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!
Glad to see you back Danny and making new entries. Seemed you fell off the face of the earth for a while. Enjoying hearing about your experiences.
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