Barcelona has definitely treated me well. Too well perhaps. The first month here doing the Cambridge CELTA at International House was so intense that I barely had time to breath the sea air. In fact, I don't think I saw the sea by day until the general strike at the very end of the month. But after I returned from Brussels in April, the city was mine to explore - in between never ending job searches, back to back interviews, and lengthy essays and applications of course.
The lifestyle here is so laid-back and chill, it almost reminds me of small town Saskatchewan. I mean this in the sense that people will meet for drinks or tapas at 8-9pm at their favourite bar or square, greeting the bartenders and the regulars on their way in, and have nothing planned past that. Inevitably though, one thing leads to another, and the night ends up finishing across town with everyone walking home and catching the re-opened metro at 6am, on a wednesday. It's a wonderful metropolitan city / laid back Spanish culture fusion. Of course, I must concede that these are not Catalans that I speak of, who tend to be very conservative in nature, but mainly latino/a internationals. As with every place I go, I inescapably attract others from my own community, the international, cosmopolitan community. However, as with many other places with this similar siesta and fiesta culture, one of its main problems is unemployment, leaving Barcelona to hold the title of the highest unemployment rate in the entire EU. There is a good reason why Germany, with its culture (to stereotype a bit here) of uptight highly efficient and driven Germans has by far the best economy in the entire EU.
"Esa puta will just have to deal with it mañana, cuz tomorrow is my fiesta day!" exclaimed Celia of Bolivian origins last night in good Spanglish (for my benefit) with big smile and look of nonchalant defiance as she animatedly recounted a story of how her co-worker left early, leaving her alone closing up when she was unable to close the cash register. But this is how things go here. They aren't fighters per say, but they will definitely tell you and everyone else how they feel about it. People are very excitable and passionate in many different aspects. Be it over someone coming close to cutting them off in traffic, Barça missing or scoring a goal in the football match, or greeting their friends that they haven't seen in an entire week.
While the Brits I live with may go sit on the beach at night to smoke weed, the latino/as smoke it right outside the door of the pub during intermission of the football match. When the Brits are hanging out you'll find them drinking beer in our living room chatting over youtube clips. When the latino/as are hanging out you'll find them in a square with street-vendor bought beer playing around on a guitar. While the Brits lower their volume in the pub when they're about to say something offensive, the latino/as don't flinch throwing the insults decorated with the mierdas, putas, and concha de tu madres (the few swears I understand) at top volume.
This exploring time I mentioned before has been anything from life-changingly delicious (if I knew of a stronger positive adjective I would use it) culinary adventures to different wine and cheese places, brunch terraces, tapas and pinxtos bars, and fabulous insider restaurants and pubs with Brad (among a variety of people as diverse as Swedes to Mexicans), a chef from American origins but long since been a permanent resident of Spain, speaking fluent Spanish, Catalan and Basque; to crazy fun midweek 6am dancing nights with the Uruguayans Dana and Rodrigo; to drinking wine, tasting new tapas and far out restaurants, and sampling more delicious cafés con leche mid-afternoon (which is anywhere from 2pm to 7pm here) with Hayley, the Occupational Health Therapist/Hostel Receptionist from Australian origins who is also a resident here with her Argentinian/Italian fiancée. Not to mention all the time I spend on my own (or occasionally with the Brits + Brigitte or other random people I've met)(which obviously has no or little $ involved because I'm poor) chilling in parks, wandering/walking around the city discovering new places, laying on the beach or on the roof terrace in the sun (when it does come out, as April is a weird weather month here), and reading and sitting in cafés reading and working, one of my fav activities regardless of where I am in the world.
I think Barcelona has been the perfect transition place from my European adventures to my Latin American adventures, which with any luck with be starting in the next few weeks. Although it is quite bittersweet, the thought of leaving Europe and all the fantastic people from many countries I've met over the duration of my time here, all the crazy wonderful latin americans I have met and spoken to in the last month alone have given me a lot to look forward to. :) Now all that's left to do is end this fucking stressful waiting game these people/organisations from Costa Rica, Guatemala, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru (where life moves much, much slower) are playing with me, and tell me when they would like me to do my [anywhere from 2 to 12 month] contract with them. Because I desperately need to figure out where I'm going to first and book my flight, because I can't afford to live in the industrialized, aka highly expensive, area of the world much longer. There's only so much cous-cous, cheap microwaved tea, and uncomfortable dark hole-in-the-wall rooms one can handle, when for the same price or cheaper elsewhere, I could have a comfortable sun-filled flat, nature all around, and affordable fresh delicious food. And yes, that is my criteria for a 'comfortable' living. Mas o menos affordable delicious wine and lattes.
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