The big move to Barcelona - Expectations versus reality

Filling the Sink

Last Saturday, around 5,000 people gathered for the 11th edition of the Barcelona International Community Day at the Maritime Museum, just off the famous La Rambla boulevard.

The annual event welcomes the international community for a day of talks, workshops, and networking activities to help newcomers to Catalonia settle in, meet people, and get tips on how to enjoy the Catalan capital.

Lorcan Doherty and Gerard Escaich Folch from the Catalan News came prepared to the event with a Catalonia trivia quiz and got to chat with readers and listeners about what their expectations were when they made the big move, and how these compared with the reality once they were here.

Whether people came for a job opportunity, the good weather, or were inspired by a novel, they are now part of the growing international community that makes up a quarter of all residents living in Barcelona.

Gerard sits down with host Lea Beliaeva Bander to catch up on all that went down during the event.

This week’s Catalan phrase is “Benvinguts, passeu, passeu” - in English “Welcome, come in, come in”, which is part of the chorus of the Catalan singer-songwriter Jaume Sisa’s popular song “Qualsevol nit pot sortir el sol.”

Get in touch with the podcast team: [e-mail]