Submitted by David Yoncha on the 2016 spring semester program in Barcelona, Spain…
This is an interesting picture of a street just a three minute walk from my apartment. All of the shops are boarded up and covered in graffiti. A street like this in the United States would indicate some combination of drugs, gangs, violence or low income. In Spain, it is the exact opposite. My neighborhood, Gracia, is a wonderful place to live. In fact, I feel safer here than I did walking around New York or Philly, and I don’t even speak the language!
In Barcelona, graffiti is seen as art, not vandalism. Additionally, a shop (which are often owned and run by the same person without any employees) will close and reopen at the owner’s will throughout the day. Contrary to popular belief, “siesta” is not actually all that common in Spain, especially in cities and in the north. More often than not, shopkeepers leave to pick up their kids from school.
If you had shown me this picture of my neighborhood before I left for Barcelona, I would have been a little nervous. The fact is that Gracia is one of the best places to live in the city, with a vibrant community and great restaurants. You can easily spot people from 8 years old to 80 walking around on their own!