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| Propaganda sign for the Huelga (strike) |
The Crisis
OK. I know it's on everyone's mind so let's talk about the crisis. (And all that I say is as an observer, removed from the more significant affects of the crisis).
FAQ--
So what's it like over there?
Are you OK?
How bad is it?
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Begger outside of church
Photo by LT |
Well, for the most part is
feels like our recession. You can sense the dispair. You hear about it everywhere. It's commonly sprinkled into conversations as the blame for many things or as a precursor to a statement ("now in this recession, we must ...blah blah blah). Beggars line the sidewalk, perched with their cup outside of every church, grocery store, major road, and ATM. Some are in need and some just need money to feed their drug addiction. You become numb to it and get used to moving past them.
Even though life continues to move on, there are still those that are heavily affected. You don't see or hear about it unless it's drastic enough to make the news, or is a degree away from you.
Emotions of the people
Unlike the States, the people here cannot declare bankruptcy. If they have a debt, they HAVE to pay it back. In the turmoil where salary's are cut, jobs are cut, and taxes are increased from 18% to 21% this seems an impossible feat. Many have been taken from their homes in requistion. The fear and uncertainty of life on the streets have driven at least three to
suicide. (The government has since required banks to halt evictions until a better process can be determined).
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Murcia, Spain. November 14th, 2012
Photo by Sonia |
Roits, strikes, etc.
The longer I'm here, the more strikes I hear about, the more protests, etc. Before it was a just a few government buildings I would see, shut down with a sign saying "Closed--on strike". Recently it seems to be more.
Pharmacists are striking, School days are cancelled because of union workers, Students are protesting tuition, communities walk the streets from one city to the next, and property is defaced with spray paint and posters declaring strike or outrage. Even on a holiday in a tourist city (such as Halloween in Granada) you'll find a small crowd with megaphones and signs outside a bank. At least this is what we saw.
Strikes and protests are always present, but easily avoidable. The posters about the city tell you when they will be. You then know to stay away from government buildings, go the opposite direction from the noise, and remain indoors after midnight. ...unless you want a to be a part of it.
There have been two major protests in Murcia so far, and far more in the larger cities.
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"It's not a crisis, it's capitalism"
"Strike!"
September 2012
Student protest of increased tuition--it more than doubled
Photo by Nelly Moualeu |
Earlier this fall, students striked against the raise in tuition. Students, parents, and children paraded in front of the city hall. They are relying on their education to get them a job (if not here then abroad). If they fail the first year though, tuition is doubled. If they fail the second time, the tuition is quadrupled. It's a good incentive system, but if the tuition rates increase as the government wanted, these figures would double as well.
For students relaying on their education, this seems frightening.
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Protest against increased student tuition.
Murcia, Spain --September 2012
Photo by Nelly Moualeu |
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Protest against increase in education cuts
and increase in tuition.
Murcia, Spain --September 2012
Photo by Nelly Moualeu |
The second major strike in Murcia, is today (November 14th, 2012). It's a strike all of Spain is joining in on, even other parts of Europe. Five of the top ten trends on twitter are tweets about today. It began in the night around midnight. In the morning shops were closed and public services were offering minimal service. I tried to take the tram to school but it stopped before reaching campus, and left me with a 5 minute walk along the freeway roads (there was not much of a sidewalk). I got to campus only to see policia and strikers blocking the roads. I didn't even try to go to the building at that point and just followed the crowd that headed back to the tram stop (I am 95% sure we had no class at that point). The police squads were doubled. I could hear sirens in the distance. There were more people out and about, but with a strange air about them. Confidence, a fight in their eyes, hopefulness, anxiety... from person to person it varied. With the extra time I was able to write this and do some homework, so it's been fairly productive and quite the experience too.
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General strike--14N
Murica, Spain
14th November, 2012
Photo by Mackenize C. Lee |
Emgration & Unemployment
Currently, Spain is in a period of
emgration, where more people are leaving the country then entering it. It's a new trend for Spain, but makes since with their
unemployment rate, especially for students. The
rate of unemployment for students is trending to exceed 50%, motivating them to look abroad for work (and for hope). I spoke with my friend and for him this is the most difficult part. "Knowing that I have to leave my home, my friends, and my family to have a chance is hard to think about. It's really depressing."
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11/11/2012 protest walk from Molina de Segura to Murcia, Spain
11.3 Km 2 hours and 19 minutes walking
A protest against the government and requistion of people's houses
Sunday, November 11th, 2012
Photo by Pablo Palazon |
I have immense sympathy for everyone here. With respect, it has not been bad for me. It's far worst for those in the crisis. It's only affected me indirectly, keeping me up at night or cancelling a few days of class. And like I said before, you hear about when strikes and protests are so you can avoid it. No need to worry about me because I'm safe and feel in no danger. Things are organized and for the most part docile.
As an entrepreneur though, this is a reality check--the consequences of making greedy decisions. You know you've done something wrong as a business when you peer out your office window to see a crowd of people throwing fists and signs in the air, elevating their voices and putting the weight of the crisis on your shoulders, haunting you like the Ghosts of Christmas of Ebenizer Scrooge. Let's maintin our humanity. We're all hurting, Let's respect that, learn from our mistakes (both business and people), gain maturity, and move together toward a better future.
Time doesn't slow
down for our holidays here in Murcia. The lack of promotional advertisements
and the haunting of pruebas (tests) this week makes Thanksgiving seem irrelevant.
In honesty it was hard to feel the spirit (it later came when the feast begun).
We organized it at
an English girl's flat. Very large, 9th floor, great view of the city, and
neighbors didn't mind the noise. :) It was perfect. We asked everyone to bring
a side dish, drinks, or plates/utensils/napkins. We shared links of traditional
side dishes, but a few people brought their own specialties. It was a multicultural
potluck with a heavy Thanksgiving theme. Haha I loved trying everything (some
people got really creative). And also learned the traditions of the other
American's (for example: cornbread in stuffing? Never heard that before till my
East coast friends introduced me to it. Slightly sweeter but still
delicious). 
But what's
Thanksgiving without a few stumbles along the way. We definitely scrambled to
find tin trays to cook the turkey. We ran out of gas when making the gravy (our
final item and we were already an hour late!) and had to run upstairs to the
neighbors I knew and use their stove. We used every odd ball item as a
tub-a-ware to transport it to the party, and showed up fashionably late to a
starving crowd only to realize no one there knew how to crave a turkey! (All
the men were foreign and the other American men were either late or had never
been passed the blade and honored to do the task back home). So we winged it!
And in the lighting, we had a panic attack--it looked under cooked!! After all
that work and it's undercooked!?! I took it to the kitchen to see that it was
just dark meat and tinted lighting from the other room. The turkey was fine. So
we craved it up and devoured it. Can't say I did a fabulous job craving it, but
I can say it was delicious--juicy and flavorful. ;) 
A
unique tradition of Spain is there annual hazing event called Novatadas (click
the link above to see more). It's traditional party for the Freshmen class. The
students pay the upper classmen to participate, and on D-day everyone is
gathered. The "pollo" (chickens as they are called) are drawn on and
suited in garbage bags. It's typically crude drawings, demeaning words, written
on their faces and arms. The upper classmen are suited up in the theme of their
choice--pirates...or like this year, army gear. They have water guns with
sangria, water balloons of vinegar, spray cans, baking powder, syrups, and
other sticky/messy things. The "little chickens" are trashed! They're
scamper off campus (as it's not legal to do--like hazing in the states) and festivities
truly begin. 
It's
not a select few that participate, it's near everyone. And as I said, they PAY
to participate. Why? Because it's also the party of a life time, a rite of
passage in at awkward age, a bondage with classmates, and a chance to be on the
other end the next year. Seriously take a look a the link above. It's quite a
site. 
The second major strike in Murcia, is today (November 14th, 2012). It's a strike all of Spain is joining in on, even other parts of Europe. Five of the top ten trends on twitter are tweets about today. It began in the night around midnight. In the morning shops were closed and public services were offering minimal service. I tried to take the tram to school but it stopped before reaching campus, and left me with a 5 minute walk along the freeway roads (there was not much of a sidewalk). I got to campus only to see policia and strikers blocking the roads. I didn't even try to go to the building at that point and just followed the crowd that headed back to the tram stop (I am 95% sure we had no class at that point). The police squads were doubled. I could hear sirens in the distance. There were more people out and about, but with a strange air about them. Confidence, a fight in their eyes, hopefulness, anxiety... from person to person it varied. With the extra time I was able to write this and do some homework, so it's been fairly productive and quite the experience too.
In its history,
Spain tried to re-conquer the land many times to no avail. Thus the people
live, speak, and identify as British citizens (many are actually duel citizens
of Britain and Spain). As far as currency, they accept Euros but use pounds
(making things more expensive if you’re on the euro). The fact that Gibraltar
(a strategic and popular port) makes more sense to be Spanish territory, there
continues to be distaste. Some Spaniards not of Gibraltar dislike the extra rights
and slight pride of Gibraltan people. The government of Spain in return applies
strain to the territory and its people by making border crossing a hassle. 
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