This. Is. It.

Today is my last day living in Barcelona.  I'm feeling strange about this one.  I have so much to look forward to once I get home but I am still feeling strange!  I love Barcelona so much.  The city is amazing-- today, after four months, I still saw new things.  Also, I love the challenge of living in a different culture.  This whole semester has been completely amazing.

Today, I went to the beach with Sarah and two of our other friends.  It was a different beach than the touristy one so that was cool (not as many people wandering around selling things: massages, beers, etc.).  Then, we met up with Dana and had lunch, returned our cell phones and now I have to pack.

Here are my last photos from Barcelona...

Okay, well, I guess I'm off to pack and then basically on the plane (I leave tomorrow morning).  Thanks for reading my blog, everyone.  And I'm looking forward to seeing all of you when I get home!

Hasta luego!!

Life Lessons from Barcelona

Here are some of the most important things I've learned in Barcelona, in no particular order but I have a thing for numbered lists.

1) Do what you love.  This one sunk in when I was waiting in line to enter the Sagrada Familia.  I was watching a man busking (buskers are street performers.  This man was playing a guitar) when I had a revelation: this man is doing what he loves doing.  This is not always the case with buskers but this guy wasn't very good and still seemed to be enjoying himself.  He's probably making enough money to get by and every day he gets to do something he loves.  So the moral of this one is to be happy... support yourself but don't feel like you have to earn money to meet societal norms and standards.

By the way, some people who started out busking (according to Wikipedia) are: Bob Dylan, Steve Martin, Jimmy Buffett, Robin Williams, Cirque du Soleil and The Blue Man Group.  For more information, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Busking 

2) Accept a culture for what it is (not what it's not or how it compares to another one).  The culture here is far different from in the US.  Back home, I'd never think of having tomato spread on toast for breakfast or take my time doing nearly everything rather than bustling around.  I probably wouldn't try chicken liver or walk by a stand in a market selling sheep heads without giving it another look.  But Barcelona isn't in the US so I have tried to embrace all of these things.  I don't put my napkin on my lap, I use a piece of bread as an edible utensil, I wear a jacket and scarf when it's over 60 degrees.  Besides my eating, walking, and dressing habits, my ideas have changed too.

3) Be flexible.  You can't predict that your bus won't come or that you're going to wind up with lamb ribs on your plate for dinner (sorry, I obviously have a food obsession) or that you're going to wind up walking into a rally or see some fascinating street performance.  Take the interesting road, not the one you'd planned on taking.  When you're walking and something catches your eye, check it out.  Turn down that windy street or stop to watch people dancing, buy a pastry from the delicious bakery (here I go again) and snap a picture of the door painted a brilliant turquoise if that's what floats your boat.

Okay, okay, this door was in Italy.

4) Really, it's not going to matter if you're a few minutes late (did I just say that?!?!).  Take the time to appreciate where you are and the moment you're in... you'll only be in a moment once so make the most of it.

5) Whatever you do, do it right... no regrets.

Sarah doing it right at a Barca game (it took a few tries but she got it!).

7)  One last thing since I know this list is probably boring but... EAT MEAT!  As a former vegetarian, I know I would have hated hearing this only a few months ago but it's kind of a metaphor.  Being open to food (or, on a larger scale, the culture) means that you can order anything on the menu and eat it (I'm losing track of this metaphor and am probably only thinking like this because I'm starving but... when you're open to whatever comes your way, you'll always be able to give it a shot and who knows when you'll try something delicious or, um, do something life-changing!).  Okay, now that I have figured that metaphor out, I'm going to go count the minutes until dinner.

Cheers, everyone! 

Winding Down

Well, I will be home in two days.  The end of my time in Barcelona has been full of doing work, laying in the sun, and wandering around the city.  Today, after our exam, Sarah and I set out to do some final shopping.  We wound up walking for a very long time and decided to get some sangria to celebrate the end of our long day.

Here are some photos:

Really beautiful tiles that we both want in our kitchens when we're grown up (which, for me, begins in a few months, I guess!).

The back of Santa Caterina Market.

Sangria time.

Feria II

Last night, Sarah, Dana, and I convinced our other roommate Emilia to come out with us.  It was her first time going out at night since she got here.  We decided to go back to the Feria de Abril to see what it was like at night.  First, though, we put on our matching earrings (yes, we are that cool!) from St. Jordi's Day.

Sarah and Emilia on the bus.

Dana and me.

Chocolate con churros.

Roommates!

Now, a little story... when were in the elevator going back home, Sarah said "Oh, I'm so tired."  Dana, "Me too!"  Me, "I feel exhausted; I can't wait to go to bed."  And then, Emilia "I feel so happy!"

Our night was a success!

Feria de Abril

Every year, Feria de Abril is held in Sevilla (southern Spain).  This is basically the April fair.  It is held in the end of April, about two weeks after Easter.  It lasts for six days, during which people don't go to work.  Tents are set up by different organizations, like political parties and charitable groups, as well as just restaurants where you can eat and where people dance flamenco.

Barcelona also hosts a Feria de Abril.  There is a carousel, flamenco dancing, food stands, stands selling homemade foods, and there are also some souvenir stalls.  It is a very cool experience.

The strip.

Ferris Wheel.

Cooking up a storm.

Dancers.

The outfits.

Candy.

Dried fruit.  Check out the kiwis!  And those are whole pears next to them.

We find LOVE

Yeah, that title is stolen from a Dave Matthews Band song but I'm quoting it because it's perfectly applicable.

Don't get your panties in a knot... I haven't found some fantastic Catalan novio (boyfriend) with six days to go until I come home.  No.  I have found La Diada de Sant Jordi! 

Today, April 23rd marks Sant Jordi's Day (Saint George) AND the death dates of both Cervantes and Shakespear in 1616.  As legend has it, Sant Jordi (who died around 300 CE) slayed a dragon to protect a princess.  Where the dragon's blood fell, a rosebush grew.  He picked one of the roses and gave it to the princess.  So this holiday has been celebrated for centuries with men giving roses to the women they love.

 Then, in 1923, a Barcelona bookseller decided that the day could also commemorate the deaths of Cervantes and Shakespear.  So, now, traditionally, men give roses and women give books except it's permissible to give anyone a book (or rose, I suppose).  This is a really nice day.  It's an official work day but almost everyone takes off and walks around.  There are rose and book stands all over the city and so many people wandering around.  It's really gorgeous. 

Sarah, Dana, and I walked around for a few hours.  We bought matching leather rose earrings, a book for our host dad, and a rose for our host mom.  When we got home, our host dad had put a rose on each of our beds!  So sweet!

Photos!

The stand where we got our earrings.

Some flowers.  See the green ones?? 

There are 24 hour readings of Cervantes.  

Rose.

The epitome of the day.

So, Sant Jordi is my new day!  Forget about Valentine's Day!  I'd rather have books and roses than chocolate and roses.  Plus, what's the story behind Valentine's Day anyway?  What I do know for sure is that it doesn't include a dragon!

Also, today was my final Spanish class here.  We had our exam and then had a party afterward.  My Spanish class is a really close-knit group of people and my Spanish teacher is awesome.  We all brought in snacks and framed a picture of our class for our teacher.  Then we spent an hour dancing to youtube videos (Slumdog Millionaire, the Macarena, Cotton Eye Joe, Souljaboy, the Sardana-- Catalunya's national dance, and so on).  This was an excellent time and a little bittersweet because my Spanish class was always such a fun time. 

It is amazing that this semester is nearly over.  I have five days left here and a ton of studying and other stuff to do before I go. 

You've Got to be Livin'!

As I mentioned in my last entry, I have taken up yoga once more.  Now, kids, this isn't your grandma's yoga!  Truth be told, if a proper yogi saw me doing yoga, they would probably be horrified beyond belief but it's fun... yoga, Sarah-style.

Here's what happens: I put on some kickin tunes (Bob Marley, Michael Franti, Dispatch) and do some sun salutations.  These are pretty routine... what I've done in yoga classes.  Except that there is a mirror hung right where I am facing so, since I have great difficulties being serious, when I catch my eye in the mirror, I wink and do a little dance.  Well.  I am not a good dancer so this makes me laugh so I am doing Warrior II and cracking up.  I know that I am missing the mind-body-spirit connection here but laughter is good for the soul and I'm convinced that you can Laugh Your Way to a Six Pack™  (title of the fitness book I'll be releasing in September, 2010; titled Reir a una Tableta de Chocolate for Spanish-speaking countries. Coming soon to a bookstore near you).  This continues throughout my yoga session.

I have found some kindred spirits though!!  Except, sadly, they apparently do not listen to music whilst doing laughing yoga.

My Kind of Day

Today, I took a "me" day.  When I was in school (aka pre-k through 12th grade), I would sometimes take "mental health days" where I would stay home for no reason other than that I needed a break from school and I would read or watch movie or go on excursions with my mom.  (Clearly, I was a sensitive kid, taking mental health days when I was four.)

Today's "me" day-- title updated from the mental health day-- did not involve missing any classes.  It was a beautiful day-- sunny and about 70 degrees though a bit windy.  I had a two hour break between my morning and afternoon classes so I took that time to sit in Plaza Real, read (The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver) and eat lunch, get chocolate and blackberry gelato (unfortunately this was not nearly as delicious as it sounds), and to wander around an old part of the city for a while. 

Where I ate lunch.

So as I was walking around the city, I kept on saying in my head "I really, really love it here!" and I really do.  This has been a perfect place to spend four months of my life and I have fully enjoyed it.

Unfortunately, I had to return to school for a class in the afternoon.  While sitting in a class which had the potential to be interesting, I decided that I would do yoga once I returned to my apartment.  As I was sitting on the bus, I saw that the sky was getting very dark.  And I started to get excited because a thunderstorm makes almost every day exponentially better.

I got into my room, opened the sliding glass door, put on some yoga-esque clothes, pushed my bed aside, rolled up the rug (kidding about that one), put on some Bob Marley, and did some yoga.  This was absolutely splendid!  Best of all, as I was doing my yoga, the cloud darkened even more and crash-boom-BAM!  Thunderstorm!  

Oh yeah!  I also had my Spanish presentation today.  The Bruce photo previously posted here went over VERY well and my teacher was very impressed that I loved Bruce.  Just about everyone here loves The Boss.  It's almost like being in New Jersey!

Palau de Musica

Last night, I went to the Palau de Musica with Sarah, her mom, and two of their family friends, Holly and Brittany. This is a really gorgeous building from the outside and the inside is beautiful too. There are 2,140 roses in the ceiling (you'll see a picture in a minute) and there are also 2,140 seats in the building (thank you, Sarah, for the excellent information!). The outside of the building is also decorated with roses. You may be wondering why I am talking about the outside but don't have a picture for you.... the angle is really difficult to get because the street out front is so narrow. But, then, that's what Google is for.

There are mosaics throughout both the inside and the outside of the building. You may remember pictures of Gaudi's Serpentine Bench, which was also covered in mosaics. Mosaics are a very Catalan thing so you can see them throughout Barcelona and also in the rest of Catalunya.

The Palau is a very Catalan place. The show we saw was a small orchestra and then a choral group and then they played together. They were both quite good. There was a strong flute presence in the orchestra gave the music a prevailing sonorous tone.  Well, don't I just sound like the little cultured-gal?

Playing in the Band

I am working on my final presentation for Spanish class and I have to speak about a great moment in my life.  While I've had many, I cannot resist telling a story every now and then so I decided to write about the time I played guitar with the Boss-- Mr. Bruce Springsteen.

For your viewing pleasure:

Some Photos

Since this week went by in a flurry of schoolwork and I didn't get to do anything new, here are some photos (mostly from spring break).

Singing in the rain.

At dinner with friends.  

On our bikes.

Thanks to Sarah's bravery, we have an action shot!

Back home.  Note our clenched fists-- ready for a fight!

Spring has Sprung

I think I started this blog about two weeks before coming to Barcelona and now it's about two weeks until I go home.  Two and a half weeks, really.  The time has gone really quickly but slowly at the same time.  January feels like AGES ago.  Well, it's not the time for a reflection on the past semester (though I have already started compiling a "Lessons I've Learned" list!) so moving on!

My mom and grandma were here this past week.  We did a LOT.  So much that I am completely exhausted now and I didn't even do everything with them!

We had planned on going to Montserrat but it was a rainy day so we went into the Cathedral of Barcelona courtyard.  There are a bunch of swans there too.

And we had a dinner party at our apartment.  My host mom made paella (this is an all-day endeavor because you have to get fresh seafood and she makes each ingredient separately so it's perfect).  We ate our meal and drank our cava and wine and liquor and got to dancing.  Then my host dad put on Afroman's "Because I Got High" and I had to get some photos of that (did you know that that song was nominated for a Grammy?!?!).

(We each had four glasses for dinner-- water, wine, cava, and liquor)

We also went to the Sagrada Familia.

The inside is a construction site!!!  I knew that going in but I was amazed because the workers are just going about their work with hundreds of people looking on.  But they act like I do at work and do what they have to do without even looking at the people watching them.

Saturday was gorgeous... a real beach day.

Unfortunately today was rainy and cold and tomorrow is supposed to be the same but I cannot wait to spend lovely days at the beach.

The big Barca-Madrid football game was on Saturday night.  I got home from dinner with my mom and grandma and my host family had some friends over to watch the game.  Dana, Amelia and I watched the game with them which was really fun.  They all got VERY into the game, jumping up and yelling and everything.  I wound up laughing at myself when I yelled at the tv.  I cannot take myself seriously sometimes.

Anecdote from Sarah P.

(This occurred in Pisa.)

Funny story – So Sarah G and I are in Italy sitting outside at this little restaurant (they only had outdoor seating) shooting the breeze and having some wine because it was around 7:00 and we had time to kill before dinner. So we’re sitting there and all of these guys trying to sell trinkets keep coming up to us and going “Si? Yes? You like.” but mostly mumbling because they never know what language to speak, and we just go “no, no, NO” (universal word - No). Well by the time the third or so guy comes up I’m like oh my gosh no! in fact I DO NOT want to buy dirty old socks and light up airplanes! So I don’t say anything and just pretend to fiddle with my sunglasses but he is a persistent one and says “ you speak English?, you like this? (while shoving plastic bracelets in my face), Italiano? Si?” When we still don’t respond he just looks at us and he goes “you don’t understand ‘how are you’ in English?” we just stare. So he asks, “what language you speak? French?” And Sarah quite boldly looks at him and  says, “Deutche.” He stares at us for like 30 seconds…..(thinking)…..and says “German?!?” We both nod and he walks away. Cue the hysterical laughter! On the train a similar vendor came and sat next to me, and this time I had the brilliant idea that when he tried to pawn off his merchandise I would just start using sign language (which I don’t know so it would more look like me just flailing my hands around) ….but then I realized I had my earphones in, probably wouldn't be very convincing...

Under the Tuscan Sun

Prepare yourself for a long blog entry!

I just returned from spring break.  Sarah and I arrived in Florence on Tuesday and got back to Barcelona a few hours ago. 

On Tuesday, we got to Florence and set off to find our hostel.  We were looking at the directions, fairly lost, when a woman came up to us and asked if we needed help.  We did.  And she walked us to about a block away from our hostel!  After dropping our bags off, we went to meet some of our friends from Barcelona for dinner (they were in Florence for the day).  We got gelato and then it started pouring...

We took shelter under an arcade and saw a rainbow.

We had a nice dinner and a friend of one of their friends was studying in Florence and took us to see a Beatles cover band.

Clearly they don't look like the Beatles and Paul wasn't able to make the show but they were good.  We had to leave after about 45 minutes so we could get up early for our bike tour of the Tuscan countryside.

We biked fifteen miles throughout the day and we stopped at the Corsini's vineyard where they make wine and olive oil for a tour and lunch.

The Corsinis have been royalty (dukes or something along those lines) for hundreds of years.  They used to have a vineyard but when it became too dangerous to live in the countryside, they moved into Florence.  A few generations later (about 20 years ago), some of the family members moved back into the country villa to restart the family business.  When they were clearing out, they found the bottles above.

On Thursday, we walked all around Florence.  It is a beautiful city. Plus, the people are very friendly and went out of their way to help us.  When we would look at a map, chances were that someone would come up to us to offer directions.

Il Duomo.

 Around the outside of the city.

An art class by Ponte Vecchio.  Almost all the stores on the bridge were ritzy jewelry stores.

 

We walked about 12 miles (according to our calculations) on Thursday.  This was extremely rough on our feet but we did get some really nice pictures. 

On Friday, we went to Pisa where we took the requisite tourist pictures...

I've been eating my Wheaties!

Then, on Saturday, we went to Cinque Terre.  It's a region of five villages along the coast of Italy.  We went to two.  One of them was very touristy and the other was splendid!

The food in Tuscany is not what I think when I think "Italian."  Yes, I had gelato every day and I had my fair share of pizza but there was hardly any pasta!  And there was very little tomato sauce.  The pasta was mostly in meat sauces which was good but not what I had expected.  The pasta was always cooked al dente which was delicious (not like al dente pasta I make when I'm impatient).  

We had a typical Tuscan dinner in Florence one night.  Our appetizer was a plate of salami (I think), ham, and pieces of bread with chicken liver on top.  Which I ate, of course, because I am trying everything that is put in front of me (I even tried the salami which I do not normally eat.  To clarify, I normally try everything except meat with casing-- sausage, salami things, hot dogs, etc.)  I had a Tuscan bean soup as my main course and I really enjoyed it.  The food was good, all in all but if we're going to compare the food in Tuscany to that in Sardinia, I'd pick the Sardinian food in a second (YUM!).

The people in Florence were particularly wonderful.  They were very friendly.  At the Beatles cover show, our friend's friend's friend (wow) reserved a table for us and bought us drinks.  People helped us with directions and the people at the restaurants were really nice.  I would not be nice if there were as many tourists in my town as there are in Florence.  It seemed like half the people there were Americans.

I bought myself some new sunglasses in Florence and a blue scarf (I'm wearing it in the picture of the Leaning Tower of Pisa but I know it's not the best picture.  I'll take another.)...  they were each only five euro!!

I know this entry is short on pictures of people.  Sarah has most of those so I will post them tomorrow.  Look forward to some very sporty bicycling pictures!