank in San Javier, is run by a volunteer from the local council, Querubina Merono.

He says: "The World Health Organisation defines health by physical, psychological and social factors. But many people leave that last part out.

"The time banks fulfil that last role, generating social capital which would be impossible to pay for. They also produce an environment in which all are winners."

Just like a normal bank

The way the system works is whenever someone uses the bank by exchanging a service – be it Tai Chi, English or even a massage – they register this with the bank, noting the amount of time 'deposited' and 'withdrawn'.

The San Javier bank was formed by Ana Molina and Rafael Gonzalez, who started off by spreading the word door-to-door.

The secret of its success lay in older people passing on their knowledge to the young who may have missed out on basic skills.

Naima Khlifi, a Moroccan pensioner, goes to the home of Adriana Martinez to gives classes of Arabic.

In return, Adriana gives her jogging lessons, to keep her fit.

The first time bank to start in Spain was in Barcelona in the late 1980s.

Outside Spain, time banks work in British prisons where inmates make bicycles which are sent to Iraq.

In the US, time banks have been established since the 1980s.

After Hurricane Wilma, volunteers gave 10,000 hours every month towards relief efforts.

Ana Miyares, who founded time banks in the US, said: "I convinced a group of prostitutes to help the Wilma relief effort in the mornings and at night they could do their own things."

Miyares has now travelled to San Javier to see how the project is going in Spain.

[Copyright Expatica]

[May 2006]

Subject: Spain; time banks