Field Trip 3 - Raval

On April 22nd our class visited the Raval area of Barcelona. I had never been there before sadly as it its almost my last week here. Next year I think it should be an earlier field trip so that kids can really experience the area and hopefully go back during their abroad stay. I was hesitant to go here because I heard it was a very creepy area with prostitutes and drug dealers, but it was much nicer than I thought it would be. I learned that previously this area was filled with more creepy people because it is close to the port. Also, Las Ramblas was where the city used to be considered to end so when you went to Raval you were considered to be leaving the city. I really like the CCCB area and the fact that you can see the skyline because the building is shaped in a certain way at the top. I only wished I visited the area on a sunnier day but maybe I will go back next week. There is an eclectic mix of stores in the area ranging from electronics, to shoes, to clothing, to candy stores. I felt as if I saw many middle eastern people in the area. The thing that struck me the most were the new garbage bins in the streets. The United States should start such an idea where the garbage put into the bins goes beneath the ground so that it does not overflow or smell bad in the streets for many hours until it is collected. That is a very modern and forward thinking thing to do and makes the area much nicer with that one small addition. I don't think I would like to live in Raval though although it seems to be an up and coming area. I do not like living in small alleyways, because at night time I would be frightened. Furthermore, it was mentioned that in small alleys like that in the summer time it gets very hot because there is not much ventilation through the tall buildings. I enjoy living on a more main street that is more well lit, etc. I enjoyed learning that most of the official community and government buildings in the area used to be monasteries and churches. It was even more intriguing that these religious buildings used to be orphanages and take in the children who had no parents. My favorite part of all of these field trips has been the grafitti artwork on many of the buildings and garage areas. I think its amazing what people can do with a spray can and not many people pay any attention to this when passing through an area. I always wonder if grafitti artists make a living doing anything with their talents or they just do this in their downtime.