I think you should all sit down. Now lets do this quickly, like pulling a band aid - visiting a Buddhist monastery is not a spiritual awakening. It is about as spiritual as visiting a Catholic boarding school. I know what the celebrities and the movies say but it is just not true. The children here aren't any better or worse behaved, they don't spout zen catchphrases, in fact they swear like sailors, English sailors.

The staff are pretty much the same as when I went to a Catholic school. One big boss trying to appeal to the kids with impromptu speech referencing hip pop culture (usually football). There are also a couple of off-beat characters, here monks, at my school brothers. The majority of staff are just trying to get through the day without strangling a kid or anyone noticing they didn't bother to prepare a lesson plan.

Both schools have rituals which seem inexplicable to outsiders but I don't feel overwhelmed by some spiritual aura at the monastery. There is no enveloping sense of calm. It is just a nice building full of kids who would rather be playing football than studying.

It is peaceful but it is in the middle of nowhere so it should be peaceful. It is relaxing but we only teach for 120 mins a day. 5 days a week we have 22 hours to do as we please (as long as what we please isn't use the internet, or the phone, or take a hot shower, or watch television). We spend a lot of time staring at the hills and drinking tea.

I know it sounds like I am criticising. I'm not. I am merely dispelling a common myth that visiting a Buddhist monastery will be in anyway spiritually moving. I spent a few days listening to chanting, conversing with the monks and i'm proof it won't turn you into a zen spouting Mr Miyagi.