The Crisis

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? 

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).

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.

"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. 

Protest against increased student tuition.
Murcia, Spain --September 2012
Photo by Nelly Moualeu

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.

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."

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.