Barcelona International Community Day 2018

Turkey
Team Leader, Networking & Partnerships, Regional Activity Centre for Sustainable Consumption and Production of UN Environment Mediterranean Action Plan — 4 years in Barcelona

Burcu Tunçer came to Barcelona 4 years ago to work at the Centre for Sustainable Consumption and Production. She has been a lucky fellow to find a career path in the field of environmental management being able to combine her two fields of study, engineering and management. She works with the hope of playing her part in spreading and implementing solutions to ever increasing environmental challenges, recently in the Mediterranean.

On a day-off, she likes to have her morning coffee in Gràcia with a newspaper, stroll along Rambla Catalunya, visit some shops, eat a nice lunch in l’Eixample, Raval or Born, visit an exhibition at the CCCB and have a cocktail at sun set at Barceloneta.

What do you like most about living in Barcelona?
Barcelona is a very welcoming city, with its nice weather, beautiful architecture, diverse locations, wide range of events and that soft warm light. It has also great surroundings, the mountains on one side and the beach on the other. Currently, what I like most in Barcelona is that it has become a really biker friendly city. In the mornings I love to arrive work refreshed after a nice ride through the streets of Barcelona.

What surprises you most about Barcelona?
The hunger and openness for innovation in all fronts strikes me here. Given the brain gain, also internationally, I think, the social capital is impressive. For me personally, safety on the streets is also positively surprising.

What advice will you give someone who has just arrived to facilitate their landing?
It depends on the age and personal situation of the person. Though, first thing to do is course to learn the language. Learning some Catalan would be useful. Secondly, they can join the social networks of their personal and professional interest and show up at their events to meet other newcomers or locals. There are many MeetUp groups.

What did Barcelona bring you in your life?
Barcelona lightens up my life. Most of all, it has brought great food and Vitamin D to my life!

What can Barcelona improve?
The locals should know better but from my humble perspective, Barcelona should improve on these fronts for the benefit of Barcelonians: Cap tourist numbers, encourage a shift from motos to less noisy and nature friendly modes of transport and restrict the possibility of non-residents to buy property.

Why did you choose Sant Pau Recinte Modernista as your favorite place in Barcelona?
Sant Pau is a unique location with many faces. It was designed by famous architect Montaner. After being used as a public hospital for a century, its newly refurbished pavilions is now home to international organizations. It has a beautiful garden with Mediterranean plants. It is open for touristic visits. One can also visit interesting exhibitions and listen to concerts there. I am one lucky one to work there.

United States
Founder of Barcinno Media — 7 years in Barcelona

Scott is an entrepreneur and digital marketing expert with 15 years of professional experience across the US and Europe. In 2013, he founded Barcinno Media to share the news, stories and events of Barcelona’s vibrant startup scene. More recently, he joined the board of directors at OneCoWork to help create the future of the work.

He came to Barcelona 7 years ago with his wife to pursue his MBA and experience living abroad, outside of the US. Barcelona checked all the boxes of what they were looking for in a new city and after graduation they decided to make this city their home.

What do you like most about living in Barcelona?
The quality of life. There’s a unique culture in Barcelona that quietly enforces you to maintain a healthy work/life balance. I also love how international this city is – we have friends from all over the world and get to experience so many unique cultures and backgrounds on a daily basis.

What surprises you most about Barcelona?
The inclusiveness and open-mindedness continues to amaze me. It’s the type of place where you feel at home from the moment you arrive.

What advice will you give someone who has just arrived to facilitate their landing?
I usually tell people to attend a lot of events to find your tribe. Everyone is so welcoming that you’ll discover new things, places and people in no time. Also, just walk around – a lot of adventures and new friendships start because we happened upon them by chance while roaming the city.

What did Barcelona bring you in your life?
Barcelona was my gateway drug to European travel. From Barcelona, you can get to just about anywhere in Europe in under 3 hours. And it’s so cheap compared to flying from the US.

What can Barcelona improve?
Remove the street vendors and criminalize petty theft. It puts a blackeye on our otherwise wonderful city.

What do you like to do in Barcelona on a day off?
I like taking my daughter on a bike ride along the beach or up to Montjuïc. Then meeting up with friends for wine and tapas at one of the countless terrazas throughout the city. Also, we like to go to Parc de la Ciutadella. This amazing park is just steps from my apartment and always the perfect setting to have a picnic with friends, take the kids outside to play or just read a book under the trees.

United Kingdom
Founder of Kids in Barcelona  — 15 years in Barcelona

Emma Grenham arrived to Barcelona 15 years ago on a career break. The idea was to stay one month with a friend in the city at the start of a longer-term trip around Europe and Asia. From her own words, Barcelona has a habit of keeping you here as this seems to be a familiar story to many people.

Although she is originally from a marketing and finance background, in Barcelona she has worked with online businesses, in translation and editing and for the yachting industry. Barcelona allowed her to reinvent herself, find new opportunities and establish an exciting new niche. For her, Barcelona is a city of paradoxes: “Changeable yet timeless, innovative yet traditional, familiar yet forever surprising”.

What do you like most about living in Barcelona?
The changing landscape of the city, its cosmopolitan nature and the ease in which you can meet interesting people and make new connections. It is a city that is very manageable in size. And of course – the weather!

What surprises you most about Barcelona?
How the new and the old and the young and the old co-exist. You might find yourself on a fast tram, passing EV charging points on streets lit with Smart technology but the next minute you are enjoying tapas in a 100 year old restaurant or waiting in line for groceries at a traditional market. Many European cities lose their native residents overtime as they move out to quieter locations. Barcelona has this uniqueness where older residents remain – sometimes against all odds. Their presence continues to shape the city through the way they shop and the businesses and services they use. In Barcelona, different communities manage to hang on to their small piece of it.

What advice will you give someone who has just arrived to facilitate their landing?
Support with relocating to the city is far more accessible these days thanks to the internet and social media. Join online networks, Facebook groups and Meet-ups if you want to make connections socially, for work or just to seek advice. There are a multitude of them in Barcelona and for every type of interest. Many others have been in your position before and you will find a willingness in people to want to reach out and offer help.

What did Barcelona bring you in your life?
A husband and a child for starters. As well as that the opportunity to take risks and an ability to cope with the rise and falls of life in a sometimes challenging environment plus new and varied friendships and a better quality of life.

What can Barcelona improve?
As with most cities, the challenge is to keep citizens engaged and involved in the community – whether the issue be noise, pollution, animal welfare, etc. residents need to feel empowered to act and be supported by the authorities. Barcelona is excellent at establishing local community groups to address issues but on a general level, we should work towards improving respect and solidarity between neighbours. People don’t often react to issues the way they could and should as they feel their actions will not make a difference. Barcelona is unique to Catalonia. Living in this multi-cultural, multi-racial, and international society, you can forget you are part of the wider landscape. In the same way that city-dwellers need to understand the wider culture they are living in, Barcelona could do well to make sure the rest of Catalonia has an improved understanding of what the city stands for, its internationalism, values and the countless benefits Barcelona brings as a whole to this society.

What do you like to do in Barcelona on a day off?
It depends on the season. Montjuic is a favourite spot with its green spaces but it is always nice to head to the quieter Marbella beach beyond Poblenou. A wintery weekend is a great time to re-discover the city, wander around the back streets, finding new places, shops and somewhere warm and inviting for a drink or bite to eat. In Barcelona, you tend to eat and drink out a lot and get-togethers with friends often turn into a whole day occasion.

Why did you choose Port Vell as your favorite place in Barcelona?
When you arrive at Port Vell from the Ramblas, you breathe in the sea air and are reminded again that you are in a maritime city. Visitors suddenly find themselves waterside and experiencing a totally different face to Barcelona. And who doesn’t like marinas? Port Vell offers a moment of peace away from the city. You can stand and watch the yachts as they pass under the maremagnum bridge and admire the Maritime Museum’s Santa Eulalia schooner standing proud along the promenade.

Guinea-Conakry
Software developer — 9 years in Barcelona

Mamadou came to Barcelona at the age of 16 with lots of dreams and hopes but mostly because he wanted to help financially his family back in Senegal. He’s been living in Barcelona for 9 years now.

In Barcelona, he works as a software developer and he loves it because it allows him to help people: they tell him what they need and he transforms it to tangible solutions.

What do you like most about living in Barcelona?
The people, it just never cease to amaze me how open minded and welcoming they are. And of course it’s a very beautiful city. It surprises me how many opportunities one can have if they socialize in this city. I’d recommend everyone who has just arrived to meet a lot of people and go to lots of events, not only their field related but cultural too.

What did Barcelona bring you in your life?
Barcelona made a more open minded person and taught me a lot about other cultures which are so diverse from mine

What can Barcelona improve?
I think they should control more the cost of living, mostly the apartments, it getting very difficult to get nice place to live for a fear price. And they should be more intercultural events or workshops in the city to gather locals and foreigners all in one place to exchange ideas on how to improve the city.

What do you like to do in Barcelona on a day off?
Just wonder around and meet people from everywhere.

Why did you choose Montjuïc as your favorite place in Barcelona?
Because it relaxes me to be around nature and also make me dream big, whenever I contemplate the city from that high mountain I tell myself to dream whatever I want because everything is possible.