SPAIN - BARCELONA

Before coming here, I perceived Barcelona just as an important part and big city of Spain located at the sea. However, it turned out I was very wrong about it because I had underestimated an aspect. Living for a couple of weeks in Barcelona, l soon understood that it is not just a random city, but the capital of Catalunya. Catalunya is a region in the northeast of Spain and has over 7.5 million citizens. The aim of the citizens is to get independent of the rest of Spain. Especially they seek autonomy from the government in Madrid. This political tension is rooted in the region’s historical background and it is visible in everyday life. Therefore, I experience the Catalan mentality a lot.

First of all, the people living in Barcelona don’t speak the normal Spanish (Castellano) which I have learned in school. Their mother tongue is Catalan. Catalan and Castellano are legally recognized as equal official languages. However, the regional government supports the Catalan language and provides financial assistance for its promotion. The university I am visiting here communicates just in Catalan and most of the subjects are taught in Catalan. This was a true shock for me. I didn’t expect that Catalan is not a dialect but an official language which is quite different from Castellano. It can be compared to the relationship of Dutch and German. If you want to study at UAB coming from outside of Catalunya you are forced to learn Catalan. In addition, the university only offers free Catalan courses and no courses in Castellano to promote their language. This was very strange to me. Everywhere around Barcelona there are the signs in Catalan. For example, in the train the first language is always Catalan. The second one is Castellano and the third one is English. Books are also written in Catalan. The good thing is that most Catalans are bilingual, able to speak both Catalan and Castellano. If you talk to them in Castellano, they understand you perfectly and switch to Castellano. But a lot of people don’t understand a word of English. In the supermarket, at a bakery and even sometimes at university they are not able to speak English. This was a new experience to me because I assumed that English is worldwide spoken and understood.

Besides the language difference there is a strong sense of pride among the Catalan people. At every important building in the city  hangs a Catalunyan flag and at university there are graphics painted about being independent. I thought just the older generation wants to be separated. But I talked to young people who strongly support the idea of independendence.

While living abroad for me it is very important to take part in the local traditions to better understand the culture . Therefore, I celebrated the famous Sant Jordi’s day. Sant Jordi is the 23rd of April to celebrate the patron of Catalunya and it is a special day in Barcelona. That day in the city center everywhere red roses and books are sold and some museums offer ffree entry. It is a unique combination of Spanish valentine’s day and the international book day. Moreover, the Casa Batllo which is a famous house of the architect Gaudi is decorated with flowers. Personally, I think that day was the most crowed and busiest day in Barcelona. Thousands of people from around the region came to visit Barcelona and the metro was packed.

Through taking part into these kinds of events I gained a deeper understanding of the Catalan culture including their identity, language and values.