It has been brought to my attention that I haven't posted anything lately. Some of you may have noticed the change, but don't feel bad if you didn't. In fact, I can't really say even I was aware of this fact except in an abstract way or, even more surprisingly, that I had such a loyal readership who would notice such things.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone! It has been 4 months since my last confession. As you all know, I'm back in Madrid until August and have been enjoying my time so far. I was going to start this re-inaugural post by introducing y'all to my new digs, having sadly relocated from that impossibly tiny closet/room I was inhabiting in the fall, but then I realized that this was as close as I would ever get to visitors and that maybe I should make the bed before I take pictures to post all over the internet. You never know - there may be people out there who are dying to hire me for some incredibly cool and well-paying job and who miraculously also happen to read this blog and who would be completely turned off by the mussed blanket and lack of wall decoration. Therefore, regretfully, I am postponing that post until a later date when I can be bothered with things like making myself look presentable.
So what exactly have I been doing here if I don't spend my time making my bed or fashioning hip wall decorations from found objects? Pretty much the same things I do when not living abroad - namely wasting time on the internet, spending time with friends and struggling to communicate in the simplest of situations (okay, maybe with the exception of that last one). My Spanish skills (or should I say "skillz") have improved to the point where I can confidently know how much the cashier at the grocery store is asking me to pay her without looking at the register's display, but not to the point where I can adequately ward off the advances of the creepy janitor guy in the same grocery store.
The most "productive" way I spend my time is editing (and very occasionally writing) stories for MAP, an online magazine about Madrid. Although I must admit that this takes up far less of my life than I would like, I do enjoy what time I get to spend on it and (future employers kindly skip down to the next paragraph now) it sounds really excellent on my resume, considering the actual amount of work required. It's actually a very informative and well-written "zine" but probably not at all interesting if you don't live in or ever plan on visiting Madrid.
I should maybe add that this job was ridiculously easy to get, especially considering how the other English magazine in this town completely ignored my pleas for employment. I think it may be the only time in my life that I will meet someone who seems genuinely impressed that I actually have a degree in journalism and thinks that it might be useful or, say, actually qualify me to do something useful. Perhaps based on the (mistaken) idea that I know what I'm doing, the "real" editors (as in, the guys who have their money invested in the site) have spent a lot of time consulting with me recently about business plans and how an operation like theirs works.
This, while nice, is obviously misguided. The fact that I have a degree in journalism should key them (or anyone) into realizing something about me: namely, journalists are bad at business. Journalists are the kind of people who want to bring down the machine, or at least they usually start that way (with the possible exception of those strange ones who only want to cover entertainment "news", but I don’t really count them as journalists, so it's a moot point). And since they ALWAYS consider themselves so much above "business" (best said with a grimacing facial distortion) they end up sucking at business. "The news," they will tell you, "shouldn't need to make money." And this is why our society is now trapped in a vacuum of crappy corporate news. If only journalists could figure out how to make the news make money, we might be able to break away from News Corp. and Time Warner and all of them, but they cant, so we don't. It's all very tragic.
This all brings me back to MAP. When they started the magazine they thought they had a great idea - a site updated daily with new, fun, cool, trendy things to do in Madrid. They thought if they made a site and slapped up some ads that soon they would be rolling in the dough. Unfortunately, this turned out to be a very naive business "plan". In its two years of existence, the site has cost these guys much more than it's ever generated. This is all very useful information for someone like me to have.
Now we come to the interesting/sad part. Since this is a commercial world and we live in the google era, it turns out that in order to make any money (or indeed, to break even!) you have to hawk hotel rooms and plane tickets, cater to a more elite audience and strip all originality from your writing in order to seek the good favor of the holiest of all deities: Google (and their search engine kin, the lesser gods of the internet). Search engine optimization is so much more valuable than interesting writing. So now many of our witty headlines and zippy opening lines are being systematically replaced with boring google-friendly ones. The good news is that I can now say I have experience with SEO!
One last little tidbit about the adventure with the magazine. In their quest to reinvent the magazine as something financially self-sustaining, a lot of travel guide-style content is being added, as quickly as possible, in order to build up a base. Although the site was always meant to be a guide to an extent, it was supposed to be a "locals" guide. Now they're adding a lot more information (why would someone who lives here need to know about expensive hotels?), including a lot of historical articles about various landmarks. I volunteered to write several of these but before I got a chance - get this - the job was outsourced to India! I always thought that my job as a native English-speaking volunteer writer would be safe from outsourcing, but it turns out that the Indians seem to have excellent English and can churn out really superior articles at an extremely high 20 landmarks a day for less than a cup of coffee (or something). Oh well.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Monday, December 10, 2007
Coming back... already
Sorry I haven't posted lately, the time has just been flying by. Or something. You all probably know that I'm returning to the states tomorrow for the holiday season, so I probably won't be posting for a while because I'll be seeing you instead :)
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Monday, November 26, 2007
Shopping, Thanksgiving, and a Boat Ride
This weekend we went into town for some authentic American BBQ at Alfredo's. In the states Alfredo may specialize predominately in pasta and pizza, but in Madrid he does BBQ. It was a massive feast. We couldn't fit all of our plates on the table. People were starting to look and make comments. Amazingly, though, I managed to eat the whole thing.
Afterwards, we headed to Madrid's version of Central Park - El Retiro - where many Madrileños spend their sundays lounging around and drinking. It is not at all unusual, and certainly not morally questionable, to see groups of middle aged people standing around drinking out of 40s - ála snoop dogg. Just another sunday in the park.
It was surprisingly cheap to rent a rowboat to go out on the little lake in the middle of the park, so here I am, rowing away. Now I can cross that one off the list.
Happy belated Thanksgiving to all of you out there in cyberspace. I hope you had a lovely holiday. I did my best with what is available and ended up making a perfectly acceptable, though far from transcendent, meal for the roomies and myself.
The biggest problem is that Spanish grocery stores, though becoming more Americanized all the time, lack some items that most Americans would consider essentials. Although there is an entire aisle for both olive oil and canned fish products, sage is virtually impossible to come by. Anything vaguely "ethnic" or "spicy" you can forget about. Since Thanksgiving isn't a holiday here, obviously, there were no stacks of turkeys to choose from. Even if it had been a holiday here, Spaniards eat seafood for their major holiday feasts. Anyway, I don't think a whole turkey would have fit in my oven. Instead, I made turkey chops - which were actually very tasty and moist, since all I had to do was sear them in a frying pan for a few minutes. The most challenging dish to acquire, though, was the cranberry sauce. Because I needed it so much I spent a day walking 11 kilometers (round trip) to the American specialty market in the north of the city. It was quite a trek just for the most expensive can of jellied cranberries ever. But I needed it. And it was worth it.
Afterwards, we headed to Madrid's version of Central Park - El Retiro - where many Madrileños spend their sundays lounging around and drinking. It is not at all unusual, and certainly not morally questionable, to see groups of middle aged people standing around drinking out of 40s - ála snoop dogg. Just another sunday in the park.
It was surprisingly cheap to rent a rowboat to go out on the little lake in the middle of the park, so here I am, rowing away. Now I can cross that one off the list.
Happy belated Thanksgiving to all of you out there in cyberspace. I hope you had a lovely holiday. I did my best with what is available and ended up making a perfectly acceptable, though far from transcendent, meal for the roomies and myself.
The biggest problem is that Spanish grocery stores, though becoming more Americanized all the time, lack some items that most Americans would consider essentials. Although there is an entire aisle for both olive oil and canned fish products, sage is virtually impossible to come by. Anything vaguely "ethnic" or "spicy" you can forget about. Since Thanksgiving isn't a holiday here, obviously, there were no stacks of turkeys to choose from. Even if it had been a holiday here, Spaniards eat seafood for their major holiday feasts. Anyway, I don't think a whole turkey would have fit in my oven. Instead, I made turkey chops - which were actually very tasty and moist, since all I had to do was sear them in a frying pan for a few minutes. The most challenging dish to acquire, though, was the cranberry sauce. Because I needed it so much I spent a day walking 11 kilometers (round trip) to the American specialty market in the north of the city. It was quite a trek just for the most expensive can of jellied cranberries ever. But I needed it. And it was worth it.
Monday, November 19, 2007
El Rastro
It's getting to be more like winter here all the time. So far, I've spent the day wearing my thickest sweater and huddling under a blanket while gripping a mug of hot instant coffee (mmm...) or, as my digestive system can only take so much caffeine, hot water. There is a radiator of some sort in my room but, being from California, I have no idea how to work it and am afraid that I will melt my tiny plastic dresser (which is, due to space issues, pushed up against the heating device) if I do figure it out. It's also raining outside, for the first time since I arrived, which made it an excellent day to decide to do laundry. I am certain my jeans will take approximately a week and a half to dry hanging outside in the freezing cold rain. There is a dryer on the balcony, but it isn't plugged in and appears to be used for storage.
Aside from my winter woes, life in Spain is lovely as usual. Yesterday (Sunday) I took a ride on the Metro down to the center, where the weekly flea market is held. The market is known to Madrileños as el Rastro - which literally translates as both mark (or stain) and trail, a throwback to the days of yore when the area served as a meat market and the area was seemingly permanently marked by the blood of various animals. I didn't see any evidence of any blood, this is probably because today el Rastro's only victims these days are the tourists (and their unsecured valuables).
The place was crawling with tourists - English, American, German, French, you name it - some of them just begging to have their wallets stolen and then sold back to them. We had to come to the aid of one group of rather unfortunate American girls who couldn't figure out how to use the ATM (they were putting the card in upside down...). There were a good number of Spaniards, though, and the place was absolutely packed. Following the herd, slowly shuffling between the stalls, it was sometimes hard to see the quality wares displayed by each of the vendors - a selection of funny (and not-so-funny) t-shirts, leather jackets and bags, pashminas for 2 euros each, and a large selection of jewelry, among many other things. Apparently el Rastro is also the place to go for all of your electronics-that-fell-off-the-back-of-the-truck needs.
Street vendors aren't all the market has to offer, the streets coming off the central area are home to many interesting stores. Most interestingly, there are dozens of thriving antiques dealers. All the ones I visited yesterday were way out of my price range, obviously, but I did find a shop with a great salvaged ship's wheel and instrument panel (only 3000 euros or so), and some very nice, very expensive (as well as very dilapidated, very reasonably priced) furniture. In any case, I don't think there is much space in my shoebox for any antiques. Fun window shopping, though.
In the end, I was too overwhelmed to actually purchase anything except for a delicious snack - a chocolate-dipped waffle (as in waffle cone). The man selling them promised me I would go crazy over it as I deliberated over which tasty chocolate-dipped delicacy to indulge in and although I am still of sane mind (I think), it was quite tasty. I plan to return next Sunday (provided it doesn't rain), when I've had more time to think about what junk I absolutely cannot live without. I am also hoping to find a less touristy market, and I have heard of a smaller one - el rastrillo - in the north of the city, in case the thick crowds become prohibitive.
The market ends around 2 or 3 p.m., Spanish lunch and siesta time, when the vendors break down their stalls. That doesn't mean the day is over though! In the Spanish tradition, it only means it is time to retire to one of the many bars and cafes in the area for a beer and a snack. Craving something with a little flavor, we made our way to a hole-in-the-wall Cuban place with excellent ropa vieja.
Before heading home we made the short walk up to Plaza Mayor, the historic central plaza in Madrid. Most days, but particularly on Sundays, artists of varying talent display their paintings, drawings, and lithographs, while caricature artists make themselves available to tourists who couldn't find a better way to spend 20 euros. There is also a very specialized market featuring old and collectible stamps and coins - perhaps this is the hobby I've been looking for? Probably not, but it's fun browsing anyway.
I hope everyone is doing well (or as well as can be expected) and is gearing up for the Thanksgiving holiday. I'll update you on my Thanksgiving plans (or lack thereof) in a few days. I can only imagine all of the Christmas decorations, gift offers, music (aka "spirit") that must be bombarding everyone in the states already - can't say I feel like I'm missing much. I'll be back to it soon enough.
Aside from my winter woes, life in Spain is lovely as usual. Yesterday (Sunday) I took a ride on the Metro down to the center, where the weekly flea market is held. The market is known to Madrileños as el Rastro - which literally translates as both mark (or stain) and trail, a throwback to the days of yore when the area served as a meat market and the area was seemingly permanently marked by the blood of various animals. I didn't see any evidence of any blood, this is probably because today el Rastro's only victims these days are the tourists (and their unsecured valuables).
The place was crawling with tourists - English, American, German, French, you name it - some of them just begging to have their wallets stolen and then sold back to them. We had to come to the aid of one group of rather unfortunate American girls who couldn't figure out how to use the ATM (they were putting the card in upside down...). There were a good number of Spaniards, though, and the place was absolutely packed. Following the herd, slowly shuffling between the stalls, it was sometimes hard to see the quality wares displayed by each of the vendors - a selection of funny (and not-so-funny) t-shirts, leather jackets and bags, pashminas for 2 euros each, and a large selection of jewelry, among many other things. Apparently el Rastro is also the place to go for all of your electronics-that-fell-off-the-back-of-the-truck needs.
Street vendors aren't all the market has to offer, the streets coming off the central area are home to many interesting stores. Most interestingly, there are dozens of thriving antiques dealers. All the ones I visited yesterday were way out of my price range, obviously, but I did find a shop with a great salvaged ship's wheel and instrument panel (only 3000 euros or so), and some very nice, very expensive (as well as very dilapidated, very reasonably priced) furniture. In any case, I don't think there is much space in my shoebox for any antiques. Fun window shopping, though.
In the end, I was too overwhelmed to actually purchase anything except for a delicious snack - a chocolate-dipped waffle (as in waffle cone). The man selling them promised me I would go crazy over it as I deliberated over which tasty chocolate-dipped delicacy to indulge in and although I am still of sane mind (I think), it was quite tasty. I plan to return next Sunday (provided it doesn't rain), when I've had more time to think about what junk I absolutely cannot live without. I am also hoping to find a less touristy market, and I have heard of a smaller one - el rastrillo - in the north of the city, in case the thick crowds become prohibitive.
The market ends around 2 or 3 p.m., Spanish lunch and siesta time, when the vendors break down their stalls. That doesn't mean the day is over though! In the Spanish tradition, it only means it is time to retire to one of the many bars and cafes in the area for a beer and a snack. Craving something with a little flavor, we made our way to a hole-in-the-wall Cuban place with excellent ropa vieja.
Before heading home we made the short walk up to Plaza Mayor, the historic central plaza in Madrid. Most days, but particularly on Sundays, artists of varying talent display their paintings, drawings, and lithographs, while caricature artists make themselves available to tourists who couldn't find a better way to spend 20 euros. There is also a very specialized market featuring old and collectible stamps and coins - perhaps this is the hobby I've been looking for? Probably not, but it's fun browsing anyway.
I hope everyone is doing well (or as well as can be expected) and is gearing up for the Thanksgiving holiday. I'll update you on my Thanksgiving plans (or lack thereof) in a few days. I can only imagine all of the Christmas decorations, gift offers, music (aka "spirit") that must be bombarding everyone in the states already - can't say I feel like I'm missing much. I'll be back to it soon enough.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Thoughts and Prayers
Hello all - Everything is going well here, but it turns out that everyone isn't as lucky. Apparently (or I suppose half my readership already knows this... haha - I need to work on expanding my readership so these actually have a point) my grandfather was involved in an accident as he walked across the Wendy's parking lot a few days ago - he was ran over and then backed back over. For those of you who don't know, the best course of action when running over an old man in a parking lot is to throw the car into reverse and run over him again, just to make sure. In any case, mission accomplished - he has two broken legs one of which may require potentially risky surgery, not to mention other injuries. Although he is no stranger to being hit by automobiles, this incident sounds like the worst by far. And as he lays in an ICU in Miami, I hope that he knows that I'm thinking of, and praying for, him (as well as the rest of the family, of course).
Hope all is well with the rest of you - I am thinking of and missing you, too. Which reminds me - the holiday season is upon us and I plan to head out to El Rastro (the flea market) in search of gifts, so if you have any requests let me know. For those of you who are too good for flea markets, Spain also has excellent (and cheap!) wine, olives, olive oils... and probably also excellent items not intended for human comsumption, but I wouldn't know about those. I can try to find out.
Hope all is well with the rest of you - I am thinking of and missing you, too. Which reminds me - the holiday season is upon us and I plan to head out to El Rastro (the flea market) in search of gifts, so if you have any requests let me know. For those of you who are too good for flea markets, Spain also has excellent (and cheap!) wine, olives, olive oils... and probably also excellent items not intended for human comsumption, but I wouldn't know about those. I can try to find out.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Still Alive
Calm your fears! Just a little post to let y'all know I'm still alive over here. Things have been going well... We've had two Spanish national holidays in the past two weeks - these people sure do love their holidays. And no, Halloween was not one of them.
In the spirit of spreading American culture, I did purchase and carve one of the pumpkins they had on display in the grocery store. It was actually really funny - when I went to buy it no one could figure out how much it was supposed to cost. I guess people don't actually buy the pumpkins very often.
I did see a few kids dressed up, but Halloween is definitely not really a real holiday over here. The only effects you really see are those that bleed over from American pop culture. So, in order to truly capture the spirit, we headed out to an authentic "american" restaurant - TGI Fridays - to try to soak up some of that rich culture. It turns out that Fridays in Spain is quite the Halloween headquarters - the restaurant was completely decorated, all of the staff was dressed up, they had special menus printed up, and, if you can believe it, they gave away free Halloween 2007 at Fridays t-shirts. I will treasure it forever.
In the spirit of spreading American culture, I did purchase and carve one of the pumpkins they had on display in the grocery store. It was actually really funny - when I went to buy it no one could figure out how much it was supposed to cost. I guess people don't actually buy the pumpkins very often.
I did see a few kids dressed up, but Halloween is definitely not really a real holiday over here. The only effects you really see are those that bleed over from American pop culture. So, in order to truly capture the spirit, we headed out to an authentic "american" restaurant - TGI Fridays - to try to soak up some of that rich culture. It turns out that Fridays in Spain is quite the Halloween headquarters - the restaurant was completely decorated, all of the staff was dressed up, they had special menus printed up, and, if you can believe it, they gave away free Halloween 2007 at Fridays t-shirts. I will treasure it forever.
Monday, October 29, 2007
A Small African Nation
Sorry I haven't been posting very often lately, but I have kind of been at a loss as to what to write about. It's kind of amazing how little one can have to say when they spend the majority of the day doing nothing. I should have plenty of time to think of interesting, compelling topics. Unfortunately, the last couple of years have taught me that I am not exactly what one would call an "idea person". Alas.
Anyway, it is definitely fall here now. I am wearing long sleeved shirts everyday and always take (or wear) at least a sweater and a scarf when I go out. I fear that soon I may need to break out the gloves. During the day it is actually quite pleasant, if a little brisk, as long as you stay directly in the sun. Once you walk under a shadow or come inside the apartment, though, it just feels cold. Yes, I must be from southern California. I'm not necessarily complaining, though. It's kind of nice to actually experience a change in season for once.
I am still avoiding my foray into the wide world of illegal employment, mostly because I've been warned to stay away as long as possible. So far my housemates seem happy to let me mooch off of them as long as I continue playing the role of the housewife - cooking, doing the laundry, running errands - and surprisingly I don't mind it myself - yet. Not sure how long that will last. I am actually hoping I start to crave some other, more fulfilling, pursuit soon because I am really not very good at forcing myself to do anything. We have been thinking about making a change in the living arrangements lately, but it is still up in the air. It's possible I may be moving, probably somewhere more expensive, and then I'll need to contribute something to my existence.
The whole illegal immigrant situation seems to be a topic of many questions. This is understandable since it is one of the only interesting conditions of my present circumstances. So here goes my best shot to explain the politics in Spain, as I understand them.
Illegal immigration has come to be seen as a big problem by Spaniards only recently. Historically, unemployment has been high. "Good" jobs are hard to come by and are not relinquished often. But that wasn't because of an overabundance of immigrants. There weren't really any.
Economically, joining the EU has been very beneficial for Spain. The Euro is much more powerful than the old, devalued peseta. As a result, new construction is going on all over the country. We saw a lot of evidence of this during the summer, even in small villages. Many international corporations are choosing Spain, and specifically Madrid (as it is cheaper and less "cosmopolitan" than Barcelona), for their european headquarters because they can benefit from cheaper overhead while still interacting in the greater European community. In short, membership has brought a lot of prosperity to the Spain (and the Spanish people).
As a result of this newfound prosperity, illegal immigration has only recently become a big problem. Up until very recently, I would say 10 years at the most, but really probably more like 5, there wasn't much reason for anyone to illegally immigrate to Spain when they could just as easily go to a more prosperous nation, like France, Germany, or Britain. Illegal immigration is something those nations have been dealing with for many, many years.
To put some perspective on the situation that Americans aren't usually privy too, what with our tendency to speak of Europe as one homogenous entity, there is a saying among Europeans that "Africa starts in the Pyrenees". The entire Iberian peninsula (Spain and Portugal) has, especially this century been regarded as less evolved than the rest of Europe, more ruralized, third-world. And let's face it - historically that has been true. Spain was ruled by a dictatorship that deliberately resisted industrialization in any meaningful way until the sixties (with the help of the IMF - a whole other can of worms). Urbanization is a relatively new phenomenon here. Everything is still a little crusty. That's why I like it here.
Immigrants have responded to the explosion in prosperity, emigrating with vigor and tenacity from northern Africa and the Near East. Videos of rafts filled with dozens of immigrants, like what we might expect of Cuban refugees, were present in several newscasts I saw and can also be seen on YouTube. People often die. The problem is that while unemployment has improved for Spanish citizens, it is still one of the highest in (western) Europe, from what I understand. Good jobs are still hard to come by, as those international companies have been importing employees with the necessary skills and education that the Spaniards were lacking.
Although it isn't the North African immigrants who are taking the jobs most Spaniards would be interested in - other Europeans are doing that - north African immigrants (read: dark folks) are the ones who bear the brunt of Spanish resentment. Even five years ago a neighborhood like the one I live in would have been dominated by old Spanish folks and younger families. A black person would have been a highly rare occurence. It probably would have been possible for a child growing up here to have never seen anyone with African heritage. In just a few years, though, neighborhoods like mine, not to mention hundreds or thousands like it, have become much more diverse. Just like in America, where Latin American immigrants are blamed for economic woes, or in Germany, where Turkish immigrants are a favorite target, now Spain is having to learn how to deal with a more complex social atmosphere than it did in the days of Franco.
Spain's response to the problem - on a governmental, political level - has been slow. Or, in some cases, non-existent. Instead of coming up with some kind of policy or trying to solve the problem, Spain has left the problem of border security up to the countries the immigrants are emigrating from. To state the obvious, this is not very effective.
In general, it seems to me that Spanish citizens are doing much better for themselves overall, despite the accompanying increase in illegal immigration, and I suspect that tensions are rooted in something deeper than economics. I don't claim to be an expert on the social climate in Spain, or Spanish history, but the fact of the matter is that Spaniards are, in my experience, very racist against Moorish - muslim, north African - people, a fact which goes back for centuries, from what I gather. From what I see, just walking down the street, there has also been a lot of immigration to Spain from Latin America. To me, this makes a lot of sense, since the people from those former Spanish colonies speak the same language and share some similarities in culture. For some reason, though, Latin Americans do not seem to be the dreaded face of "immigrants". Maybe this is because they are immigrating legally... I'm not sure and am going to have to do some more research on the matter.
In any case, this is good news for me. Just like in America, from what I hear they don't much care if you're illegal if you're white, middle-class, educated. And let's face it, I'm not even after one of the "good" jobs. I'm actually pretty much hoping for a "crappy" job. But, since I didn't float over in a raft, that somehow that tells Spaniards I'm not a drain on their society, even though I'm sure those people actually do things like get jobs, which I, most certainly, am too lazy for. In any case, I'm not exactly watching my back for La Migra, even though I really should be their target. I'm not saying it's right, I'm just saying that's the way it is.
On the other hand, it would probably would have been waaay easier for me to get some menial job (or even a decent one) as an illegal immigrant back in the days before the EU - when I wouldn't have been competing for jobs (like those that require english) with thousands, tens of thousands, of Brits who have papers to work legally. Every silver lining has its cloud, right?
I'm thinking I've rambled on for long enough. I hope that explanation was clear. Can't be sure, even though it is what I went to college to learn how to do, haha.
Anyway, it is definitely fall here now. I am wearing long sleeved shirts everyday and always take (or wear) at least a sweater and a scarf when I go out. I fear that soon I may need to break out the gloves. During the day it is actually quite pleasant, if a little brisk, as long as you stay directly in the sun. Once you walk under a shadow or come inside the apartment, though, it just feels cold. Yes, I must be from southern California. I'm not necessarily complaining, though. It's kind of nice to actually experience a change in season for once.
I am still avoiding my foray into the wide world of illegal employment, mostly because I've been warned to stay away as long as possible. So far my housemates seem happy to let me mooch off of them as long as I continue playing the role of the housewife - cooking, doing the laundry, running errands - and surprisingly I don't mind it myself - yet. Not sure how long that will last. I am actually hoping I start to crave some other, more fulfilling, pursuit soon because I am really not very good at forcing myself to do anything. We have been thinking about making a change in the living arrangements lately, but it is still up in the air. It's possible I may be moving, probably somewhere more expensive, and then I'll need to contribute something to my existence.
The whole illegal immigrant situation seems to be a topic of many questions. This is understandable since it is one of the only interesting conditions of my present circumstances. So here goes my best shot to explain the politics in Spain, as I understand them.
Illegal immigration has come to be seen as a big problem by Spaniards only recently. Historically, unemployment has been high. "Good" jobs are hard to come by and are not relinquished often. But that wasn't because of an overabundance of immigrants. There weren't really any.
Economically, joining the EU has been very beneficial for Spain. The Euro is much more powerful than the old, devalued peseta. As a result, new construction is going on all over the country. We saw a lot of evidence of this during the summer, even in small villages. Many international corporations are choosing Spain, and specifically Madrid (as it is cheaper and less "cosmopolitan" than Barcelona), for their european headquarters because they can benefit from cheaper overhead while still interacting in the greater European community. In short, membership has brought a lot of prosperity to the Spain (and the Spanish people).
As a result of this newfound prosperity, illegal immigration has only recently become a big problem. Up until very recently, I would say 10 years at the most, but really probably more like 5, there wasn't much reason for anyone to illegally immigrate to Spain when they could just as easily go to a more prosperous nation, like France, Germany, or Britain. Illegal immigration is something those nations have been dealing with for many, many years.
To put some perspective on the situation that Americans aren't usually privy too, what with our tendency to speak of Europe as one homogenous entity, there is a saying among Europeans that "Africa starts in the Pyrenees". The entire Iberian peninsula (Spain and Portugal) has, especially this century been regarded as less evolved than the rest of Europe, more ruralized, third-world. And let's face it - historically that has been true. Spain was ruled by a dictatorship that deliberately resisted industrialization in any meaningful way until the sixties (with the help of the IMF - a whole other can of worms). Urbanization is a relatively new phenomenon here. Everything is still a little crusty. That's why I like it here.
Immigrants have responded to the explosion in prosperity, emigrating with vigor and tenacity from northern Africa and the Near East. Videos of rafts filled with dozens of immigrants, like what we might expect of Cuban refugees, were present in several newscasts I saw and can also be seen on YouTube. People often die. The problem is that while unemployment has improved for Spanish citizens, it is still one of the highest in (western) Europe, from what I understand. Good jobs are still hard to come by, as those international companies have been importing employees with the necessary skills and education that the Spaniards were lacking.
Although it isn't the North African immigrants who are taking the jobs most Spaniards would be interested in - other Europeans are doing that - north African immigrants (read: dark folks) are the ones who bear the brunt of Spanish resentment. Even five years ago a neighborhood like the one I live in would have been dominated by old Spanish folks and younger families. A black person would have been a highly rare occurence. It probably would have been possible for a child growing up here to have never seen anyone with African heritage. In just a few years, though, neighborhoods like mine, not to mention hundreds or thousands like it, have become much more diverse. Just like in America, where Latin American immigrants are blamed for economic woes, or in Germany, where Turkish immigrants are a favorite target, now Spain is having to learn how to deal with a more complex social atmosphere than it did in the days of Franco.
Spain's response to the problem - on a governmental, political level - has been slow. Or, in some cases, non-existent. Instead of coming up with some kind of policy or trying to solve the problem, Spain has left the problem of border security up to the countries the immigrants are emigrating from. To state the obvious, this is not very effective.
In general, it seems to me that Spanish citizens are doing much better for themselves overall, despite the accompanying increase in illegal immigration, and I suspect that tensions are rooted in something deeper than economics. I don't claim to be an expert on the social climate in Spain, or Spanish history, but the fact of the matter is that Spaniards are, in my experience, very racist against Moorish - muslim, north African - people, a fact which goes back for centuries, from what I gather. From what I see, just walking down the street, there has also been a lot of immigration to Spain from Latin America. To me, this makes a lot of sense, since the people from those former Spanish colonies speak the same language and share some similarities in culture. For some reason, though, Latin Americans do not seem to be the dreaded face of "immigrants". Maybe this is because they are immigrating legally... I'm not sure and am going to have to do some more research on the matter.
In any case, this is good news for me. Just like in America, from what I hear they don't much care if you're illegal if you're white, middle-class, educated. And let's face it, I'm not even after one of the "good" jobs. I'm actually pretty much hoping for a "crappy" job. But, since I didn't float over in a raft, that somehow that tells Spaniards I'm not a drain on their society, even though I'm sure those people actually do things like get jobs, which I, most certainly, am too lazy for. In any case, I'm not exactly watching my back for La Migra, even though I really should be their target. I'm not saying it's right, I'm just saying that's the way it is.
On the other hand, it would probably would have been waaay easier for me to get some menial job (or even a decent one) as an illegal immigrant back in the days before the EU - when I wouldn't have been competing for jobs (like those that require english) with thousands, tens of thousands, of Brits who have papers to work legally. Every silver lining has its cloud, right?
I'm thinking I've rambled on for long enough. I hope that explanation was clear. Can't be sure, even though it is what I went to college to learn how to do, haha.
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