Culture and Customs

Barcelona – Madrid

~ Kate Wilson ~ 3 Comments

The streets are  unusually empty. Where are all the cars and people and dogs?
No mystery – there is a big football match tonight.
It started at 9pm local time – Barcelona is playing Madrid at Nou Camp Barcelona.
Now if you are a big football fan, STOP reading now – there will be nothing to interest you here.
I am writing for those people who like me know very little but have a slight interest.
The matches between Barcelona and Madrid are classics. Like Celtic v Rangers. They are about more than football. You can be a passionate supporter but not really interested in the game.
Barcelona FC is worshipped here in Catalunya. I am Scottish and I remember how important the team was to our sense of identity but here – it is different – it affects more people, it crosses gender and class and age. It also helps that they are so good. They win!
I decided a few weeks ago that as I live here I really must take it all more seriously. And become a fan.
So here is my first idiots guide to the team
1. The slogan ‘Mes que un club’  
What does that mean?  The web site says it means many things – that the club represents the ‘country’ (remember that officially Catalunya is not a country but used to be and wants to be again) It is like an emblem, a vision and a symbol of Catalunya. There are also many thousands of supporters worldwide who feel passionate about the team and so the club is not just for Catalans but for anyone who resonates with their ideals.
The club has a special relationship with UNICEF and wears the logo on their shirts, donating money to the charity and also giving a percentage of income to support international development.They have never advertised any commercial on their shirts which makes them unique in the football world.
2. History
The club founder was Joan Gamper who in 1908 announced he wanted to run it as more than a football club, he wanted it to be pro-Catalan and work to serve the country. Many people became Barça supporters because of its role in defending and supporting democratic rights and freedoms. One famous episode was when in 1951, in Francos time, there was a tram strike and all the supporters who left the stadium after the match refused to take trams home, preferring to walk.
3. The Coach and Team
Now if I am to become a serious supporter I need to know at the very least all the names  but I’m still only a beginner so I’ll admit that I can only recognise the coach Pep Guardiola and also Messi. Guardiola is very attractive, is Catalan and used to play for Barça. He may be leaving soon as his contract runs out next January.  Messi has a wonderful name, is not the one with curly hair and scores goals and more goals and more goals. And I think he’s Argentinian. (I’ve just looked it up and the one with curly hair is Puyol who is Catalan)
4. Interesting Fact
According to Wikipedia the supporters of Barça are called culés, which comes from the Català word cul=arse. It’s thought to have come from the early stadium where supporters sat with their bottoms hanging over the stand.

It is all silent outside. The score at the moment is 4-0 to Barça.  I am writing this instead of watching it on TV because of a father-son standoff about homework. Sometime this season I will go to watch a reall game live – my first football game ever.
Will let you know how it goes.  But now I am waiting for the blaring horns and scarf waving cars to blast the silence of the evening.

How to Build a Castle

~ Kate Wilson ~ Leave a comment

Get a group of people wearing same colour tee shirts to form a huddle and hold hands tightly.

Put a few more on top of the first ones shoulders with arms linked.
Red head scarves help but are not compulsory. Sashes around the waists are vital.

Get a few more to scramble on top, using the sashes as ladders.

Wobble around a bit and go back to the beginning if it doesn’t feel totally right.

Listen to the man at the bottom who is shouting instructions.

Add another layer.

Don’t think too much about those down at the bottom who are providing the base.

It can all get quite intimate.

Add some more layers.

Once the music has started you have to continue.


Just when you think it can’t go any higher
Add another layer
Now send up some small children to climb over the summit.

Don’t look down!

Here’s another one with different coloured tee-shirts.
 To read more about the Catalan tradition of making human castles click HERE
Or watch this BBC film.
I have been in Catalunya for almost a year and a half but only saw my first human castles last Sunday in the Porxada in Granollers. Is this a record?

How to Beat the Alien Blues

~ Kate Wilson ~ 4 Comments

There’s no doubt that living in another country sometimes is lonely. There are so many things that are easier to do when you speak the language, know who to ask, can make a phone call without having to practise first.

Things I have found challenging but which I have succeeded in doing include
•  buying cheese from a cheese counter and asking to taste first
•  going to the dentist for an emergency filling
•  having my hair cut and coloured
•  visiting a gynaecologist
•  teaching tango classes in Spanish
•  driving the car alone around town

Things I still find challenging so have put off doing include
•  sorting out my liability insurance so I can practise acupuncture
•  phoning the appropriate agency to find out why I have not been given a health card
•  opening a bank account
•  looking for somewhere to rent out of town that has a garden
•  driving a bit further afield alone – to the beach for example

Perhaps these things seem silly – you wouldn’t find them tricky – or maybe you would have other sillier things that would stump you. But in the end it comes down to confidence and sometimes when you are feeling a little alien it can be the small things that get to you. Like today the little girl laughing and pointing at me when I passed on the bike – I felt the wheels wobble along with my sense of belonging.

So what to do?
1. Accept
Yes I am different. Here amongst all these brown-eyed dark haired people I look like an alien. I can’t hide it so better to walk tall and proud.

2. Keep it in Proportion
When something shakes you, don’t let it bring down the whole building. Maybe I looked funny that moment on the bike, big bag of Catalan books on my back, frowning as I tried to weave between all the children and parents coming out of school. It doesn’t mean I am a total freak – old, fat and ugly!

3. Remember there are people who love you
Today I was feeling alone and vulnerable but there are people in my life who like me, who smile when they see me, who want to spend time with me. Without this backup support it is normal to feel fragile.

4. It is Normal
In a new life, living in a different culture, surrounded by voices speaking another language it would be strange if you didn’t sometimes feel like an alien. The important thing is not to take it too personally – there will be days when everything lifts and excites you and others when there seems a conspiracy to defeat you. In some ways I AM different. I have had to change some habits, to modify the way I behave. After all it is my choice to live here and….when in Rome….
The good thing is that here I have an excuse for feeling like an alien – when this happens in the UK perhaps it means that I really do come from Mars!

5. Find a Cake
Today I wobbled on into the town centre, noticed all the people meeting and greeting friends and family, decided not to run for home, went into a cafe and ordered a coffee and a cake. I didn’t have my camera so can’t show you how delicious and beautiful it was but…..it was soft and sweet, on top was a layer of yellow creamy custard and the woman who served it started to chat with me about learning Catalan. I cut it into small pieces and ate it slowly, remembering how lucky I am to be here.

PS For the sake of the blog I went back next day and took a photo of the same cake!  Before eating it.

What things do you find a challenge in another country?

What’s in a Name?

~ Kate Wilson ~ 3 Comments

 

Prada de Conflent (Prades) is also famous for being the town which sheltered Pau Casals the world famous cellist who was also known as Pablo Casals. Many Catalan people were obliged to use the Spanish version of their names and it is important to realise that this name changing is political and not just a personal choice.

Is the language we know as Spanish, the only Spanish language?  Or is it better called Castillian in order to differentiate it from Catalan and Galician or Basque?   It is actually the language of Castille even though it has come to be the language spoken all over Spain.

If I write Catalunya I am using the Catalan spelling. If I write Cataluña I am using the Spanish spelling.

My partner’s name is Josep shortened to Pep. But in Spanish this would be Jose or Pepe.  He is used to it and doesn’t react but I notice when friends in the UK call him Pepe.

There are a lot of possible mistakes if you don’t understand the background and the history.

Of course it is possible to be over sensitive – I no longer get upset if someone calls me English but I do give a gentle reminder that Scotland is part of the UK not a subsection of England.  But sometimes I don’t bother.I came to live here with a very minimal knowledge about the history of Catalunya.  I make many mistakes and put my foot in it all the time, but it is wonderful to learn about what has happened here, how people feel about their country and language and to find new ways to expand my understanding.

It is worth knowing if you visit this region that Catalan people do not consider themselves Spanish. The language of Catalunya is Catalan and that the language commonly known as Spanish is actually Castilian or Castellano.  Spain has four official languages – Castellano, Català, Gallego(Galician) and Euskera(Basque) You can see it is a bit complicated!To return to Pau Casals – he refused to return to Catalunya while Franco was in power and this sadly meant he never lived to see the return of democracy nor was able to come back in his lifetime.

I found this wonderful recording of his music.

And here he is playing El Cant dels Ocells (the song of the birds) a popular Catalan song

Dogs Dogs Dogs

~ Kate Wilson ~ Leave a comment

 

Seems a while since Duna made an appearance here. I have been collecting photos of dog related street signs for a while so perhaps now is a good time to show some of them.
General theme – dogs must be kept on leads and you must clean up after themThere are various ways of reminding us It seems most people here do it – I hardly every see any dog shit on the streets. And some of the town squares have boxes dispensing little plastic bags in case you get caught short!

Living in a town mean Duna often comes along when I go shopping and it’s so nice when the shops provide an easy place to leave herOne thing I very much appreciate here is that you can take your dog onto the beach in spite of signs saying you can’t. Unlike in the UK where someone officious and red faced would come over and start haranguing you about The Law, people here are more tolerant so long as you don’t let the dog annoy them or, of course, leave little piles around in the sand.
Here is Duna doing no harm, not spreading germs or attacking anyone, just enjoying St Pol
And I don’t want my British dogs to be left out so here they are, living their very different country life in Cornwall while we wait for a home with a garden here in Catalunya