Poverty in Mallorca, 1

 
 
 
 

Vocabulary

 

attract	cityscape	see/saw/seen
mood	somber	grow/grew/grown (2)
ghost	ashamed	feel/felt/felt/ (2)
rate	infection	think/thought/thought (2)
still (2)	standstill	stand/stood/stood (2)
scene	distribute	handful (2)
aid	crumble	patient (2)
crisis	head (3)	rise/rose/risen
affect	demand	give/gave/given
line up	subsidy	lose/lost/lost
shame	case (3)	ghost town
sole (2)	hesitation	demonstrate
prior	structure	say/said/said
fringe	despair	come/came/come
afford	solidarity	run/ran/run (2)
local	trap (2)	downward spiral
spiral	improve	lose/lost/lost (2)
tortilla	poverty	downhill (2)
activist	donation	hit/hit/hit (3)
evict	prevent	pressure (2)
rent	block (3)	kick out (2)
resign	intensive	pandemic
option	landlord	for the time being
effect	squat (2)	resignation
tough	care (2)	on the rise
protest	minister	understand/understood/understood
main	subsidy	inhabitant
priority	at stake	take action
survival	show (3)	shelter (2)
provide	after all	worse off than
dire	argue (2)	bad/worse/worst
brutal	situation	take/took/taken
receive	share (3)	private (3)

 
 
 
 
 
 

Video: The Coronavirus and Poverty, 1

 
 
 
 

Transcript

Palma’s sunny winters normally attract plenty of tourists. But there are just a handful of people on these beaches. Almost everything is different on the island these days.

Despair IS growing. And the few visitors can feel the somber mood and unusual emptiness.

Beach Goer, one: “I wouldn’t have thought it would have ended this way. The place feels really sad.”
Beach Goer, two: “What I see here is . . . a ghost town, at least in Palma de Mallorca.”

Due to the high infection rates on the Balearic Islands, almost everything is closed: bars . . . restaurants . . . and the large hotels. Tourism has come to a standstill.

 

Scenes like this are now part of Palma’s cityscape. People waiting patiently for a free food-package, for example at the Tardor Aid Organization.

Prior to the corona crisis, two-hundred (200) meals were distributed here daily; that number has now risen to almost two-thousand (2,000). The pandemic’s affect on Mallorca has been brutal. And although the government gives out subsidies, they’re often not enough.

This is the case for Iria Noceda and her partner. She lost her job as a hostess in a hotel.

Iria Noceda, Unemployed: “There are so many people lined up here, I’m not ashamed to be here. I just find it sad to have to ask for food.”

Tony Bauza organizes the aid programs for Tardor. The organization is financed solely by private donations. He says Mallorca’s social structure is slowly crumbling.

Tony Bauza, Tardor Aid Organization: “Before, mainly people who had long been on the fringes of society came. But now we see normal families with children, who haven’t been able to work since the summer.”

 

The aid organization also runs shelters. Tony showed us one just a few blocks away. Up to eighty (80) people can stay here.

More and more locals are trapped on a downward spiral, and are losing their homes as a result of losing their jobs.

Mallorca has just under one million inhabitants. A third of them are now living in poverty.

Daniel Chavez from Argentina is sharing a single room with his wife and three children. Until six months ago, they lived in an apartment. And both parents had jobs at a hotel.

Daniel Chavez, Unemployed: “We both had jobs, and were doing really well. Then suddenly the virus came and . . . things began to go downhill.”

The people of Mallorca have been hit hard by the crisis.

Activist Joan Segura is demonstrating with others in front of an apartment building to prevent an eviction.

Mohammad El Maufi from Morocco has been pressured by his landlord to move out, as he can no longer afford the rent.

Despite the pandemic, there are about ten evictions in Palma every week.

Joan Segura, “Stop Evictions Movement”: “Evictions of rented apartments are on the rise and families are squatting in places because they have no other option and being kicked out.

Mohammad is lucky: with the help of the protesters, his eviction has been canceled for the time being.

 

Many people in Mallorca are angry. They’re demanding the government’s resignation and say state aid has arrived too slowly — or not at all.

Politicians argue the lockdown can’t be relaxed because the infection rate is still high, and intensive care stations full.

Iago Negueruela, Balearic Island Tourism Minister: “It’s normal that people protest. We understand that. But at the same time our main priority is to improve the health situation.

There has to be less pressure on hospitals — after all human lives are at stake.”

 

The times are tough, but the people of Mallorca are showing solidarity. Restaurant owners distribute food packages to those in need. Among them, Jose Mariano Burgos, who’s fighting for the survival of his business.

Until now the state has only provided subsides of fifteen-hundred (1,500) euros.

Jose Mariano Burgos, Restaurant Owner: “We want to help those who are worse off than us. This is going to be our worst year ever. Let’s see if the government is just talking — or actually taking action. Because we are all in a dire situation.”

At noon, they distribute a hot chocolate, tortilla and a sandwich. People receive their package with hesitation. They know all too well: Mallorca is heading into another tough year. It will be a long time before vacationers return to the island.

*     *     *     *     *     *     *

 

Questions

First Question. In 2020, the city of Palma has changed drastically. True or false? What was Palma like before 2020?

Second. Describe Palma in 2021? Why has it changed? How did it change?

Third. Is the Tardor Aid Organization a restaurant? What does it do? What happens there?

Fourth. Iria Noceda and Daniel Chavez are very happy. Is this right or wrong? What had happened to them?

Fifth. In Palma, does everyone live in their own house? What has happened to some residents of the city? Do others try to help them?

Sixth. Are the people satisfied with the government? What does the government say?

Seventh. Do all restaurants function normally? Do they only cook and sell meals to customers?

 

Wednesday. The situation in my city and country is normal. Yes or no?

Thursday. Have some or many people suffered in 2020? What happened to them?

Friday. Many people have protested against government policy and inappropriate action. True or false?

Saturday. What might happen in the future?

Sunday. What is the solution to this situation?