The John Griff column: When jealousy is misplaced…
How many times have you looked at the lot of others, decided that the fates have dealt you an unfair hand and reflected that life should be considerably easier? Is the grass truly greener on the other side of the street though? How many of us act on that perception, only to find that things aren’t actually as they might have initially appeared? Who’s really living on the street’s greener side?
Some years ago, Lois and I looked at the viability of splitting our time between living the warmer half of the year here in the UK and the rest of it in Spain. Decades ago, her parents bought a house adjacent to a golf course on the coast. Lois grew up spending school holidays there at about the same time as British tourists descended in their droves, staying in the hotels and Costas that shot up to meet demand. Tourism brought vast amounts of money to the region – but it also brought British holiday culture with it, seemingly ignoring altogether the culture of the indigenous population. Traders pivoted of course, to meet the demands of the brash annual invasion. They still do, but problems have grown over time and overt resentment from certain politicians and sectors of the Spanish community to tourists from certain countries (including the UK) is now a reality. You can understand why.
Years ago, the attraction of owning property in Spain was clear. Now, the heat cycle that comes with living on the shores of the Mediterranean means that maintenance of properties is a constant challenge. So too is keeping the local insect population at bay. Cockroaches and mosquitos make their homes in the same places as humans do and are a real health hazard. With climate change there are times where it is simply too hot to go out - residents become all but imprisoned in their own homes. Without air conditioning, life is uncomfortable. When we go to Spain, the first two days of any stay are usually spent clearing up the house before we can properly relax into it. We keep a low profile too, steering clear of holidaymaking hordes. Most of our stays are long weekends or occasional weeks. We love visiting but avoid the high season of summer madness. One day the house will be sold. With time it’s getting more expensive to maintain it and the need for maintenance is growing as the region gets hotter. But Spain still works its magic and plenty are drawn to it as expats to retire, drawing their pensions and avoiding the damp and the cold of Britain. Who can blame them?
Now flip the coin.
Last Saturday I met members of the Albanian Community Association as they celebrated their identity with an event in the Grosvenor Centre. I was there as a Deputy Lieutenant, as was Northampton Mayor, Councillor Jane Birch. I was given the warmest welcomes and the number attending certainly grew over time - I noted at least three generations of people born of Albanian heritage. The Association is run by its founder Elona Latifi, as a cultural and social bridge to help Albanians who settle here. She arrived in 2015, having been a translator in the courts system and an educator. With her a fork-lift truck driver husband Andi, they help fellow Albanians while Albania itself negotiates to become part of the EU, having joined NATO in 2009 and transitioned from communist rule in 1992.
Albania’s economy is not a wealthy one. Reliant on developing tourism and construction, in 2020 over 20% of the population lived in poverty with just over 45% more in danger of slipping into it. Elona told me that there are about two thousand Albanians here - you can appreciate why. Perceptions of a better life all round are a strong attraction, but many don’t contact the Association because they mistakenly believe that it will report on them and that they will fall foul of the authorities, only some having arrived illegally. Developing relationships and integrating into the community is an obvious challenge, so a subculture develops, fuelled by fear and misapprehension. Illegal entry into a country should rightly carry its own penalty. But for those who do the right things and go on contribute to the system here, we should welcome them and their input. They shouldn’t have to deny or hide their identity either – in that direction perhaps lie the massive and tragic societal lessons from the 1940s.
‘Faleminderit’ to Elona, Andi and the Albanian Cultural Association. I was the stranger at your community event – thank you for the warmth of your welcome in my country.