If home is where the heart is, my home is and always will be, the small and mighty Rock of Gibraltar.
Of all the places I've visited in the world I think that Gibraltar is one of the most curious. In the Iberian Peninsula, at the Southernmost tip of Europe, at the edge of a vast plain rises a great limestone rock. When seeing it rising out of the straits for the first time (keep in mind I have no idea what that feels like having been born on the thing) I can imagine that it looks rather impressive - but it isn't just the structure of it that has shaped Gibraltar's past, it is its location: Piercing out of the water between beautiful sandy coasts, Gibraltar acts as the gatekeeper of the Mediterranean. As one of the Pillars of Hercules it was believed to mark the end of the known world back in the days when the Greeks wore togas, but it is its strategic importance that has made these tiny 2.6 square miles what it is today.
Whenever I've told people I am from Gibraltar the initial reaction has usually been "Oh, I have never met anyone from Gibraltar" ... Well, if you come from a town with a population of 30,000, the chances would be that I've never met anyone from there either... The next question is very often "Do you feel British or Spanish?". That one is easy. If nationality really can be classed as a feeling, then what I 'feel' is Gibraltarian. Part of what makes the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar a curious place is not its Britishness, it is its Gibraltarianess. 30,000 people with a unique culture, a unique sense of humour, a unique language, a unique economy and a unique identity. Ethnically, we are Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Maltese, English as well as Moroccan, Jewish, Indian and more. It is that unique mix that makes us who we are as a people much more than our proximity to Spain or our British passports.
I am not English and I am not Spanish. I am Gibraltarian, I am Mediterranean, I am British, I am European and I feel proud of all of these things. I do love Spain however. When I meet people from different countries and I talk about Gibraltar I also talk to them about Andalucia. In my opinion, Andalucia is one of the most beautiful places in the world and my love for travel was nurtured there. The music, the people, the history, the food, the architecture, the coasts, the mountains and the energy of Andalucia have also helped shape who I am and whilst I don't "feel" Spanish, Andalucia holds a place in my heart.
We are not Spanish and yet Spain holds a lot of power over us for obvious reasons. It is in our interests to have good political relations with Spain, but if Spain does not want good political relations with us, there is little we can do... When having good political relations means having to compromise on our territorial rights then clearly we have a problem.
The hate campaign that rages in Spain sometimes becomes personal and therefore impossible to ignore. Naturally, it hasn't affected my relationships, but with Gibraltarian cars being set on fire and a completely shocking, limitless and disgusting hate campaign on social media (ranging from branding us as pirates, criminals, dogs, apes and culminating with death threats against our Chief Minister) there become less and less chances for good personal relationships due solely to the small mindedness of certain hateful individuals. Add to this completely false reports in the Spanish media that plant seeds of hate that spread like wildfire and we are powerless to do anything.
The other thing that we face now that we never faced in the past is the accessibility of people's opinions on social media. It's so easy to see the hate that exists on both sides which just serves to fuel the fire. I find it hard myself not to get emotionally involved - when I read sweeping statements insulting me, insulting my people how else am I supposed to react? But I don't hold it against spanish people in general, that would be idiotic, I hold it only against the small minded individuals insistent on turning this political circus into a personal war. I resent them on both sides. I resent them everywhere that they exist in the world for whatever reason they choose to discriminate and judge, whether it be anti-muslim, anti-immigrant, anti-spanish, anti-gibraltar, anti-communist, anti-woman... I am anti-anti. Hate is a strong emotion so to fling it around blindly at people or things that you don't understand is a complete waste of energy and the irony is that the hateful people with opposing views are more similar to each other than any other people on this planet - the same values, the same ideologies, the same reactions, the same emotions - they just happen to be on different sides.
Aside from all this, I am enjoying being back home and spending time with my amazing family and friends who I love to pieces - being away also makes you realise how good things are back home. Thank you so much for reading my ramblings - I can only hope that I've inspired you to book a flight!
The Rock:
Ronda:
View of Gibraltar and Morocco from Estepona:
One of my favourite beaches in the World in Tarifa:
Of all the places I've visited in the world I think that Gibraltar is one of the most curious. In the Iberian Peninsula, at the Southernmost tip of Europe, at the edge of a vast plain rises a great limestone rock. When seeing it rising out of the straits for the first time (keep in mind I have no idea what that feels like having been born on the thing) I can imagine that it looks rather impressive - but it isn't just the structure of it that has shaped Gibraltar's past, it is its location: Piercing out of the water between beautiful sandy coasts, Gibraltar acts as the gatekeeper of the Mediterranean. As one of the Pillars of Hercules it was believed to mark the end of the known world back in the days when the Greeks wore togas, but it is its strategic importance that has made these tiny 2.6 square miles what it is today.
Whenever I've told people I am from Gibraltar the initial reaction has usually been "Oh, I have never met anyone from Gibraltar" ... Well, if you come from a town with a population of 30,000, the chances would be that I've never met anyone from there either... The next question is very often "Do you feel British or Spanish?". That one is easy. If nationality really can be classed as a feeling, then what I 'feel' is Gibraltarian. Part of what makes the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar a curious place is not its Britishness, it is its Gibraltarianess. 30,000 people with a unique culture, a unique sense of humour, a unique language, a unique economy and a unique identity. Ethnically, we are Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Maltese, English as well as Moroccan, Jewish, Indian and more. It is that unique mix that makes us who we are as a people much more than our proximity to Spain or our British passports.
I am not English and I am not Spanish. I am Gibraltarian, I am Mediterranean, I am British, I am European and I feel proud of all of these things. I do love Spain however. When I meet people from different countries and I talk about Gibraltar I also talk to them about Andalucia. In my opinion, Andalucia is one of the most beautiful places in the world and my love for travel was nurtured there. The music, the people, the history, the food, the architecture, the coasts, the mountains and the energy of Andalucia have also helped shape who I am and whilst I don't "feel" Spanish, Andalucia holds a place in my heart.
We are not Spanish and yet Spain holds a lot of power over us for obvious reasons. It is in our interests to have good political relations with Spain, but if Spain does not want good political relations with us, there is little we can do... When having good political relations means having to compromise on our territorial rights then clearly we have a problem.
The hate campaign that rages in Spain sometimes becomes personal and therefore impossible to ignore. Naturally, it hasn't affected my relationships, but with Gibraltarian cars being set on fire and a completely shocking, limitless and disgusting hate campaign on social media (ranging from branding us as pirates, criminals, dogs, apes and culminating with death threats against our Chief Minister) there become less and less chances for good personal relationships due solely to the small mindedness of certain hateful individuals. Add to this completely false reports in the Spanish media that plant seeds of hate that spread like wildfire and we are powerless to do anything.
The other thing that we face now that we never faced in the past is the accessibility of people's opinions on social media. It's so easy to see the hate that exists on both sides which just serves to fuel the fire. I find it hard myself not to get emotionally involved - when I read sweeping statements insulting me, insulting my people how else am I supposed to react? But I don't hold it against spanish people in general, that would be idiotic, I hold it only against the small minded individuals insistent on turning this political circus into a personal war. I resent them on both sides. I resent them everywhere that they exist in the world for whatever reason they choose to discriminate and judge, whether it be anti-muslim, anti-immigrant, anti-spanish, anti-gibraltar, anti-communist, anti-woman... I am anti-anti. Hate is a strong emotion so to fling it around blindly at people or things that you don't understand is a complete waste of energy and the irony is that the hateful people with opposing views are more similar to each other than any other people on this planet - the same values, the same ideologies, the same reactions, the same emotions - they just happen to be on different sides.
Aside from all this, I am enjoying being back home and spending time with my amazing family and friends who I love to pieces - being away also makes you realise how good things are back home. Thank you so much for reading my ramblings - I can only hope that I've inspired you to book a flight!
The Rock:
'
Our beautiful sunsets over the bay:
Our barbary macaques:
Andalucia:
Sevilla:
La Alhambra, Granada:
Ronda:
View of Gibraltar and Morocco from Estepona:
One of my favourite beaches in the World in Tarifa:
Morocco, Also a big influence on our unique little culture. Tangiers:
