Things I Like and Dislike about Spain by Husband

Hello! How are you all doing? I am fine. It has been sunny here since the day of Sant Jordi the other day, and it has become a spring-like climate.

Come to think of it, Part 2 of Why I Moved ended with the conclusion, but I didn't write much after that. Bitter smile I'll put that off for the time being (like a Japanese politician), and this time I'll write about what I like and dislike about Spain and Barcelona!

First of all, I would like to emphasize that there are many things that I like overwhelmingly, but this time I would like to start with what I dislike. Why?

Don't you all hear this kind of story often?

A: “Well, my first impression was really good, and when we were dating, I was kind to you, but after getting married, I gradually stopped helping with housework. I was deceived by my first impression. It's about this..."

B "At first, he was unsociable and unattractive, but when I started dating him, he was kind and thoughtful, and I was attracted to him more and more. After marriage, he cooperated with housework."

Case A or B, which one gives you a better impression? yes! The worse the first impression and the lower the expectations, the higher the evaluation will be when you make a good impression later! Please don't get me wrong. Sweat

So, this time I will write from the bad points, and next time I will write the good points. Then your impression of Spain will be greatly improved! That's the strategy.

Let's start with the 5th dislike! Drum roll please!

5th place

Abnormally many pickpockets!

Barcelona is probably one of the most pickpocketed cities in the world. Mine was stolen as soon as I arrived!

Heart!

That's why I moved. I fell in love with it right away.

Aside from that, more than half of the residents have had their wallets, cellphones, etc. stolen at least once. One time is still better. I had my iphone stolen once. On the bus, even though it wasn't crowded, there was a guy who was standing halfway in the middle. . . As expected of a professional, I don't notice that moment at all.

Is it just that I'm so insensitive that I didn't notice when I came back to the table at a restaurant in Ebisu with the toilet paper that got caught in it hanging out of my trousers like a tail? No, everyone says it's been stolen without you even realizing it.

As an aside, at that time I was embarrassed to notice that the girls in the next seat were laughing at me, so I made this excuse without thinking. "It's like cutting the goal tape of a marathon, isn't it?" I do not understand the meaning at all whether it is likened the toilet paper to the tape.

In Japan and New York, I usually kept my cell phone in the front pocket, my wallet in the back pocket, and my uncured ham in my stomach. ?) in front of you. Quite inconvenient.

However, most of the pickpocketers are not Spaniards, but illegal immigrants from North Africa and Eastern Europe. Of course I don't want to criticize those countries, but I would like to note that Spain is not worse.

Serious crime, on the other hand, is fairly low. With the exception of some areas, it's normal for women to walk around at 3:00 a.m., and I haven't heard much about murders. For some reason, Spain has an image of being unsafe, but if you're a tourist, you shouldn't be in any danger if you're careful about pickpockets. In fact, our family has never been in danger.

4th place

too late to eat

In Spain, we eat lunch after 13:30 and dinner after 20:30. Therefore, the restaurant will not open until that time either. Even if you are hungry at 18:00, the store is not open much. There are shops that are open through the day, but the kitchen is not open during that time, so you can only get light meals. I'm in trouble with a family with children. That's why you can't go to a restaurant with children at night. It's not uncommon for dinner to end at midnight. But what impresses me is that Spanish people, who seem lazy at first glance, usually work from 9:00, sometimes even earlier. Kind of crazy. This rhyme sounds like Jay Z!

Personally, this bothers me a lot. Actually, I am a self-proclaimed gourmet. One of my hobbies is opening restaurants. When I was living in New York, I even self-published a gourmet guide called NOBUT after walking around and eating (the list price is surprisingly Priceless even for Mastercard). A gourmet guide called ZAGAT is famous, but the name and cover are very similar. However, it is still unclear which one did the imitation.

3rd place

Illegal occupation of houses is common

This is an intolerable problem. In Spain, there are people called Okupas who live in vacant houses of their own accord. Note that this is not a new species of octopus. Because octopus is pulpo in spanish.

The viewpoint of protecting the weak is good, but I think this is different. In Spain, it is legally possible to live in a vacant house, and after 48 hours of breaking into an empty house, not only will the intruder be (almost) not guilty, but the intruder will have a temporary right of residence. put away. After that, even if the owner finds it and reports it to the police, nothing will be done. If you go through the legal process and try to get your house back, there is no doubt that it will be returned after a long trial, but it will take nearly a year. And, of course, the intruder is no sane person, so the situation in the house goes haywire during that time. So when something like this happens to one's residence, most people end up asking a group of "repossessors" to pay around €3000 to get it back. But this in itself is a gray business. Earlier, I wrote about vacant houses, but the ones that are being damaged are those that have proper owners. Even going away for a few weeks on vacation, for example, is a risk. More than 15,000 such incidents are reported each year.

That's why I also pay close attention when I leave the house open for a while. In addition to installing alarms and videos, last year I also replaced the locks on my house with super strong ones. Inaba's storeroom and our door are probably the only ones that won't break even with 100 people. And I have the house sitter come to see me several times a week. Of course, the chances of that happening are low, but it's not zero, so the reality is that I'm quite worried about it during my trip. I want this law to change immediately.

2nd place

Loose on time (no offense)

This is not hard to imagine. As with all Latin countries, things never go on time.

The delivery time is absolutely not on time (except for Amazon. I am an Amazon believer).

Even if I have an appointment and go to the bank, the person in charge makes me wait.

Work is slow. Until last year, the person above the same apartment was doing renovation work. To be honest, I was overwhelmed by the considerable noise, but I thought it would be a few months of patience and endured. But it didn't end for nearly a year.

Of course, it's not a matter of human life, and it's perfectly fine, but once a day, some sort of delay causes trouble.

In other words, you have to think that you will not come on time. Expecting it will drive you crazy. Lower your expectations and, if you arrive on time, tearfully say Muchas gracias (Thank you very much). Look, it's case B from earlier.

first place

dog's house

This is no joke, I'm really in trouble. I haven't seen official statistics, but Barcelona has a very high number of dog owners. That in itself is a good thing, but the problem is that the dog poop is left on the road.

The road where my house is is narrow, and cars hardly enter. Therefore, it is a good trail for walking the dog. That's why, compared to other roads, there are a lot of leftovers.

When I was in elementary school, Acecook put out cup noodles called Super Cup. At that time, such a large serving compared to other companies! I was impressed, but U ◯ chi does not need to be much compared to other roads.

This street is about 150m long, and if you were to walk blindfolded, you would definitely step on ◯ somewhere! I assure you.

Morning is the most common. Because the night walk group that is not visible will not pick it up. So in the morning, in order not to step on the poop, you need a considerable amount of instantaneous power. It's almost like I'm playing in that Takeshi's Castle every morning, for this generation, Friend Park, no, Sasuke!

That's why people who pass by in the morning must be thinking, "Is he Kane Kosugi?"

At times like that, I have constant muscle pain from jumping too much, and I say to myself, "Pain, too much."

I love Spain, but I would like to see improvements in these areas. Next time, I will write my top 5 favorite places, so please look forward to it!

PS We have a lot of cute clothes, so please take a look! (heart)

husband