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MY SPANISH CAREER

CULTURE

‘Madrid has a lot to offer to culture workers’

In the latest instalment of my Spanish career, The Local speaks to Émilie Emond, a 25-year-old French woman who just landed her first job in Madrid after an internship with the French culture and language foundation, the Alliance Française.

'Madrid has a lot to offer to culture workers'

So Émilie, how did you end up working in Madrid?

I studied a Master’s Degree in Art History at La Sorbonne, in Paris. As part of my courses, I did an Erasmus year in Madrid two years ago and fell in love with the city.

I had to complete an internship to obtain my second Master’s Degree in Management of Cultural Institutions and decided to come back to Spain. I want to work within the intercultural exchange field and Madrid offers a lot of interesting opportunities.

In your opinion, what makes Madrid special when it comes to culture?

There’s a real sense of innovation here and a lot of exciting projects in terms of photography and contemporary arts. Madrid is a modern, dynamic and open city, with plenty of rapidly changing institutions. I sensed this when I studied here and this is the reason why I decided to come back. Spain is slowly recovering from the crisis and the cultural field is quickly evolving.

Could you tell us a bit more about the Alliance Française?

Our mission is to promote French language and culture around the world. The first Alliance Française (AF) opened 130 years ago – we now have offices in 137 countries. In Spain, there are 20 Alliance Française centres spread throughout the country., and we are about to celebrate the 30th anniversary of our centre here in Madrid.

French classes form our main activity, they are open to companies and to the general Spanish public. We also offer cultural exchange programs, sending Spanish youngsters to host families in France.  

The AF network mainly targets Spanish citizens rather than French expats, but we also collaborate with expats willing to set up cultural projects in Spain for instance.

What does your job at the Alliance Française in Madrid involve?

Starting in September I will work as a cultural coordinator, developing the AF brand and overseeing our different projects throughout the country.

For now, I am still interning within the department for culture and communication in our Madrid agency. My job mainly consists in working with Spanish institutional and cultural partners to set up different cultural projects.

The other aspect of my work includes advertising the AF’s events and activities internally and externally.

What sort of cultural events does the AF organize in Madrid?

For the past four years, we have been holding an annual international photography competition, together with the Pilar Citoler foundation. This year, a retrospective exhibition was set up to honour the past winners, as part of the PhotoEspaña Festival.

We are also working on a new exhibition for September, entitled Les murs entre les hommes (The Walls between people). It will take place at El Matadero (on Madrid’s Manzares River) and feature the work of a photographer who travelled the world, focusing on the notion of 'walls' – be they geographical, social or political ones.

We hold many other cultural events highlighting music, cinema or even comic strips. The Alliance Française in Madrid is part of the European Union National Institute of Culture, which enables us to collaborate with several other European cultural institutions in Spain.

Has the economic situation in Spain affected the AF’s work over the past years?

We have witnessed an evolution in the profile of Spanish people willing to take French classes. The French language has a certain prestige which makes it attractive to the public, but now more and more people want to learn French for professional purposes.  

What advice would you give to expats willing to move to Spain?

English isn't that common here so I think speaking Spanish is crucial. It depends which sector you would like to work in. We have 57 people working in our offices, and there's a mix of native Spanish speakers and native French speakers but most of us are bilingual.

Human contact is crucial in Spain, thus speaking the language is really important, as is taking initiative.

How big is the expat community in Madrid and do you think there is some sort of "expat bubble" here?

The French community expat community is really large. People are attracted to the Spanish way of life and living environment. It is the top destination for Erasmus students and it looks like a lot of individuals who come here either stay or return later, as I did.

What are the striking differences with France in your opinion?

At work, the organisation of the day is different and it has been a bit difficult to adapt myself. The working days are quite long, lunch break isn't until two or three in the afternoon and it lasts for quite a while.

Otherwise, I find that working in Spain is more relaxed, less oppressive. For instance, collaborating with cultural institutions has always been easy and fruitful.

Are you thinking of going back to France in the future?

At the moment, I can really see myself settling in Spain in the long-term. My main objective is to gain some useful experience here, get some training and obtain some interesting opportunities to evolve professionally.

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GALICIA

Hórreos: What are those small stone houses on stilts in Spain’s Galicia?

If you’ve ever been to Galicia in north-western Spain, the chances are you will have seen these odd stone or wooden structures on stilts in people’s gardens and wondered what they were for.

Hórreos: What are those small stone houses on stilts in Spain's Galicia?

Anyone who has walked the Camino de Santiago in Galicia will of course have seen these odd-looking buildings known as hórreos. There are so many in fact that they’ve become somewhat of a cultural symbol of the region.

Hórreos are typically built from stone, but some can be wooden too. They’re small, narrow buildings, but range in size. Some of them are only around one metre long, while others could are big enough for a few people to lie down in them.

READ ALSO: Five reasons why Galicia is Spain’s version of Ireland

They’re easy to spot because they’re raised up on stone stilts or platforms and typically have a set of steps going up to reach them. The sides traditionally have narrow wooden slats so that if you got up close you could probably see inside and the roofs are properly tiled, often with a stone cross stuck on the top.

Many question whether they’re small homes for animals such as chicken coops, places for religious offerings or even similar to garden sheds.

These strange buildings actually date back to the 15th century and are in fact granaries, originally built to store feed for animals or farm produce and keep it dry and off the ground to protect it from potential wild animals.

Some even have small indentations on the base that were filled with water so that not even the ants could climb up and get into the food either. 

READ ALSO: The pros and cons of living in Spain’s Galicia

The exact number of hórreos in Galicia isn’t known, but at the beginning of the 20th century it was estimated that there were about 30,000, one for every square kilometre of the region.

In modern times, people don’t have a specific use for them and unfortunately, many hórreos have fallen into a state of disrepair.

Hórreos can be renovated but you should first check the local rules pertaining to their renovation and future use. Photo: locuig/Pixabay
 

This is also because they’re protected, so if you want to renovate one, you have to apply for a special licence and pay several associated fees.

Unfortunately, even if you spend money on renovating an hórreo, Galician law doesn’t technically allow for it to be used as a living abode, although that hasn’t stopped many from renting them out as rooms on Airbnb.

In neighbouring Asturias, where you can also find hórreos, authorities have a taken a more lenient approach to them being renovated for different economic or practical purposes suited to modern habits and trends, especially as a means of ensuring their survival.

Hórreo Facts

– One of the largest horreos in Galicia is Horreo de Carnota, which has now even become a tourist attraction. It was built in 1768 and is 34.76 metres long, standing on 22 pairs of feet. Historians believe it was built as part of a rivalry between two neighbouring towns.

– Lira, the rival to Carnota is located nearby and stands at just over 36.5 metres long and 1.60 metres wide. It also stands on 22 pairs of stone feet.

Hórreos come in different shapes, sizes and materials. Photo: Vicente Aragones/Pixabay
 

– The longest hórreo is hórreo de Araño in Rianxo at 37.05 metres long. It was built in the 17th century and has been Declared an Asset of Cultural Interest.

– Combarro is the town with the most hórreos in Galicia, home to more than 60 of them. 30 of them are also lined up facing the sea, which makes for a spectacular photo.

Hórreos are not only found in Galicia, you can also find many in the neighbouring region of Asturias, although they’re not so well known there. Other places you can find a few of them include Aezkoa in Navarra, Agirre and Ertzilla in the Basque Country, Liébana in Cantabria, Bierzo and Los Beyos in Castilla y León and Bueño, in Asturias.

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