Beggars - To Give or Not to Give

For someone that lives in a fairly small cathedral city in Hertfordshire, moving to Madrid was a shock in more ways than one. The sheer number of people I encounter on a daily basis is staggering. I was chatting to my Dutch/French housemate the other day and she joked that the people sharing her metro train probably outnumbered the inhabitants of her entire village!

All echelons of society are squashed together in one noisy, frantic, multicultural mess. This means that, while also sharing the pavement with impeccably coiffed women clacking along in high heels and business men in their loafers and blazers, you inevitably encounter those who are less fortunate. In a word - beggars.

At first Madrid's beggars made me feel deeply uneasy. This might seem a bit pathetic but bear in mind that these people are often terribly disfigured. There's the man in Sol with no arms who sits rattling a plastic cup full of change by holding it with his teeth. An awfully burned man with no fingers walks the train on my metro home every day calling "yo no tengo dedos, una ayuda por fa!". A woman with an empty eye socket stands at the base of the stairs to Sol metro trying to get the attention of passers by. These are just a few examples of the people I've encountered and there are many, many more.

I'm happy to say that after 6 months abroad I am no longer frightened by beggars but they still give me cause to think. I have never given one of them any money. I defend my actions by saying that it would be impossible to give money to them all and who am I to decide who is more deserving? This doesn't mean that I don't feel sorry for them though and I can't say that my heart doesn't sink when I hear "yo no tengo dedoooos" ringing through the train.

Most beggars are not aggressive in their asking; they simply hold out a cup of change. On the street it is easy to walk on by and I find that on the metro is where begging can feel the most awkward. Here many people look away or try to hide behind their tablet or smartphone which can cause the beggar to stop and be a little more persistent. It is entirely up to you whether you give money or not. If you decide that you'd rather not there is nothing to worry about - just shake your head and say no. I have never seen a beggar stop or make a scene after this.

If you're from London or Manchester you're probably wondering what all the fuss is about but let me assure any small town people like me that there's absolutely nothing to be worried about! If you're heading to a big city for your year abroad it's inevitable that you'll encounter the homeless, or people asking for spare change, fairly regularly. Begging, unfortunately, is a fact of life and whether you choose to donate or not it isn't going to be a problem that disappears any time soon.