Black in Spain: Barcelona-based, half-French, half Kenyan starting her career in Spain

I met Noémie a few months ago via LinkedIn. As luck would have it, a colleague of hers had forwarded her a piece I had written about working in Spain as a Black woman. As a half-French, half Kenyan woman brought up in London and now living in Spain, we bonded over our shared interests.

A few weeks later, we met up face to face for the first time in Barcelona and had one of the most heartfelt conversations about life in Spain. All of a sudden, it reminded me why I had started my blog in the first place – to create a space to share stories from and for Black women looking to move to Spain.

In the Black in Spain series, I interview Black women, from all walks of life, living all over the 17 regions of Spain. I try to help paint an honest picture of the ups and downs of life abroad, from the perspective of women of colours. My goal is to bring together our stories, and help the next generation of Black women to find their safe haven in Spain.

Today, I am super excited to introduce you to my first guest: Noémie!

Name: Noémie

Age: 26

Hometown: London

What’s your backstory, and most importantly what triggered your love of traveling?

I am half French, half Kenyan, I was born in France but I grew up in London. I am 26 now, and I lived in London up until the age of 18, then I moved to Leeds for Uni, where I studied Spanish and management for 4 years. As part of my course I did a year abroad in Chile, Santiago which was one of the most enriching and eye-opening experiences ever. I was both working and traveling. I got to discover a new culture -- something that was completely alien to me as none of my family had ever traveled to South America before.

Why barcelona? How long have you been living here?

As a graduate, I knew that I’d either have to go back home or that it would mean constantly being on a budget - which I didn’t want. The other option in London was to work extra hours just so that I could keep climbing the career ladder whereas there are other cultures like in Spain where you can work your required hours and still move up.

Barcelona happened to be a city I had fallen in love with on a girls trip at 18. From that day on I had said to myself that one day I’d live in Barcelona at some point in my life. That’s been in my head ever since.

I moved to Barcelona in March 2018 to live with my best friend from London, it was our plan. One of the reasons why we moved to Barcelona was because we wanted to live together. In London, we knew it wasn't going to be possible because we lived so close to each other, and paying London rent wouldn’t have made any sense.

“Barcelona happened to be a city I had fallen in love with on a girls’ trip at 18. From that day on I had said to myself that one day I’d live in Barcelona at some point in my life. ”

— Noémie

Also read: If you’re interest in hearing more stories from Black women striving in Spain, check the Black in Spain section for more inspiring stories

What do you do in Spain? How did you find your current job?

When I first moved here I had no idea what I wanted to do. I knew that I wanted to be in a corporate environment, that was an experience I really lacked. My plan was to find a job in Barcelona where I’d have gained enough skills to then have a higher salary when I eventually moved back to London.

To find a job in Barcelona I just went crazy on LinkedIn, I was really active, I was also looking at the typical job recruitment sites like Glassdoor, Indeed, and TalentSearch.

I was looking at a range of jobs where I’d be able to leverage my language skills, as well as a job that was going to take me somewhere. At first, I was applying for lots of customer service roles and I got through to a few interviews but then realized it wasn’t really for me.

Throughout the process, the one thing I was really clear about was the type of company I wanted to work for. I was looking for a relatively young company that was quite dynamic and agile. Somewhere where I could play a few different roles.

However, not having a Master’s and not much experience was quite limiting, so I realized quite quickly that I would have to settle for an internship, that would then progress to become a permanent role if I performed well. That really filtered my search.

In the end, I found an internship in the company I am currently working for. Since then my role has changed significantly. At one point, I ended up copy editing, and proofing for the team because I was the only English speaker in my company. That has been a huge asset.

Living in Barcelona as a Native-English speaker has been really good for me. Then after a year of supporting and building the company’s events strategy, I ended up securing my current position as Events Manager.

“Living in Barcelona as a Native-English speaker has been really good for me.”

— Noémie

Hablas Español?

Yes, although it depends on the day! I had a bit of a tough time when I came back from Chile for my final year, mainly because I came back with a very strong Chilean Spanish accent. The person who graded me for my overall skills didn’t rate me at all, because of my accent, which totally knocked my confidence. With hindsight, I think she was probably racist. That's when I thought if I want to keep speaking Spanish I need to go back to another Spanish-speaking country ASAP.

What’s the best thing about living in barcelona?

Definitely the lifestyle that I get to live. It’s a healthy lifestyle, it really encouraged me to be healthier. I feel like so often people talk about their 20s like it’s your time to grind and work really hard so that you can then enjoy life in your 30s and ahead. But I really feel like I am living the best of both worlds, where I am working hard but also laying strong foundations for my future.

Now, what are some of the challenges you have faced in barcelona?

As for the worst, bureaucracy definitely comes to mind!

Other than that I’d say is the attitude towards people of colour like immigrants and refugees. Because Barcelona is a modern city, sometimes people that live here feel like “because I am a modern person, what I am saying isn’t racist”. Like when people say things like “let’s go and get a drink from the p*ki”. Then, it’s the insistence that because they are Spanish speaking it can’t be racist when actually it all has a root cause.

In general, there’s this attitude that’s removed towards the whole issue of race.

What’s the reality of being a black woman in Barcelona?

I think I have an advantage, just because I am lighter and the way that I dress is quite European looking. Like sometimes people would separate me from let’s say darker skin people. At the end of the day, it’s a class thing, it’s a race thing, there are so many layers to it.

When I first got here I wore my hair straight, I kept it straight for as long as possible and when it wasn’t straight I kept it in a bun because it was more “acceptable”. So when I moved here, I was aware that something racist could happen to me so I mentally prepared myself for it.

Since I lived here I have never experienced anything too bad other than people assuming that I was looking for jobs in the service industry or as a cleaner when I actually wasn’t. Some people thought of me as “brave” just for applying for office jobs. Then there are always the occasional microaggressions like someone in the office throwing up gang signs at me etc.

What’s dating like as a Black woman in Barcelona?

I came to Barcelona with the idea that I was going to live my best Sex & The City life, I really wanted to start dating. So I went on a series of dates, mainly with people that weren't white. I just didn't really match with white people, and when I did one of the first comments I got was about my skin and I was like, I am out.

Although I am usually attracted by non-white people, when I moved to Barcelona I came in with an open mind. But many times it felt like the guys just wanted to try it with a Black girl, or it felt like I was an experience rather than a girl they would be interested in for the long run.

In Barcelona, I really feel invisible, whereas in London I knew guys were attracted to me. I don't feel seen at all, and if I am seen it is not in a way I want to be seen. Beyond dating, I really feel invisible in Barcelona. People would just walk into me in the street which is really strange.

But the hardest thing about it all is that you can't really put your finger on it, you can't quite say what it really is. When you talk with someone who hasn't experienced it, it's hard for them to put themselves in your shoes too.

“Many times it felt like the guys just wanted to try it with a Black girl, or it felt like I was an experience rather than a girl they would be interested in for the long run. ”

— Noémie