WOW. SO AS A LATINO I CAN ACQUIRE SPANISH CITIZENSHIP AND EU CITIZENSHIP WITH JUST TWO YEARS OF RESIDENCY INSTEAD OF TEN. SOUNDS GREAT. NOW, CAN SOMEONE REFER ME TO ANYBODY WHO KNOWS (THE INS AND OUTS) OF HOW TO OBTAIN THE BEST TYPE OF RESIDENCY FOR ME AND MY FAMILY? I WOULD LIKE TO GET IT ALL IN ORDER BY THE TIME MY 11 YEAR OLD FINISHES SCHOOL HERE IN PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO IN EARLY JULY. AND, I KNOW THAT THERE IS A SPANISH CONSULATE NEARBY IN GUADALAJARA, MEXICO. BUT, AFTER HAVING READ MANY POSTS I HAVE GOTTEN THE IMPRESSION THAT THEY (SPANISH BUROCRATAS)ARE NOT VERY HELPFUL AND INDEED MAY SLOW UP OR DERAIL THE PROCESS. ANY INFO OR CONTACTS WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. IN FACT I E-MAILED A SPANISH LAW FIRM FOR HELP BUT THEY JUST BRUSHED ME OFF!!! EVEN AFTER I TOLD THEM THAT I WAS A U.S. LICENSED ATTORNEY ASKING FOR RECIPROCAL HELP!!!
REGARDING DISCRIMINATION OF LATINOS IN SPAIN I AM AWARE OF THAT AND THE FACT THAT THEY DISCRIMINATE AGAINST EACH OTHER, I.E., CASTILIIAN VS. CATALONIAN, VS. BASQUE VS. ANDALUSION, ETC.,ETC.,.. I LIVED IN BARCELONA FOR ABOUT A YEAR WITH MY COUSINS ( A LONG TIME AGO). I AM A CUBAN-AMERICAN AND I MET SOME CUBANS WHO HAD BEEN GRANTED POLITICAL ASYLUM AND HAD BECOME SPANISH CITIZENS. HOWEVER, WHEN I WOULD SPEAK TO THEM THEY WOULD AT FIRST INSTANCE SPEAK TO ME IN THE TYPICAL “GUTERAL” SOUNDING CASTILLIAN SPANISH. ONCE THEY KNEW I WAS CUBAN THEN THEY WOULD REVERT TO THE SOFTER BUT FAST CUBAN STYLE SPANISH. THEY INFORMED ME THAT IN ORDER TO “GET AHEAD” THEY HAD TO SPEAK WITH THE CASTILLIAN ACCENT. AND WHILE IN BARCELONA I HAD A HARD TIME SPEAKING TO THE CATLONIANS WHO DID NOT LIKE TO SPEAK SPANISH!!! HOWEVER, WHEN I WAS IN SOUTHERN SPAIN (ANDALUSIA) SOME ANDALUSIANS SPEAK MORE LIKE CUBANS WITHOUT THAT HARSH LISP AND GUTERAL ACCENT OF THE NORTH. AND, I FELT MUCH MORE WELCOMED IN THE SOUTH WITH THE SOUNDS OF FLAMENCO RUMBAS WHICH BY THE WAY ARE BASED ON THE CUBAN RUMBA. I FELT MUCH MORE RELAXED AND AT HOME IN ANDALUSIA. OBVIOUSLY, IF YOU ARE LIKE ME AND OF 100% SPANISH DESCENT (CREOLES OR CRIOLLOS IN SPANISH) FROM THE NORTH , GALICIA, ASTURIAS AND NAVARRA YOU ARE MUCH LESS LIKELY TO BE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST BECAUSE WE BLEND IN WITH THE GENERAL POPULATION AS OPPOSED TO SAY LATINOS WHO ARE OF INDIAN, AFRICAN OR MESTIZO DESCENT. I JUST NEED TO SPEAK IN ENGLISH AND NOT IN MY CUBAN SPANISH TO AVOID BEING DISCRIMINATED BY THE UPPITY CASTLLIANS!!! BY THE WAY, HERE IN LATINAMERICA THERE EXISTS A LOT OF SUBTLE DISCRIMINATION AS WELL ALTHOUGH IT IS WANING AS TIME GOES BY AND THE POPULATION MIXES FURTHER AND STEREOTYPES ARE DISCARDED. OF NOTE IS THE FACT THAT THE SPANISH ARE NOT GEATLY LIKED HERE IN LATINAMERICA. ITS A LOVE HATE RELATIONSHIP. ESPECIALLY THE CASTLLIANS. THE SPANISH FROM GALICIA ARE CONSIDERED RATHER OBTUSE AND STUBBORN AND ARE THE SUBJECT OF MANY JOKES SIMILAR IN FLAVOR TO JOKES ABOUT POLACKS IN THE U.S.A.!!! BUT THESE STEREOTYPES ARE CHANGING NOW THAT THE SPANISH HAVE MODERNIZED AND HAVE BEEN BEGUN RE-COLONIZING LATINAMERICA AND BUYING UP ALL THE BANKS, BUILDING HOTELS LIKE CRAZY AND RELOCATING TO LATINAMERICA AS ENTREPRENEURS INSTEAD OF AS LABORERS IN PREVIOUS CENTURIES OR AS POLITICAL REFUGEES ESCAPING CIVIL WAR AND FAMINE AS THE SPANISH EMPIRE UNRAVELLED. WITHOUT A DOUBT THE SPANISH HAVE MADE QUITE A COMEBACK AT LEAST ECONOMICALLY.
AS AN ASIDE WE HAVE BEEN LIVING ON A SAILBOAT (WHICH I JUST SOLD) HERE IN MEXICO FOR THE BETTER PART OF 8 YEARS AND HAVE VISITED MANY PORTS. INVARIABLY I HAVE MET MANY BRITS, AUSTRALIANS, CANADIANS AND A FEW KIWIS WHO ARE SAILING MEXICO. I SPOKE TO ONE OF MY BRIT FRIENDS “TEAPOT TONY” WHO IS A DIESEL MECHANIC HERE IN PUERTO VALLARTA AND HE SAID THAT HE THOUGHT ABOUT MOVING TO SPAIN ONCE BUT DECIDED AGAINST IT BECAUSE THERE WERE TOO MANY BRITS IN SPAIN ALREADY!!! HE’S PRETTY HAPPY HERE. I LIKE SPAIN BUT I WANT TO GET THE EU CITIZENSHIP AND SPAIN SEEMS TO BE THE MOST LOGICAL PLACE TO OBTAIN IT BASED ON MY SITUATION. MAYBE I SHOULD HAVE MARRIED MY SPANISH GIRLFRIEND WAY BACK WHEN I WAS LIVING IN BARCELONA. C’EST LA VIE. ANY INFO OR CONTACTS WILL BE APPRECIATED.
REGARDS
