Really now, Barcelona?

So, I was just walking down the streets of good ‘ol Barcelona doing my quarterly, post finals victory dance to some Andy Grammar on my ipod when all of a sudden I see these 2 men fighting in the middle of the intersection and then I watch one run right through oncoming traffic and the other chase after him.  At first I thought they were just friends or acquaintances who got into a fight until I stopped on the side of the road (like the 20 other Catalans) and watched a little longer.  They were beating each other up until one came up victorious with the other pinned on the ground.  Still confused, I looked around at everyone on their phones calling 112 (the 911 of Spain) and I see this little boy come out of a car holding up a purse saying, “Mama mama, todas las cosas estan aqui.”  Then it all clicked.  This man was robbing a family’s car and everyone stopped to see the spectacle and chase unfold.

As I walked away, watching one man still pinning down the robber with his foot (waiting for the police to show up) with the middle-aged woman giving the robber a loud yelling at in Catalan, I placed my headphones back in my ears and went on with my victory dance to Andy Grammar.  Just another day in the life of a Barcelona resident.  

Perspective

Time keeps a tickin’ and I still have 3 final exams on Tuesday, but my focus is not on school. And I can’t say I keep thinking about my journey home nor am I focused on staying here.  I guess my brain and heart are a little confused.  As I went about my Sunday, going to a professional basketball game with my class and walking around town, I thought about all the things I would miss.  Things that I never would have imagined missing at the start of my time here, such as the grandiose buildings engulfing my sense of direction as I walk to and from any place or listening to the multitude of languages spoken in one café.  What changed?  When did this build-up of affection occur for this place that I’ve called home for the past 4 months?  I walk through the day puzzled and astonished at my own change of heart: is it the people I’ve met here or is it really the city that has taken my heart for a run?  Maybe I’ll never know.  But what I do know now is how blessed I am to have experienced everything this semester, even through the ups and the downs.  I have ONE week from today left in this awesomely neat city, and there is still a lot left to see and learn.  BRING IT BARCA!

…now back to studying.

Time's a Tickin'

So much to tell you and so little time!  I don't even know where to begin or what to say, but since I last talked about trips, I’ve been to London to see my bestest friend Hannah, to Morocco on the trip of a lifetime, and to Sevilla and Granada (the south of Spain) on a leisurely, last hoorah weekend trip.  I think I could write pages and pages on each of these trips, but unfortunately, there’s not enough time to write it all now.  I still have to make a PowerPoint presentation for my Spanish oral presentation tomorrow morning and 4 finals to go.  And 3 going-away parties (sad day).  And all those things you have to do before you leave like trying to see everything in the city you procrastinated on seeing the past four months, spending time with people, and that dreaded packing situation that I still don’t want to think about. 

Well, anyways, I promise to tell you in detail about those trips after I recover from my three finals next Tuesday (only one week…EEK).  Time flies man!  But here are some teaser pictures for now.

Peter Pan Statue in Hyde Park

Fish and Chips Dinner with the Besties

Just a Casual Camel Ride in Morocco

Playing with the Kiddies in Amizmiz, Morocco

Sevilla, Spain

La Alhambra at Sunset in Granada, Spain

Ps…I can’t wait to see you so soon!!

Oh how I'm thankful for...

Being away from family around the holidays can be a little tough, but as I was walking home from an evening writing a paper at a coffee shop with a few friends tonight, I realized how much there is to be thankful for in life.  And although we can't be physically present with our families and loved ones while we are here studying, we can still feel the same amount of thankfulness and emotions that come with this time of the year. So here is a list (that barely scratches the surface) of some of the things I am thankful for...

Oh how I’m thankful for friends.

            For friends that encourage you when you have writers block.

            For friends that take the time to listen.

            For friends that stop by to lend a little hug.

            For friends that send a little message every now and again that brighten your day.

            For friends that keep you company all night when they could be sleeping.

For friends that remind you what matters most.

            For friends that inspire you through their actions.

Oh how I’m thankful for love.

            For love that changes people’s hearts.

            For love that lives like children.

            For love that inspires others. 

            For love that gives us a heartbeat.

            For love that exists unconditionally.

            For love that is true love.

Oh how I’m thankful for family.

            For family that loves unconditionally through the bad days and good days.

            For family that takes your side no matter the circumstance.

            For family that supports your every move.

            For family that is never changing.

            For family that enhances life.

Oh how I’m thankful for time.

            For time that is fleeting.

            For time that we have to spend on others.

            For time that is available to love.

            For time that shows we are blessed.

Oh how I’m thankful for coffee.

            For coffee that gets us through a long night of paper writing.

            For coffee that provides that extra boost of energy.

Oh how I’m thankful for study abroad.

            For study abroad that allows me to see the world.

            For study abroad that gives a new perspective of life.

            For study abroad that changes a person’s values.

Oh how I’m thankful for food.

            For food that my host mom prepares every night.

            For food that could feed so many people.

            For food that gives us life.

Oh how I’m thankful for the internet.

            For the internet that allows us to connect across the world.

            For the internet that provides information at the click of a button.

            For the internet that shares knowledge.

But most of all…Oh how I’m thankful for the CROSS.

For the cross that we have the ability to be thankful for all of these things in the first place.

            For the cross that lifts us up when we are down.

            For the cross that reminds of who we are in His eyes.

            For the cross that stands as the reason we are alive.

            For the cross that leads our motives.

            For the cross that inspires action.

            For the cross that gives us purpose.

so much to do...so little time

So, I will tell you guys all about the teaching I've been doing in Spanish high schools over here someday soon, but there is just so much I have to get done.  This is probably me procrastinating already as it is.  Here’s a quick list of all the school work I have to do in the next 2 weeks:

•          1 oral presentation
•           1 oral presentation in Spanish
•           Present 1 video project
•           Start and finish another video project
•           Write 2 TEN page research papers…start to finish
•           1 Spanish quiz
•           4 final exams

And then take into account I’m going to Morocco for 4 days and Sevilla and Granada for 4 days.  Yikes!  Can anyone say no sleep?

Comin' Back Strong

Truth is...I had to do this blog on F1 racing for my Business of Sports class and I think after I immersed myself into that posting 3 or 4 times a day I lost the blogging spirit.   But here I am!  Back and ready for action. And I promise to do a better job keeping everyone updated during my last week here.  

(If you want, you can check out the neat blog I created with my group members for my semester project! http://f1racingintodawnhiscock.blogspot.com/) 

A lot has happened in the past 3 weeks I guess; but really, nothing too exciting.  I mean just a few life revelations, nbd.    Let me go back into the depth of my brain to try and tell you everything that has happened…

Well, Joanne and I were awarded the opportunity of seeing Scotty Bemis in person when he came to Barcelona!  If you don’t know Scotty Bemis…he’s kinda a big deal at Santa Clara.  One of the all time greats for sure.  Haha. It was a different experience being the tour guide for the weekend than it is to be the tourist.  We went to some of the great tourist sites here in Barcelona and hopefully showed Scotty some of the culture in Barcelona.

Joanne and Scotty eating Caracoles (snails) with my host mom Imma

What else has happened?  I finally feel at home in this city!  I’m not as worried for my belongings fear every time I walk down the streets.  IES did a great job at scaring us all at the beginning, but I don’t always feel the need to clutch onto my purse with all the energy in my being.  I’ve realized that as long as you’re not being stupid everything will be fine and if something does happen…that person must need the money more than I do.  I guess that’s easy for me to say now cause I haven’t been pick pocketed yet.  My school is about a 25 minute walk from my house (I’m not sure if I have said this before), so I usually walk there every morning.  And that time I spend walking to school alone every day is actually a blessing.  I just take life in and remember how amazing it is that I’m LIVING IN SPAIN and that I have the opportunity to travel around Europe.

The Sagrada Familia

Talking about school, school has gotten a little crazy this past week.  The semester system is way different than quarters, or at least it is over here.  Every class has a final paper, final presentation, and final exam.  Yikes!  And the worst part is that most of the research papers are group papers, so it adds a little stress trying to organize with everyone.  But it’s all good.  I haven’t been stressing out yet, but the tension is high at school for sure!  It also helps that I really enjoy my classes here!  Such a blessing!  I just turned in a 10 page research paper on Mediterranean loggerhead sea turtles and their migration patterns from the nesting beaches in the eastern Mediterranean to the foraging ground in the western Mediterranean.  Haha!  Well, as dry as it seems, it was actually pretty interesting and I enjoyed writing it.

The two papers I have left are for my sports classes, so I get to write about sports in Europe!  Who else can say half their year was spent earning university credit for learning about football in Europe?  Pretty neat!  But the best part is that I LOVE the research project I’ve been working on for my sport and society class where we all have to go out collecting primary research in the city by talking with locals, etc.  It started out being on the tennis culture in Spain, but has recently turned into sports in Catalonian schools and their difference to sports American schools.  It’s fascinating!

Joanne has an internship here at a local high school teaching English and I thought it would be great for my research on tennis to teach a class to her students on sports in America with the intent of gaining some information on tennis from all the students.  Little did I know that this would lead in so many directions.  Joanne and I have given out ‘Sports in America’ presentation to about 6 classes with 15 high school students each class.  And every time I learn something new from them.  I’ve become attached!  Haha.  I love seeing the kids and listening to them speak English and learning about Catalonian culture and watching them interestingly engaged on the idea of sports with schools.  The whole experience has been awesome!!  And what I have found out about sports in schools here is awesome as well, but I don’t want to bore you.  Bottom line: sports in school here are pretty much nonexistent and the idea of club or sports teams meeting after school is a foreign concept to them.  It’s a shame!  I wish they had the opportunities we have in the United States!

There is soo much more to say about the kiddies, San Sebastian, the church I’ve been going to, Barcelona in general, but I guess I should save those for another post cause this is getting long you’re better than most people if you’ve actually stuck with this and read til the end!  Thank you!  Haha. 

I’m off to London in an hour to see my best friend!  And I still have to figure out how to get some pounds, so wish me luck!  Love you all!

“To Risk” by William Arthur Ward

“To laugh is to risk appearing a fool,

To weep is to risk appearing sentimental. 

To reach out to another is to risk involvement,

To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self.

To place your ideas and dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss.

To love is to risk not being loved in return,

To live is to risk dying,

To hope is to risk despair,

To try is to risk failure. 

But risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing. 

The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing.

He may avoid suffering and sorrow,

But he cannot learn, feel, change, grow or live.”