Comments on how shit the British Government is

Being away from home means that I have to make a bit of an effort to engage in British news. Just a bit, I mean there´s internet here and I follow most newspapers that I read on social media, so the effort is really clicking and reading articles. Something I need to get into is keeping up with Question Time, and watching the Parlimentary debates that make me squirm with embarrassment. Honestly the jeering, avoiding the question and hearing the justifications for some of the most unfair policies is hard for a sensitive soul like me to handle.

That being said, I do actually love politics. I have no interest in being a politician, for many reasons, but mainly because I couldn´t deal with trying to be a good person and getting nowhere with it. MPs definitely have a hard job, perhaps not worth £74,000 per annum, plus expenses, plus a 1.3% pay rise that no one else in the Public Sector gets, but I for one could not deal with the public backlash to my actions, especially when I´ve tried my hardest to represent my constituents, so kudos to the ones that actually try.

This is not something I feel like our current government is doing. They´re not a true representation of what this country wants or needs and they´re so out of touch with the rest of the world, I feel embarrassed to have to claim it as my own. Our Prime Minister is particularly strong example of this and a hypocrite to boot.

So, why am I writing about this now? I remember voting for the first time in the 2015 General Election in Colchester. I hadn´t bothered to work out whether or not my vote would make much of a difference based on FPTP and the preferences of my constituency, but I was shocked that the Conservatives won, even if it was only by 7% (you can see the results for yourself here). I also remember feeling actual anxiety at the fact they´d won, knowing all the cuts that were to come. But it´s been worse than anyone could have predicted, unless you knew David Cameron was a liar from the start.

Mental Health Services

It´s like everything he says is underpinned by a cut in a services and he expects everyone to fend for themselves even while he´s cutting access to the services people need to be able to live to any kind of standard. Here´s an example from The Independent: apparently, mental health is a priority for Cameron, so he cuts already stretched services and once many people have suffered from such cuts, he makes a show of putting some money back into the system. It doesn´t work. People with mental health issues need stable services and the security of knowing that they will be able to get support when they need it. A 'mature' and 'open' approach would surely recognise that. Experts on the subject have been ignored and this stretches to other fields too, as we'll see when we talk about the next issue.

Next, I'll talk about environmental issues, student issues and equality. If you have any thoughts then don't be too shy to share. Until then!

Quick Thoughts on PoC Solidarity

You can see for yourself with the hashtag #notyourmule on Twitter. Franchesca Ramsey, of course, describes the issue in a nutshell:

It is important to be inclusive. I don't use racial slurs against other races and try my hardest to ignore the monoliths that in presented about other races. And while many non-Black PoC do address the issue of anti-Blackness (see here), others refuse to and still expect us to advocate for them.

There are so many examples of a clear lack of solidarity from other PoC except when they expect Black people to support their causes, or they speak over Black people (changing the #blacklivesmatter hashtag to whatever their race is, for example) but then treat us with the same contempt that white supremacy has told them too. 

My favourite example today was the hair shop. In the UK, Asian people (not Oriental but South Asian) own shops where we buy things for our hair such as oils, shampoos and conditioners that won't dry it out, and extensions, combs and hair pieces to create all of our amazing hairstyles. Think it's weird that Asian people own an industry that is fuelled by Black money? Well it gets worse when you realise that you're being followed around the shop as a Black person because you're silently being considered a potential thief. Or you're being offered absolutely pathetic advice on what you should buy for your hair that you have to dismiss as politely as possible. 

We know the people in the shops don't care about us or our hair - there's no such thing as good service in any of them. Of course there are some products for other ethnicities, but this is a Black experience in a shop that we specifically have had to go to for years and years to buy what we need to maintain our standards of grooming.

Anyway, it's depressing. If you want to be a real ally for Black people, remember that anti-Blackness goes further than white supremacy. After all, "there is no country in the world where it's better to be Black."

(I'm sure someone has said that last quote before me but I can't find out who it was!)

Au Pair Experience: Holidays, Disasters and Settling Back In

Holiday:

The holiday was amazing! I had loads of people from here in Catalonia helping me to pick places to go which was so useful because there are so many great things to see. I'm still not going to go into too much detail because each post is taking me longer and longer to write, but we saw a lot of things and did as much as we could! I was pretty excited by everything and thought it pained me to plan so much, lead so much of the time and hear my mum thanking every shop assistant in English, it was wonderful. Seeing my family after a month was lovely and grounding, sometimes it's hard to remember that this is actually my life now. (This is the first year since I started school that I've not been in formal education, after all, it's a little hard to know what to do with myself.)

Disasters:

The disasters stemmed from actually needed to go home after a holiday. First, because something just had to go wrong, my mum had booked tickets back to England for her and my brother on the 22nd of MARCH. She'd been wondering why she wasn't able to check in but instead of double checking her booking she just thought it was RyainAir being its shit self. And it kind of was, it automatically changes the month of your return and it's an easy mistake to make. But, there are lots of chances to confirm that all your details are correct and it was so stressful changing it the day before that I probably did it the most expensive way. 

I also had my own disaster getting home. There's one coach in the morning to my city from Barcelona at 9am and the next one isn't until 4pm, so I couldn't afford to miss it. But of course I did. It was hell getting home. Honestly, I've never been so stuck in my life. What would've been a 2 and a half hour journey took *6 hours*. I'm not even gonna go into it, just the bus station in Lleida is the worst thing I've ever seen and I need to get back to London Victoria!

My third disaster ended up with homemade pizza so maybe it's not such a disaster but it was so embarrassing. Basically, I went out to meet our baldy beardy friend, then obviously afterwards, I went home. Well, because life is hard or bad things come in 3s or just because, when I went to open the door to the building, the key wouldn't turn. So, that doesn't mean I'm instantly banished to the streets for the night does it? Well, when its 2am, you panic and you don't want to wake up your host family, you kind of banish yourself to the streets. Orrrrr to a friend's house, after sending your host family a massive paragraph on WhatsApp explaining where you'll be and that you'll return at 8am to do your job. Guys, if this ever happens to you, just call your host family at 2am and sleep in your own bed. Even if there might be pizza, you might also look a bit silly

Settling in:

Anyway, I was actually excited to be back with the Trillas. I'd missed them in 5 short days and most of the information I'd been spouting about Barcelona had come from them. Perhaps this excitement dampened a little when I found out the kids hadn't done anything at all in English, let alone the homework I set them. 

However, it was probably a welcome break for us all. I haven't really been tracking our progress, but it's not like at the beginning where learning a new word or phrase is a big accomplishment. It kind of gets added to the list now and there's always so much more to learn. I'm still proud of everyone of course, but it's become routine now and learning languages is tiring!

Still, Roger and I ended the week playing card games which was really fun so I'm going to focus more on playing games and less on teaching. I think because I'm more confident with academic stuff, I fall into this pattern of teaching and instructing when really we should be playing. We can play verbal games at mealtimes and more physical games during free time. Yeah, I'm thinking out loud here.

Other stuff: 

I've been reading so I'm going to do another book review soon and read some more to see what else I can write about. Things are a bit different now because I have a few friends and spend less time by myself thinking about the differences between here and home, but I miss making posts every day! I'm also going home in mid-March so I'm trying to make the best of everything while I'm here. Still, I might not have much of a job when I get home as there are new staff and less hours that need filling so you might hear more from me!

Until next time,
Antonia xx

Kitty Special!

Depression is a funny thing. It´s really hit me this week, making everything seem extra annoying or negative. I can be happy for a while, but I can´t shake the feeling of some impending doom or generally wishing I was curled up in bed, away from the world.

This is why I´m making a special kitty blog post. As you may or may not know, I have a beautiful kitten called Bobbi. She´s really made me happy since I got her and given me a reason to get up on mornings when I don´t want to. I mean, she climbs into my bed and when she´s had enough of cuddles she annoys me until I get up and feed her or play with her or basically do whatever she commands.

Because who doesn´t want to wake up next to a
grumpy cat-monster sharing your pillow?!

I have less than three weeks until I go back home and I cannot wait to see my little fluff ball! I´ve probably shown pictures of her to everyone I´ve ever met, which thinking about it may make me a little obsessed. But she´s cute (and also my pet) so it´s okay!So if you´ve missed Snapchats of her, here´s something to make up for it:

Artsy photoshoot

Eventually I convinced her to let go

Apparently watching my mum sleep

That time we left her at my dad´s and her eyes changed colour

Totally appreciates the ball I bought her in Spain

Maybe I should´ve saved this for Tumblr?

An Expression

What's the allure

As attractive as it is repulsive

In season and raw 

Surface tensions and lesions 

No knowledge

Of the rot underneath

Tired lines and

Repeated fascinations

Taken as assurances

Of course, it's beautiful 

Magical, fleeting. 

Nothing lasts in this kingdom

Family Holiday Highlights (4th and Final Post)

 A continuation of photos from my first ever family holiday, in Barcelona!

Any questions about places or things to do, message me or comment below!

Enjoy! xx

Next to the Port

Giant Lobster

Barceloneta Beach. I'm told there are better, cleaner beaches a five minute metro ride away from the city

Las Golandrinas

A spot of clubbing at Nitsa Club, Apollo

Courtesy of a very talented artist named Rui

Marihuana Museum

Arc de Triomf

Here vs There

So, if you don´t know already, this post is going to be one about the differences about things here and back home in sunny England. I really haven´t decided where I prefer, and seeing as I really haven´t explored that much of England, let alone the UK as a whole (London, Essex, Brighton and Hove, Cardiff, Loughborough, Leicester... Devon as a child, not sure I´ve actually been anywhere else!), and it does actually rain here, it wouldn´t be fair to make that kind of judgement yet.

Let´s start with stuff I prefer here:

1. Pace of life
2. Prices (in Balaguer things are actually cheap, in bigger cities this is mostly due to the exchange rate)
3. Less fear of having your stuff stolen (this definitely only applies to Balaguer and the villages I've been to. In the cities I am so careful of my stuff that drives me slightly insane)

And stuff I prefer in the UK... (might only apply to London)

1. Personal space (and the fact that people will move out of your way in the street instead of doing their best to walk into you or force you to swerve. I'm not even being dramatic!)
2. Ability to buy hair extensions!! (Check the post before this one to see the struggle of buying hair extensions)
3. Walking pace (Sometimes you actually want to go somewhere and need to walk at more than 0.0001 mph)

And here´s some stuff that´s just different:

1. People don´t have passwords on their phones! (I have struggled not to take advantage of this)
2. Please and thank you aren´t that important (if you want to be polite to someone you know, just make sure you speak nicely. Passing someone the salt isn't going to win you a plaque in your honour)
3. There´s dog shit everywhere (it's as if most people actually consider the pavement a toilet for their dogs. Thankfully, this wasn't the case in Barcelona)

Here are somethings I wanted to talk about in a tiny bit more detail. This post is a lot to write easier having been to Barcelona and spent time with my own family, as I've noticed what they've found hard to adjust to and they've picked up on some differences to!

Weather:

Of course I prefer the weather here than in London! It does rain (shock horror) but it's not the incessant, depressing mess of English weather that I'm used to. The sun shines. It's also cold and sometimes windy, so I'm not sitting on the beach tanning like I was in Valencia, but it makes getting out of bed in the morning much easier.

Buying drugs:

Well, that escalated quickly! Okay, so I don't know anything about where you can get your coke fix, but if you want some hardcore paracetamol, don't go to the supermarket. You have to buy drugs in the pharmacy and you can get more in one go than you'd get in England. They're bigger too, so you don't have to take two to feel like your headache might've got better. I prefer Barcelona for this, buying basic medication along with your bread and milk is all well and good, but if you're like me it's worth it to stock up and that's hard to do when you're limited to 16 tablets.

Everyone wants to sell you something:

This got pretty jarring pretty quickly. Cries of "selfie" "cheap price" will interrupt your conversations, meals and strolls along the beach. Some of them will push it, try to convince you to buy it by staying near you which is uncomfortable but I've never felt an urge to pay them just so they'll go away. The guys selling flowers are the most likely to interrupt your meal so if you're on a date, sit inside for a better chance of being left alone. Definitely prefer London in this case. No one's gonna try to get you to buy their stuff unless you're on a market or passing a promotional stall in a shopping centre.

Begging:

Homelessness looks absolutely pitiful in Barcelona, as it is in too many big cities. I found myself giving people a bit of change or food if I had it, but not to the people that actively begged. I don't know if this is bad, that people will come up to you and ask for money or sit on the street and wail "ayudame por favor" but something in me wanted to avoid those people. In London people beg too, but you occasionally get someone discreetly asking you for change rather than wailing on the street. In this case I prefer London because it's convenient that you can walk by and pretend you haven't noticed someone in need. But both cities need to do more to help people with nowhere to live. These are global capitals. There's no excuse. 

Museums:

Make the most of the free museums in London! And join any campaigns to keep admission free because it's really worth it. That being said, the museums in Barcelona were beautiful and I didn't feel too bad paying an entrance fee. Getting into the Picasso Museum was free because I'm at university but I was blown away by it, so paying wouldn't have been so bad. Anyway, the reason I prefer London in this case is because you can see as much or as little of as many or as little museums as you want, without feeling like it wasn't worth it because you couldn't see asmuch as you wanted. Basically, there are a lot of museums in the city and its hard to fit them all in.

Transport:

The underground system is definitely better in Barcelona. You can use your mobile, there's more space and the trains  come at least every 3 minutes (if there's not a strike!). Of course, London's system is the oldest I the world, but you would've thought they'd have modernised by now for the the price of it. However, I don't know if Barcelona's Metro stretches as far and wide as London's and the buses are apparently better there too. 

*If you have any questions or are curious about other things then feel free to comment or message me privately and I'll talk about it in the next post!*

Thanks for reading!

Until next time,

Antonia xx

Family Holiday Highlights (3rd Post)

Your third instalment of our Holiday Highlights! 

Any questions, feel free to comment or message me!

Enjoy xx

El Gat de Raval. Of course I dragged my family halfway across Barcelona to see a giant fat cat hehe

View of the city from MNAC 

Camp Nou Museum

Inside the grounds

Excitement

Family Holiday Highlights (2nd Post)

Here's your second batch of family holiday pictures!

Any questions, message me or comment below and I'll answer them!

Enjoy xx

Read up on Catalunya's Human Towers, a tradition that is hundreds of years old!

I love Gaudi's every detail at La Sagrada Familia

More to come!