Black in Spain: Murcia-based, Trinidadian completing final year as English teacher
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Three years after first moving to Madrid, Aneakaleigh made her move to Murcia, Spain. Though Murcia isn’t the usual go-to destination for most black expats in Spain, the affordable cost of living, weather, and lifestyle made it the perfect place for Aneakaleigh to end her final and fourth year in Spain as an English teacher.
In the Black in Spain series, I interview Black women, from all walks of life, living all over the 17 regions of Spain. I try to help paint an honest picture of the ups and downs of being black in Spain. My goal is to bring together stories of Black expats and help the next generation of Black people to find their safe haven in Spain.
This week, as part of the Black in Spain series, I am very excited to share with you Aneakaleigh’s story.
Describe yourself/your background in 5 words max?
Born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago.
What’s your backstory, and what made you leave your home country?
When I was growing up, I always wanted to travel. At a young age, I started teaching myself Spanish because I knew I'd eventually live abroad. From where I am from most people, especially Black women, tend to stay in the Caribbean, unless, of course, it’s to move to the UK or the United States. Funnily enough, until this day, none of these options sounded excited to me.
How long have you been living in Spain?
After I graduated at age of 21, I had the opportunity to move to Columbia for 2 years. After that, the opportunity to move to Spain arose, and that’s how I ended up here.
I signed up for a teaching program, got in, and moved to Madrid. At first, settling in Spain was pretty challenging. We got very little support from the program, so you had to think on your feet. It was wild.
For me, I found the whole housing situation especially difficult. If you want to live in the center of Madrid, for anything less than 500 euros, you’ll end up in a shoebox.
It was a huge reality check. Thankfully, in Murcia, currently I am only sharing my place with one roommate, which is great!
Murcia isn’t a common destination for black expats living in Spain. So why did you leave Madrid for Murcia?
After 3 years in Madrid, for the final year of my teaching program, I wanted to move to a different part of Spain, and have the opportunity to speak more Spanish! Most of my friends in Madrid are from the Caribbean or the US so we always spoke in English.
Plus, Madrid is very big. In Murcia, I like the fact that you can walk everywhere, it’s very small. The cost of living is a lot more manageable compare to Madrid. There are fewer expenses to think about. You don’t have to think about the metro for instance. I don’t have to pay a whole lot of money to live in the center because here everywhere is the center.
I also feel a lot more integrated. In Madrid, as an English speaker, people feel like you’re here temporarily so they don’t make as much effort. Here you are a lot more involved.
Also read: If you’re interest in hearing more stories from Black women striving in Spain, check out the Black in Spain section for more inspiring stories
What is it like teaching English in Murcia? In general how’s it like working in Spain as a Black woman?
Though I was always the only Black woman in the school where I worked, that wasn’t weird. Overall, I have had an amazing experience. The only thing that happened from time to time was people trying to touch my hair whenever I got a new hairstyle.
I don’t take offense of these sorts of things though. Of course, it’d be nice if people asked before they touch your hair, and the answer would be NO.
To be fair usually I understand the fascination about braids because some people here have never seen people with braids in their life.
Other than that, I never felt like I was treated differently for being black. I think most of it is in our heads, for so many reasons. Many times we expect to be treated in a certain way, and sometimes we attract that. Sometimes, of course, there’s racism but mostly it’s just curiosity in my opinion.
What’s the best thing about living in Spain?
My overall experience in Spain has been great! I have been able to reconnect with myself. As English teachers, we have so much free time. Some people chose to get drunk, in my case I spent some time asking myself what I really wanted.
Travel is also a great thing. Being able to travel and experience new cultures is amazing.
Sometimes you don’t even have to leave Spain to experience this. Galicia is so much different from Barcelona, or Madrid for example.
Black in Spain
Spotlight on Aneakaleigh
Now, what are some of the challenges of living in Spain?
The bureaucracy, and how nothing can get done when it needs to get done. Then, I’d say how unfriendly Madrinelian can be sometimes, especially when you compare it to Latin America.
When I lived in Colombia people would make me feel like home, it’s part of their culture. But here, it’s a lot less welcoming. I know nobody owes you anything but it could be a bit warmer…
What’s the reality of being a black woman and expat in Murcia? Would you recommend living in Murcia?
Yes, I would recommend living in Murcia, although I moved there right in the middle of the pandemic so I didn’t get to fully experience it all. But even before I moved here I had heard a lot of good things about it, of course, that was pre-pandemic.
I know on paper the city is known for being very far-right but I can’t tell, fortunately! It’s kind of scary to think that people think like that but at the end of day I feel like on paper it may look like this, but in real life, it’s not like that at all.
Let’s talk about hair, how easy is it to get Afro hair done in Madrid and Murcia?
In Madrid, it was so much easier to find black hair salons. I would go to places like Lavapies or cuatros Caminos to get my hair products, but of course in Murcia, it’s a lot more complicated.
So far, in Murcia, I have found two Black hair salons that do braids, I asked one of them to do some passion twists, but they charged 150 euros which is way over price. So now I am wearing my hair in a twist out.
As a Black women living in Spain, do you have any advice for other Black women looking to relocate to the country?
A piece of advice for black men or black women in Spain would be, don't define yourself by the color of your skin. Nobody cares about that but you. I am not saying to lose your identity, but the more you cling on to that, the more you’re limiting yourself. Think about how you can create the life you want to live. Do not accept things because you think that’s what’s available, there’s so much more.
Being black in Spain means a lot of the time we are going to be the first Black person that people interact with. If you’re coming into this interaction thinking they are going to think X, Y, Z about you, that’s not the way to go about it.
You have to come into thinking, what is the impression I am going to leave on them. At the end of the day, whether you want it to or not, they are going to think about you as their point of reference, so the impression you leave behind is only what matters.
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