Un Fin de Semana Muy Larga

...which means a very long weekend. It felt never ending because we had Wednesday-Friday off for Mercé, so once I felt like I'd had a lot of weekend already, we still had the real weekend left. Friday we went to Cosmo Caixa, a great science museum here. We got tickets to the planetarium and then were able to roam the museum and try out the hands on exhibits. One of my favorite parts was the forest inside a room that had real, live vegetation. The room was actually humid, they had rain and a "pond", there were birds walking around. The pond also had views from below aquarium style; it was all really beautiful. The hands on exhibits were fun too.

Saturday we got up early for another day trip and drove out to Figueres to go to the Dalí museum. It was very interesting to say the least, he's a crazy but brilliant man. The museum is set in an old theater and my favorite fact about it was that Dalí himself made it. It wasn't built or designed after he died, but rather a project that he carried out himself so that it would stay true to his vision. We did have a guide explain things to use, which I enjoyed, but Dalí actually preferred if people went and just observed for themselves and had their own interpretations. It was nice getting some background on him during the tour too though. After that we hung out in Figueres for a bit before getting back on the bus.

Besalú is a town not far from Figueres. It's a beautiful little town of about 2300 people and is very well preserved so it looks as it did in the medieval times. We had perfect weather so that made for an even better back drop for this already gorgeous city. I posted pictures on Facebook for anyone who's interested in looking, but even the pictures don't really do it justice. The one I posted here is a view of the village from the bridge before crossing it.

Sunday Hannah and I made our way to a beach with some friends. The beach we went to this time wasn't in the main part of Barcelona, so we took more or less a commuter rail out to it. The journey was worth it, the beach was beautiful. It was much smaller than the one I usually go to so there were less people around. And only a couple times did anyone come by trying to sell us anything. It was so nice to lay on the beach and not have to worry about people yelling masage! cerveza! cola! (massage! beer! soda!) etc. all afternoon. The weather was perfect, upper 70s and the water was amazing. I went in for a swim and could see clear to the bottom, the waves were perfect-fun to ride but not overwhelming, and I wasn't cold at all. I love the fact that it's the end of September and I was comfortably swimming in the ocean in the late afternoon.

So back to reality, classes started yesterday. It's interesting the way their system for add/drop works here though. The add/drop period will take place over the weekend, so this week is somewhat of a "shopping" week. We do already have classes assigned that we should go to, but we're also more than welcome to go to other classes that we're not enrolled in to see how they are. It's also not a bad thing if you don't go to a class that you're wanting to drop anyway. None of the teachers will be going much past introductory stages until next week. So as of right now I'm not sure what classes I'll be taking, I'll let you know when I find out myself :)

Other than that, I'm experiencing my first bad cold over here. I'm pretty sure it might have something to do with running at full speed for so long. But it's a little lonely being sick and not at home! Not quite as comfortable..although my señora was very sweet and made me a big thing of chicken noodle soup and gave me some medicine. However, I'm not sure what the medicine is (and she's out of town), but I've found that very frustrating, going into a drug store and not having any idea what the medicine boxes say or do. I just want some Nyquil! haha Oh well, I've just been resting and trying to sleep as much as possible since Sunday so hopefully this well pass soon.

I miss everyone at home and hope all is well! Love you all!

Mercé

So I haven't updated in awhile! I've been too busy with schoolwork...(hahah). No actually I've been busy going to festivals for Mercé, a holiday in Barcelona. We went to a few concerts, they were all over the city and all free. One on Tuesday night was enormous, there were just seas of people everywhere. When the show ended at around 6 (yes a.m.) we had trouble getting on the metro because it was so full; we had to walk for awhile before we could find a metro that we could get on. Yesterday, Hannah and I went to a parade that had a lot of bands and drum corps. It also had giants (picture posted here), there are people in the bottom that can see out the skirt of the giant and walk and dance around. Pretty incredible.

Hannah and I have recently become friends with a pretty international bunch of people from Germany, Italy, Denmark, other parts of Spain, South America. I really like getting to know people from other countries in Europe and not just Americans (although they're fun too of course). It's always fun and interesting getting through language barriers too. It's amazing how many phrases we use all the time that just don't make sense if someone is trying to translate literally. Things like if someone asks if I want to go to a party and I say "I'm down", it doesn't make much sense; it makes even less sense if I try to explain it by saying it means the same as "I'm up for it"! Then they really won't know what I'm talking about..up, down, what? We almost always find some way to understand each other though.

Today I got to hang out at the beach for awhile, it's getting a bit chillier (although "chilly" is still in the 70s during the day) but it's still so beautiful to just go and spend some time down there. And I got a package from home! (thanks mom and everyone!! :)) It's always nice to get a little taste of home. My mom sent me some decorative candles for Halloween and my senora got very excited about it. She wants to have a dinner on Halloween for us and wants Hannah and I to decorate her apartment like we would at home! She's great...hopefully Hannah and I will be able to find comparable things around here to decorate with. At the very least I have my candles!

Tomorrow my group is going to Cosmocaixa, a hands-on science museum in the city. Then Saturday we're going to Besalú and Figueres. Stay tuned for pictures!

Trips!

Well I just finished my one and only full week of classes while I'm here. And it was still only 1 class a day :) I didn't do too much sight seeing this week between having days where I was just so tired and also the weather wasn't great this week, a bit cloudy.

I did go out to a discoteca on Tuesday night for an international student party. It was fun because it was more for European students so there weren't a ton of Americans there. But you went in and they give out name tags and you put what country you're from on it. So that was a fun way to meet new people. Then last night we went to a bar called Ovella Negra with Jofre and played billar and futbolin (pool and foosball). I met some Spanish guys and it was really fun talking to them because they didn't know really any English at all. So I got to practice my Spanish a lot and I was happy with how well we were able to communicate and how much I understood them! It was really fun and a more comfortable, relaxed way to practice my Spanish because I wasn't nervous speaking it in front of them. I've started introducing myself here as Catalina to native Spanish speakers because they have trouble pronouncing Caitlin. The guys gave me a nickname last night: Cata and I love it (it's pronounced Kah-tah), I pretty much want that to be my name now haha :P

Today after class we went to the Picasso museum that's in Barcelona. It was beautiful, he gave a lot of his earlier work to this museum because he lived in Barca for awhile when he was younger. There were also pieces from when he moved to Paris, and it was just amazing to see real Picasso paintings close up. We also had the advantage of having a tour guide tell us all about his history and what each period meant; it's always funny when we have tour guides because any tourist that speaks English ends up latching onto our group and listening in. The museum does a really good job of showcasing his progression and change of style, from much more classic and traditional when he was younger due to his father's influence, to his more abstract paintings and style that he started doing when he was influenced by other artists and moved to Paris.

After that I came home and Hannah and I booked some trips!! It's addicting; I booked one the other night to go to Paris with Mark and don't want to stop. Alas, the bank account (or lack thereof) will make me stop ha. Hannah and I planned trips for Venice and Galway and we are soo so excited to go. Our ticket to Ireland only cost 30 euro round trip!! It's hard to believe that this is my life right now, I'm about to go country hopping over the next few months and in the mean time I live in the amazing city of Barca. It still hasn't hit me I don't think, it's all so much to take in.

So my schedule over the next few months is: Sept. 27th: daytrip to Figures/Besalú in Spain, Oct. 17th-19th: Galway with Hannah!, Oct. 24th-26th: Madrid with my study abroad group, Nov. 8th: daytrip to Santes Creus/Poblet in Spain, Nov. 14th-16th: Paris with Mark!!, Dec. 4th-7th: Venice with Hannaaah. Not bad, not bad.

As far as this coming week, we have class only on Monday and Tuesday then it's a holiday here again and we have Wednesday-Friday off. But it's gonna be a great week, starting tonight actually with a ton of festivities and concerts and even firework shows all over the city. I believe we're going to try and go to one of the concerts tomorrow. I'll be sure to keep taking pictures!

La Idioma

It's a bit harder than I thought it would be to understand, speak, and learn Spanish here. I guess I for some reason had the idea that once I got here and had to speak it and was surrounded by it, I'd learn quickly and easily. It definitely helps to have to speak it in most situations, especially at home with my family, but it's really difficult at the same time. Even though everyone is very understanding about my level of Spanish, I get nervous trying to speak it to native speakers because I know that I make a lot of mistakes! But I have to just keep on trying or else I'll never get it. It helps to be in class and getting to re-learn a lot of grammar and vocabulary. It's also a misconception that a lot of people know English here. Most people really don't because Spanish isn't even their first language it's Catalan! So really only the younger generation knows a decent amount. It's good though because it forces me to use my Spanish at places like the grocery store or when I need to ask for directions.

I think my biggest problem right now is the fact that it's so easy to fall into speaking English with my friends for a lot of reasons. First of all, it's just natural obviously and none of us really speak enough to get through a conversation anyway. It's definitely a comfort thing when feeling homesick or overwhelmed to speak English. And it's exhausting to listen to my family for instance and translate in my head for an extended period of time and then also have to translate what I want to say back too. And then that's the other problem, it's very frustrating to not be able to express myself how I want to. It's so much more difficult to tell a story or explain how I'm feeling or what I want to do, etc. when I don't know all the words or tenses to do it. I definitely can't tell jokes or use my usual sarcastic behavior to make friends haha, they just don't understand it. I've never appreciated the English language so much and the ability to say exactly how I feel because I know the words that I want to use!

I have been making an effort to make sure I spend at least sometime with my senora every night and talk with her. Even though it can be tiring mentally, it's important. It's fun too because she's actually trying to learn English so we're able to help each other practice and correct each other as well. Elena (my senora) is definitely a talker! Her kids are grown and don't live at home any more so I think it's nice for her to have someone to talk to. It's weird though too because usually I'm the talker (in case you weren't aware)! Let's just say I believe I'll have even better listening skills and patience once I leave here :)

So if you're still reading this, I'm glad you're enjoying it! And I'd love to hear from all of you too so definitely send me emails about what's going on on the other side of the pond!

La Vida Dura (The Hard Life)

I mean, it really is just tough living over here. Between holidays with no classes, making new friends, exploring a new city, and taking day trips...well, it's a tough life for my feet anyway :). Hannah and I have been trying to take advantage of free time by getting outside and walking around the city. I was really surprised how quickly I felt I got a feel for it; at the very least I definitely feel like I have a good sense of direction and can figure out which way I need to walk to get somewhere. The metro was also easy to figure out, they have an amazing system here that even has a clock that counts down till the next train (much better than waiting outside at the NU stop wondering if it's even gonna come at all within the next 45 minutes).

Thursday was a holiday here, it's actually the day Catalonia (Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia and it used to be an independent nation) lost their independence to Spain. They use the day to celebrate to show that just because they lost their independence does not mean they'll stop living their Catalan lives. Kind of like how we felt after September 11th (interesting coincidence in dates) that we refused to let it affect our everyday lives, we wouldn't close our schools or businesses for them. So there were Catalan flags everywhere around the city, and at night we went to a concert where all the songs were about independence for Catalonia. There were soo many people there!! I put pictures up on Facebook of the crowd. It was quite an experience.

Friday night Hannah and my host families went out for dinner to celebrate my senora's birthday. We went to a little Greek restaurant in our neighborhood and the food was delicious. My senora was saying how a lot of Mediterranean food is very similar in the ingredients they use, but the end result and tastes are much different because every country prepares things differently. After dinner we went to get a drink with all of them and they showed us this little square in our neighborhood where a lot of locals our age hang out and there's several little bars. It's a great place to go get a coffee or a beer.

Then Saturday morning I woke up early to go catch a bus for our first day trip that we had planned for us. We started out at a cava place (Spanish champagne) and it was absolutely beautiful. The place is called Codorniu (small world, Codorniu owns the vineyard Mark worked at in Napa Valley called Artesa) and it is a very old vineyard passed down for many many generations. All the buildings there were designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch, a famous Spanish architect. And the landscape was just breathtaking. The tour was interesting and of course tasting the cava was delicious!

We then got back on the bus and moved on to a town called Sitges where we went to the beach. Sitges is famous for their gay population so it was quite the crowd of speedos everywhere. I went swimming in the water and then laid out on the beach for awhile, it was very relaxing and very beautiful.

After Sitges we went to a vineyard in Penedes, had a tour, and then tasted some wines, two whites, two reds, and two cavas. The tour was very humbling in a way because we got to actually see the workers harvesting the grapes. Seeing it up close and how back breaking the work is just made me realize that I drink the end result all the time without even thinking of that, but so so much work goes into it first. They did the tasting in a way I really liked, before telling us what we should be tasting, he asked us what we thought we tasted and smelled in the wines and then explained to us what it was. It was nice though because he let us know there's no real right or wrong, just different opinions more or less.

So yesterday was a very long day followed by going out for a bit at night. Hannah and I and our friend Max went to a bar called Chupitos, which means shots in spanish. It's fun because the shots don't actually have that much alcohol at all, but they're cheap, only about 1.50-2 euros. It's less about the alcohol and more about the show. The shots are crazy and they have literally hundreds of different types. We did a Boy Scout shot which involves lighting a strip of fluid on the bar on fire, roasting the marshmallow in the fire, dunking it in the shot to put the flame out, taking the shot, and then eating the marshmallow. Then we did a Harry Potter shot which pretty much was three shots with an orange on top and sugar on that, then she lit the shots and the bar around them on fire, threw in some pepper or something so the fire was pretty big and crackling and then put it out and we took the shot and chased with the orange and sugar. The third was weird and hard to explain typing, but it was also fun. (And don't worry mom and dad, sounds like a lot of alcohol but probably all three had about the amount of maybe 1 regular shot :P)

After Chupitos we went to a place called Elephant Club, which has the potential to be a cool place, but it was no fun. It was being promoted by this guy named Kike (pronounced Keekay!!) and he's pretty famous amongst Americans for his club promotions. You get in for free if you mention his name, we didn't have any other plans so we figured we'd try it out. First it took forever to get there, then we ran into a huge group of obnoxious Americans that we assumed were headed to the same place. I know it sounds like a bit of a double standard to judge Americans haha, but these people were just not fun to be around. Well the whole club turned out to be this type. I think they're mostly younger people who can't drink legally in the States and also don't really realize the culture here is different. I got lucky to land in a program that explained this to us so that we could be respectful of it (meaning not binge drink every night) and then on top of that, the group of people I'm with are all very mature and we have the same mentality with drinking. None of us feel the need to get drunk, we really just go out to have fun, not to drink. So anyway, it didn't even feel like we were in Barca anymore! We left there and just ended up going home because it was getting late.

Overall though, the weekend was a lot of fun. Today I have to get some homework done, tomorrow starts our one and only week of 5 days of classes...see I told you it's a tough life.

First Week of Classes

The first week of classes is already over. It was a short one due to the holiday tomorrow. The weekend should be fun because there are going to be a bunch of demonstrations and festivities going on around the city, I'll experience it firsthand tomorrow so I'll let you know how it is.

Last night we went to flamenco. It was much different than I expected but it was really an interesting thing to experience. The show was only about a half hour long and started out with an amazing Spanish guitar player and a man singing. Then three more people came on stage, a woman and two more guys. One of the guys did some drum like rhythms, and everyone was keeping the rhythm with the clapping. There was a lot of really passionate singing and the woman danced for us for a bit, followed by one of the guys. The way they move their feet is incredible!

After that a few of us went out for a bit and had a couple drinks. Our GA Jofre came out with us and bought us a plate of patatas bravas at a bar. They're a very traditional food over here and commonly served at tapas places, it's potatoes with some sort of sauce on top. They were AMAZING, Hannah and I all but licked the plate. I definitely would like to learn how to make them before I leave.

I believe we're going out again tonight to celebrate the weekend. It's tiring but so fun and I'm really really enjoying meeting so many new people. So I'm just trying to enjoy every second that I'm here (and still not spend all of my money in one week). But hey, when in Barca right? :)

Muy Contenta :)

This weekend was really fun and it made me feel so much more comfortable about being here. I think making new friends and having distractions helped a lot with the bit of homesickness I was experiencing. Saturday night we met up with the friends we had made on Friday from the U.K. and went to a little bar, had one drink, then headed to the beach. There was nothing in particular going on there, but I love hanging out on the beach at night so it was great. It was Hannah and my first times touching the Mediterranean water!

Sunday during the day I went back to the beach in the daylight with my friend Lindsay and it was absolutely beautiful. If you've been looking at my Facebook pictures, then you'll see pictures from the beach that day. The landscape here is just amazing, being right next to the beach and then having mountains right in the background.

We definitely have to be really careful here with all of our stuff, pickpocketing is a huge problem. Luckily the crime here really isn't worse than that, but we have to be really vigilant all the time. I left the beach a little before Lindsay and she told me right after I left she saw a girl who had just gotten her purse stolen. It's tough on the beach because there's a million people walking around selling things..from henna tatoos to massages to cold beer and water. On the streets we have to be really careful to make sure we keep our bags in front of us too. But as long as your careful, it's not a problem. For instance, Lindsay and I just took turns going to the water so that one stayed behind to watch our bags at all times.

Last night a couple of us went out for drinks again; it's been really fun getting to know people better and getting to know the city better too. We went to a bar that we went to a couple times over the weekend too so we actually tipped here. I'm so not used to not tipping, I feel so bad when I don't! But they really don't do it over here, they recommend only doing it at places where you know you want to go back to a lot. And even then, it's just a small thing like 50 cents or something. It's strange, it'll definitely save me money, but tipping is so ingrained in my head that it's hard not to do it!

I had my first little mishap with my homestay last night when I forgot my keys in my room. I didn't get back until about 3 from going out (not really that late over here for going out standards) and my host family was already sleeping so they didn't hear their phones. I felt awful that I had forgotten my keys, but lucky for me Hannah had come out with me and lives only a couple blocks away. Since her senora is my senora's daughter, I felt ok with going over there (after Hannah calmed me down and helped me realize it wasn't the end of the world). So I slept on Hannah's trundle bed and made my way home in the morning. My senora was so sweet about it and just felt bad that she had missed my calls..which just made me feel even more guilty of course. But luckily they were very understanding. In general, they've been great to live with and totally understand that I'm here to be meeting people, going out, taking classes, traveling, etc. and let me be very independent.

Classes started today, which I'm so happy about. I really love my spanish teacher, she's so much fun and teaches the class all in spanish so that's definitely going to help me learn faster. For now classes are only 2 and a half hours and then we have the rest of the day to ourselves. There's so many holidays this month too that this week I don't have class Thursday or Friday and in a couple weeks we get off Wednesday-Friday. Once regular classes start at the end of September, we don't have Friday classes at all! I know, I know...it's a tough life over here.

After class we walked over to a sandwich place we had heard about that sells cheap sandwiches (or bocadillos en espanol) and cheap glasses of cava (Spanish champagne). It was delicious, and the glasses of champagne were 60-95 cents each; some of the bottles were only 2.10 euro. I love the drinking culture over here, so much different than in America and I prefer it. It's something to be enjoyed, not something to do to binge drink and get drunk. They don't understand why we drink that way and generally only have a glass of wine with dinner and then maybe 1-3 drinks when they go out. It makes so much more sense to me and I like it a lot.

Tomorrow we're going to see Flamenco dancing with our Guardian Angel, Jofre, which I've been looking forward to since I heard we were going! I'll definitely take pictures, so look for them on Facebook.

Les extrano, abrazos y besos!! (I miss you all, hugs and kisses!!)

Cultura Distinta

The cultural differences here have been really interesting to experience. There's the ones most people know about, like the meal schedule and going out. Last night was our first night actually going out and we didn't get home until 6 a.m. It was so worth it and so much fun. We all got into a club VIP through someone we met and then just danced all night...literally. They're not kidding when they say Spaniards don't go out until at least midnight and then stay out until 5 or 6. The metro closes down on Friday nights from 2-5 and yet we were still able to take it home! So needless to say it's 1 p.m. here right now and I just woke up a little while ago, and I'm sure I'll still want a siesta before going back out tonight :)

They have a great pace of life here and are very serious about working to live and not living to work. It's refreshing to be around a culture that really takes so much time to just enjoy the day. Like when they have their siesta for three hours and eat lunch during it, they don't continue to work on their laptops or talk on their cell phones while they eat; they stop everything their doing and enjoy each other and a good meal. I like it. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day here, but actually my senora (my host "mom") is really understanding of the fact that I'm used to something so different and has told me that I can eat earlier if I want (they usually eat dinner somewhere around 10, give or take) and that I can also make my own dinner (they generally just eat some gazpacho and maybe some fruit for dinner).

My host family is great so far. They love to talk, which is great because I feel like it's definitely going to help improve my spanish much more quickly. They made me feel very welcome the first night and told me that I should treat their house as if I were staying with my aunt and uncle. They wanted me to know that I could feel comfortable and that I didn't have to feel like I was staying in a hotel the whole time I'm here.

So here's something that's taking some getting used to. You have to pay for water here if you're out at a restaurant, you can't just get tap with free refills. If you want more, you have to buy another bottle. And then during lunch a lot of restaurants have 3 course menus with prices that include a bottle of water OR a glass of wine! So wine costs the same as water here haha. I've learned to carry a water bottle around with me everywhere I go.

Classes start Monday and we'll be meeting other Americans from other programs. I'm looking forward to this, but at the same time I want to make sure that I don't only hang out with Americans. I really want to make friends with Spanish people, practice my spanish with them, get to know their culture better, etc. But it is a small world, we were doing a walking tour and I met someone from Beverly (for anyone not from Boston area, it's a town just outside of Boston) and he knew Mike Sydorko! I'm in Barcelona, Spain on a random walking tour and happen to run into someone that knows a friend of mine..crazy.

Haven't been to the beach yet, but the weather is gorgeous here, still very hot, and I think we're going to go there tomorrow. Today Hannah and I are going to explore our neighborhood. Her senora happens to be my senora's daughter and they live just a couple blocks from each other. So we want to get to know nuestras barrio (our neighborhood) today and find a good place to eat some lunch. Hasta pronto!

The Beginning Days

So I’ve been so tired and busy the past couple days that I haven’t gotten a chance to write anything down. I’m having a bit of a hard time adjusting to the time change and dealing with jetlag still. There’s so many things I love so far about this city and the culture in Barcelona, but at the same time, there are definitely still a lot of things that I’m adjusting to. Like the time difference, and the meal schedule here.

Through our orientation though, so far I've seen a good amount for only being here for four days. Plaza Catalunya is a beautiful square in downtown Barcelona, right near the famous street Las Ramblas. Both of those have been really fun to walk around. We got a guided tour of Parc Guell and I am in love with Gaudi! He's incredible, and seeing his work close up has been amazing. We drove by La Sagrada Familia (another Gaudi building) and didn't have time to stop, but I definitely plan on going back there and getting a tour of the church. We also got a guided walking tour of the Gothic Quarter. This was really interesting because our guide really knew so much about the history of the area and the different types of architecture, what was real, what was copied, common misconceptions about the history. It's amazing to stand in the middle of a beautiful old building that used to have markets in the courtyard or kings living in it. We saw a beautiful cathedral too, the cathedral of Santa Maria del Mar. It's an old gothic building and was finished in only 200 years, which for a cathedral I've learned is a very short amount of time to be finished in.

Last night we went out for tapas with my group's Guardian Angel who is a student in Barcelona that's our age and shows us around for the first couple weeks. His name is Jofre (pronounced Joe-fra) and he's here to help us with the transition and getting to know the city. He's a lot of fun and really helpful.

Yesterday I took a Spanish placement test and placed in the intermediate level, so those classes start on Monday and we have just intensive spanish for two and a half hours everyday for a little more than two weeks. Then there's a festivity here in Barcelona and we get a couple days off before the rest of the classes start at the end of September. I won't have any Friday classes, so this will definitely allow me more time to travel!! It's amazing too the day trips they already have planned for us that are already paid for through the program anyway. Things like a day trip to a vineyard with a wine tasting, day trips to different smaller towns around Spain, and a weekend trip to Madrid! I'm really looking forward to that. They also have a lot of museum visits that we can do on Fridays that again are already paid for.

So so far, so good. I love the city (despite the fact that I've been having a lot of trouble sleeping and am basically an insomniac right now) and I have a really good feeling about the next four months. Look on Facebook for pictures and I'll try and keep the blog updated too for anyone who's interested!