September 12, 2010
Heels
Just one more quick thought. Fashion, again. Okay, so the ladies here do not wear heels to go out. They only wear flats or sandals or even flip-flops. Why? Because the metro is ridiculous. Once you get underground, you often have to walk for over 5 minutes to get to the correct track. Transferring lines is even worse. You can easily spend 10 minutes of your 20 minute trip just walking underground. So no heels! Women here see no reason to torture their feet, so they don't.
Walking all over creation
Hello friends!
On Saturday, I (along with Jake) met up with a couple who are Christian leaders here in Barcelona. Saturday was the National Day of Catalunya, so we met in the Parc Ciutadella. It was absolutely teeming with people and there was an extensive program with music, poetry, performances, speeches, etc. After spending a good bit of time trying to locate the group, I finally met up with everyone. After the official ceremony was over, we walked over to sit on the grass to pray for Spain and Catalunya. After that, we had a picnic lunch and then went to see the Parliament building. The building was absolutely amazing! It was extremely lavish, and mixed modern and historic architecture and design.
After this, Jake and I decided to stick with our new acquaintances to see if we could locate some more of the festivities. We walked, and walked, and walked, and walked, and walked! All the way through Barri Gotic and out onto Placa Catalunya. We went through the old Jewish Quarter and got to peek into a window of a tiny synagogue that was just recently re-discovered. There was also a stone inscription in Hebrew on one of the walls! Cool stuff! After walking for so long, it was time for a little merienda - nothing like a cone of ice cream for 1 euro.
Jumping forward to today, I was going to get up early and visit a church, but I slept until 12:30. I have done so much this week, it all finally caught up to me. So today, my main goal was to do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. I succeeded. I lounged around until about 5 pm, hanging out with my host family. At that point, I decided I needed to get out in the sunshine and have some fresh air. So, my senora told me about a nearby park and I went over there to read. It was very pleasant outside, and the park was filled with families and people walking their dogs. It felt very communal. I sat on a bench and read for a few hours. I was feeling a bit down earlier today, but I pushed through and this evening was lovely. I just hung out at home with my senora, and my sister Ana and her boyfriend Christian. Que tranquilo! How relaxing!
Before I sign off, here are a few more things to add to my growing list of differences that I have seen:
1) Party time - The normal time here to go out to a bar is 11:00 pm. Although people pretty much socially drink all the time here. Bars are open until between 1-3 am. Clubs do not open until 1:00 am and stay open until 4-6 am! But no worries, there is also no such thing as an 8:00 am class. 9:30 is an early time to have class.
2) Strollers - The guys are the ones who push the strollers. I have maybe seen 1 woman pushing a stroller in the time that I have been here. All of the other times, it was the dude. And I have walked around a LOT, so I have seen a lot of stroller-pushing.
3) Dog Walking - Sitting in the park today, I noticed that the people were letting their dogs go up and play with other dogs or sniff them. However, the dog owners did not seem to exchange some chit chat while their dogs were communing. In the U.S., it is pretty common to exchange a few words with someone if your dogs are playing together in the dog park. Here, people are very affectionate with people they know, but don't really greet people they don't know who are passing by.
That's it for now ladies and gents. My first class is tomorrow at 12:30 pm.
Besos!
On Saturday, I (along with Jake) met up with a couple who are Christian leaders here in Barcelona. Saturday was the National Day of Catalunya, so we met in the Parc Ciutadella. It was absolutely teeming with people and there was an extensive program with music, poetry, performances, speeches, etc. After spending a good bit of time trying to locate the group, I finally met up with everyone. After the official ceremony was over, we walked over to sit on the grass to pray for Spain and Catalunya. After that, we had a picnic lunch and then went to see the Parliament building. The building was absolutely amazing! It was extremely lavish, and mixed modern and historic architecture and design.
After this, Jake and I decided to stick with our new acquaintances to see if we could locate some more of the festivities. We walked, and walked, and walked, and walked, and walked! All the way through Barri Gotic and out onto Placa Catalunya. We went through the old Jewish Quarter and got to peek into a window of a tiny synagogue that was just recently re-discovered. There was also a stone inscription in Hebrew on one of the walls! Cool stuff! After walking for so long, it was time for a little merienda - nothing like a cone of ice cream for 1 euro.
Jumping forward to today, I was going to get up early and visit a church, but I slept until 12:30. I have done so much this week, it all finally caught up to me. So today, my main goal was to do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. I succeeded. I lounged around until about 5 pm, hanging out with my host family. At that point, I decided I needed to get out in the sunshine and have some fresh air. So, my senora told me about a nearby park and I went over there to read. It was very pleasant outside, and the park was filled with families and people walking their dogs. It felt very communal. I sat on a bench and read for a few hours. I was feeling a bit down earlier today, but I pushed through and this evening was lovely. I just hung out at home with my senora, and my sister Ana and her boyfriend Christian. Que tranquilo! How relaxing!
Before I sign off, here are a few more things to add to my growing list of differences that I have seen:
1) Party time - The normal time here to go out to a bar is 11:00 pm. Although people pretty much socially drink all the time here. Bars are open until between 1-3 am. Clubs do not open until 1:00 am and stay open until 4-6 am! But no worries, there is also no such thing as an 8:00 am class. 9:30 is an early time to have class.
2) Strollers - The guys are the ones who push the strollers. I have maybe seen 1 woman pushing a stroller in the time that I have been here. All of the other times, it was the dude. And I have walked around a LOT, so I have seen a lot of stroller-pushing.
3) Dog Walking - Sitting in the park today, I noticed that the people were letting their dogs go up and play with other dogs or sniff them. However, the dog owners did not seem to exchange some chit chat while their dogs were communing. In the U.S., it is pretty common to exchange a few words with someone if your dogs are playing together in the dog park. Here, people are very affectionate with people they know, but don't really greet people they don't know who are passing by.
That's it for now ladies and gents. My first class is tomorrow at 12:30 pm.
Besos!
September 11, 2010
September 10, 2010
Universitat de Barcelona
Today I took the UB exam In the morning. UB is beautiful. It’s in this huge historic building, with stone archways and courtyards with benches. Its unreal. The exam was not too bad. I think I will probably place in level B, but I am not completely sure. Anyway, it doesn’t matter much since both of the classes I would like to take have both levels. But seriously, I dont know how I am going to deal with Drexel after this.
A word about fashion: Thank goodness that I am from the U.S. If I lived here, I would probably be an outcast from lack of fashion ingenuity. When I first got here, everyone seemed to dress very similarly to the U.S. Now I am starting to see that what I read before coming here is true. The women dress very nicely, with well-cut clothing in neutral colors. But there is definitely an element of whimsy and creativity. They all wear those pants which are cut loosely and then cuff at the bottom and any variations on this. It looks like I will be getting myself a pair or two very shortly.
I realize that I did not really bring enough clothes here, which is fine. I can buy some. I would love to buy some. But I need to find some good places. I did get a shirt at ZARA today. It was only 3.99€!!! I showed it to Ana (my "sister") when I got home and she thought it was really cute. Which is good, because she dresses really cute! And she asked if I was going to wear it to go out, which confirmed my idea that I could wear it to go out.
And these European guys. Seriously. They know how to dress. I mean, the average guy here knows how to dress himself better than the average girl. Which is weird and awesome. And that is pretty much all I have to say about that.
A word about fashion: Thank goodness that I am from the U.S. If I lived here, I would probably be an outcast from lack of fashion ingenuity. When I first got here, everyone seemed to dress very similarly to the U.S. Now I am starting to see that what I read before coming here is true. The women dress very nicely, with well-cut clothing in neutral colors. But there is definitely an element of whimsy and creativity. They all wear those pants which are cut loosely and then cuff at the bottom and any variations on this. It looks like I will be getting myself a pair or two very shortly.
I realize that I did not really bring enough clothes here, which is fine. I can buy some. I would love to buy some. But I need to find some good places. I did get a shirt at ZARA today. It was only 3.99€!!! I showed it to Ana (my "sister") when I got home and she thought it was really cute. Which is good, because she dresses really cute! And she asked if I was going to wear it to go out, which confirmed my idea that I could wear it to go out.
And these European guys. Seriously. They know how to dress. I mean, the average guy here knows how to dress himself better than the average girl. Which is weird and awesome. And that is pretty much all I have to say about that.
September 9, 2010
Bus Turistic
What a day! At 10:00 this morning, we got on the Bus Turistic to go to Park Guell, created by Antoni Gaudi. This is one of the places that I have wanted to visit for a very long time. Although it was beautiful, it was hot and very crowded. Gaudi really was an amazing man. He had such an unusual mind and crazy ideas! After visitng Park Guell, we were free to do whatever we wanted for the rest of the day. Isn't it funny how sometimes its hard to decide what to do, especially when there are so many possibilities? We decided to ride the rest of the Bus Turistic route to get back to Placa Catalunya (near our Center) to eat some lunch. We passed through a lot of different areas of Barcelona. I especially want to go back to visit the Ceramic museum in the north and some other things. After lunch, I decided to visit one of the houses of Gaudi. It was pretty cool.
Now, I am going to take a rest before going out for a little shopping. I need shampoo, an alarm clock, a water bottle, and some other small things. I will probably also stop for a bocadillo or a cafe.
I do have one entertaining story to share from last night. After our day was over, I decided to go for my second attempt at getting a SIM card. Hay caramba! It was such a pain. We waited for a whole hour in the phone shop and the poor guy at the counter was dealing with the worst. First this lady comes in and tries to butt in line. She goes straight up to the counter and starts talking to the guy, saying that she wants to buy this and that. He told her she had to wait her turn and she started protesting until this other Catalan woman gave her a few sharp words to set her straight. It was very interesting to watch all of this take place and understand what was going on. Then later, these two Italian women came in and started talking to the guy. Of course, they were speaking Italian, like he would understand. So the poor man got very annoyed Of course, they too claimed they weren't butting in line, they were just "getting some information." Anyway, despite all of these this nonsense, I managed to purchase my SIM card. Success!!!
Now, I am going to take a rest before going out for a little shopping. I need shampoo, an alarm clock, a water bottle, and some other small things. I will probably also stop for a bocadillo or a cafe.
I do have one entertaining story to share from last night. After our day was over, I decided to go for my second attempt at getting a SIM card. Hay caramba! It was such a pain. We waited for a whole hour in the phone shop and the poor guy at the counter was dealing with the worst. First this lady comes in and tries to butt in line. She goes straight up to the counter and starts talking to the guy, saying that she wants to buy this and that. He told her she had to wait her turn and she started protesting until this other Catalan woman gave her a few sharp words to set her straight. It was very interesting to watch all of this take place and understand what was going on. Then later, these two Italian women came in and started talking to the guy. Of course, they were speaking Italian, like he would understand. So the poor man got very annoyed Of course, they too claimed they weren't butting in line, they were just "getting some information." Anyway, despite all of these this nonsense, I managed to purchase my SIM card. Success!!!
September 8, 2010
Orientation Week
So, I am finally in a place with Internet, so I can actually post.
This week so far has been an orientation to the Arcadia program. There are about 35 students total and this first week we have pretty much been doing everything together as a group. The orientation has been very extensive! We have gone over local customs, such as eating times and mannerisms, learned about how to protect ourselves from pickpocketers from two police officers, learned about culture shock from a clinical psychologist, taken our placement exam for our courses here, toured all over the place, thats not even half of it!
The staff here are really really nice. They have been wonderful in every aspect and I am confident that I will be able to approach them with any problems.
So, what are some huge difference so far?
1) Meal times - Spaniards eat 4-5 times a day. Desayuno, breakfast, is usually very small. Just a coffee or hot chocolate with some "pa amb tomaquet" (Bread drizzled with olive oil with a tomato spread on it). This is normally around 10:30/11:00 am. La comida, lunch, is the largest meal of the day. It lasts from 2-3 pm and consists of a meat & pasta dish. Then comes la Merienda, which is coffee and a small sandwich (called a bocadillo). This snack is absolutely essential because la cena, dinner, is not until 9-10 pm. Dinners are lighter, usually an omelet with beans or salad on the side, or something similar. Today was the first day that I ate like a proper Barcelonian!
2) Tips are unnecessary. Because of this, the waiters here are quite rude. They earn a normal salary and don't have to earn your tip. On the plus side though, they will NEVER rush you. You can buy one coffee and then sit in the cafe for 3 or more hours. This is normal actually.
3) Most of the large streets are split in half, with a large walkway in the middle. These "paseos" are filled with tables and chairs, so you can always eat outside!
There are lots of other things, but those are the first that come to mind.
Now, about academics. I am happy to report that after an extremely taxing language placement test on Tuesday, I placed into the Advanced B level, which means that I will almost certainly be able to take classes at the University of Barcelona proper, and not just the Arcadia Center. I am so excited!!!
Today, I moved in with my host family. My senora, Ana, is very kind and caring. I have my own room with a desk and a wardrobe and everything. I am so thankful to the Lord that he placed me here and I know that I will have a wonderful time with Ana and her daughter (and the cat "Tigre" (which means tiger)). To add to it, Ana is a wonderful cook!
Tomorrow, we will be taking a bus tour and visiting Parque Guell. Then, we will have pass all day for Bus Turistic, which means that we can go around to lots of different places tomorrow.
Well, its 11:30 pm here, so I am going to head off to bed.
Saludos!
This week so far has been an orientation to the Arcadia program. There are about 35 students total and this first week we have pretty much been doing everything together as a group. The orientation has been very extensive! We have gone over local customs, such as eating times and mannerisms, learned about how to protect ourselves from pickpocketers from two police officers, learned about culture shock from a clinical psychologist, taken our placement exam for our courses here, toured all over the place, thats not even half of it!
The staff here are really really nice. They have been wonderful in every aspect and I am confident that I will be able to approach them with any problems.
So, what are some huge difference so far?
1) Meal times - Spaniards eat 4-5 times a day. Desayuno, breakfast, is usually very small. Just a coffee or hot chocolate with some "pa amb tomaquet" (Bread drizzled with olive oil with a tomato spread on it). This is normally around 10:30/11:00 am. La comida, lunch, is the largest meal of the day. It lasts from 2-3 pm and consists of a meat & pasta dish. Then comes la Merienda, which is coffee and a small sandwich (called a bocadillo). This snack is absolutely essential because la cena, dinner, is not until 9-10 pm. Dinners are lighter, usually an omelet with beans or salad on the side, or something similar. Today was the first day that I ate like a proper Barcelonian!
2) Tips are unnecessary. Because of this, the waiters here are quite rude. They earn a normal salary and don't have to earn your tip. On the plus side though, they will NEVER rush you. You can buy one coffee and then sit in the cafe for 3 or more hours. This is normal actually.
3) Most of the large streets are split in half, with a large walkway in the middle. These "paseos" are filled with tables and chairs, so you can always eat outside!
There are lots of other things, but those are the first that come to mind.
Now, about academics. I am happy to report that after an extremely taxing language placement test on Tuesday, I placed into the Advanced B level, which means that I will almost certainly be able to take classes at the University of Barcelona proper, and not just the Arcadia Center. I am so excited!!!
Today, I moved in with my host family. My senora, Ana, is very kind and caring. I have my own room with a desk and a wardrobe and everything. I am so thankful to the Lord that he placed me here and I know that I will have a wonderful time with Ana and her daughter (and the cat "Tigre" (which means tiger)). To add to it, Ana is a wonderful cook!
Tomorrow, we will be taking a bus tour and visiting Parque Guell. Then, we will have pass all day for Bus Turistic, which means that we can go around to lots of different places tomorrow.
Well, its 11:30 pm here, so I am going to head off to bed.
Saludos!
September 6, 2010
Finally Here
So, I'm finally here! I honestly was wondering if I was ever going to make it. Here is a recap of my airport travels: The flight from PHL to Heathrow went well. It left on time and arrived a bit early. I did manage to sleep for a few hours on the plane (for maybe the first time in my life?). I guess this past week really took it out of me! That flight was not all roses though. It was packed with babies and kids under 5. Whoever thought that I would wake up to hearing a little girl singing "The Wheels on the Bus?" Of course, this particular cover of the song was more pleasant to listen to since the girl had an English accent.
The most remarkable thing about Heathrow was a) the amount of buses I had to take to get from place to place and b) the wholly unorganized and confusing layout of Terminal 3. I managed to grab a plate of eggs and some toast for breakfast (paid in Euros, got change in Pounds), before looking at the screen which listed my flight as "boarding." So there is me running pell-mell through the airport to Gate 24. I had already taken a bus from the tarmac to Terminal 5 and another from Terminal 5 to Terminal 3, so I should not have been surprised when they bused us out to the tarmac again. The flight to BCN was only 1 hr 45 min, so I just read my book and stared out the window for that flight.
Then BARCELONA!!! After quite a trying time locating Eva, who I stayed with this past night, I was finally settled into my first night location. Eva and her husband live in a cute flat on the Avenida Diagonal, which is one of the main streets that runs through Barcelona. Out of my window, I can see la Sagrada Familia (if you don't know what that is, go look it up!) on my right and the beach on my left. I took a dip in their pool before getting a shower and going out. One other funny note: When Eva and I took the elevator from the basement to the first floor with my luggage, she wanted to stop out and introduce me to the front desk man. "Just leave your suitcase here," she says, "we'll come back and get it." Leave my suitcase unattended? Right outside this elevator? And no one will take it? No one did.
In the evenings here, everyone goes out for a walk. If you're old, you go as far as you can and then you sit on one of the benches. If you're in the middle, you either jog, walk, or ride a bike. If you are under 15, the preferred mode of transportation is roller blades. Certainly, people here have a more active lifestyle. As far as personality, Spaniards so far seem to be sort of aloof and a bit closed off. I haven't quite come up with the right adjective yet. Not haughty, just unconcerned. But, companionship is definitely important here. I saw barely anyone walking around by themselves, even though it is completely safe to do so. So I get the feeling that once you get to know someone, they are the kind of people that stick by each other.
For dinner, most restaurants don't open until 8. I got pretty hungry by 7 pm, considering that I hadn't actually eaten any lunch. So I found a cafe place and had a crepe with tuna, tomatoes, and melted cheese. It sounds gross, but it was really good.
I turned in about 9:30 pm (local time) and woke up about 9:00 am (also local time). I am now about to go out and explore some more before Eva takes me to the Gruphotel Gravina to meet up with the rest of the Arcadia group. On the docket for today? The mall to get a SIM chip for my phone and the beach!
Saludos!
The most remarkable thing about Heathrow was a) the amount of buses I had to take to get from place to place and b) the wholly unorganized and confusing layout of Terminal 3. I managed to grab a plate of eggs and some toast for breakfast (paid in Euros, got change in Pounds), before looking at the screen which listed my flight as "boarding." So there is me running pell-mell through the airport to Gate 24. I had already taken a bus from the tarmac to Terminal 5 and another from Terminal 5 to Terminal 3, so I should not have been surprised when they bused us out to the tarmac again. The flight to BCN was only 1 hr 45 min, so I just read my book and stared out the window for that flight.
Then BARCELONA!!! After quite a trying time locating Eva, who I stayed with this past night, I was finally settled into my first night location. Eva and her husband live in a cute flat on the Avenida Diagonal, which is one of the main streets that runs through Barcelona. Out of my window, I can see la Sagrada Familia (if you don't know what that is, go look it up!) on my right and the beach on my left. I took a dip in their pool before getting a shower and going out. One other funny note: When Eva and I took the elevator from the basement to the first floor with my luggage, she wanted to stop out and introduce me to the front desk man. "Just leave your suitcase here," she says, "we'll come back and get it." Leave my suitcase unattended? Right outside this elevator? And no one will take it? No one did.
In the evenings here, everyone goes out for a walk. If you're old, you go as far as you can and then you sit on one of the benches. If you're in the middle, you either jog, walk, or ride a bike. If you are under 15, the preferred mode of transportation is roller blades. Certainly, people here have a more active lifestyle. As far as personality, Spaniards so far seem to be sort of aloof and a bit closed off. I haven't quite come up with the right adjective yet. Not haughty, just unconcerned. But, companionship is definitely important here. I saw barely anyone walking around by themselves, even though it is completely safe to do so. So I get the feeling that once you get to know someone, they are the kind of people that stick by each other.
For dinner, most restaurants don't open until 8. I got pretty hungry by 7 pm, considering that I hadn't actually eaten any lunch. So I found a cafe place and had a crepe with tuna, tomatoes, and melted cheese. It sounds gross, but it was really good.
I turned in about 9:30 pm (local time) and woke up about 9:00 am (also local time). I am now about to go out and explore some more before Eva takes me to the Gruphotel Gravina to meet up with the rest of the Arcadia group. On the docket for today? The mall to get a SIM chip for my phone and the beach!
Saludos!
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