The
integration of
the European Union has ushered increased globalization
into the
forefront of
the modern age. Migrants
can now move
freely within the EU’s borders without the hassle and
bureaucratic
madness
associated with securing work visas.
During
my travels across Spain,
I made my way to the bustling city of Barcelona. Here
the nightlife carries on into the wee
hours of the morning, bars and clubs riddling every
street. Humming lights
cast shadows across the
boulevards and tourists from around the world are
scattered throughout
the
varying neighborhoods and pockets of the city.
Early
in my
adventure, I made my way into a bar in the main
thoroughfare of the
city. This posh pub was
boiling over with
international travelers, and American football was
even sprayed across
the room
from the projector in the corner.
I made
my way upstairs to see a blonde bartender standing
amidst an empty bar,
presumably because you couldn’t see the screen. My
friends and I sat at the bar and introduced ourselves
to what would
hopefully be a key local contact.
This
blonde smiled as we took our seats and asked what we
would have to
drink. My friend began
with a Jack Daniels
and Coke,
apparently a rather typical American drink for here is
where the America
bashing began. This
overeager and
socially awkward bartender was from Sweden. Upon my prompting, I learned
that she had
traveled in the EU for a year directly out of high
school, that she
didn’t even
need a work visa in Spain,
that rent prices were bearable in Barcelona,
and that all Americans were spoiled brats. She
quickly guessed where we are from and was surprised
when we didn’t
claim to be from New York
or Los
Angeles.
I explained that we were traveling from Japan
to Spain
by ship, which apparently she doesn’t consider real
traveling. I guess she
doesn’t distinguish between the
term traveling and backpacking, which we never claimed
to be doing.
Her
volatile
demeanor aside, she did serve as an example of the
ease of travel and
work
opportunities within the European Union.
She
and her friend had fallen in love with Barcelona
during
their gap year travel and
returned in August of 2006. The
pair
apparently walked into the bar, filled out an
application, and were
hired on
the spot – and her friend didn’t speak a word of
Spanish. When I asked
about finding an apartment, she
explained that no residency restrictions applied, as
has been my
experience in
such countries as Argentina. I asked if the EU was
exclusive or whether
Spanish businesses only hired from other EU countries. She explained that this was
not the case and
that the doorman was from Uruguay
and American bartenders were downstairs.
In
an
ever-shrinking world, the European Union exemplifies
the economic
opportunities
available for those willing to uproot.
In Barcelona,
Indian shop owners dominate the souvenir trade and
even owned and
operated our
hostel. African
prostitutes populate the
night streets and beckoned from every corner. Phillipe
Fargues explores the negative perception of
European
immigration in his article entitled “Migration and
Mobility in the
Euro-Mediterranean Area.” Noting
the
flows of Middle Eastern and North African populations
and the
complexities they
impose on overall governance of the EU, Fargues dwells
on the
challenges
imposed by guest workers turned illegal permanent
residents. Illegal or
not, these sex working African
women
form a nook of Barcelona’s
international framework. Migration
was
all around, in every club, bar, shop and street
corner, and EU
governments
scramble to decide how to achieve the migration goals
of a newly formed
union.