Nuria from Argentina

Name: Nuria Rico
Age: 28
City and country of origin: Buenos Aires, Argentina


1.When, where and for how long did you live or have you been living in Barcelona?

I have been living in Barcelona for three years, always in the city centre.



2.What made you move here?

The reason I came is because my family was from here. First I was only coming for three months, but then I have stayed for several reasons.



3.What made you leave / stay?

My desire of getting to know the world.



4.What you like the most about Barcelona.

That it is a relatively small city, that it has the sea and the mountains. It feels like a big town to me.



5.What you dislike the most about Barcelona.

The dirt in the city center, all those bikes getting stolen and thiefs in general.



6.Name a special place in Barcelona.

The Montjuïc castle and its views.



7.Name one word you would relate to Barcelona.

Freedom.

Agne from Lithuania

Name: Agne Bertasiute
Age: 24 years (28/01/1985)
City and country of origin: Jonava, Lithuania


1.When, where and for how long did you live or have you been living in Barcelona?

I came to Barcelona about 4 years and a half ago (june 2005). I had been here before with my sister to establish some contact, visit the university and try to find and make a reservation for an apartment. We stayed for one week.
When I came back to stay I went straight to my shared apartment in Sant Andreu, where I stayed for a year and a half before moving to Gracia (right in front of the subway station of Fontana). A year after that, for several reasons, my flatmates and I decided to move to an apartment in Eixample (c/ Diputació with c/Muntaner). And another year later my boyfriend and I decided to rent an apartment close to Lesseps (follow República Argentina and turn into the third one to your left, which is c/Escipió). It’s been a year now and hopefully it’s going to last this time! ;)


2.What made you move here?

I was living in Switzerland and I was sure I wanted to leave. After graduating from school I worked part-time for my father for a year, trying to figure out what to do with my life and where I wanted to go. I felt and still feel very attracted by Tokyo and I also had thought about Venice and London. But in the end I came here!
I had been in Barcelona before, I had learned Spanish and it seemed an inexhaustible, cosmopolitan and welcoming city, with the sea and a School about Social Work and Social Education, which I decided to study.


3.What made you leave / stay?

I feel good in Barcelona, there’s still a lot of new things to discover and, above all, my partner is from here and we are currently not considering to move.


4.What you like the most about Barcelona.

The variety, the sun and that it is full of art and history ;)


5.What you dislike the most about Barcelona.

The tourists everywhere, any time of the year and the lack of bigger and more quiet green areas.


6.Name a special place in Barcelona.

The Ninfas Bar, hehe
A couple of days ago we went up to the Parc del Putxet and the view is surprising, especially at 8.30am when there are only people like you walking their dogs.
Well, all in all I wouldn’t point out a special place I have been able to hide at, if I had to it would be the Macba.
And to eat? The Trallers (delicious!) and the Maoz (which defined my initial years in Barcelona)


7.Name one word you would relate to Barcelona.

Independencia

Erin from Canada

Name: Erin Higgins
Age: 26
City and country of origin: Pembroke, Ontario, Canada


1. When, where and for how long did you live or have you been living in Barcelona?

I have been living in Barcelona for 5 years now. The first 2 and half years I lived in Gràcia, and now I live in St. Gervasi.



2. What made you move here?

I fell in love with my husband who is half Catalan and half Colombian. He asked me if I wanted to come and live in Barcelona with him and I said yes!



3. What made you leave / stay?

I have stayed because the longer I live here, the more people I know, and the more comfortable I feel. Also because I have had to fight very hard for many basic things that I have accomplished in my life, such as being a legal resident and being able to work, and I wouldn’t want to give that all up very easily. Also if we were to go to Canada we would have to start all over. I like the Catalan way of life, and I like Barcelona. However, the constant stream of tourists and the ever rising prices for flats are starting to get to me, and I don’t believe I will live here for ever. I am a small town girl from a rural area and at some point I would like to get back to the Catalan equivalent of that life style.


4. What you like the most about Barcelona.

The thing I like best about Barcelona is all the different neighbourhoods. I really enjoy going out to the different “barrios” as they are all like little towns to me. Gràcia, St. Gervasi, Eixample, Barceloneta, El Born, El Gotico, I enjoy them all, and it is nice to have the variety. Living in Barcelona is a bit like living in several small towns, each with their own unique characteristics. I also really enjoy the large variety of cultural activities the city offers, if you are bored in Barcelona, it is by choice.



5. What you dislike the most about Barcelona.

The high cost of living and the tourists!! Of course I like to be a tourist too and everyone has a right to visit and travel around. However in Barcelona it is like they own the city sometimes!! I think the mayor of the city gives too much of a priority to projects to improve things for the tourists who visit the city each year and not enough priority to projects to improve things for the city’s residents!! Also because of the mild weather of the city we have tourists here all year round, making it that much more tiring. In colder cities for example in Canada, we really only have tourists in the summer, and it isn’t so tiring to deal with.


6. Name a special place in Barcelona.

For me a special place in Barcelona is Pl. Virreina, in Gràcia. Filled with terraces and a nice atmosphere, it is a great place to meet up with friends and have a drink or some tapas.


7. Name one word you would relate to Barcelona.

Unique.