Wednesday, October 31, 2012

This is Halloween!

Or, as I almost titled this post, an economic view of Halloween abroad.

It's been 31/10/12 in my time zone fore half an hour already. All across the US, preparation for the holiday I'm sure are in full swing. Candy is being purchased, costumes are being perfected and decorations are placed in the perfect spot.

What about here in Spain? Well, Halloween isn't the same here. It's kind of just in bars for foreigners. I've seen one costume store, right by the cathedral in the somewhat touristy area dedicated to commerce. Tomorrow I might go to the supermarket to see if there is Halloween candy to be had. I'm experiencing my once a year craving for some ridiculously sweet candy corn.

I might be able to find some because I firmly believe in the economic forces of capitalism, the invisible hand and US soft power. This, like all other things in a free market is a function of supply and demand. Given the large influence of US pop culture, Halloween as Americans celebrate it is known here. Because of this, there is perhaps a demand for things like Halloween candy. If a stable market price can be maintained here, the invisible hand of the forces of supply and demand may see fit to place Halloween candy in stores near me. If so, market price will be determined by the elasticity of demand of consumers. In other words, how much a consumer will be willing to pay given how much they want the good. I imagine as a whole, the market in Spain is rather elastic, except for a few foreigners who may have a much more inelastic demand given their cultural expectations of eating candy on this day in the US. Thus, tomorrow is shall test my theory on the market availability of Halloween candy abroad. :)

 The big holiday here is All Saints Day on the first. I'll be on my way to Barcelona in lieu of celebration then. It's a seven hour bus ride I'm told. Leaving bright and early in the morning too. Glad the station is near where I live. I'm planning to sleep and bring homework and other things to do on the way.

Other than the long bus ride, I'm really looking forward to going. Barcelona seems like such a beautiful city. I'm charging my camera tomorrow. I don't think I ever uploaded my pictures from my trip to Pau so I might have to overload my Facebook with photos. I'm going to need space for Barcelona. I'm taking a test on Gothic architecture tomorrow so a trip to Barcelona for the four day weekend seems like a great follow up.

Here's to hoping for a safe Halloween and All Saints Day to all. Besos.

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