Computer Troubles

I just wanted to post a quick note to inform you all that I haven't been able to post any new entries because my laptop is down for the count. It's been about 2 and a half weeks now without my laptop so I make due on the school computers and borrowing my friends laptops. It's been an interesting experience to say the least. Luckily I found a shop in Barcelona that has certified mac repairmen and hopefully all will be settled by sometime this week. Once I get my computer back you can expect a deluge of posts, as I have been carefully taking note of all the topics I want to blog about and I have hand-written a few. Sorry for the wait folks.

How can I possibly write about all of this???

Well, I have already completely failed to live up to my promise of blogging more, shorter entries. I'll keep trying though I promise! The good news is that my lack of blogging is not due to complancency but rather a full schedule. Right now an average week consists of futbol on Mondays, intercambio (language exchange) on Tuesdays and Thursdays, gym on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and of course the ample fun and games on the weekend. Add to this list the never-ending exploring of Barcelona, meeting new people, planning trips, going on trips, homework, projects, student council (yes, I joined student council), and the many special one-time events (think wine tastings, tapas competitions, etc.), my days are quite full. I did just want to mention in particular how great the intercambio has turned out to be!
When I first met my prospective partner for the language exchange, I had some reservations about how exciting the whole thing was going to be. I was eager to learn Spanish but my partner seemed overly experienced with English (as in the teaching would be disproportionately in my direction), quite introverted (which is not a great quality for something in which talking is the main objective), and even a bit uninterested in me (can you imagine?!). But despite these reservations I reluctantly forced myself to go to the first language exchange telling myself over and over that this is the reason for which I am in Spain!!! Turns out this inner monologue paid off because now I the only thing I can think about my next intecambio session. As I have mentioned in a previous entry, my partner decided that it was a good idea for us to meet up with a group of people that were doing this same sort of language exchange. This group session is put on by "couch surfers" and takes place at a very cool venue: a bar with a very jamaican atmosphere and live reggae music (later at night). Sure this isn't a "Spanish" experience, but Barcelona is a very metropolitan city I have come to enjoy the variety. Anyway, the session essentially consists of several people (some regulars but with new faces every week) kicking back at this very cool bar and enjoying some good conversation... in many different languages. We will speak in Spanish for several minutes or even up to a half hour and then switch to English, offering both sides a chance to practice the sought after language. Other languages like Catalan, Italian, French, and Portugese are also available on occassion. It all really just depends on who shows up. This opportunity has allowed me to not only improve my spanish exponentially and feel more comfortable speaking, but also meet locals and generally interesting people; people with the desire (quien tiene las ganas--as you would say in spanish) to learn another language and expand their horizons. I finally was invited to a local bar by a real-live Spanish person (although she would call herself Catalan, course)!!! You may laugh, but this is no easy feat. The American stigma takes a good scrubbing to really clean up.
One thing that Europe is know quite well for is the long, widely-celebrated period called "Carneval." In just about every European country, city, and even some small towns, you can find a celebration of this period (which changes from region to region). The closest celebration of said Carneval to Barcelona was in a city called Sitges. The locals, teachers, and all the American students all seemed to know that Sitges was the place to be during this particular time of year, especially for the one week celebration of Carneval. This sparked my interest and I did some research into the matter. As it turned out, Sitges is essentially the gay capital of all of Spain and the Carneval celebration consists of a huge parade displaying gay pride, outrageous costumes, and cross-dressing to outlandish proportions. Nonetheless, it had the reputation as one of the best parties and best times for people of any orientation and it seemed that all of IES was going. I decided I couldn't miss out and boy am I glad. Carneval at Sitges, while certainly an eye-opener at times, was an incredibly fun time filled with brightly costumed people from all over the map, there for one reason and one reason alone: to have fun. Music blaring through the air, people dancing in the streets, food and drink in abundance; Carneval was truly a one-of-a-kind experience. Pictures say a thousand words so I would let them do the talking, but unfortunately I have been experiencing some technical difficulties with my laptop. Of course it had to happen here, where there are no apple stores to be found (see Murphy's Law). I will rush to put these pictures (and more) up as soon as it is back in order.
I have much more to tell but must get packing for Valencia! Yes, yes, it is a difficult life. I know you all feel for me. However, I promise there is much more to come in the blogosphere so keep on reading. Thanks!

An unusual metaphor

So yesterday (Tuesday) I made my first visit to the local gym to get back into the workout routine. I had signed up for the gym several days earlier without any problems but I sensed that for some reason my first time actually working out at the gym would be interesting since I was unfamiliar with the building, what I was permitted access to, and general spanish gym norms and practices. Of course, upon arrival when I swiped my membership card the door refused to open despite the green light signaling access granted. I swiped the card again...and again...and again. Nothing. I didn't know if my card wasn't working or if I was trying to open the door the wrong way and naturally the clear glass door allowed everyone inside on their treadmills to have a good laugh as I tried several different (including some pretty unconventional) ways of opening the door. Finally, I gave up and went to the front desk where they told me they would open the door for me. Upon return to the entrance door, however, my efforts were again futile much to the content of the observers inside, who at this point had taken their eyes off the tvs and ipods and redirected them towards this new kind of show.

At this point I was somewhere so far outside the realm of embarrassment that I felt no embarrassment at all. I returned to the front desk sharing a laugh with the receptionist who said I should try one more time. Sure enough, the third time was a charm and I entered practically expecting an applause. I made my way to the locker, changed, and hit the weights. Lying down at a chest press machine I put in an appropriate amount of weight considering my long hiatus from any lifting but when I tried to lift it, it felt like I was pushing on a brick wall. I thought to myself, "Have I really lost this much muscle?!" Then it dawned on me that the 110 that I had selected on the machine was not 110 lbs but kilos! I was currently trying to lift over 240 lbs!

You may be wondering why I am describing with such detail my gym experience. Well, after leaving the gym feeling somewhat embarrassed--yet accomplished that I had learned something new--I realized that this experience was not far from what my experience trying to learn spanish has been like. At first I was reluctant to speak, sometimes embarrassed after speaking, and generally unconfident about speaking spanish. However, once I put forth the effort I was able to get past being embarrassed or disheartened. I now speak uninhibited and I find that, as a result, I am understood more often and I am learning so much more. In fact, the more mistakes I make in front of Spanish speakers the more I am corrected and therefore the more I learn.

Last night I continued this sentiment and attended and "intercambio" or exchange session for language. This meeting, put together by the "couch surfers" (a very cool website for travelers) featured people from all over meeting up to talk in different languages all with the goal of learning new ones. I had an unbelievable amount of fun and learned so much, not to mention I felt very important knowing the much sought after English language. Well my class starts in 5 minutes so I must go, but I just wanted to share this experience. Adios.

Its already February?! Qué pasó?!

Well, its been quite a while since I last posted an entry but its only because I've been unbelievably busy. The school work is finally beginning to kick into full gear--I had a major presentation on nationalism and socialism in Cuba this past thursday-- and my days are still fully occupied by experiencing Barcelona. I've actually had to step back and remind myself that I have another 3 months here and that its alright to just chill out once in a while (and get some much needed sleep). Even so, the time is flying by-- I can't believe its already February! It feels like it was just a few days ago that I arrived, wide-eyed and full of anticipation but I have done a lot since then.

As a huge soccer fan I have always wanted to see a live European match. The caliber of play in Europe is known as the best in the world and right now FC Barcelona is almost unquestionably the best team in the world. They have won an unprecedented 6 major titles this season alone and their star player, Lionel Messi, won the best player of the year. As cliche as it may sound, watching this Barca team play really is watching masters of an art. Of course, nothing is better than being able to witness this magnificent display in person as I was fortunate enough to do. FCB's stadium, Camp Nou, holds over 100,000 people and is a sight in and of itself. Unfortunately there was a light rain the night I went so the stadium did not fill up as it would have otherwise--people from Barcelona really seem to go into seclusion when the weather is even remotely bad, probably because its usually so good-- but the rain did not stop us. After a scoreless first half, Barcelona went on to score 4 goals and shut out Sevilla in a 4-0 win. Being up in the nosebleeds with the real fans was a great experience. It just so happened that the section I picked out to buy tickets for was very close to a big fanatic group, the members of which would bang on a metal encasing at the top of the stadium to start up chants for the whole stadium. This is one thing I can cross off on my bucket list.

Besides soccer, Barcelona is probably most well known for its many Gaudi works. Throughout the city you can find tons of incredible architecture from Gaudi, but one place in particular blew me away: Parc Guell. This park spans a pretty large area and is just full of interesting Gaudi sculptures, landscapes, and various other constructions. More than just the amazing artwork, though, Parc Guell is also full of people trying to take advantage of all the tourists. Several bands, performers, artists, and even a guy who made HUGE bubbles all made the park even more vibrant. Its certainly a place that I will make my way back to at some point before I leave.

One of the interesting things about being abroad is hearing all the different opinions about the U.S. I've already had my fair share of discussions on our foreign policy, Obama, the financial crisis, etc. with everyone from spanish students to taxi drivers. People seem to hold quite a bit of resentment towards the U.S. for the war in Iraq and the Bush years in general (I don't blame them one bit). One person I talked to noted that the terrorist attacks that occurred in Spain in 2004 in Madrid were seen as a result of Spain's helping the U.S. in Iraq. At the top of Parc Guell you could see across to some houses and one of them had a ton of artwork denouncing the U.S. I guess they know that lots of Americans visit the park and wanted to make a statement. Seeing these made me think quite a bit about how the U.S. is viewed internationally and the responsibility I have to be a positive representative. More and more I have found myself embarrassed being around other Americans or seeing Americans around Spain. Too often they do not even attempt to speak spanish or are constantly scrolling through their Blackberries, ignoring the world around them. Seeing these people only increases my drive to learn Spanish.

On a more positive note, last weekend my entire study abroad program trekked out to Tarragona, an ancient city about 45 minutes north of Barcelona. Other than the 7 am wake up calls, the trip was a great time. Tarragona was a major hub of the Roman empire and is full of ancient remains like an amphitheatre, circus, city walls, etc. As time went on, other civilizations came to occupy tarragona and build new structures while still preserving many of the Roman structures relatively well. The result is an odd mix of architecture from several different styles and eras. Of course, all of the tours were given in Spanish so I had to actively listen to and process what was being said (my head hurt by the end of every tour) and thus any information that I think I know about Tarragona, may actually be attributed to misinterpretation. On the three day trip we also saw a Torres vineyard--Torres is one of the biggest producers of wine in Spain-- and a small town called Poblet (I have yet to figure out why we went there).

Since my last post I've also gone to the Barcelona aquarium, started playing soccer regularly, picked up a language exchange program, booked flights to Madrid and Morocco, and a ton of other things. In the future I'm going to attempt to do more blog entries so I don't have to recall and write so much all at once. Anyway thats all for now. ¡Hasta luego!

(The wierdest fish I've ever seen)

Me Encanta Barcelona!

Its been just one week since my arrival in Barcelona and yet I feel like I've been here for much longer. I've already done so much and my knowledge of the city grows exponentially everyday that I am here. For now, school consists of just one class (spanish) at 12:25 and it is much more of an introduction to Barcelona and Spanish culture than a grammar class at this point, and thus I don't quite yet feel like I'm at school. This Monday regular classes start up, however, and I'll be reminded that I am not just on vacation.

The beauty of Barcelona impresses me every day and the warm sun and 60 degree temperatures help as well. Even in the first few days I was here during the cold snap I kept reminding myself how much warmer it is than Michigan. Today the temperature at midday got to about 60 and I was thrilled to be able to take off my coat, but I noticed I was the only person I saw with just a t-shirt on. Even at 60 the people in Barcelona were fully zipped up, many with scarves wrapped around their necks to boot.

One of the first things we did in Spanish class was a scavenger hunt together. Not only was it a great way to meet everyone in my class (who all happen to be very cool people) but it was also allowed us to explore and get to know the city a bit more. The heart of Barcelona is the square or plaza de Catalunya and most of my exploration as well as this scavenger hunt has been focused around this lively, colorful area. One of the things I love about this part of Barcelona is the old style city streets and alleys. Though they can be a bit unnerving at night (and thus we tend to avoid them), during the day these small alley ways are amazing to explore, filled with small cafes, cervecerias (bars), and dessert shops among other things. In this area and much of Barcelona, everything is focused around plazas and because of this the streets aren't organized like they are in New York. There are main streets that clearly travel certain ways but the small streets branch off from these almost like veins or roots going in all directions.

There is so much to explore in plaza catalunya and since the IES center is located there I have walked around quite a bit after class (the warm weather promotes this as well). Las Ramblas is the main strip of this area and is an incredible sight to see you during the day and night. During the day it is a bustling area full of markets, small stands, artists, street performers, and pedestrians. The street performers are not really performers but rather just photo ops as they consist of people dressed in elaborate costumes which draws people to take their photo (which you are obliged to tip them for). These two (below) sit on their bikes for hours, only moving when they hear the clink of a coin in their bucket. They really look like statues when they don't move.

Just off las ramblas is la boquería, an incredible fresh food market. Fresh fruits, vegetables, cuts of meat (you can find some pretty gross stuff haha), seafood, and more fill the market daily. I have gone several times and each time I have to buy the 1 euro fruit smoothie (if you go at the end of the day they will sell you 2, sometimes even 3, for the same one euro). It is made strictly from the market fruits and are 100% natural fresh squeezed juices and the taste proves it. I seem to have an unquenchable thirst for them. I snagged a pretty nice picture of the smoothies that also shows the early morning sun creeping in to this open market (other boquería pictures follow:

My favorite night thus far has to be my first game night. Barcelona football (soccer) is life here and I am extremely happy to become a subscriber to that lifestyle. In the states it is hard to be a big soccer fan but here there are so many outlets for the passion that it is almost forced upon you. These are a people who are so soccer crazy that they sell tickets to the games at local ATMs! Recently I bought my first ticket and I am excited to say that I will be seeing Barcelona play Sevilla this Saturday at the famous Camp Nou stadium (which, of course, I will write about for this blog). But as I was saying, my favorite night involved first dinner (tapas; small, almost samples, of several different dishes) with some friends followed by watching the Barcelona-Tenarife (a team from the Canary Islands I believe) game at a local Irish Pub. Although it was an Irish pub (the bartenders actually were from Ireland) it mostly consisted of locals and we were, to my knowledge, the only Americans there.

One local approached us and said he overheard us speaking English, asking us where we were from, what we were doing in Barcelona, etc. He spoke English quite well and when I said I was from New Jersey he noted he had just been in New Jersey-- Asbury Park to be exact. Of all the places to be in the U.S. in January he had just been in Asbury Park? Turns out (and I guessed correctly) that he was a Bruce Springsteen fanatic and had gone to see his idols hometown. Though he spoke English, he had several friends with him who did not and I began conversing with them in Spanish. Thankfully they put up with it and I had a great time finally getting to really practice my Spanish, leaving the Pub on a high.

There is so much more I could talk about: the metro, the food, how much I hate the euro, etc., but I have to stop typing so I can keep on living! There is so much to do, so much to enjoy and I have only just skimmed the surface. So here are a few more photos to do the talking. ¡Hasta luego!

First Impressions

Well, I am finally here: Barcelona. It wasn't a fun journey but after talking with some of my study abroad companions in these first few days, I realize I was lucky to have only a small delay. A few students I met not only had their flights cancelled in London but never even made it to London, instead being diverted to Scotland. London, and much of Western Europe, has been the victim of a cold snap leading to ice and snow. Flying into Barcelona, a local sitting next to me on the flight described his horror at the sight of snow on the peaks of the mountains we flew over (not sure which mountains they were).

My arrival into Barcelona was seamless since I met some fellow IES students and we made our way through the airport with ease. IES did a great job of making this immediate arrival easy as we were given instructions and lots of info in a comfortable secluded room in the airport. Once I left the airport, however, I was on my own. I got to use my Spanish for the first time when I had to tell the taxi driver the address of my homestay. I must have massacred the pronunciation because he had no idea what I had said on my first stab, but on second attempt he made sense of it.

The taxi dropped me off at an apartment building on avinguda sarria, a main avenue in a somewhat ritzy part of town, and I made my way up to the 4th floor, door 3. I realized as I stood outside the door that what lay behind this door would be my home for the next four months and as I pressed the odd doorbell (which made more of a buzzing sound than a bell) I felt a great wave of apprehension.

Within seconds the door opened and a short, dark-haired woman greeted me with a wide smile and my name. "Daniel?" "Sí," I replied happy to know I was at the right door. "Adelante!" She replied welcoming me into her house with dos besos (two kisses) and laughter. Her charm won me over instantly.

Tired but happy to be at my final destination, I greeted me new roomates and got situated in my new room: a tiny room for two people that fits two beds and squeezes in one small desk. The apartment is small but quaint and well furnished. My bed is hard but comfortable...my pillow is hard and not so comfortable. I was so tired, though, that after a few minutes of conversation with my roomates, I slept for four and a half hours.

My first dinner in Spain (served at 9:00 pm) was a heaping portion of linguini with home made pesto sauce and a grilled chicken sandwich. Admittedly this isn't what most people would consider an authentic Spanish meal but it definitely had a certain Spanish aspect to its taste. Our señora, Elisa, did not eat with us so the conversation was mostly English, but she popped in several times allowing my roomates and I to test out our Spanish. Elisa speaks unbelievably fast but often catches herself (or our blank stares) and slows down her speech. When she slows down I find I am able to decipher most of what she says, sometimes all, but my issue is adding to the conversation. I often know what I want to say and could say it in very basic terms, but want to speak with the absolute correct grammar and conjugation or with a specific phrase, which take longer to think of. This back and forth discussion I hope to really improve on.

After dinner and some unpacking, my roomate Pete and I made our way out on the town with no real direction in mind other than to explore the local area. Sarria, the locality, is a more residential place than most in Barcelona so much of our walk was quite dull but we eventually found a sandwich shop/bar to go into. Every eatery in Barcelona seems to have a bar in it! We also ran into a lone IESer who was doing the same wandering as we were and he joined our exploration. There were a few sketchy encounters on a small street that we eventually figured out was home to a few "gentlemen's clubs" but we heel-toed our way away from the area without a problem.

Lastly, this morning was orientation so in getting to the IES center I got my first taste of the metro. The metro itself is extremely easy to navigate and we had no problems making it into the plaza catalunya (the center of the city). Our only issue was finding the "boca" (literally mouth) or entrance stairs down to the subway which are not as clearly marked here as they are in, say, NYC. Orientation was everything I expected it to be and not much more, but being in the IES center allowed me to meet several more people and hear the sweet sound of the English language. Even after just one day of Barcelona, I have found it uncomfortable to be in a place where you can't decipher everything thats going on around you and when you speak your native tongue people stare. But my goal is to be comfortable with spanish speakers around me and to eventually be one of them, which I know just takes time and the willingness to learn). With four months ahead and the eagerness to learn, I know I have both these things.

Test Run

First entry, day before I leave. Well, its 12:36 so technically I leave today. Woah. Nothing to share just want to test out posting. Going to sleep. Adios.