A Life Going Begging

EXTRAS: http://linguaspectrum.com/quizzes/do_the_quiz.php?id=44

This is a video in two parts. Part one, 0:00, has no on-screen text to help develop your listening skills. Part two, which begins at 10:33, has the words on the screen to help with your understanding.

In this Video English Lesson, I'd like to share with you some of my observations about one all-pervasive aspect of life here in Spain -- begging.

Lemming-like, thousands of wannabe Spaniards bid adieu to the grey cliffs of Dover every year and head for a new life in Iberia's promised lands. Many times as many poor souls never make it past the travel section of their local library; paralysed as they are by the fear of failure. Yet no one need be denied a life of endless sunshine and cheap wine, and even the most ill-starred of life's failures should not hesitate to take the plunge. For here in Spain there are a wealth of opportunities to scratch a living going begging.
George Orwell wrote in Down and Out in Paris and London that "if one looks closely, one sees that there is no essential difference between a beggar's livelihood and that of numberless respectable people." When he left Spain after being wounded in the civil war Orwell understood that beggars are as much a part of Spanish society as bullfighting and the Church.
The Church is everywhere is Spain, and every church door is blessed with a beggar. To secure one of these positions it seems you need only turn up wearing a wretched expression and dirty clothing. The botafumeiro, the giant censer swung over the crowds of pilgrims at the shrine of Santiago de Compostela, was originally installed to combat the pungency of the unwashed multitudes. Today's church beggars ensure that incense will remain a feature of Spanish church services for years to come.
The actual work involved in being a church beggar is easy. Simply hold out an old paper cup and nod appreciatively when a coin appears. Nodding is kept to a minimum as coins appear as infrequently as the worshipers in an English church come Sunday.
If the religious life holds no appeal, you could do worse than spend your last euro on a beer and a free lesson in another time-honoured begging technique. Pick any tapas bar and within a short time someone will drift by and place a cheap cigarette lighter and a written message on your table. The message would have you believe that the overweight man who put it there is in fact a starving immigrant or that the woman with more gold in her mouth than a conquistador's knapsack cannot afford to feed her numerous kids.
It was the beggars in Seville who invented the cigarette in the fifteenth century by picking up discarded cigar ends and rolling them into Cigarillos. With a national habit of such long standing it is hardly surprising that the need for a light often outweighs the obvious discrepancy between the message and the beggar's appearance. You realise how successful the technique is when you see the same people driving cars packed with their numberless children in other parts of the city.
With a decent suntan you might just pass as an immigrant and get away with the cigarette lighter scam, but unless you happen to be of Romany stock you're unlikely to be mistaken for a gypsy. Without Spanish gypsies there would be no flamenco, no Carmen, a less robust oriental castanet and fan industry, and no hordes of corpulent women thrusting foliage into every tourist's button hole.

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[yarte0]

"In this Video English Lesson, I'd like to share with you some of my observations about one all-pervasive aspect of life here in Spain -- begging."

Your english language lessons are awesome, thank you very much!. But I can´t understand where you acquired this knowledge about spanish society. Sorry. And I'm sorry for my poor english language

[Linguaspectrum]

@yarte0 Thank you for watching and for your comments. The video is based on my observations of beggars in Sevilla over the past 10 years. I don't think it's any different in any other city around the world. Furthermore, I love Sevilla and will be happy to spend the rest of my life here. The people are great, the weather is amazing, the food is superb, the city is absolutely beautiful and even the beggars are fascinating. It's an honour to call Sevilla my home.

[TheKhudzul]

Thank you so much indeed.That is an interesting video! but No offense intended I think It would be better to add a vocubulary part end of video or description Greetings From Turkey!

[Linguaspectrum]

@TheKhudzul No offence taken. The second part of the video has the words, and the link below the video has a great interactive quiz link that will give you all the vocabulary you need to fully understand the video.

Thanks for watching and for commenting.

Best wishes,

Richard

[ora0101]

Thank you so much..

[Linguaspectrum]

@ora0101 You're more than welcome. Thanks for watching and for commenting.

Best wishes,

Richard

[Bostezador]

Another great video. I find the motivation for some expats to leave Britain is fear as well, or an inability to fit in in their own country. Now let's see if Rajoy's victory brings with it an increase or a decrease in the number of beggars...

[salvatograsso86]

Really interesting, as always! 

[Nicola72av]

Good morning dear teacher!

Your lessons are always so beautiful and interesting: thanks a lot for all of them!

I send you a dear greeting from Italy.

Have a nice day!

Nicola