Massiel’s Autobiography

Good morning,

I will start my story at the beginning; as I think it is the best way.

I was born on a Saturday night, well, already Sunday, because it was early in the morning. The Eurovision Song Contest of 1968 had just finished, and I’ll let you know that Spain had won with the performance of the Spanish singer called Massiel.

Such an occasion generated immense euphoria in this country, marked by a dictatorship and with very few opportunities to open itself to the world… “A little girl!” my parents exclaimed upon my birth (let me remind you that ultrasound scans to predict the sex of babies before birth may have already existed, but they certainly were not widely used at the time) so, as you can imagine, there was no other possible name for me, they called me Massiel.

And that’s me, Massiel García Carpio, born on April 7th 1968, in my beloved town of Utiel, Valencia, Spain.

The third of four siblings: Maria Elisa, Vicen, Massiel and Miguel Angel, and daughter of Vicente “El Fichi”, and Maria “La Maru”, wonderful parents who took care of and loved us since the first day they laid eyes on us, and have not ceased watching over their children even for a moment.

Well, when I was a little girl I studied at the Santa Ana School in Utiel. Despite being a religious school managed by nuns, I had a wonderful time; I learned a lot and forged strong friendships that have stayed with me always.

Our school only went up to middle school so, at the age of 14 we moved to the High School of Utiel. What a change! Everything was different, there were even boys in class and teachers of all walks of life, some of them with serious addiction problems that students could plainly see day after day… just like our first-year French teacher who, every morning, showed up to class suffering from severe headaches and begging for silence, which were of course caused by enormous hangovers that he calmed with new doses of alcohol that he did not even bother to hide. It was a shame because he seemed like a great person… He didn’t even finish the school year; I don’t know if he was expelled or if he left to treat his addiction, but one day he didn’t come back…

We had many other teachers, some very funny, others quite severe, but all of them determined to continue teaching us much more. However we, the students, took everything quite lightly, and the truth is that my high school years were really fun, a little crazy, but that’s normal in late adolescence.

I finished “COU” (university orientation course) and after passing all my final exams, I decided to study tourism… which means that, on top of having all those prerequisites, I successfully completed the Entrance Exam and managed to pass all the subjects of my graduating class 1987-90. Though I acquired the actual degree at a later date, as I had to pass yet another exam, which I did in 1993.

I can see how this may be confusing, but at the time Valencia didn’t have a public tourism university, which meant that all studies were completed in private schools and, once you passed every subject, you could do an exam in the University of Alicante to obtain your official degree.

In the meantime, time went by and many things happened…

After having spent a few years attending the Juniors Movement in Utiel, when my age no longer allowed me to continue as a “child”, I was involved as a monitor, and the truth is that it was a wonderful experience. I had a great time and I learned to listen, to share, to plan… for a group of kids who trusted me, for whom I was important, and who occupied part of my weekends, and Easter and summer vacations. This stage lasted from 1983 to 1989. Because in the summer of ’89 I realized that languages were essential for my studies, and I needed support that I could only get through immersion in the country of origin, so I spent the summer of ’89 in a small village near Biarritz, in the Pansu’s summer house, working as an Au Pair and getting to know the culture and customs of this region. Ah! and their pastry shop… fabulous! It was a great experience. Another country, another language… Everything went well and it gave me the courage to go to London as soon as I finished my studies. I had to continue improving my English, and although I am not proficient in any of the languages I have studied, my knowledge has allowed me to communicate with people from all over the world, as well as to further advance in my profession.

Let’s now talk about my career.

As I have already mentioned, after high school I studied Tourism, so in my second year of university, in order to get some experience and some pocket money, I worked as a hostess at the Food Fair, it was a few days and a lot of work, but I liked the contact with customers, so I felt encouraged and I thought that my choice of studies had been correct, because I had a wide range of job opportunities once I finished my degree.

That summer I spent in France, as I have told you, working as an Au Pair, and the experience was great. The relationship with “my family” was perfect, they took care of me and showed me everything about the area, the festivals, the customs, the gastronomy… I looked after the two little ones of the family, and while we played I taught them some Spanish. It was a nice way for everyone to learn, and I always felt loved and valued.

In my third year of university I had to do an internship and I chose a Tour Operator. I learned a lot about travel organization and planning… but, most of all, I learned that I didn’t want to do that… So when I finished, I knew that hotels would be my goal, or at least I would try to reach them.

After finishing my studies I spent a long period in England, near London, in Upminster. Also on this occasion I worked as an Au Pair, with a couple children to take care of… The little boy was a darling, but the youngest of the house, Judith, was a real “toothache”, every morning before school we had our little battles, but I learned to love her very much, just as she was, and she turned out to be a very funny little girl.

To get to know more people, more customs and more English, on the weekends I worked in an English pub, very English… “The Optimist”, I learned a lot more about the usual behavior of English people, sometimes complicated, but always “polite”… In general, I had a great time, I keep a great memory of all that time, they were somewhat turbulent times because the Gulf War broke out, and Britain was part of the leading countries. So, in addition to learning English and sightseeing, I had to be cautious, because a great terrorist threat loomed over London in the early days of 1991… But everything turned out well and I returned home in the spring, determined to find a nice job that I liked…. and so I did!

Back in Valencia, I first submitted my application to the coastal hotels, and ended up trying my luck in the city which, at that time, completely emptied during any sort of holiday. But fortunately, in what was then the Meliá Rey Don Jaime, they were looking for a profile very similar to what I could offer, and I was hired almost immediately.

I would begin my career in the hotel industry as a receptionist on the VIP floor of one of the best hotels in Valencia at the time. This job really satisfied me and allowed me to meet all kinds of personalities who visited the city, from Julio Iglesias to Nirvana, including TM The King and Queen of Spain, Willy DeVille, Miguel Bosé, Isabel Pantoja and so many other known and unknown people who stayed with us and sometimes shared experiences and expressed opinions on any topic, relevant or not, that was happening at that time.

As I said, this was my first real job, and a few years later they opened what would then be the best hotel in the city, The Valencia Palace, a 5-star lux hotel!

Nowadays, there are many hotels, but in the early 90s people did not travel so much, only large companies and few individuals could afford what was then a luxury, so this new opening was a real event… and I decided that I wanted to be part of this new project.

I applied for a receptionist position and after some interviews, and even after refusing a good opportunity, I got the job I desired and presented my voluntary leave in the Rey Don Jaime, to join the staff of the Valencia Palace.

Ten years as part of this great family. Great professionals and good friendships, that still last today, were forged during this period… But after this long period of time, in 2004, I was offered something very different. The opening of a small hotel, charming, friendly and of 100% Valencian capital…

I hesitated at first, but I accepted quite quickly… and here I am still, in the Hotel Neptuno… Everything is different from the big chains, decision-making is quick and personal, and the involvement at all times is total. All the staff is a big family, and the owners are part of it. Here I have been able to learn a lot from all departments, since being a small company means that everything is much more accessible, plus my position (manager) requires knowing as much as possible about each of the links in this great chain that we all form. It is a great experience, and I am grateful for the trust placed in me so that the Hotel Neptuno continues, day after day, to be the great hotel that we all want it to be.

…And now, what you were waiting for… How did I meet Alain? How long ago was it?

In short, my most personal life of this whole story, which I hope you are finding entertaining enough to continue reading a little more!

As I told you at the beginning, I am from Utiel, a town in the province of Valencia (Spain). Well, Alain’s mother, Eloina, was born in a small town not far from there (Venta del Moro), and his family used to spend a few days in the village every summer. Back then it was common for young people from all over the region to visit a rather peculiar disco that was in the middle of nature, “El Bodegón”… Well, that’s where Alain and I met.

One summer night in the late 80s, on a large terrace surrounded by beautiful pine trees, with music playing in the distance, having an interesting conversation with my good friend Isabel and the one who has been my partner ever since: Alain.

Little by little we became good friends. He wrote me essays daily, in postal letters that I received every day (imagine a world without the internet, without social media and without cell phones…). So yes, the letters arrived home daily, which aroused great interest not only on my part, but also from all my family and, I would even dare to say, from the entire post office of Utiel… In short, little by little the impersonal letters became very personal, and Alain shared with me all his transcendental thoughts about the world and future, and later, also about me… and in this way, without hardly realizing it, we were never apart… Even in the many moments that we were not together, our union was such that we always felt accompanied by each other.

We began sharing all the big and small details that happened in our day-to-day lives… I was still studying tourism, and he worked in his family’s bakery in Valencia, since both places were very close, we even shared our lunches regularly, which meant I became great friends with the whole family, and I would even say that, little by little, I became a daughter for his parents.

Since our first meeting, we have never separated, in some instances we were physically apart, but our Essences were never isolated… I finished my studies, I went to and returned from France and England, and Alain came back from Vermont, USA, after having spent a long time there. But, as I said, we were never apart; even if we were thousands of kilometers away, without internet or cell phones… we were always together. So much so, that when I got my first job, since it all happened really quickly, his family offered to let me stay in their house and, until we moved to our current home many years later, I had no need to look for another place to stay in… I was the daughter they never had, the youngest of the family, I was not Alain’s girlfriend, I was just Massiel, I was just me…

As I said, Alain and I shared everything, so on December 28th, 1996, we got married in a religious but very funny ceremony, in the Parish of the Assumption of Utiel and, as you may have guessed by the date, it was very cold!! Yes, we had cold, rain and even snow in the beautiful winter evening in which, surrounded by family and friends of different nationalities, we gave each other the I Do. The wedding was great, everyone was very beautiful and happy, we hosted a nice dinner in Valencia, in the Valencia Palace Hotel where I was working at the time, which also happened to be the best in the city, and we were very well cared for by my colleagues from every department. As soon as we arrived I felt right at home… But the best was yet to come… A wonderful trip that we enjoyed from very early in the morning of 29/12/96 and that lasted three weeks, in which we visited several cities in the United States in our rental car, enjoying every moment…

Back in Spain, we continued with our usual jobs, I in hotels and Alain in private companies, until on December 9th, 2000, our wonderful daughter Chantal was born. From that moment on, we would always be Three, a perfect equilateral triangle, a perfect union and harmony… where all sides are equal, where all sides are essential.

And now, the only thing left to talk about these last years…

As you may already know, Alain left everything behind (family, friends, work…) and started a new stage, away from everything that until then had been his usual environment.

Those were difficult times, especially for me… because, even though I could still count on Alain for everything important, he was no longer present in our day-to-day lives. From then on, we would no longer attend any family or friends’ gatherings together, we would no longer talk about “normal” things, we would no longer go out dancing or anything like that.

Little by little, I began to see his world in a different way, it felt closer and more real; at first I told him that I lived in the real world and that his was a parallel reality, but he always insisted on the contrary… And during the COVID-19 pandemic, those months of confinement that everyone remembers almost with terror, the three of us shared our lives with the “Wild Friends of the Hortunas Valley” and it was wonderful. Foxes, deer, wild boars, and various birds, waking up from the winter lethargy and sharing each day with the three of us, in peace and harmony. Chantal and I were able to go deeper into the recollection of this new way of living, we had more time to get to know and share experiences with the rest of the world through Alain’s writings, to which we put our voices to be heard and/or read by the rest of the world. We were able to have a greater knowledge of our environment, of our possibilities to communicate with all Beings, to attend the treatments given by Alain with their incredible results…

That is to say, to imbue ourselves completely of that other reality that is the only one in the Valley and for Alain, the one that heals and unites all Beings.

I think it is now time to finish this writing. In the Spring of 2022, I continue to combine the city and the Valley, the “normality” of both worlds, trying to harmonize all environments, and learning day by day to be an Ancestral Healer and a Beingist, advocating strongly for the Union of all Beings around the New World to come.