The hidden face

I had the opportunity the other day of seeing the other side of Barcelona. The side none really talks about or even sees. My flatmate took me for a walk through the infamous Raval district. Most of the people who live here are immigrants: either low income or are unemployed. A certain level of unemployment is normal in any city or country right?? But what's considered normal? So I did a little more research and found that Spain has the worst unemployment problem in Europe with an unemployment rate of 17.4%! Its the highest in the European Union and twice what the EU sets as average! That blew me away!! No doubt, the high rate was due in large part to the recession but it seems that the recession only worsened an already existing problem. My perfect image of Barcelona and Spain was shattered in that moment. As I walked down those streets, I pretty much forgot about the beautiful beaches, serene seas, rich culture, fancy food, world famous tourist sites and I was faced with the reality of poverty! Overcrowded housing, poor living conditions, dirty streets...somewhat unkempt looking individuals (or maybe that was because of the time of day that I went there). It was a whole new side to Spain. I'm sure that this exists in every city, but as a ''tourist'' that's not what you're there for.....right?! I feel as if we adopt the, '' If you can't see it, it doesn't exist'' attitude or at least that it's not our problem to deal with. Well call me naive or idealistic but I really didn't expect to see so much poverty here in my idyllic Barcelona. My flat mate told me some rather unpleasant things about the way people in this district are treated (mainly by authorities) and some of the restrictions in the neighbourhoods. It sounded familiar.. like many places around the world... so why did I expect it to be different here? It doesn't seem like the same place anymore... or maybe I'm not as ignorant.... and reality has reared its ugly head into the picture. This place now exists in my mind as a yin-yang....... the ideal city with the half hidden face.

Tour De France.. in BCN

Im not a big cycling fan.... but I'll certainly go out of my way to go to a world famous event! And even though it was raining, people came out in their hundreds to watch and support. I must admit I was really excited. I can't quite pinpoint why I was.. perhaps it was the anticipation of seeing Lance Armstrong or just the thrill of being part of a big crowd with a once in a lifetime opportunity to watch this event.. and I must add the atmosphere was amazing! And it was great fun. I managed to squeeze through sweaty excited fans and get some good shots of the stars of the race. The winner, Thor Hushovd (white jersey), Fabian Cancellara, (the yellow Jersey) and Oscar Pereiro, the Spanish favourite and Tour de France winner 2006


And there they go whizzing past me


Followed closely by the entourage with the spare bikes



Some more hopefuls



race winner: Thor Hushovd


Fabian Cancellara - yellow jersey (race leader)


Oscar Pereiro - Spanish favourite and Tour De France winner 2006

New Project..... woo hoooo!!!!

This week, I decided to take on a new project. I had been feeling for the past few weeks that I have been following people around like sheep. This is perfectly natural I guess, because I have to learn from someone and that requires a certain amount of following. But I started to get a little frustrated and felt like I needed to do my own work! So when the opportunity was presented I didn't let it pass! My new project involves finding the promoter for hENT2 (a human nucleoside transporter) and cloning it. Ultimately whatever I find may be beneficial in the treatment of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. The project was started a few years ago and abandoned because of newer projects. In any case, I am doing this project on my own (although the bulk of the important information was there prior to my arrival) and I'm very excited about it. I think that I have found one of two things that I will need before the actual cloning. Apparently that is pretty impressive seeing as I did it in a day and I have been congratulated..... although I don't want to get tooo happy before the final results come because as I have come to learn.. it may seem good today and give a totally different result tomorrow. Science can get a little tedious, but I'm learning to be patient. (and that's a haard thing for me). I wait with baited breath.

More differences...

I've made a few more observations about life here and the society in general.

It seems that the general (unsaid) rule is to cross the street when there are no cars approaching. So even if the signal is red people will cross if theyre confident thy can make it across without being squashed to a pulp. I can always tell the difference between the Spanish and the tourists: the tourists.. are always standing next to me waiting for the signal to change

More bars, cafes and restaurants than there are Tim Horton's in Toronto. Every block has at least one bar and a cafe. And I'm not exaggerating...(. I took the time to note this in about three different districts of the city so I'm pretty sure I can conclude that it is so.) That means that there's a bar every few hundred metres and sometimes some are right next to each other. Naturally, I would assume there'd be considerable amount of competition between them considering their proximity. BUT there is hardly ever an empty seat! Going out to have a drink and relax in the cool of the evening with friends or family, at the local bar.. its like second nature here. Or rather.... it is their nature. Bars are a necessity... can never have too many. On the subject of bars.. although Tapas bars are celebrated as a distinct part of Spanish culture, here in Barcelona very few bars actually give tapas for free. Most bars charge! Apparantly only in the South of Spain does this free tapas ''phenomenon'' actually happen. Luckily for me... there's a ''free'' tapas bar right by the flat.

Bikes:) Whether you're on a Vespa or toning those legs on a bicycle, bikes seem to be a popular form of transportation. For a small fee you can even rent a bike for a day. Its convenient and a practical way to be environmentally friendly.

I don't like to be around smokers (when they smoke.) I hate cigarette smoke. My flatmates are smokers!! The first couple of weeks, I used to hold my breath and scurry to my room frantically just so I could avoid the smoke and breathe some fresh air in my room: my haven, my safe spot, until, the day I realised that if there are people smoking in the living room, the smoke seeps in through the air ventilators in my door into my room. GREAT!!! Just what I needed. The majority of people I have met or have seen, smoke. People here smoke on the streets, in bars, at the beach, in the mall.... basically in public places. That's something Im finding hard to adjust to. As a future medical professional (hopefully) I am extremely paranoid about second hand smoke. At this rate though.. I have since given up holding my breath... I might as well be a smoker.

Signs of affection in public. I have no problem with couples showing signs of affection or whatever they need to do in public. Here though... I find that that perhaps its a little too open.(This is largely due to my upbringing I'm sure) The Spanish are ''passionate'' people. Outward signs of affection are very common and very ''outward''. I must say I have been subjected to some rather graphic scenes of passionate couples who cant seem to get enough of each other(butt grasping included) on the metro or in the street. I won't go into the dramatic details but this is definitely different to the conservative Canadian society or the even more conservative Zimbabwean culture.