Loyal yet dwindling readership: I'm still alive. I will still be blogging. Let me explain myself.
I've been working at an English camp in rural Madrid province. As an English teacher, I've been braving the dangers of hundreds of children chanting in unison, edible-like substances that they continue to refer to as "food" in the cafeteria, and 5 hours of English class a day with a bunch of kids who were mistakenly led to believe that July means summer vacation. José, beer, the beach, and quiet time have been out the window since we got here.
On the positive side: the hours are long but I'm learning lots on how to be a good teacher. I'm living rent-free and my only expenditure is at a fine establishment called Antonio's Bar. The air is cool and refreshing. The countryside is beautiful, bucolic, and I´ve been taking nice runs around the nearby lake.
Mahou, the Madrid beer company, recently released a commercial that encapsulates what I believe to be acrucial factor in the Spanish recession.
Watch this:
In this ad, Javi, a young Spanish worker, has been unemployed for several months. The narrator states that after a while of searching for jobs, he just started staying home rather than going out with his friends. He was sick of everyone having to invite him to have a beer and treat him. His friends, however, said that it's not the same without him. They go out, they all get beers, and then pour a little bit of each of their beers into a glass, making one for Javi. The slogan is "O todos O ninguno" "Either everyone or no one."
The Spanish economic crisis has been grinding for several years now, with young people being the most affected by far. Many societies that achieve such high rates of unemployment and disenfranchisement upon the youth have revolutions or serious social unrest (Arab Spring, Greece...) Spain has had a total of one general strike and a group of young people who have started protesting this May and now are preventing housing evictions.
I think an important factor is the fact that the family is so tight-knit in Spain. The people I know who have lost jobs or just cannot find a job live at home with their parents or move in with extended family. They don't have to worry about health care or housing or food or paying for transportation. The government provides generous unemployment and subsidized or free job retraining classes. Granted, living at home in your mid-twenties is not glamourous or comfortable, but it beats what seems to happen in the US: you're shit outta luck. Here, a family with two young kids can send them to an extended family member's house during the day if they aren't in school. If they are in school the government pays for after-school activities and lunch. They can depend on someone to help them with food, gas, and expenses. If they don't have family, the government cushions them.
What would Javi do if he were young, unemployed, and American? Don't know. But here in Spain, someone's always got his back.
