A Little Slice of Barcelona
Rebajas, Rebajas...... the sale signs are everywhere and there is plenty of buying going around. Spain is doing well economically and it shows it with all the construction, spending power and vacationing of its citizens, and it´s foreign investments. There also has being a sudden influx of illegal workers in the past five years, in particular, the black Africans. As in Italy, it´s usually the Africans selling the fake ¨I make you a very good price¨ sunglasses, watches or handbags. These items are typically on a bedsheet and you always know when the police are nearby, as you see the illegals walking away with all the goods quickly bundled up in the sheet and carried by hand, behind their backs. 
The African illegals usually cross over to Spain (then the rest of Europe) through Morrocco from Ceuta or Melilla or by small boats to the Canary Islands from Mauritania and Sengal, and then a ship to Spain as they are technically already in the country. Once in, the Spanish government are at a lost of what to do as they do not know which country to deport them to, whether that country will accept them, or where and how long they are to remain in refugee camps as everyday, there are new arrivals. The EU really has yet to resolve this issue depsite a recent meeting in Morrocco. I was told there are underlying racial tensions towards the Africans and Morroccans in Spain but I have yet to see any outright racism.
I have noticed since my last visit in Barcelona, there are definitely more asian restaurants (although curry has yet to make an impact in the Spanish palate but they do like sushi), supermercados stocked by Bengalis, a Latino Quarter in Poble Sec of mostly Ecudorians and Columbians with it´s very own gang, the ¨Latino Kings,¨ almost all the sovenior shops along Las Ramblas is run by East Indians and Chinese guys cooking in Italian restaurants !!!!! Barcelona is changing but it´s people still proudly identify themselves as ¨Catalans¨. In some ways, it´s a bit like Quebec in Canada, although General Franco was definitely more heavy handed here and in the Basque area.
Last July 18 marked the 70th anniversary of the start of the Spanish Civil War. From what I could gather, General Franco was in Morroco at the time when the Nationalists with the backing of the military and Fascist Germany and Italy rose up against the newly elected left-wing Republicans who was eventually backed by the Russians and individuals from the International Brigade like Hemingway. This war marked the first use of heavy aerial bombardment on civilian areas. The Catalan father I´m staying with recalled the civil war began when he was seven years old and he remembered the buildings infront and behind his home being shelled by a ship trying to destroy an automobile plant nearby. The southern part of Spain was quickly taken over and the Catalan father remembered General Franco marching his troops into the city and immediately installed its´ own police and outlawed the Catalan language. Anyone caught speaking Catalan or hanging the Catalan flag was sent to jail. Franco´s dictatorship suprisingly lasted until his death in 1975 and in the 1950´s and 1960´s, Spain isolated from the rest of Europe and it´s economy in shambles, discovered the potential of making hard cash from tourism. Yes, Spain advertised as rural and different, was in large part kept afloat by tourist bucks and package vacations. Now, where are the fake Armani sunglasses again.
Often during festivals in Catalunya, they have a tradition of ¨Castellers¨ or human castles. Basically, it´s people in groups of two, three or four standing on top a huge base of people, and then five, six, or seven persons standing on top of one another. The music signals the beginning of the building as the people on the bottom can not really see what is going on. When they hear the music, they know it´s starting as people and kids begin climbing up along this human ladder. Once the final child climbs on top and quickly waves (as I suspect he or she wants to get down as fast as possible), the music changes and everyone knows the ¨building¨is starting to be dismantled. Quite a bit of balancing and team work, and some of the castellers have been known to fall apart and the people on top tend to fall down on the human base.
When there was an announcement made to the crowd to see if anyone wanted to join, I, of course being a tourist had no choice but to jump in the fun and help build the base. Essentially, I ended getting squished between two large sweaty guys as we held the bottom part together and at that point, there really was no getting out. Yes, there´s nothing like the feeling of being cultured (and needing a shower in the process).
The Spanish lessons started on Monday and there are only two other students at the beginner level. One is a nineteen year old Pakistani who is homesick for his family and girlfriend, and the other is retiree from New Zealand. The school is organizing salsa lessons tomorrow night, I´ll try not to step on any feet. The dancing bear is back.
The African illegals usually cross over to Spain (then the rest of Europe) through Morrocco from Ceuta or Melilla or by small boats to the Canary Islands from Mauritania and Sengal, and then a ship to Spain as they are technically already in the country. Once in, the Spanish government are at a lost of what to do as they do not know which country to deport them to, whether that country will accept them, or where and how long they are to remain in refugee camps as everyday, there are new arrivals. The EU really has yet to resolve this issue depsite a recent meeting in Morrocco. I was told there are underlying racial tensions towards the Africans and Morroccans in Spain but I have yet to see any outright racism.I have noticed since my last visit in Barcelona, there are definitely more asian restaurants (although curry has yet to make an impact in the Spanish palate but they do like sushi), supermercados stocked by Bengalis, a Latino Quarter in Poble Sec of mostly Ecudorians and Columbians with it´s very own gang, the ¨Latino Kings,¨ almost all the sovenior shops along Las Ramblas is run by East Indians and Chinese guys cooking in Italian restaurants !!!!! Barcelona is changing but it´s people still proudly identify themselves as ¨Catalans¨. In some ways, it´s a bit like Quebec in Canada, although General Franco was definitely more heavy handed here and in the Basque area.
Last July 18 marked the 70th anniversary of the start of the Spanish Civil War. From what I could gather, General Franco was in Morroco at the time when the Nationalists with the backing of the military and Fascist Germany and Italy rose up against the newly elected left-wing Republicans who was eventually backed by the Russians and individuals from the International Brigade like Hemingway. This war marked the first use of heavy aerial bombardment on civilian areas. The Catalan father I´m staying with recalled the civil war began when he was seven years old and he remembered the buildings infront and behind his home being shelled by a ship trying to destroy an automobile plant nearby. The southern part of Spain was quickly taken over and the Catalan father remembered General Franco marching his troops into the city and immediately installed its´ own police and outlawed the Catalan language. Anyone caught speaking Catalan or hanging the Catalan flag was sent to jail. Franco´s dictatorship suprisingly lasted until his death in 1975 and in the 1950´s and 1960´s, Spain isolated from the rest of Europe and it´s economy in shambles, discovered the potential of making hard cash from tourism. Yes, Spain advertised as rural and different, was in large part kept afloat by tourist bucks and package vacations. Now, where are the fake Armani sunglasses again.
Often during festivals in Catalunya, they have a tradition of ¨Castellers¨ or human castles. Basically, it´s people in groups of two, three or four standing on top a huge base of people, and then five, six, or seven persons standing on top of one another. The music signals the beginning of the building as the people on the bottom can not really see what is going on. When they hear the music, they know it´s starting as people and kids begin climbing up along this human ladder. Once the final child climbs on top and quickly waves (as I suspect he or she wants to get down as fast as possible), the music changes and everyone knows the ¨building¨is starting to be dismantled. Quite a bit of balancing and team work, and some of the castellers have been known to fall apart and the people on top tend to fall down on the human base.
When there was an announcement made to the crowd to see if anyone wanted to join, I, of course being a tourist had no choice but to jump in the fun and help build the base. Essentially, I ended getting squished between two large sweaty guys as we held the bottom part together and at that point, there really was no getting out. Yes, there´s nothing like the feeling of being cultured (and needing a shower in the process).
The Spanish lessons started on Monday and there are only two other students at the beginner level. One is a nineteen year old Pakistani who is homesick for his family and girlfriend, and the other is retiree from New Zealand. The school is organizing salsa lessons tomorrow night, I´ll try not to step on any feet. The dancing bear is back.
posted by Louis at 9:41 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home