Week 2 (POL 130) Weekend of Sketchy Shots and the Seaside

Week 2 (POL 130) Weekend of Sketchy Shots and the Seaside

    This weekend after finishing our classes for the week and visiting countless museums, Hayden, Sydney, Abbey, and I went out to go drink. After leaving the Colors club we were wandering the streets looking for our next spot to party, that's when an Indian man approached me with a killer deal which was 2 beers and 2 shots for €12!! At first I was skeptical, but I saw other people walking in and we just sent it. 

    He led me down a narrow staircase into a dungeon with dance music. The basement looked like the catacombs, but I did get my 2 beers and 2 shots, but the shots tasted like lighter fluid and the beers were in small paper cups. Still it was a fun experience and I met these two guys; one from Germany and one from Argentina. We all ended up dancing to Stir Fry by Migos and dancing the night away! 

This experience connects to POL 130, because we learn about the economy and how legal policies don't regulate everything. Just like the technically legal THC marijuana clubs that need an invite to be accepted into, the setup was technically illegal but socially accepted. This is because tourism is a huge part of Spain's economy and the police usually look the other way for things like this. This experience also ties into migrational labor, because this Indian man that gave me the deal was making opportunities in a global city where opportunities can be limited. 

    The next day, I traveled to Begur, a beach town in Costa Brava with my mom and auntie. This city was very beautiful and had an amazing view of the coastal beach. I learned that Catalan flags are more common than Spanish flags and that the people considered Catalonia a nation within Spain. This connects with our learning about nationalism and regional identity. I also saw that in Barcelona there are a lot of protests and graffiti, while in Begur it's quiet pride with Catalonian flags. After the trip I saw how the Spanish identity pertains to the region and how there are different ways to resist tourism in both regions.