Fighting and surviving recession in Spain

Fighting and surviving recession in Spain by Jennifer Lock.
I don't know anyone that is living in Spain who has not felt the affects of the recession in some way or another. Numerous Estate Agents have had to close down. Builders have been going bust due to the fall in the property market. The tourist industry has suffered as a result of the UK recession and the falling value of euro/pound. Restaurants, bars and shops are suffering from lack of trade from tourists and residents with no disposable income. Unemployment has been, and is, rampant as jobs are lost each day in the building trade, property market, manufacturing and tourist industry. Pensioners moving to Spain to retire are feeling the pinch because their UK Pensions are not going as far as they had expected due to the exchange rate. Morale has been low and many Brits are giving up their dream of living and retiring in the sun and have returned to UK.
However it is amazing how one can survive in Spain when the going gets touch. Expats with homes in the country are increasingly living off the land by growing their own food. My friends keep warm during the cold winter months by wearing extra clothing and burning fire wood collected from the land. Spanish farmers place piles of harvested tingle wood at the edge of their land for collection by anyway in need. Filling used containers with water drawn from underground streams instead of buying bottled water is another accepted practice in the countryside.
Everyone is in the same boat with little money so neighbours are helping each other in times of need. The old fashioned practice of bartering with skills for goods is often used. For example the younger and fitter will help the older and less able neighbours with jobs in exchange for goods and favours. A skilled labourer, plumber or electrician will assist his neighbour in exchange for home grown crops or wild boar hunted and shot in the hills. In small towns and villages unwanted furniture and clothes are piled up on street corners for the needy prior to collection by the refuge collectors. Charity shops and car boot sales are doing a roaring trade. Life is hard yet somewhat wholesome and rewarding. The fighting spirit is truly impressive. I feel many aspects of life in Spain resemble life as we would have known it in England many years ago: - it's like stepping back in time.
An increasing number of Brits that love their new life in Spain have made the decision to ride the storm and stay put by tightening their belts and soldiering on as best they can. Many couples have faced separation as one partner finds work away from home in order to keep the pennies rolling in and supplement pension income. Other unemployed brave soles have looked long and hard at what is needed in Spain and have elected to start up their own business. "If you can't get a job in Spain then make one" being the phase commonly banded about.
A light at the end of the tunnel
Now the long hard winter has given way to warmer and sunnier days. Whilst some businesses have closed down during the recession our spirits rise to see new small businesses are now emerging in the high street. My son and his wife have injected new life into a small bakery that the previous owners had given up on. It's hard work for them but they are keeping their heads above water.
My dream of renovating our old farm house and opening a beautiful country guest house, which was put on hold during the recession, has now been resurrected. With the help of neighbours and friends and a little modern technology the old unused well which had lain stagnant has now sprung back to life. We can now clear the moulding water and fill the pool with fresh clean water from the well and also irrigate the barren land. Beautiful flowering bushes surrounding our land are now not just a dream, a kitchen garden is now a real possibility. The leaky roof is soon to be repaired which will then lead the way to paint, decorate and breathe life into the interior rooms. Our old farm house that we have named 'The Olive Tree' will soon be transformed into a welcoming oasis for guests to enjoy.
Why not come along for an unforgettable experience of 'real Spain' with us at 'The Olive Tree' when we open Springtime.
Book early to avoid disappointment - our doors will be opening March 2011.
By Jennifer Lock - Proprietor of 'The Olive Tree'
www.TheOliveTreeSpain.com