On Perceived Wealth
Trip Start
Sep 25, 2011
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37
58
Trip End
Jun 12, 2012
Bedmar, Andalusia, Spain
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
As anyone who has been reading this blog semi-frequently knows, I've been struggling immensely to get paychecks on time. By the end of December, I had received one paycheck for October, November and December (they are supposed to come monthly). I was finally paid for December mid-January, and just now received my February pay a week late (the earliest I've ever gotten it so far).
This has been the source of huge amounts of stress, as our paychecks are about enough to live here on a budget, and do a bit of traveling. There isn't much more wiggle room than that. After this last conversation over another late paycheck happened, my director must have sensed a bit of frustration in our tone, because later that day, an interested conversation took place.
The conversation began with him reminding me that the most important things in life are happiness and health and love (something he says every time the paycheck is late), and that money will never make you happy. My constant response to this is that I believe him, but that I am sure I won't be happy if I can't pay for food or shelter.
After that exchange, the following conversation took place:
Him: Your parents are rich though!
Me: Why do you say this?
Him: You showed us the presentation for the holidays with a picture of their mansion. They have a lovely mansion, it's very beautiful and they're rich!
Me: Okay, well thank you. But you need to understand that their mansion is not my mansion. The US is not like Spain. People do not live with their parents until they are 30....we move out and go to school at 18 usually
Him: Yes, you're strange
Me: Okay well we're strange. But my parents have their money and they can't give it all to me. I need to have some of my own.
Him: ...so that you can buy a mansion in New York?
Me: Sure.........why not, so I can buy a mansion in New York... (because that's where we all want to live apparently).
Him: Okay I'll pay you now.
So apparently now, the roughly $1000 that I receive per month goes mostly into paying for a mansion centrally located in NYC. Sounds great, I hope to be moving in soon.
To me (and likely everyone else reading), the situation seems absolutely preposterous. How could someone actually think this? This is an educated man, who has been a teacher for over 20 years and is now running the school. But perceptions of wealth over here are much different...and it's likely something I should have noted earlier.
In passing conversation, it's been said many times by others here at the school that Americans are rich. We don't know crisis. We don't know economic depression. Again, a ridiculous belief to hold if you're an American struggling to find a job in a market with an 8-15% unemployment rate. But from their perspective, they're right. The unemployment rate here in Spain at the end of 2011 was a whopping 23% across the country, with only about half of the population under 30 holding a job. Here in Jaen, a poorer province in the poorer autonomy of Andalucia, unemployment sits at 45%. We might be struggling in the US, but compared to the Spanish, there is an abundance of jobs. Perhaps 1 in 10 Americans are unemployed, but here in the Jaen province, it's nearly 1 of ever 2 people.
If that's not enough, they've seen pictures of my parent's house, which to them looks like Bill Gate's private estate. Here, the only way you could have a house that size would be to live well outside of the city on your own private land. Even then, you would need a ridiculous amount of money to pay for the electricity and elevated tax levels. A well off couple here will often live in the city in a large, nice apartment with private parking. If they're really wealthy, they might even own a small home in the mountains somewhere to visit on weekends and holidays.
OH and the GRASS. We have grass all over our yard. I once told my students that we had grassy soccer fields rather than cement, to which they responded that I must have gone to the best school in the world. To water and grow grass here the size of our yard back home would be another huge expense.
All in all, looking at things from their perspective, I can understand how they might be seeing "Misener Mansion" where we see a good upper-middle class home in the suburbs. From what I can tell. my parents are more or less the Dutch and Dutchess of Verona, Wisconsin (by the way, my students were once appalled to learn Wisconsin has no Dutch and Dutchess) in the minds of many of my co-workers.
Perhaps to bring them back down to our level, I should share with them what we're paying to attend university, and for health care.
Comments
Interesting posting...yes, perceived wealth...an interesting concept that has been around for a long time. What, your parents aren't the duchess and duke of Verona...you shattered my world! Stay safe. Please come over to visit when you get back in the neighborhood:)