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.”

My Current Life in a Nutshell

One weekend whisked away to Nantes, France.  The next weekend engulfed by some Barcelona love.  Another weekend a visit from a great friend.  Then maybe a little trip to San Sebastian.  Oh!  And don’t forget to fit a little studying in the middle of all that. 

Basically, everything has been unbelievable here.  Joanne and I went to France last weekend to visit our friends Scotty and Nico.  We went to Nantes, so a fairly small town with a river running through it similar to Porto, Portugal, but the entire time we were there Joanne said it reminded her of Seattle.  So, maybe it is Seattle-esque?  It was definitely cold enough to be Seattle.  I did not go prepared for such cold weather at all.  I didn’t even bring anything but sandals.  Oops! 

While we were there our friend Nico had a Gala, which I guess I would describe as a glorified prom with 10 different themed rooms with different types of music and food and French people everywhere and fun and happiness.  But I think the best part was getting to dress up and spend some time with a few of Scotty’s friends from his time in Nantes.  Great people! 

Our weekend in France was a blast with little sleep and lots of love!  And Joanne and I get the honor of hosting Scotty in Barcelona this Thursday!  Woot!  Maybe we’ll finally get to do some tourist stuff around the city that we haven’t got to do yet either. 

Other than France, what else has been going on?  School?  Nah!  Well actually a little.  We had midterms last week, which went well.  I only had 2, so that was nice, but I’m definitely going to make up for those tests in final semester papers.  I think I have to write about 30 pages 1.5 spaced by the end of my time here.  Yikes!

But other than that, everything has been great.  I keep meeting new people every day and going on random adventures getting lost in the Barcelona jungle.  AND!  Yesterday I played lacrosse for the first time with my friend Aaron’s team here!  So neat!  I had no idea what I was getting myself into when he invited me, but I worked out with his team and improved 1000% from the beginning of the practice til the end.  For my first time picking up a lacrosse stick, I’d say I did pretty well.  They even invited me to play with them in their tournament next weekend against Madrid, Sevilla, and Andalucía!  It was a blast!  And I’m so glad I decided to go for it and try something new!  Who knows…maybe lacrosse is in my future haha. 

Ta ta for now!  

Routine

Everything is finally settling down and routines are kicking in.  Boy does time fly by here!  I’ve been here for about a month and a half now, and it seems like I just arrived on the streets with my mom yesterday, but I guess a lot has happened since then.  At SCU and IES they tried to prepare us for the emotional rollercoaster of the study abroad experience.  They even gave us charts on how our emotions would progress.  Here’s an example of the main one:

I shrugged my shoulders and never thought this thing could ever be true, but man, was I wrong.  The different stages are occurring like clockwork.  If I were to say that everything here has been a fairytale and wonderful I would be lying, so I’m not going to say that.  There have been ups and downs through the adjustment of moving across the world.  A lot of deciphering who I am and determining my place here.  But through all that, so many amazing things have come out of this experience so far.  And there’s only an upward slope to go. 

I said before that I would tell you about my classes, but I guess I never did that, so here it goes.  I’m taking 4 classes: Spanish 202 (Intermediate), Mediterranean Oceanography, Sport and Society in Spain, and The Business of Sports in Europe.  All of them have actually been super interesting and I really enjoy going to class.  The way IES sets up their classes is excellent; all the courses are Spain/Barcelona oriented and consist of “field studies” around the city.  For example, for Oceanography we went to the Aquarium on the second day of class:

For Spanish we go on Scavenger hunts around the city and go out interviewing people on the street in Spanish:

For my Sport and Society class we had Castellers (human towers.  It's a Catalan tradition) come into our class and we built towers of people INSIDE the classroom!  Seriously, these people are amazing!  They build towers of people 9 stories high all standing on each others' shoulders then a child (5-7 years old) climbs to the very top to finish off the tower.  Incredible.  You have to look them up on youtube or something!

And for my Business of Sports class yesterday we went to the 1992 Olympic Basketball Stadium to meet with players and marketing people from Club Joventut Badalona, a professional basketball team right outside of Barcelona.  http://www.penya.com/noticia.php?id=12028&lang=es.  We talked with the American players on the team and then with the marking director for the team.  And guess what a small world we live in?!  One of the players we talked to, Pooh Jeter, went to my rival high school and his sister is Carmelita Jeter, the fastest woman in the world, and used to be our high school track coach.  So all the way across the world I meet this professional basketball player from my hometown and I know his sister.  So neat.  Here’s a picture in the press box at the Olympic Stadium:

Those are some of the neat field studies I’ve been on so far and there are many more to come for all the classes.  The teachers are great and the content is enriching!  I just hope to get the units to all transfer correctly once I get back…

PORTO, PORTUGAL

I'm a little short for words about this weekend, but everyone says that pictures say 1,000 words, so check out my Facebook album from this weekend in Porto, Portugal:

THE ALBUM

Basically it was everything I could have ever dreamed of.  I couldn't have had a better weekend!

Beautiful. Epic. Insane. Correfoc.

Today is one of those days where you have to slap yourself before you go to bed to make sure you haven’t been dreaming.  I just don’t even know where to begin on all the adventures and just pure goodness that went down.  First, Joanne and I went to the International church again which has just been such a blessing with so much life and encouragement every time we visit.   Then the church had a potluck type lunch for the young adults with homemade paella!  It was delicious and the house we ate at was beautiful up in the peaceful hills way out of the city.  So beautiful and so serene.  Once again, we’re seeing a different Spain.

Can someone say PAELLA?! 

The beautiful view from the courtyard of the home.

Then comes the extreme craziness!  This weekend, in Catalunya, there was a festival called La Mercè.  This four day festival occurs throughout the city in every plaza around town.  There are so many events and different things to do and see that you are forced to choose between the best ones ‘cause news flash…we haven’t figured out how to be in two places at once quite yet.  All these events serve to display Catalan and Mediterranean tradition. 

The bunch of events I went to were all great fun, but tonight just was just thrown over the edge.  Here in Spain they close off the festivities with a parade and fireworks.  Sounds normal right?  Nope.  In this parade called the Correfoc, people (dressed as devils) light huge sticks of fire, similar to those 4^th of July sparklers times 10, and run through the streets of Barcelona.  Thousands of people show up to watch and participate in this celebration.  The devils run around with the fire as people run and dance underneath the flames.  I can’t even really describe it or do it any justice, but google images or youtube Correfoc and witness the insaneness for yourself.  There is no way anything like this would ever happen in the US.  Just this about the Correfoc, a government sponsored/funded parade where they shoot fire at their citizens.  Yup.  This would just not be an option is the US. 

Before all the action hit

Yup.  That's my silhouette in there right by that fire

 The action on the streets

Post running through fire.  Can you tell it was exhilarating?

After my two friends Leslie and Ally and I ran through the fire and followed a fire breathing dragon the entire parade route, we went on a mission to get to the roof of our RA’s apartment before the fireworks began.  This journey to her house was an adventure by itself running through the streets with people everywhere and taking the jammed packed metro with no room to move an inch.  But we made it all the way to her roof and spent the next hour marveling at the beauty and adventurous city of Barcelona while gazing up at the lit sky just over the Plaza de España.    

Beautiful.  Epic.  Insane.  A night to remember.

Viaje a la Costa Brava con mi Escuela

As I sit here at the University of Barcelona with the hum of Spanish and Catalan coming from local students filling the air, I take a look around unsure of where I actually am.  Am I on a college campus full of people on a similar journey as me?  Or am I in a foreign country, isolated by the language barrier that will always remain? 

Last weekend I went on a trip up the coast with everyone from my school.  It was the same area I went with my mom earlier in the month, but we went to totally different places.  The trip started out bright and early at 7:30am with sleepy students hastily entering 5 buses headed to 2 different locations.  Joanne, Shelby, and I were all on different busses going in different directions, so this weekend was great for us to get to know lots of new people.

We started the trip in Figures at the Salvador Dali museum.  Here is his website if you have no idea who this awesome artist is (mom and dad). http://www.salvador-dali.org/en_index.html.  The place was just surreal.  I don’t really consider myself a museum person, but this place was mind blowing.  I have no idea how one person could create so many obscure images in one short lifetime.  Every detail in this museum, that he created himself, was pronounced with meaning.  Here are a few pictures:

A painting of Dali's wife inside who other than good 'ol Abe Lincoln.

A raining car.  It rains literally inside the car.

After that we rode to Cadaqués to see the town where Dali grew up and to have lunch and soak up the sun right on the beach in this small town with little car access.

The next day we spent in FRANCE!  We followed the same path of the Spanish exile on the way and stopped in Jonquera at the exile museum.  This event imitates the Holocaust and occurred after the Spanish Civil War when Franco ruled, so you could see how this would not be the most pleasant of experiences.  But it was very enlightening and gave a whole new perspective on the Catalonian Empire and why Catalunya is so important to the people of Barcelona. 

Then came France, which was so breathtaking!  How many people can say they just skedaddled over to France for the day?  Not many.  Except there’s the problem that no one knows one word of French.  When I went to go buy postcards this nice lady smiled and had an entire conversation with me in French while I just smiled and gave her way more Euros than I had to just in case.  Then I said, “Merci” and walked away.  During that entire conversation I wished my friend Scotty would pop up beside me to translate, but nope.  He never did. 

Also in France there was this beautiful castle right on the Sea.  It was the craziest home I have ever been in.  I entered this underground tunnel on accident and after walking a while I popped up on some other side with another amazing view.  There were underground secret passages in every direction and the views out of the large castles walls were to die for!  Sea in every direction.

And the last day we stayed in Girona and had a walking tour of the city (in the rain) before we took the bus home.  One jammed packed weekend full of fun, bonding, and little sleep.  Many more to come!

Are you there?

Have you ever felt as if someone took over your body?

Have you ever caught yourself not acting as yourself?

Could you figure out why?

Did you revert back to the true you?  Or begin a new identity?

Have you ever walked into a room and not known a single soul?

Have you ever known me to walk into a room and not know a single soul?

How did you feel not having someone at your side to talk with?

Unsure?

Curious?

Excited that new friends are to be made? 

Isolated?

What do you do next?

Introduce yourself to the next group of people you see?

Wait for someone to approach you through the crowd?

Walk through the room pretending you know what is going on?

Have you ever felt as if your heart abandoned you?

Is it back in California?

Is it here in Spain?

Has it always been inside waiting to be noticed again?

When you turn, Jesus is always waiting.

For you.

For ME. 

A companion for life.

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”  –Jeremiah 29:13

and the days keep going and going

So here’s the deal.  Every day when I walk around the city here I think to myself “Wow.  I can’t wait to blog about this.”  Then you got it.  I either never remember that thing again or the day just goes on so long that I don’t feel like writing anymore.  And then after too many days go by (and the days feel like weeks here) I have no idea where to even start up again, so I guess here is a quick recap of a few of the things I’ve done since I last blogged.

-          Joanne and I went on a day trip last Friday to Sitges, a small beach town about half an hour south of Barcelona.  It is truly gorgeous there and is exactly what Joanne and I pictured when we originally thought of Spain.  There are small Spanish streets with old looking shops overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.  And the good news about this little place is that it is FREE for us to get there on the train with our metro passes, so we will definitely be going back soon before it starts to cool off here.

-          The weather is still super humid with little breeze.  The nights are a struggle with no air conditioning.

-          My host mom is the best and craziest human alive.  She just talked to fast in her Castillian accent that it’s hard to understand, but I get the jist.  And, let’s just say that I would hate to be on the other side of the phone when the internet at our house goes out.  She definitely gave that automated machine a run for its money.  Basically she’s hilarious.

-          Joanne, Cynthia, and I saw Swan Lake  the ballet performed by the Nation Ballet of Cuba.  Or well, should I sat El Lago de Las Cisnes?  Good thing there are no words in a ballet.  I saw the ballet before with Christine at the San Joase ballet, so I was familiar with it, but there was a different sort of elegance with this production which made it almost like I was watching a different ballet with the same elements.  It’s funny how the same choreography and story line can tell a totally different story just through the motions of people’s bodies and the passion they place into the dance.

-          Went shopping and Joanne and I bought these matching totally European pants with the baggy look.  We might be sporting them back in the US…just a little warning.

-          My host mom made Paella for dinner.  DELISH!

-          Joanne and I found a church in ENGLISH!  And met another girl, Audrey, studying here from Texas.  The church was a hit and we will definitely be going back even thoughmy host mom does not really approve at all and called it a ummmmm I’m not too sure what but probably something I shouldn’t be repeating. 

-          What else have I been up to this week besides school and actually having to start studying here?  This isn’t just a vacation after all is it?

-          Hmmm.  Joanne and I (can you tell that I’ve basically been doing everything with Joanne?) went to see a movie totally in Spanish and we pretty much understood it all.  Success.  It was a little, well a really not pleasant movie, but at least we understood what was going on the whole time ¿Right?

-          Then I guess going back to school, classes have been a lot of work already, but I’ve been enjoying them all, so that’s a good thing.  I’ll write about those later (hopefully I remember) but for now I have to go read for a class starting in 2 hours.  ¡Adios! 

My Little Oasis

The past few days, locals have been telling me I could easily pass as Catalan without a problem and I actually fit in very well here.  I just keep telling them it’s great as long as I don’t open my mouth!

This has definitely been the best morning I’ve had here so far…and I’ve been by myself most of the time.  Who woulda thought?  I had an early class this morning (that I will probably switch out of this week because it doesn’t count for anything).  And after class I explored a little on my own and successfully went to 3 stores and bought things while successfully having conversations with people!  The first store, a school supply store, a mother told me all about her kids in Spanish and I don’t think she knew that I don’t really speak very good Spanish the entire time until the end of the checkout when the cashier said something super fast and I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about.  I’m thinking something about a membership card, but I just gave her a big smile and my 20€ and we both laughed. 

At the next store, I bought some shoes and I successfully asked 2 people to get me different sizes to try on, talked with one person if she liked them and how comfortable they were, and checked out without anyone talking to me in English once!  What I feat!  I was so excited haha.  Then I took the metro part way home and on my walk to the grocery store spotted this little park oasis from the corner of my eye.  What a nice find!  I sat there in the presence of tons of screaming children and talking parents while I read a book for about an hour.  In Barcelona, you don’t really see very many kids around the city, so it was a nice treat to be surrounded by so many at once.  Definitely my type of place with my type of people.  I will definitely be visiting this little park (pretty close to my house) again as my little getaway.

Then at the grocery store, I talked in Spanish with this man in line and had a pleasant little encounter with the cashier.  To say the least, there was a little bounce in my step when I left the grocery store and a smile on my face.  That instant was a dead giveaway that I’m actually not Catalan after all.  The Catalans rarely smile and definitely don’t walk down the street smiling for no reason.  I guess there are some things I can never conform to in this country.  

It's the Start of Something New

So, sorry I really slack at this.  I really have no excuses though expect for that I’m in a new country trying to get into the swing of things.  Well I guess I haven’t written much yet because there is just so much I could say.  But I guess I should start with my host family and the place I’m living.  I have been here about half a week and I already love this house.  Here, I am living with Shelby, my tennis partner from school and we are definitely in this together.  My host mom, Imma, is really lively and speaks Spanish at the speed of lightning.  She tells great stories (when I can understand them) and is super helpful when Shelby and I ask her for any help at all.  There are also 3 more girls from Mexico living with us.  Two are in high school and one is in beauty school here.  As you can see, it is just one big (well kinda cozy) house full of chicas!  Everyone is awesome!  We have all bonded really well and I love every one of them.  I’m really excited to get to know them even more as the months go by!  And they have been really helping Shelby and me with our Spanish which is awesome!

At a birthday dinner in our house for Daniella with her 2 friends from school.

And Imma telling her to blow out the candles mas rapida before the ice cream cake melted all over the place.

I have snapped a few pictures of our room, but not too many.  Our room is cute and we have a great balcony with glass French doors.  Really pretty!  And mom this is for you…crown molding and one of those tin things on the ceiling of our room.  We also have a tv (all is Spanish) and a fairly large closet.  The apartment is en el primer piso, so we have a sunny terrace as a backyard, which most people don’t have in this city and is a nice place to relax.  All great stuff!

The closet before Shelby moved in...

...and after.  muchas cosas!

After we moved the big table to do some p90x in our room.

and the beautiful French doors

Hmm other than my house, Shelby and I have gone on a few adventures.  We went up to the top of the mountain yesterday for an awesome view of the entire city.  The atmosphere up there is a lot different than the atmosphere where we live downtown.  It is very laid back and super peaceful.  I will definitely go there often to get some peace away from the hustle bustle of everything down here near the beach. 

Today, we went to the Arc de Triomf after class and found this beautiful park right near the heart of the city and only one stop away from school on the metro.  It looks like a great place to sit back and enjoy the grass with a little homework while the weather stays warm!

El Arc de Triomf 

Life size Mammoth in the park 

Pretty fountain in the park

Well, there’s a lot more stuff to talk about like food, venturing outside my comfort zone, transportation, topless beaches, the people at IES…I could go on and on.  Maybe I’ll write about that later, but for now dinner is calling.  ADIOS!