Spain in Pain

Almost 50%, or almost half (!!!) of Spanish youth are unemployed, which puts Spain at the top of youth unemployment statistic in Europe. This is the most troubling issue for the country. First of all, the longer young people remain without a job, the harder it is for them to return to productive employment. Secondly, it means there are weaknesses in the education systems. Finally, higher youth unemployment rates correlate with social unrest and suicide rates.

The most important thing is that it is not the youth’s fault, in fact, the amount of people with degrees exceeds the number of positions available, so what is left for many of them to do, is to work where they do not belong, in particular, insignificant jobs of servicing the tourists, which leaves them unhappy. Maybe this issue can relate to a popular belief that if you do not have a degree you know nothing and can’t work and kids believe it. Two generations ago, the employment market wasn’t so focused on higher education, you could start from nothing, work hard and rise up, while now, you are expected straight away to know what to do. Or, if you do know what to do, there isn’t enough vacancies in that field.

Tourism fluctuations had a huge impact on youth unemployment. In addition to all the lost jobs, the housing became more expensive in the most popular touristic areas after a big decrease of the tourist flow.

In my opinion, I think that this problem can relate to all popular tourist destinations around the world. Tourism’s impact on the future of the youth there is quite big. It is much easier for them to get a job in a low qualified service industry than their wanted occupation.

 

 

To Kiss or Not to Kiss?

In Spain there is an old custom that involves kissing a person once on each cheek (the dos besos) when you meet them in a lot of situations. While I think it’s a great tradition, (we have it in Russia as well, although mostly just with the close friends and family) some people, especially those who come from a different cultural background might find it a bit awkward and most of them experience a little moment of “I reach to shake their hand but they lean in for a kiss”.

This custom can be a problem of personal space as in many cultures for example, in Central, South and East Asia cheek kissing is highly uncommon and can even be considered as offensive! So for the tourists coming from these areas, cheek kissing could be a pretty significant shock. Moreover, besides if it is a strictly business situation, where you supposed to shake one’s hand, the rules of when to kiss and when to do another form of greeting can be quite confusing for people visiting Spain for the first time. It’s easy for men, as they only give dos besos when they are greeting a woman, unless it is family, in which case everyone gets kissed on the cheek. Whilst women have to give dos besos when they greet both, other females and males. When it is a celebration – again, no matter what your gender is, you have to give dos besos to those who you congratulate.

It’s pretty hard to minimise the confusion when dealing with a new custom like this, but a culture shock can be minimised by introducing yourself to such traditions before coming to the country, in this way, you will know what to expect 🙂

Old buildings, Bullfighting, Beaches, Picasso.

The misrepresentations of countries involve the idea of an innate, unchanging and objective essence which acts as a stereotype. There are plenty of Spanish tourism promotional videos on YouTube that are full of these, here is one for example.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctmWeLQuBP4 

But you don’t have to watch it, the title of this post summarises everything in this video and pretty much any other promotional videos of Spain.

On one side of the coin, these essences are a great way to promote tourism and earn more money for different organisations, but on the other side, they are just stereotypes that create a single impersonal experience for every tourist about Spain.

So is it a good idea to have these fixed essences? I don’t think so. There is so much more to Spain than its profound history that now is represented by the old buildings (which of course are all magnificent) and the old brutal traditions such as bullfighting. What if these essences put people off, making them think that THAT is the most important experience, since it’s emphasised so much in the media. What if this person is against animal cruelty? Then he is against Spain. But Spain is not just about that. So there is a conflict.

This can be challenged by educating people of the importance of planning a journey by themselves, without relying on tourist services. Taking this risk is worth the million of different personal experiences about Spain that can be constructed by every individual to himself.

Sobrino de Botín – A 300 Year Old Restaurant

Not a lot of restaurants in the world can brag about having a 100 years old history, even less about 200 years old, and only one restaurant can proudly say that they have been around and active for almost 300 years. This restaurant is Sobrino De Botín.

Located in a key commercial district of Madrid, it’s been founded in the year of 1725 by a French cook named Jean Botin and his wife and was originally called Casa de Botin and was inherited to Jean’s nephew, therefore the name changed to Sobrino de Botin (nephew is sobrino in Spanish).

The speciality of this restaurant is roast suckling pig with crispy skin and roast lamb cooked following the old style Castilian recipes in the firewood furnace that dates back to the year of the restaurant’s opening.

The history of Sobrino de Botin had crossed paths with a few famous people. Francisco de Goya worked at this restaurant as a dishwasher before becoming a famous painter. On top of that, Ernest Hemingway used to come here when he was spending time in Madrid, and rumour has it, this was his favourite place to eat. Later, he will mention Sobrino de Botin in one of his novels “The Sun Also Rises”.

All of this rich history of course would make you think that this restaurant must be flooded by tourists and indeed, it is one of the most popular tourist destinations. However, a lot of locals eat there too, including the King of Spain himself! This is the oldest restaurant in the world and no one should miss an opportunity to enjoy a meal or two there.

Corrida de Toros: Culture or Torture?

Everyone has heard of bullfighting, or what it is called in Spain: Corrida de Toros. It is a very popular sport that involves one or more bulls being fought and in the end, killed by the toreros (bullfighters). As one of the symbols of Spain, although being extremely controversial, it can be described as an important part of the Spanish culture and that is exactly why I picked it to be the topic of my post.

Originating around 711 A.D. as a way of celebration for the crowning of King Alfonso VIII it now attracts thousands Spaniards to their nearby bullfighting arenas so that the numbers of the spectators of such events reach one million every year. And no wonder why. The show can be described as a dance with the death, as any wrong move can lead to the torero being slaughtered by the bull’s massive horns. A torero is responsible for making this dance as dramatic and enjoyable as possible to keep the audiences on the edges of their seats. At the end of the fight, he is awarded with a prize and lots of flowers from the audience.

However for the participating bulls, the end of the fight is far from being so sweet, and this is the contentious part. Referred to as the “vicious spectacle of blood”, Corrida kills about ten thousand bulls every year, additionally, the horses used by the toreros suffer from the greatest stress during the fight. There are numerous bullfighting schools and ranches sponsored by the state that produce hundreds of bulls and toreros every year but nevertheless, the popularity of this bloody sport is going downhill, as it was already banned in Catalonia and Barcelona.

Bullfighting is inhumane, immoral and unethical, however, it remains and will always remain a symbol of Spain.