hey all,
as my time here has dwindled, my motivation for blog updates (and schoolwork) have similarly diminished. my sister arrived here on friday, and i've been doing a bit of tour-guiding, although the weather has not been exactly cooperating. anyway, i took my last exam yesterday, packed up today, and am jetting off with cindy to london tomorrow for five days before heading home for good. who knows the next time that i'll be able to take a 30 euro easyjet flight over to london, so might as well aprovechar. today i introduced my sister to the concept of baguette-and-tomato lunch picnics, which we enjoyed on our trek around montjuic...rain and all. tonight we're having a last tapas dinner out with my program friends, and tomorrow's agenda includes a walk on the beach, parc de la ciutadella, la boqueria, and the all-important xocolata amb churros, all before heading to the airport in the early evening.
i feel a lot differently about barcelona now than i did originally, after spending four months here and after traveling to various other spanish cities and other european union countries. besides feeling frustrated with the amount of catalan spoken here, and the intense feelings that many barcelona residents (in particular, students), have about using catalan, learning about the history of catalonia- especially how they've really been screwed over and oppressed during Franco's rule, and even today- as the richest autonomous region in Spain...while Madrid takes all of their money and makes all of the appropriate decisions- has really given me some perspective. i can't say that i can make an informed opinion about the situation, but originally writing it off as a bunch of whiny and entitled catalans yammering about wanting to keep their money was a kind of immature opinion.
the problems that spain has with its economy, with immigrants, with diversity- are the same problems one finds EVERYWHERE. spanish people think that americans are xenophobic, we (at least, the people in my program) have found spanish people racist and ridiculously politically incorrect. these are all results of the current situations in our respective countries. catalonians are afraid of the andalucian (READ: moroccan/north african/arab/muslim) immigrants. americans are afraid of immigrants from latin america. i think that we could relate on this subject, but instead we like to focus on how OTHER people or countries are intolerant, racist, etc. whatever. it's not just america, though. that is somewhat comforting.
barcelona is to spain like boston or another northeast city is to america. they are not concerned with formalities like greeting strangers on the street or saying "sorry" if you bump into someone. they are concerned that the "others" are taking their hard-earned money from tourism and industry and subsidizing pointless and dying economic activities. they have become obsessed with "multiculturalism" and "multicultural" activities and displays as this is becoming more of a necessity.
the city itself is beautiful and never boring, and i'll miss spending weekend days just wandering around the backstreets, always running into some remains from when the romans put up walls around "barcino," catalonian nationalist protests, and castellers doing their thing in some plaza or another. i have seen more art and history here than I had in nineteen years in the states. and that's not to mention my other travels- they each had their own blog updates, so i won't bother to recap.
and with that, VISCA CATALUNYA LLIURE.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Saturday, December 6, 2008
leaving barcelona in ten days
i feel very weird about having this little time left in barcelona. i have no motivation to do my work- it's about the last thing on my mind. honestly, though- i've kind of done what i wanted to do and seen what i wanted to see here. additional time wouldn't really be desirable. i'm about ready to come home, but at the same time i'm kind of dreading all the things i'll miss about barcelona- friends, food, and speaking spanish, most of all.
on a more interesting note, the firemen of barcelona flooded the streets yesterday on bikes in protest of their working conditions. imagine a bike parade/protest of about 150 firemen slowly making their way up one of the busiest streets in barcelona, honking horns and in full fireman garb. it was one of the most simultaneously obnoxious (quite loud) and amusing sights i have ever seen.
oh, barcelona.
on a more interesting note, the firemen of barcelona flooded the streets yesterday on bikes in protest of their working conditions. imagine a bike parade/protest of about 150 firemen slowly making their way up one of the busiest streets in barcelona, honking horns and in full fireman garb. it was one of the most simultaneously obnoxious (quite loud) and amusing sights i have ever seen.
oh, barcelona.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
un chien andaluz
greetings from sevilla! i have not yet blogged from one of my weekend trips outside of barcelona, so i figured i´d take advantage of our sweet free hostel internet to do so. i´m here now in sevilla with my friend jenny from my program. sevilla is in the south of spain, in andalucia. we spent all of friday here, spent saturday in cordoba (a very small city about an hour and a half away), and are back here for our last day before flying out tomorrow.
andalucia is beautiful. i really like sevilla and i liked our day trip to cordoba, but i cannot imagine studying here, just because they are SUCH small and provincial cities. it has only just become apparent to me how ¨unspain¨ barcelona is, compared to here. people go to church on sundays. people we don´t know have struck up conversations with us in restaurants, on public transportation, on the streets- interested in where we are from and praising our spanish skills (haaa). this has been a really nice change from the impersonality of barcelona, but at the end of the day, i´m a northeasterner at heart, and hey, that´s what i´m used to and prefer. also, we´ve basically done everything that was recommended in sevilla in about 36 hours. boredom would set in quickly.
highlights from the trip have included sevilla´s cathedral, plaza del toros (where bullfights are held and have been since the 1700s), alzacar (palace of the christian kings from the 1550s), archive of the indias (museum that traces the development and exploration of the americas by spanish explorers), a few very nice parks, and some really excellent food, at far less expensive prices than one can find in barcelona. our trip yesterday to cordoba was also really fun, but tiring. the main focus of the day was the mezquita, mosque built from the 8th to 10th centuries. you can´t imagine just how big a mosque could be- but there is a cathedral built INSIDE of it, that takes up a fraction of its area (the christians decided to make their own mark on the place when they took over). it was incredible. we also visited the synagogue in the old jewish quarter, and the alcazar there as well. even the train ride from sevilla to cordoba through the andalucian countryside was gorgeous.
i spent last weekend in lisbon with another of my program friends. i won´t go into detail about it here so as not to make this entry ridiculously long. lisbon was my least favorite trip so far, although i´m definitely glad i went. the city just seemed lacking in personality (not to mention people- at 2 PM on a gorgeous saturday afternoon, the streets in the city center were empty. weird). this past week was nothing too exciting, mostly just classes and projects in preparation for this trip. we did, however, have a program thanksgiving dinner on thursday. the food left a little something to be desired (good, but not american thanksgiving), but it was a really nice thing to do, and great to eat at a nice restaurant with the other CIEE kids.
now, i´m getting into the final stretch with only two weeks of classes left. i am going home in exactly three weeks, and leaving barcelona in less than that (london first)! after three months here, it´s a little weird to think about. most people here have the same thoughts- ready to go home, but we will miss barcelona, our friends, and the overall experience a LOT. however, it´ll be nice to have next weekend in barcelona after a month straight of traveling; i´ll have to do the last things that i want to do in the city before it´s time to go. but luckily, my lovely sister will be arriving in barcelona in 12 days (!!!), and then i´ll get to show her the sights before we hit up london.
note to the british pound: i´m watching you. just keep on falling in value.
andalucia is beautiful. i really like sevilla and i liked our day trip to cordoba, but i cannot imagine studying here, just because they are SUCH small and provincial cities. it has only just become apparent to me how ¨unspain¨ barcelona is, compared to here. people go to church on sundays. people we don´t know have struck up conversations with us in restaurants, on public transportation, on the streets- interested in where we are from and praising our spanish skills (haaa). this has been a really nice change from the impersonality of barcelona, but at the end of the day, i´m a northeasterner at heart, and hey, that´s what i´m used to and prefer. also, we´ve basically done everything that was recommended in sevilla in about 36 hours. boredom would set in quickly.
highlights from the trip have included sevilla´s cathedral, plaza del toros (where bullfights are held and have been since the 1700s), alzacar (palace of the christian kings from the 1550s), archive of the indias (museum that traces the development and exploration of the americas by spanish explorers), a few very nice parks, and some really excellent food, at far less expensive prices than one can find in barcelona. our trip yesterday to cordoba was also really fun, but tiring. the main focus of the day was the mezquita, mosque built from the 8th to 10th centuries. you can´t imagine just how big a mosque could be- but there is a cathedral built INSIDE of it, that takes up a fraction of its area (the christians decided to make their own mark on the place when they took over). it was incredible. we also visited the synagogue in the old jewish quarter, and the alcazar there as well. even the train ride from sevilla to cordoba through the andalucian countryside was gorgeous.
i spent last weekend in lisbon with another of my program friends. i won´t go into detail about it here so as not to make this entry ridiculously long. lisbon was my least favorite trip so far, although i´m definitely glad i went. the city just seemed lacking in personality (not to mention people- at 2 PM on a gorgeous saturday afternoon, the streets in the city center were empty. weird). this past week was nothing too exciting, mostly just classes and projects in preparation for this trip. we did, however, have a program thanksgiving dinner on thursday. the food left a little something to be desired (good, but not american thanksgiving), but it was a really nice thing to do, and great to eat at a nice restaurant with the other CIEE kids.
now, i´m getting into the final stretch with only two weeks of classes left. i am going home in exactly three weeks, and leaving barcelona in less than that (london first)! after three months here, it´s a little weird to think about. most people here have the same thoughts- ready to go home, but we will miss barcelona, our friends, and the overall experience a LOT. however, it´ll be nice to have next weekend in barcelona after a month straight of traveling; i´ll have to do the last things that i want to do in the city before it´s time to go. but luckily, my lovely sister will be arriving in barcelona in 12 days (!!!), and then i´ll get to show her the sights before we hit up london.
note to the british pound: i´m watching you. just keep on falling in value.
Monday, November 17, 2008
ohhhh champs elysees
i am the most stereotypical college study abroad student ever: "oh hey guys! you know, just jetted in from paris this morning, headed to lisbon on friday, then it's to andalucia a week from then." whatever, i'll never be able to do this again in my life.
last week, my parents continued their stay on the iberian peninsula. having visitors is great because it gives one an excuse (and the ability) to do all the touristy things that one would never usually do in daily life. thus, i am about done with barcelona art, history, and culture. this is good because i am not here for much longer, not even factoring in two more weekend trips.
on thursday night my parents and i left for paris. the three following days were a whirlwind; three days is NOT a lot to do everything in paris, which is exactly what we did. the art museum trifecta (louvre/musee d'orsay/pompidou), eiffel tower, cruising the seine, pantheon, notre dame, sacre coeur, and some neighborhood perusing- featuring montmartre, the marais, and others. oh, we also managed to eat excellently. and i thought bread in barcelona was good. the crepes are also ridiculous (sorry, reading terminal market, i still love you). i won't even really describe everything we did/saw/ate, because it was all so great. i even spoke a few words of french, probably the ten or so words i know. paris might be my favorite city that i have visited so far, besides barcelona, of course.
i knew i was back in barcelona this morning when i saw/experienced: signs in catalan and a catalonian flag draped over an apartment on my way to school, sun and ridiculously unseasonably warm weather, people that pushed and shoved in the crowded metro without saying "perdon."
last week, my parents continued their stay on the iberian peninsula. having visitors is great because it gives one an excuse (and the ability) to do all the touristy things that one would never usually do in daily life. thus, i am about done with barcelona art, history, and culture. this is good because i am not here for much longer, not even factoring in two more weekend trips.
on thursday night my parents and i left for paris. the three following days were a whirlwind; three days is NOT a lot to do everything in paris, which is exactly what we did. the art museum trifecta (louvre/musee d'orsay/pompidou), eiffel tower, cruising the seine, pantheon, notre dame, sacre coeur, and some neighborhood perusing- featuring montmartre, the marais, and others. oh, we also managed to eat excellently. and i thought bread in barcelona was good. the crepes are also ridiculous (sorry, reading terminal market, i still love you). i won't even really describe everything we did/saw/ate, because it was all so great. i even spoke a few words of french, probably the ten or so words i know. paris might be my favorite city that i have visited so far, besides barcelona, of course.
i knew i was back in barcelona this morning when i saw/experienced: signs in catalan and a catalonian flag draped over an apartment on my way to school, sun and ridiculously unseasonably warm weather, people that pushed and shoved in the crowded metro without saying "perdon."
Sunday, November 9, 2008
i was trying to think of a clever title for this entry
and came up empty. my wit just isn't what it used to be. i have, however, become more adept at expressing sarcasm and generally joking around in spanish, which is no easy task.
the highlights of this past week included Fun With Midterms and election madness. Even for my extremely difficult to understand and succeed 20th century spanish literature class, my midterm was kind of laughable. One of my program friends put it best when we reconvened upon completion of the exam, "was that a test? or a cute little exercise?" definitely the latter. i am not complaining. now it's basically smooth sailing until a little bit of work in the form of papers and tests starting at the beginning of december.
i don't really have much to say about the election, because i'm pretty sure everyone knows how it turned out. i feel very positively about it and all, but i'm just kind of election-ed out. it was very exciting at the time though- i watched the returns (til 6 in the morning spanish time...poor choice) with seven other CIEE kids. we stocked up on chips and oreos to give the six hours of spanish commentary more of an american feel. i now get approving smiles and nods when i have to reveal my place of origin, so that's pretty cool. i also consider it a huge plus that joe biden and barack obama both seem to be able to identify africa as a continent. hell, they can probably name all of them as well! humor aside, i am determined to try and go to the inauguration.
this weekend has been excellent. it included a thursday night at la oveja negra for jenny's pre-birthday celebration, and then both my parents and tara arrived on friday! i have been playing tour guide to my parents, taking them to la boqueria, la catedral, sagrada familia, parc guell, MNAC, the olympic stadium, and the montjuic castle...plus some delicious tapas. tara has kept herself busy whilst i entertained the rents, and joined me and some other friends for a couple nights out. i will not be in barcelona for a weekend again til the first weekend in december, sniff sniff. it's been great seeing my family and also talking wayyy too much about tufts- what more could i ask for.
this week i'll be tour guiding a bit more, and then it's off to paris!
the highlights of this past week included Fun With Midterms and election madness. Even for my extremely difficult to understand and succeed 20th century spanish literature class, my midterm was kind of laughable. One of my program friends put it best when we reconvened upon completion of the exam, "was that a test? or a cute little exercise?" definitely the latter. i am not complaining. now it's basically smooth sailing until a little bit of work in the form of papers and tests starting at the beginning of december.
i don't really have much to say about the election, because i'm pretty sure everyone knows how it turned out. i feel very positively about it and all, but i'm just kind of election-ed out. it was very exciting at the time though- i watched the returns (til 6 in the morning spanish time...poor choice) with seven other CIEE kids. we stocked up on chips and oreos to give the six hours of spanish commentary more of an american feel. i now get approving smiles and nods when i have to reveal my place of origin, so that's pretty cool. i also consider it a huge plus that joe biden and barack obama both seem to be able to identify africa as a continent. hell, they can probably name all of them as well! humor aside, i am determined to try and go to the inauguration.
this weekend has been excellent. it included a thursday night at la oveja negra for jenny's pre-birthday celebration, and then both my parents and tara arrived on friday! i have been playing tour guide to my parents, taking them to la boqueria, la catedral, sagrada familia, parc guell, MNAC, the olympic stadium, and the montjuic castle...plus some delicious tapas. tara has kept herself busy whilst i entertained the rents, and joined me and some other friends for a couple nights out. i will not be in barcelona for a weekend again til the first weekend in december, sniff sniff. it's been great seeing my family and also talking wayyy too much about tufts- what more could i ask for.
this week i'll be tour guiding a bit more, and then it's off to paris!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
madrid, dinner parties, and too much rain
now i remember why i try to update on a weekly basis- this might be a long entry, just as a warning. I am splitting it up into three parts for easy reading.
MADRID:
Last weekend, everyone in the CIEE liberal arts program (plus three smaller programs that CIEE has going on in Barcelona) went to Madrid. We traveled in style, on the ave (high speed train), which makes the ~315 mile journey in a mere two hours, forty-five minutes. upon arrival, we took a few hour walking tour of the city and got a little Madrid history lesson. Pictures of all of this are up on facebook/photobucket, by the way. The rest of the day was more or less uneventful, we got some food, wandered some more, and called it an early night. Saturday was intensely scheduled- we toured the Prado and the Reina Sofia. First, the Prado. As I told my Mom (who scoffed at my pretentiousness), I think I have been dreaming about the Prado for a good five or six years. It was overwhelming and amazing- where else could you find Carvaggio, Velazquez, Goya, El Greco and Raphael basically every time you turned a corner. After that, we grabbed lunch in Retiro park, close to the museum, and then headed over to the Reina Sofia for an abrupt transition to the 20th and 21st centuries. The museum itself is small, but had some of my favorite Dali and Miro...and Guernica is there. Enough said. After the Reina Sofia, we were left to our own devices. I had a long leisurely dinner out with Juniper, Jenny, Kim, and Christine, and then we met up with some other program kids. I got to witness and partake in the custom of "botellon," and then we just hung out at a bar for awhile. Very relaxed and good times. At times like those, I wonder why I even (very occasionally) bother with clubs.
The next day we were mostly on our own, which was great because I spent most of the day with Tara (my friend from Tufts who is studying abroad in Madrid for the year). We went to this ridiculously big flea market, shopped for a little, and then got lunch. It's good to see someone who you know from longer than...two months ago. We got back to Barcelona late that evening. One of the most fun weekends I've had, definitely.
SCHOOL/MIDWEEK MISCELLANEOUS THINGS:
I actually had to put forth some effort in school this past week. It's midterm time, and all that. My intense midterm (Spanish literature) is this Wednesday, but my other tests haven't been too problematic. After I finish this entry, I have a loooot of 20th century Spanish literature to read, and hopefully comprehend.
The highlight of last week was Wednesday night- my friend Christine's mom was in town for the week, and got a short-term rental apartment for her stay here. She went on a trip mid-week to Madrid, so Hannah, Kim and I cooked some delicious pasta and HOMEMADE GUACAMOLE, among other things. That is something you take for granted in the states/at college- being able to cook dinner with friends, hang out, watch TV, etc. I can have people in my residencia room, but it's tiny- and the kitchen is definitely not dinner party material. But anyway, it was good times...oh, and we went to see high school musical three beforehand. don't judge. it fulfilled my long unfulfilled desire to see a movie ACTUALLY in english (not dubbed).
THIS WEEKEND:
well, as everyone knows, friday was halloween- some people (american people) dress up and go out, and some clubs have halloween specials catering to americans. I, for one, never am a major halloween fan, so I relished the opportunity to NOT dress up without feeling like a terrible person. Instead, I spent Friday wandering around. I went with my friend Juniper to get Indian food in Poble Nou, an area of the city to where I had never been. The food was AMAZING, and it is now my new favorite place. I had missed Indian food dearly. The rest of Friday was not too exciting.
Yesterday, Juniper and I wandered some more. First, to a plaza in the old city where artists set up their work on Saturday mornings. Next door, there was also an artisan market that only occurs on the first weekend of the month, with vendors selling cheeses, honey, breads, candles, etc. After that, we had both been talking about how we have hit a point in the semester where we have started missing people and things from home...we addressed this by going to FNAC (a big department store in plaza catalunya) and spending a lot of time in the english literature section. Even though I'm in the middle of my Teddy Roosevelt biography, I bought a Murakami book. It just looked so good, and I hope that Kyle is proud of me. Later, my friend Hannah's cousin is in town, so a few of us went out for tapas at one of our favorite places. We spent awhile at dinner, and then went to a few bars conveniently located close by. Another very fun night- I have very few weekends left here, so I'm trying to make it count. It's weird to think about.
Sidenote: today, yesterday, and for the past five days (since Wednesday)- the weather has been AWFUL. It has rained every day. It really lessens one's motivation to do anything when it is pouring- we're talking like an inch accumulation of rain, not just little showers. I liked barcelona better when there was a drought.
THE FUTURE:
that sounds ominous... anyway, the main thing on my short-term radar screen is tuesday's election. i'm not sure what we'll do here, but we'll probably go somewhere to watch the returns. nerve-wracking. then, my parents are coming this friday! i'll show them around the city, and then we're going to paris the second weekend they are here. which brings me into my travel schedule. I'll be in Paris November 13-17, Lisbon from the 21st to the 24th, and Sevilla/Cordoba (Southern Spain) from the 28th to December 1st. Excitement! Have I mentioned how amazing study abroad is for the travel opportunities alone?
sorry that was so long, happy november, and happy (i sincerely hope) almost election day!
MADRID:
Last weekend, everyone in the CIEE liberal arts program (plus three smaller programs that CIEE has going on in Barcelona) went to Madrid. We traveled in style, on the ave (high speed train), which makes the ~315 mile journey in a mere two hours, forty-five minutes. upon arrival, we took a few hour walking tour of the city and got a little Madrid history lesson. Pictures of all of this are up on facebook/photobucket, by the way. The rest of the day was more or less uneventful, we got some food, wandered some more, and called it an early night. Saturday was intensely scheduled- we toured the Prado and the Reina Sofia. First, the Prado. As I told my Mom (who scoffed at my pretentiousness), I think I have been dreaming about the Prado for a good five or six years. It was overwhelming and amazing- where else could you find Carvaggio, Velazquez, Goya, El Greco and Raphael basically every time you turned a corner. After that, we grabbed lunch in Retiro park, close to the museum, and then headed over to the Reina Sofia for an abrupt transition to the 20th and 21st centuries. The museum itself is small, but had some of my favorite Dali and Miro...and Guernica is there. Enough said. After the Reina Sofia, we were left to our own devices. I had a long leisurely dinner out with Juniper, Jenny, Kim, and Christine, and then we met up with some other program kids. I got to witness and partake in the custom of "botellon," and then we just hung out at a bar for awhile. Very relaxed and good times. At times like those, I wonder why I even (very occasionally) bother with clubs.
The next day we were mostly on our own, which was great because I spent most of the day with Tara (my friend from Tufts who is studying abroad in Madrid for the year). We went to this ridiculously big flea market, shopped for a little, and then got lunch. It's good to see someone who you know from longer than...two months ago. We got back to Barcelona late that evening. One of the most fun weekends I've had, definitely.
SCHOOL/MIDWEEK MISCELLANEOUS THINGS:
I actually had to put forth some effort in school this past week. It's midterm time, and all that. My intense midterm (Spanish literature) is this Wednesday, but my other tests haven't been too problematic. After I finish this entry, I have a loooot of 20th century Spanish literature to read, and hopefully comprehend.
The highlight of last week was Wednesday night- my friend Christine's mom was in town for the week, and got a short-term rental apartment for her stay here. She went on a trip mid-week to Madrid, so Hannah, Kim and I cooked some delicious pasta and HOMEMADE GUACAMOLE, among other things. That is something you take for granted in the states/at college- being able to cook dinner with friends, hang out, watch TV, etc. I can have people in my residencia room, but it's tiny- and the kitchen is definitely not dinner party material. But anyway, it was good times...oh, and we went to see high school musical three beforehand. don't judge. it fulfilled my long unfulfilled desire to see a movie ACTUALLY in english (not dubbed).
THIS WEEKEND:
well, as everyone knows, friday was halloween- some people (american people) dress up and go out, and some clubs have halloween specials catering to americans. I, for one, never am a major halloween fan, so I relished the opportunity to NOT dress up without feeling like a terrible person. Instead, I spent Friday wandering around. I went with my friend Juniper to get Indian food in Poble Nou, an area of the city to where I had never been. The food was AMAZING, and it is now my new favorite place. I had missed Indian food dearly. The rest of Friday was not too exciting.
Yesterday, Juniper and I wandered some more. First, to a plaza in the old city where artists set up their work on Saturday mornings. Next door, there was also an artisan market that only occurs on the first weekend of the month, with vendors selling cheeses, honey, breads, candles, etc. After that, we had both been talking about how we have hit a point in the semester where we have started missing people and things from home...we addressed this by going to FNAC (a big department store in plaza catalunya) and spending a lot of time in the english literature section. Even though I'm in the middle of my Teddy Roosevelt biography, I bought a Murakami book. It just looked so good, and I hope that Kyle is proud of me. Later, my friend Hannah's cousin is in town, so a few of us went out for tapas at one of our favorite places. We spent awhile at dinner, and then went to a few bars conveniently located close by. Another very fun night- I have very few weekends left here, so I'm trying to make it count. It's weird to think about.
Sidenote: today, yesterday, and for the past five days (since Wednesday)- the weather has been AWFUL. It has rained every day. It really lessens one's motivation to do anything when it is pouring- we're talking like an inch accumulation of rain, not just little showers. I liked barcelona better when there was a drought.
THE FUTURE:
that sounds ominous... anyway, the main thing on my short-term radar screen is tuesday's election. i'm not sure what we'll do here, but we'll probably go somewhere to watch the returns. nerve-wracking. then, my parents are coming this friday! i'll show them around the city, and then we're going to paris the second weekend they are here. which brings me into my travel schedule. I'll be in Paris November 13-17, Lisbon from the 21st to the 24th, and Sevilla/Cordoba (Southern Spain) from the 28th to December 1st. Excitement! Have I mentioned how amazing study abroad is for the travel opportunities alone?
sorry that was so long, happy november, and happy (i sincerely hope) almost election day!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
new picture site / lazy weekends in barcelona
for those of you non-facebook users, you can finally access my pictures! the address is: www.photobucket.com/andreamlowe/ - i've only put up the highlights to make both of our lives easier. i haven't taken pictures in awhile, but more to come this weekend, when our program takes us to Madrid. Speaking for myself, I haven't had the chance to travel anywhere else in Spain, so it will be nice to see the capital of the country, and check out a city twice as big as Barcelona (and, you know, the Prado). There is also talk of a possible trip to Valencia for halloween weekend, and a trip to Andalucia (south of Spain- possibly Sevilla and Cordoba) for the end of November and early December. If that works out, it would be a pretty nice survey of what Spain has to offer.
The past week has been the most uneventful in the almost two months (!!!) that I've been here. After the five-day Italy excursion immediately followed by three days in Stockholm, I really needed to relax, catch up on work, and sleep. And that is exactly what I have been doing. It's been fun though- I checked out a few more museums and neighborhoods while Mimi was here and got together with Democrats Abroad on Thursday night to watch the debate. The weekend, as I said, was very relaxed. On Friday, we found this store that sells American/British food called "A Taste of Home"- where we promptly stocked up on cookie dough and peanut butter. You know, essentials. We then ate said cookie dough the following day, when we crashed Kim's homestay for an afternoon of laziness and Almost Famous (I was the only one who had seen it! blasphemy). Like I said, pretty chill weekend, with a couple really fun nights out for Sarah's birthday, which we celebrated again two nights ago with dinner at a Mexican restaurant- my first non-Spanish food in Spain, which I very much appreciated for the high-quality guacamole, and the actual spice and hotness of my food. People in Spain seem very hesitant to cook spicy things.
Most importantly, I went to the oldest bar in Barcelona, where Ernest Hemingway (and Picasso, Gaudi, etc.) used to hang. My cool factor has increased exponentially.
also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DEAR SISTER WHO IS TWENTY-THREE TODAY.
The past week has been the most uneventful in the almost two months (!!!) that I've been here. After the five-day Italy excursion immediately followed by three days in Stockholm, I really needed to relax, catch up on work, and sleep. And that is exactly what I have been doing. It's been fun though- I checked out a few more museums and neighborhoods while Mimi was here and got together with Democrats Abroad on Thursday night to watch the debate. The weekend, as I said, was very relaxed. On Friday, we found this store that sells American/British food called "A Taste of Home"- where we promptly stocked up on cookie dough and peanut butter. You know, essentials. We then ate said cookie dough the following day, when we crashed Kim's homestay for an afternoon of laziness and Almost Famous (I was the only one who had seen it! blasphemy). Like I said, pretty chill weekend, with a couple really fun nights out for Sarah's birthday, which we celebrated again two nights ago with dinner at a Mexican restaurant- my first non-Spanish food in Spain, which I very much appreciated for the high-quality guacamole, and the actual spice and hotness of my food. People in Spain seem very hesitant to cook spicy things.
Most importantly, I went to the oldest bar in Barcelona, where Ernest Hemingway (and Picasso, Gaudi, etc.) used to hang. My cool factor has increased exponentially.
also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DEAR SISTER WHO IS TWENTY-THREE TODAY.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
complaints- round one
alright, i'm always incredibly one-sided in my positive feelings towards barcelona. This is good and an accurate representation of my love for this place. However, I would not be myself if I didn't have some complaints. A lot of these are things that seemed quaint at first and now are just really annoying.
1) People here don't know how to walk. I know it's cool and European to amble around the streets at 0.25 miles and hour, but if I have to get somewhere, please move out of my way.
2) I get stared at every time I walk to the gym in my workout clothes. Um, why would I put on regular clothes only to go change at the gym, when I could shorten the process? Another example of Spanish inefficiency.
3) Things are never open. Want to go to the grocery store? Hm, make sure it isn't, you know, before nine in the morning or between one and three (sometimes four) or after eight (the midday break is for "siesta"...in my book that equals laziness). When are things ACTUALLY open here? Everything is also closed on Sunday. Didn't anyone inform the Spanish that Sunday is errand day?
4) Public displays of affection. People of all ages (really- this is potentially traumatizing). This upsets me enough in the United States, and here it is just taken to the limits of reason.
5) People get mad at you for paying for a 3 euro thing with a 10 dollar bill, usually in grocery stores. I'm sorry that I am not a walking change machine. If I were that obnoxious person paying with a 50, okay, understandable. But seriously, you have seven euros in change. It's not a big deal. Relax.
6) Cookie dough doesn't exist. Neither does peanut butter.
7) Smoking. In bars or restaurants, you sometimes find yourself trying to catch your breath and realize, it isn't because you just ran a marathon, it's because there's a bachelor party of 35 people all smoking, and then three pregnant women next to them, all smoking, and a group of ten year olds, all smoking. That's only a slight exaggeration.
8) It is difficult to walk down the street without someone trying to sell you a flower, a light up spinny toy, an umbrella, or beer. This is even less amusing if you're trying to enjoy dinner in a restaurant and some guy keeps shoving roses in your face.
9) Clubs think it is hilarious to hire people to dress up as horror movie characters, Indians, warriors etc. to "entertain" the guests. This is not entertaining, this is annoying, and does not enhance my club-going experience.
That's all I've got for now. Sorry Barcelona, I still love you.
1) People here don't know how to walk. I know it's cool and European to amble around the streets at 0.25 miles and hour, but if I have to get somewhere, please move out of my way.
2) I get stared at every time I walk to the gym in my workout clothes. Um, why would I put on regular clothes only to go change at the gym, when I could shorten the process? Another example of Spanish inefficiency.
3) Things are never open. Want to go to the grocery store? Hm, make sure it isn't, you know, before nine in the morning or between one and three (sometimes four) or after eight (the midday break is for "siesta"...in my book that equals laziness). When are things ACTUALLY open here? Everything is also closed on Sunday. Didn't anyone inform the Spanish that Sunday is errand day?
4) Public displays of affection. People of all ages (really- this is potentially traumatizing). This upsets me enough in the United States, and here it is just taken to the limits of reason.
5) People get mad at you for paying for a 3 euro thing with a 10 dollar bill, usually in grocery stores. I'm sorry that I am not a walking change machine. If I were that obnoxious person paying with a 50, okay, understandable. But seriously, you have seven euros in change. It's not a big deal. Relax.
6) Cookie dough doesn't exist. Neither does peanut butter.
7) Smoking. In bars or restaurants, you sometimes find yourself trying to catch your breath and realize, it isn't because you just ran a marathon, it's because there's a bachelor party of 35 people all smoking, and then three pregnant women next to them, all smoking, and a group of ten year olds, all smoking. That's only a slight exaggeration.
8) It is difficult to walk down the street without someone trying to sell you a flower, a light up spinny toy, an umbrella, or beer. This is even less amusing if you're trying to enjoy dinner in a restaurant and some guy keeps shoving roses in your face.
9) Clubs think it is hilarious to hire people to dress up as horror movie characters, Indians, warriors etc. to "entertain" the guests. This is not entertaining, this is annoying, and does not enhance my club-going experience.
That's all I've got for now. Sorry Barcelona, I still love you.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
sweden: home of jens lekman, abba, and adorable people
back from stockholm. mimi is here now and hanging out in barcelona til thursday night. it's very nice because now i am getting to do all of the touristy things that i either did right at the beginning of my time here, or that I haven't done yet. Yesterday I took her to a couple cathedrals, La Boqueria, and La Rambla, and tomorrow we're checking out the Modern art museum (finally!), Park Guell, and Palau Guell, one of the Gaudi houses I have not yet visited. Yes, I am still attending my classes, fear not. Anyway, the rest of the week promises to be good, with those things, plus dinner at a nice place with Mimi and some of the Barcelona friends tomorrow night, plus debate watching on Thursday night with Barcelona Democrats Abroad (if any Tufts Dems are reading this: be proud!), plus Sarah's birthday weekend. Good times.
But anyway, I spent the weekend in stockholm with Mimi and Sarah. It was great, and wonderfully cold. Our flight got in Friday afternoon (me and Sarah), and Mimi was delayed, so we basically wandered around Gamla Stan- the old city, found some food, etc. Mimi finally joined us, and the next day was a full day: started at the Royal Palace where we got to see the changing of the guard, a very elaborate ceremony complete with a band that took about an hour. From there we went to a chocolate festival, which was probably the best decision ever. So many samples. I have never seen or eaten that much chocolate in my life- good thing? Maybe. After, we were pretty beat, so we headed to Sodermalm- an island south of the main touristy area (Gamla Stan) where there are more cool stores, less touristy, etc. An early night was had once again.
Sunday we went to tour City Hall in the morning, which was beautiful and very interesting. A guy on our tour kept asking if he could buy tickets to the Nobel Prize Banquet, even though our tour guide kept insisting it was kind of an exclusive affair. Anyway, afterwards we went to Parliament, although we didn't take a tour, and then to Skansen, this amazing open air museum. Basically, go to Sweden. There was a lot more that we didn't do, but our three days were great- everyone is so friendly and the city is just beautiful.
So that was me trying to be as succinct as possible. Hasta entonces...
But anyway, I spent the weekend in stockholm with Mimi and Sarah. It was great, and wonderfully cold. Our flight got in Friday afternoon (me and Sarah), and Mimi was delayed, so we basically wandered around Gamla Stan- the old city, found some food, etc. Mimi finally joined us, and the next day was a full day: started at the Royal Palace where we got to see the changing of the guard, a very elaborate ceremony complete with a band that took about an hour. From there we went to a chocolate festival, which was probably the best decision ever. So many samples. I have never seen or eaten that much chocolate in my life- good thing? Maybe. After, we were pretty beat, so we headed to Sodermalm- an island south of the main touristy area (Gamla Stan) where there are more cool stores, less touristy, etc. An early night was had once again.
Sunday we went to tour City Hall in the morning, which was beautiful and very interesting. A guy on our tour kept asking if he could buy tickets to the Nobel Prize Banquet, even though our tour guide kept insisting it was kind of an exclusive affair. Anyway, afterwards we went to Parliament, although we didn't take a tour, and then to Skansen, this amazing open air museum. Basically, go to Sweden. There was a lot more that we didn't do, but our three days were great- everyone is so friendly and the city is just beautiful.
So that was me trying to be as succinct as possible. Hasta entonces...
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
five days in rome and other insanity
Hello all,
It has been awhile; I am alive and back in Barcelona. First week of classes went off without a hitch. Only one of my classes seems like it will be particularly demanding, and the others seem interesting but not overwhelming. I get to go to museums every fourth class for Art y Aristas, and watch movies in Imagenes del Cine Contemporaneo... so, good times. Birthday festivities were very very fun. But, onto the main event, Rome and Venice! I'm going to give the highlights only, otherwise you could be reading for awhile. E-mail me for more detail and pictures (up on facebook shortly).
Day 1: Barcelona --> Girona --> Rome (Friday, October 3)
Since it was a Thursday night, staying out all night and then going to the bus station to get a 5:15 bus to catch my 8:30 flight seemed like a grand idea. Either way, I was exhausted by the time I got to Rome- RyanAir is great, but travel is more extensive, since you have to take buses to get to the more remote airports. I finally arrived in Termini train station, made it to my hostel without getting too lost, and dropped my stuff off to do some solo sight-seeing, since Mimi (my friend from Tufts who I was traveling with) would not be in til that evening. I ambled around the Quirinale, which is where the government offices are, as well as the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps, and then paid a visit to Santa Maria degli Angeli, Michaelangelo's last work. I met up with Mimi back at the hostel, and two other girls from Tufts; Mimi's friends who were studying in Italy and joined us in Rome for the weekend. We had a nice dinner out at Est!Est!Est! pizza, at the recommendation of my dear friend Kyle, who might never have spoken to me again if I hadn't (it was a good choice, Kyle). We briefly thought about going out to explore the nightlife, but having a multi-hour dinner and then walking back to the hostel a few blocks away to sleep was far more appealing, so that's what we did.
Day 2: Rome (Saturday, October 4)
This was our big sight-seeing day; we woke up really early to make the trek to Vatican City, where we spent a good five hours. It is amazing there; we basically traversed the entire Vatican museum- Sistine Chapel, Raphael rooms, etc. After that, we went to St. Peter's Basilica, another amazing and overwhelming place. We were pretty exhausted after spending half of our day there, but ancient Rome called out to us...so we headed to the other end of the city to visit the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine- all amazing. You'll have to check out my pictures, a description can't really do it justice. Kate introduced us to the very Italian concept of aperitif (wine and snacks, kind of like tapas) and we went to bed early again.
Day 3: Rome (Sunday, October 5)
On our last full day in Rome, we took it easier, already exhausted and still gearing up for two more days of travel. We visited a few more sights at our leisure- Palazzo Venezia and the Pantheon, and made our way up to the north of the city to Piazza del Popolo where we saw more amazing cathedrals. Kate and Andrea left to go back to their programs, and Mimi and I ended our day with a walk down the river and dinner at Campo de Fiori, a really cute area of shopping and restaurants.
Day 4: Rome --> Venice (Monday, October 6)
Early flight to Venice...again, we were exhausted when we arrived on the island. Venice is really a beautiful place, and I expected not to like it for being overly touristy, but I actually think there were far more tourists in Rome. Anyway, we mostly walked around and explored the streets the first day. Headed to the Rialto market, where we ate some delicious fruit, tried desserts from every bakery we saw (go to Venice just for the baked goods. you will not be disappointed), saw a few more glorious churches, went to the old Jewish ghetto, and took a tour of the Doge's palace, which was quite impressive (the Doge used to be the appointed figurehead ruler of Venice). We weren't able to ride in a gondola (wayyyy too expensive, and Mimi and I just don't have 40/50 euro each to ride around in a boat) so we bought water bus passes, which was still really cool, since you can still see everything.
Day 5: Venice --> Barcelona (Tuesday, October 7)
Rounding out our 36 whirlwind hours in Venice, we went to the island of Murano to see a glassblowing demonstration, which was incredibly cool. We then spent more time walking/sitting after that, because the trip had really taken it out of us. Now, I'm finally back in Barcelona!
I didn't realice how much I had missed speaking Spanish. Now back to classes and Spanish life...for two days...and then Mimi, Sarah and I go to Stockholm. I know this sounds a bit ridiculous, but it just happens that I'm stacking my travel towards the beginning of the semester, where I am less worried about projects and tests for class. I am really excited to go to sweden. Also, if you go to Europe for study abroad and don't travel, there's something wrong.
It has been awhile; I am alive and back in Barcelona. First week of classes went off without a hitch. Only one of my classes seems like it will be particularly demanding, and the others seem interesting but not overwhelming. I get to go to museums every fourth class for Art y Aristas, and watch movies in Imagenes del Cine Contemporaneo... so, good times. Birthday festivities were very very fun. But, onto the main event, Rome and Venice! I'm going to give the highlights only, otherwise you could be reading for awhile. E-mail me for more detail and pictures (up on facebook shortly).
Day 1: Barcelona --> Girona --> Rome (Friday, October 3)
Since it was a Thursday night, staying out all night and then going to the bus station to get a 5:15 bus to catch my 8:30 flight seemed like a grand idea. Either way, I was exhausted by the time I got to Rome- RyanAir is great, but travel is more extensive, since you have to take buses to get to the more remote airports. I finally arrived in Termini train station, made it to my hostel without getting too lost, and dropped my stuff off to do some solo sight-seeing, since Mimi (my friend from Tufts who I was traveling with) would not be in til that evening. I ambled around the Quirinale, which is where the government offices are, as well as the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps, and then paid a visit to Santa Maria degli Angeli, Michaelangelo's last work. I met up with Mimi back at the hostel, and two other girls from Tufts; Mimi's friends who were studying in Italy and joined us in Rome for the weekend. We had a nice dinner out at Est!Est!Est! pizza, at the recommendation of my dear friend Kyle, who might never have spoken to me again if I hadn't (it was a good choice, Kyle). We briefly thought about going out to explore the nightlife, but having a multi-hour dinner and then walking back to the hostel a few blocks away to sleep was far more appealing, so that's what we did.
Day 2: Rome (Saturday, October 4)
This was our big sight-seeing day; we woke up really early to make the trek to Vatican City, where we spent a good five hours. It is amazing there; we basically traversed the entire Vatican museum- Sistine Chapel, Raphael rooms, etc. After that, we went to St. Peter's Basilica, another amazing and overwhelming place. We were pretty exhausted after spending half of our day there, but ancient Rome called out to us...so we headed to the other end of the city to visit the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine- all amazing. You'll have to check out my pictures, a description can't really do it justice. Kate introduced us to the very Italian concept of aperitif (wine and snacks, kind of like tapas) and we went to bed early again.
Day 3: Rome (Sunday, October 5)
On our last full day in Rome, we took it easier, already exhausted and still gearing up for two more days of travel. We visited a few more sights at our leisure- Palazzo Venezia and the Pantheon, and made our way up to the north of the city to Piazza del Popolo where we saw more amazing cathedrals. Kate and Andrea left to go back to their programs, and Mimi and I ended our day with a walk down the river and dinner at Campo de Fiori, a really cute area of shopping and restaurants.
Day 4: Rome --> Venice (Monday, October 6)
Early flight to Venice...again, we were exhausted when we arrived on the island. Venice is really a beautiful place, and I expected not to like it for being overly touristy, but I actually think there were far more tourists in Rome. Anyway, we mostly walked around and explored the streets the first day. Headed to the Rialto market, where we ate some delicious fruit, tried desserts from every bakery we saw (go to Venice just for the baked goods. you will not be disappointed), saw a few more glorious churches, went to the old Jewish ghetto, and took a tour of the Doge's palace, which was quite impressive (the Doge used to be the appointed figurehead ruler of Venice). We weren't able to ride in a gondola (wayyyy too expensive, and Mimi and I just don't have 40/50 euro each to ride around in a boat) so we bought water bus passes, which was still really cool, since you can still see everything.
Day 5: Venice --> Barcelona (Tuesday, October 7)
Rounding out our 36 whirlwind hours in Venice, we went to the island of Murano to see a glassblowing demonstration, which was incredibly cool. We then spent more time walking/sitting after that, because the trip had really taken it out of us. Now, I'm finally back in Barcelona!
I didn't realice how much I had missed speaking Spanish. Now back to classes and Spanish life...for two days...and then Mimi, Sarah and I go to Stockholm. I know this sounds a bit ridiculous, but it just happens that I'm stacking my travel towards the beginning of the semester, where I am less worried about projects and tests for class. I am really excited to go to sweden. Also, if you go to Europe for study abroad and don't travel, there's something wrong.
Monday, September 29, 2008
modern art! makes me! want to rock out!
to explain the title of this entry, it is a line of a song i was just listening to, and it applies to this entry because of our little dali trip on saturday.
this past week we finally wrapped up the intensive spanish course. our teacher was a little bit ridiculous towards the end, and we had a pretty intense schedule for the last few days, involving a paper, two short essays, and a 20-minute presentation on a topic within our academic specialty. Unfortunately, while my classmates got to talk about Spanish poems and whatnot, I got to give my personal analysis of the growing gap between young liberal voters and older conservative voters, including differences in their beliefs on the economy, role of religion in the state, and a pan-European identity. But today I started real classes at UPF! I only had one class today, and not until three o'clock- Modern Spanish Literature. It seems like it will be a really cool class, we spent the first two-hour session going over a timeline of major events and trends in Spanish literature since the twelfth century. Since literature, like any art form, is heavily influenced by political events, we had a history lesson as well, which I badly needed. All in all, a good first day. Tomorrow I'll be taking Spanish Language & Society (sounds fancy, but your basic Spanish class), 20th century Spanish cinema, and an art class that I am hoping to switch into. But enough about class.
This past week and weekend I spent wandering around the city some more, as usual. My wanderings last week took me to a couple more art and history museums, as usual. Today I ventured past L'Eixample (pretty much the city center, northwest of my residencia) to Gracia, which google maps says is about 4.5 kilometeres away. it was a good walk, and i hit up the alleged best pastry shop in all of barcelona (i have to say that i was not disappointed), a couple more produce/meat markets, and a paper store to purchase a notebook. Sidenote: 99/100 notebooks you find here are made with graph paper. It is bizarre. You have to go out of your way and pay a lot of euros to find normal lined paper. I was successful in the end. Anyway, that was today, and all before class at 3 pm! Having class late is such a good idea.
On Saturday, we went on a CIEE excursion to Figueres and Besalu. Figueres is Dali's birthplace, and the museum there is amazing. I am a huge Dali fan, and the museum is really extensive. We spent some more time just walking around the town, because it's quaint and historical. From there we moved on to Besalu, another small town which used to have a huge Jewish population. We saw the old synagogue, mikvah, and remnants of the Romanic period in general. Sidenote, speaking of Judaism: shana tovah to those to whom it applies!
The Figueres/Besalu trip was definitely the highlight and principal part of the weekend. One of my friends from high school, Dina, also came to Barcelona over the weekend with a friend from her program in Paris. That was really fun, and I spent Friday and Saturday night with her. On Friday, I went out to dinner with a big group, since my friends Christine and Sarah also had friends visiting this weekend. We had some delicious tapas and introduced the non-Barcelona folk to the glories of pan con tomate and patatas bravas.
the rest of this week will be devoted to birthday festivities (it is 12:02 AM here, so happy birthday to me!) taking place tomorrow in the form of a nice quiet dinner out with a few program friends, and classes the rest of the week. And then, on Friday, I'm off to Rome with Mimi! We're staying in Rome Friday thru Monday, and leaving really early Monday morning to spend basically 36 hours in Venice. We are ambitious travelers, but that's how we roll. I am so excited- Rome is the place I have most wanted to go in Europe. If you have any suggestions of how to spend my limited three days there, I'd love to hear them. As far as birthday presents go, I think a trip to Rome and Venice is pretty tough to beat.
this past week we finally wrapped up the intensive spanish course. our teacher was a little bit ridiculous towards the end, and we had a pretty intense schedule for the last few days, involving a paper, two short essays, and a 20-minute presentation on a topic within our academic specialty. Unfortunately, while my classmates got to talk about Spanish poems and whatnot, I got to give my personal analysis of the growing gap between young liberal voters and older conservative voters, including differences in their beliefs on the economy, role of religion in the state, and a pan-European identity. But today I started real classes at UPF! I only had one class today, and not until three o'clock- Modern Spanish Literature. It seems like it will be a really cool class, we spent the first two-hour session going over a timeline of major events and trends in Spanish literature since the twelfth century. Since literature, like any art form, is heavily influenced by political events, we had a history lesson as well, which I badly needed. All in all, a good first day. Tomorrow I'll be taking Spanish Language & Society (sounds fancy, but your basic Spanish class), 20th century Spanish cinema, and an art class that I am hoping to switch into. But enough about class.
This past week and weekend I spent wandering around the city some more, as usual. My wanderings last week took me to a couple more art and history museums, as usual. Today I ventured past L'Eixample (pretty much the city center, northwest of my residencia) to Gracia, which google maps says is about 4.5 kilometeres away. it was a good walk, and i hit up the alleged best pastry shop in all of barcelona (i have to say that i was not disappointed), a couple more produce/meat markets, and a paper store to purchase a notebook. Sidenote: 99/100 notebooks you find here are made with graph paper. It is bizarre. You have to go out of your way and pay a lot of euros to find normal lined paper. I was successful in the end. Anyway, that was today, and all before class at 3 pm! Having class late is such a good idea.
On Saturday, we went on a CIEE excursion to Figueres and Besalu. Figueres is Dali's birthplace, and the museum there is amazing. I am a huge Dali fan, and the museum is really extensive. We spent some more time just walking around the town, because it's quaint and historical. From there we moved on to Besalu, another small town which used to have a huge Jewish population. We saw the old synagogue, mikvah, and remnants of the Romanic period in general. Sidenote, speaking of Judaism: shana tovah to those to whom it applies!
The Figueres/Besalu trip was definitely the highlight and principal part of the weekend. One of my friends from high school, Dina, also came to Barcelona over the weekend with a friend from her program in Paris. That was really fun, and I spent Friday and Saturday night with her. On Friday, I went out to dinner with a big group, since my friends Christine and Sarah also had friends visiting this weekend. We had some delicious tapas and introduced the non-Barcelona folk to the glories of pan con tomate and patatas bravas.
the rest of this week will be devoted to birthday festivities (it is 12:02 AM here, so happy birthday to me!) taking place tomorrow in the form of a nice quiet dinner out with a few program friends, and classes the rest of the week. And then, on Friday, I'm off to Rome with Mimi! We're staying in Rome Friday thru Monday, and leaving really early Monday morning to spend basically 36 hours in Venice. We are ambitious travelers, but that's how we roll. I am so excited- Rome is the place I have most wanted to go in Europe. If you have any suggestions of how to spend my limited three days there, I'd love to hear them. As far as birthday presents go, I think a trip to Rome and Venice is pretty tough to beat.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
tres semanas en barcelona, feliz aniversario!
i cannot believe we have only been here three weeks, what with the volume of stuff that i have done so far. Here are my highlights so far:
1) Everything Gaudi (as for now, la Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell- as well as el Museu Diocesa which has an extensive collection of his sketches, furniture, etc.)
2) Gothic architecture, especially the cathedrals. My favorite so far is La Cathedral, with Eglesia de Santa Maria del Pi and Eglesia de Santa Maria del Mar as close seconds.
3) The markets. Both La Boqueria and Mercat Santa Caterina are amazing, with staggering amounts of fresh produce, dried fruit, meat, cheese, bread, etc. I could digress into my usual praise of food here, but I'll spare everyone.
4) The museums. I have so so many more to see (including two art museums on my list for tomorrow- since it is La Merce, lots of museums are free!), but so far I have explored el Museu Picasso (a great collection of Picasso's early impressionist work as well as his very late work, including Las Meninas), el Museu D'Art Pre-Colombi (an eclectic collection of ancient art and pottery), and el Museu d'historia de Catalunya (a great museum I stumbled upon today which gives the entire history of the Catalonian region and people, from the prehistoric to the present, including some sweet artifacts, artwork, and reproductions).
5) Montjuic. This is a secluded part of Barcelona that contains a lot of the museums and natural beauty of the place. We have seen the magic fountains at night, visited the Olympic stadium, and walked around the botanical gardens.
6) Relaxation. Going to the beach, shopping, just wandering around the old city and spending hours in cafes. This doesn't really happen at home.
7) La Merce. This has been the primary occupier of my time this weekend. La Merce is Barcelona's biggest annual holiday- the actual day is tomorrow, but festivities began this weekend. On Saturday, some friends from the program and I went to Plaza Catalunya to see some music and dancing- a huge variety: traditional Catalonian, but also Uruguayan, Argentinian, and African. That night, we saw/unknowingly took part in the correfoc (literally- fire run). The picture can't really do it justice- the main street in the old city crammed with spectators, while people ran with poles that shot flames and sparks everywhere. The next day, we went early to see one of the main events, castellers (human castles- these people have skill) in Plaza Sant Jaume. After, we saw some more festival activities at Parc de la Ciutadella- which is also one of my favorite places here, a beautiful spot to relax. That night we went to the beach for an amazing fireworks display. All in all, it was a great weekend...and tomorrow, the madness continues! So I will be writing about that soon.
Once again, way too long. But just a brief preview of what is to come: tomorrow, the continuation of La Merce. As I said before, some museums are free, so I'm looking to check out both Fundacio Joan Miro (a RIDICULOUS amount of his stuff is there) and Museu Nacional D'Art de Catalunya, featuring Catalan art from the middle ages to present. This will be ambitious (we have off of school for the holiday, which means that we're going to check out a few nearby clubs) but I'll make it work. And, tomorrow night...I am going to an FC Barcelona game at Camp Nou. I have been anticipating this for quite some time, and am super excited. It's supposed to be a really crazy time, and it's pretty much a rite of passage if you're spending any amount of time in Barcelona. We have two more days of the intensive class this week, before we start real class on Monday. This weekend, our program is taking us on another day trip, to Figueres, where Dali's house is located, now containing a museum of his work. For a Dali fanatic such as myself, this is a dream come true.
Hope the recap wasn't too dull. Also, if you notice, the links within my post are not to my pictures (too complicated, because they are up on facebook and not on a public page). But, if you don't have facebook and want to see my pictures of all of these places, just e-mail me. Feliz merce! and, again, go phillies.
-andrea
1) Everything Gaudi (as for now, la Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell- as well as el Museu Diocesa which has an extensive collection of his sketches, furniture, etc.)
2) Gothic architecture, especially the cathedrals. My favorite so far is La Cathedral, with Eglesia de Santa Maria del Pi and Eglesia de Santa Maria del Mar as close seconds.
3) The markets. Both La Boqueria and Mercat Santa Caterina are amazing, with staggering amounts of fresh produce, dried fruit, meat, cheese, bread, etc. I could digress into my usual praise of food here, but I'll spare everyone.
4) The museums. I have so so many more to see (including two art museums on my list for tomorrow- since it is La Merce, lots of museums are free!), but so far I have explored el Museu Picasso (a great collection of Picasso's early impressionist work as well as his very late work, including Las Meninas), el Museu D'Art Pre-Colombi (an eclectic collection of ancient art and pottery), and el Museu d'historia de Catalunya (a great museum I stumbled upon today which gives the entire history of the Catalonian region and people, from the prehistoric to the present, including some sweet artifacts, artwork, and reproductions).
5) Montjuic. This is a secluded part of Barcelona that contains a lot of the museums and natural beauty of the place. We have seen the magic fountains at night, visited the Olympic stadium, and walked around the botanical gardens.
6) Relaxation. Going to the beach, shopping, just wandering around the old city and spending hours in cafes. This doesn't really happen at home.
7) La Merce. This has been the primary occupier of my time this weekend. La Merce is Barcelona's biggest annual holiday- the actual day is tomorrow, but festivities began this weekend. On Saturday, some friends from the program and I went to Plaza Catalunya to see some music and dancing- a huge variety: traditional Catalonian, but also Uruguayan, Argentinian, and African. That night, we saw/unknowingly took part in the correfoc (literally- fire run). The picture can't really do it justice- the main street in the old city crammed with spectators, while people ran with poles that shot flames and sparks everywhere. The next day, we went early to see one of the main events, castellers (human castles- these people have skill) in Plaza Sant Jaume. After, we saw some more festival activities at Parc de la Ciutadella- which is also one of my favorite places here, a beautiful spot to relax. That night we went to the beach for an amazing fireworks display. All in all, it was a great weekend...and tomorrow, the madness continues! So I will be writing about that soon.
Once again, way too long. But just a brief preview of what is to come: tomorrow, the continuation of La Merce. As I said before, some museums are free, so I'm looking to check out both Fundacio Joan Miro (a RIDICULOUS amount of his stuff is there) and Museu Nacional D'Art de Catalunya, featuring Catalan art from the middle ages to present. This will be ambitious (we have off of school for the holiday, which means that we're going to check out a few nearby clubs) but I'll make it work. And, tomorrow night...I am going to an FC Barcelona game at Camp Nou. I have been anticipating this for quite some time, and am super excited. It's supposed to be a really crazy time, and it's pretty much a rite of passage if you're spending any amount of time in Barcelona. We have two more days of the intensive class this week, before we start real class on Monday. This weekend, our program is taking us on another day trip, to Figueres, where Dali's house is located, now containing a museum of his work. For a Dali fanatic such as myself, this is a dream come true.
Hope the recap wasn't too dull. Also, if you notice, the links within my post are not to my pictures (too complicated, because they are up on facebook and not on a public page). But, if you don't have facebook and want to see my pictures of all of these places, just e-mail me. Feliz merce! and, again, go phillies.
-andrea
Thursday, September 18, 2008
spanish cookies > > > american cookies
spanish cookies are superior in every way to american cookies. the choices, the taste, the quality... although that is pretty much true of most food over here. For instance, today after class, I went wandering with four of the girls from my program in search of some good food in La Ribera. We chose this completely random place, but the food was so excellent. I won't elaborate on the subject of Spanish food (even though I could for quite some time)- but all I have to say is, it is amazing. The masterminds behind paella and tapas are geniuses.
Until tonight, this week has been very very calm (finally!), which meant some time to catch up on sleep, bad American TV, and reading. I really appreciated the chance to do all of these things, being that I've been running on overdrive since the first of september. On Monday, I had a chance to check out another amazing market, Mercat de Santa Caterina, with an abundance of fresh produce, meat, spices, etc. On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to see one of my friends from high school, Liddy, who was here on vacation with a friend for two weeks- since she has trimesters and does not start school until the end of the month. It was great seeing her, and traveling out to Western L'Eixample, farther out than I had been yet, and a nice neighborhood. Last night, I went to see "Che" with one of the kids on my program. The movie was great, but I could tell that I missed a lot of the dialogue, especially when the audience started laughing, and I clearly hadn't gotten the joke. It was definitely a good idea to try and see a movie without subtitles- I'd like to see one at the end of the semester, and see how my comprehension has improved. Today involved a fantastic lunch, as detailed above, and then traipsing around Passeig de Gracia looking for a bookstore and some good clothes shopping. We found both, and even some books en ingles!
Unfortunately, tonight has consisted of four hours (no joke) of work- preparation for a 30 minute presentation tomorrow, and an unrelated two-page paper. These were assigned yesterday. Spanish teachers have no concept of giving sufficient notice. At least the weekend is almost here. Tomorrow, we have an organized CIEE trip to el Museo Picasso (!!!!- i have wanted to go there forever). No other plans for the weekend yet, but...next wednesday...FC BARCA GAME. I could not be more excited.
bona nit! (as they say in catalan)
-andrea
P.S. for anyone who knows/cares... i might not be following the news in the states much, except for the fact that the philadelphia phillies are tearing it up. solid.
Until tonight, this week has been very very calm (finally!), which meant some time to catch up on sleep, bad American TV, and reading. I really appreciated the chance to do all of these things, being that I've been running on overdrive since the first of september. On Monday, I had a chance to check out another amazing market, Mercat de Santa Caterina, with an abundance of fresh produce, meat, spices, etc. On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to see one of my friends from high school, Liddy, who was here on vacation with a friend for two weeks- since she has trimesters and does not start school until the end of the month. It was great seeing her, and traveling out to Western L'Eixample, farther out than I had been yet, and a nice neighborhood. Last night, I went to see "Che" with one of the kids on my program. The movie was great, but I could tell that I missed a lot of the dialogue, especially when the audience started laughing, and I clearly hadn't gotten the joke. It was definitely a good idea to try and see a movie without subtitles- I'd like to see one at the end of the semester, and see how my comprehension has improved. Today involved a fantastic lunch, as detailed above, and then traipsing around Passeig de Gracia looking for a bookstore and some good clothes shopping. We found both, and even some books en ingles!
Unfortunately, tonight has consisted of four hours (no joke) of work- preparation for a 30 minute presentation tomorrow, and an unrelated two-page paper. These were assigned yesterday. Spanish teachers have no concept of giving sufficient notice. At least the weekend is almost here. Tomorrow, we have an organized CIEE trip to el Museo Picasso (!!!!- i have wanted to go there forever). No other plans for the weekend yet, but...next wednesday...FC BARCA GAME. I could not be more excited.
bona nit! (as they say in catalan)
-andrea
P.S. for anyone who knows/cares... i might not be following the news in the states much, except for the fact that the philadelphia phillies are tearing it up. solid.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
viva catalonia!
i am going to try to keep this post brief to offset the absurd length of my previous two posts.
1) made it through week one of class. class itself is not so difficult to keep up with, but the assignments are time-consuming. we have had homework each day so far, including a two-page paper and an interview due on Friday. Tomorrow, we are having a debate and handing in an analysis of our interview. We also have several oral presentations, a seminar, another debate, and a handful of written assignments still to come. Did I mention we only have two weeks left of class?
2) However, finishing class at 12:45 each day leaves me plenty of time to roam around the city. Mostly, this has involved hitting up the beach with some girls from the residencia (since this is something that we won't be able to do for too much longer), but I'll expand my horizons soon enough.
3) This past Thursday we did not have school, because it was a holiday- el dia de Catalunya. Essentially, this is when Catalonia lost the Siege of Barcelona as part of the War of the Spanish Succession...and was overtaken by the Bourbon monarchy. This seems like an interesting thing to celebrate, but it's basically a day of catalonia pride- flags, parades, demonstrations, signs, drumming. We went to join the throngs of people in the Plaza Urquinaona for parades and music- quite the experience.
4) The weather has been lovely this weekend. A few of us took advantage yesterday by going to Montjuic- a remote but beautiful part of the city. We ambled around the gardens there, visited the 1992 Olympic stadium, and went to the botanical gardens. Definitely not like botanical gardens in the states, but lots of plants and trees from different regions of the world, which was cool. There was more to do in montjuic, but we decided to save it for another day, and waste some time in a cafe. That is one european tradition i could definitely incorporate into my life. We met back up at "La Font Magica" on the edge of Montjuic, for this amazing light and music show at the fountains. It sounds silly, but was actually incredible.
5) The nightlife here is a little insane and takes some getting used to (case and point: after the fountains last night, we wanted to go to a lounge/club, but it was way too early- around midnight. we killed a little time walking around, showed up around 12:45...but the place was getting pretty hopping around 2. we left a little after 3:30, which is very early). Wednesday night we went to an equally crazy/noisy/crowded club. It's fun, but you have to be in the mood. Exploring the neighborhoods and hanging out at a bar or cafe (like we did Friday night) will always be a good idea. I guess I'm more of an American (loner? nerd?) than I thought.
Well, I failed at making this a short post. Pictures are on facebook, or e-mail me for links.
1) made it through week one of class. class itself is not so difficult to keep up with, but the assignments are time-consuming. we have had homework each day so far, including a two-page paper and an interview due on Friday. Tomorrow, we are having a debate and handing in an analysis of our interview. We also have several oral presentations, a seminar, another debate, and a handful of written assignments still to come. Did I mention we only have two weeks left of class?
2) However, finishing class at 12:45 each day leaves me plenty of time to roam around the city. Mostly, this has involved hitting up the beach with some girls from the residencia (since this is something that we won't be able to do for too much longer), but I'll expand my horizons soon enough.
3) This past Thursday we did not have school, because it was a holiday- el dia de Catalunya. Essentially, this is when Catalonia lost the Siege of Barcelona as part of the War of the Spanish Succession...and was overtaken by the Bourbon monarchy. This seems like an interesting thing to celebrate, but it's basically a day of catalonia pride- flags, parades, demonstrations, signs, drumming. We went to join the throngs of people in the Plaza Urquinaona for parades and music- quite the experience.
4) The weather has been lovely this weekend. A few of us took advantage yesterday by going to Montjuic- a remote but beautiful part of the city. We ambled around the gardens there, visited the 1992 Olympic stadium, and went to the botanical gardens. Definitely not like botanical gardens in the states, but lots of plants and trees from different regions of the world, which was cool. There was more to do in montjuic, but we decided to save it for another day, and waste some time in a cafe. That is one european tradition i could definitely incorporate into my life. We met back up at "La Font Magica" on the edge of Montjuic, for this amazing light and music show at the fountains. It sounds silly, but was actually incredible.
5) The nightlife here is a little insane and takes some getting used to (case and point: after the fountains last night, we wanted to go to a lounge/club, but it was way too early- around midnight. we killed a little time walking around, showed up around 12:45...but the place was getting pretty hopping around 2. we left a little after 3:30, which is very early). Wednesday night we went to an equally crazy/noisy/crowded club. It's fun, but you have to be in the mood. Exploring the neighborhoods and hanging out at a bar or cafe (like we did Friday night) will always be a good idea. I guess I'm more of an American (loner? nerd?) than I thought.
Well, I failed at making this a short post. Pictures are on facebook, or e-mail me for links.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
"Advanced Spanish for Academic Discourse"...
...is the name of the intensive Spanish course I am taking here for the first three weeks. For reasons unknown, I placed into this (higher) level, along with three other CIEE kids. Now, I have taken through Spanish IV at Tufts, which amounts to pretty much nothing...but the placement test gods have spoken, and I have gotten through the first two days of class unscathed. I'm here to learn the language, so I might as well challenge myself. Although we are spoiled by only being in class 3.25 hours a day, Monday-Friday for these first three weeks, it's still 3.25 hours in a row of Spanish, and nothing but Spanish. I have to hang on my teacher's every word to understand what she's saying, but I get the gist- we already have homework though! The three-week class alone is going to involve an interview, a few two-page essays, an oral presentation, a "seminar" presentation (as in, we teach the class about something), and a final project. But I like the challenge- and I got an affirmation of my abilities after class today when I asked my teacher if there was some sort of mistake that got me into the class. She was a little offended by my hesitation, and assured me that it was not a mistake, and that I have "good opinions." I wanted to say that I have good opinions in whatever language, but that doesn't mean I should be in advanced Spanish...but decided not to press the issue.
ANYWAY, enough about class. Last weekend we went on a day trip to Penedes (wine country) and Sitges (small beach town about an hour away). In Sitges we got to enjoy the beach, the food, and the ancient architecture for a few hours, before heading to Penedes, where we learned more than I could ever remember about differences between wines, how wine is made, etc. Then we got to do a tasting involving white wine (vino blano), red wine (vino tinto), and cava (like champagne- except from spain). It was delicious. This also took place at about 5 o clock, so the bus ride back was quite quiet as we all went to sleep.
On Sunday, my friend Sarah and I were determined to take full advantage of our first completely CIEE unplanned day to explore. We started out in Barri Gotic at El Museu Diocesa de Barcelona which had an interesting collection of medieval religious art, plus some of Gaudi's furniture and household items, and a temporary exhibit by modern impressionist painter Richard Urgell. It seemed like they kind of just threw together a bunch of random art, but it worked. Outside in the plaza afterwards there were a bunch of Barcelonians playing music and doing a traditional dance, so we stopped and watched. Then, it was time for Gaudi. We spent a few hours in la Sagrada Familia. I can't even begin to describe how beautiful and amazing it is. Besides getting to see the intricacies of the exterior sculptures and carvings and the interior stained glass, we took an elevator up and climbed these winding staircases around the top. Definitely the highlight of the day, although Park Guell (Gaudi's second most famous work besides la Sagrada Familia) certainly did not disappoint. The design was amazing, and we took quite a hike up to the top of the small mountain on which it is situated. Altogether a great day.
Yesterday, after class, I visited el Parque de la Ciutadella, a huge expanse really near our residencia, where the zoo, another Cathedral, and Catalonia's parliament building are located. Later, our CIEE group went to a flamenco show near las Ramblas, which was also amazing. Today, a few of the girls in my program and I got lunch after class at this amazing paella place (at 3:30...which is when most people are eating lunch. i really like the european eating schedule), and then wandered around las Ramblas, hitting up some shoe stores and la Boqueria- the most famous outdoor market in Barcelona. We were particularly enchanted by the dried fruit. As you can see, there's rarely a dull moment here.
Congratulations if you read that all. More to come soon!
ANYWAY, enough about class. Last weekend we went on a day trip to Penedes (wine country) and Sitges (small beach town about an hour away). In Sitges we got to enjoy the beach, the food, and the ancient architecture for a few hours, before heading to Penedes, where we learned more than I could ever remember about differences between wines, how wine is made, etc. Then we got to do a tasting involving white wine (vino blano), red wine (vino tinto), and cava (like champagne- except from spain). It was delicious. This also took place at about 5 o clock, so the bus ride back was quite quiet as we all went to sleep.
On Sunday, my friend Sarah and I were determined to take full advantage of our first completely CIEE unplanned day to explore. We started out in Barri Gotic at El Museu Diocesa de Barcelona which had an interesting collection of medieval religious art, plus some of Gaudi's furniture and household items, and a temporary exhibit by modern impressionist painter Richard Urgell. It seemed like they kind of just threw together a bunch of random art, but it worked. Outside in the plaza afterwards there were a bunch of Barcelonians playing music and doing a traditional dance, so we stopped and watched. Then, it was time for Gaudi. We spent a few hours in la Sagrada Familia. I can't even begin to describe how beautiful and amazing it is. Besides getting to see the intricacies of the exterior sculptures and carvings and the interior stained glass, we took an elevator up and climbed these winding staircases around the top. Definitely the highlight of the day, although Park Guell (Gaudi's second most famous work besides la Sagrada Familia) certainly did not disappoint. The design was amazing, and we took quite a hike up to the top of the small mountain on which it is situated. Altogether a great day.
Yesterday, after class, I visited el Parque de la Ciutadella, a huge expanse really near our residencia, where the zoo, another Cathedral, and Catalonia's parliament building are located. Later, our CIEE group went to a flamenco show near las Ramblas, which was also amazing. Today, a few of the girls in my program and I got lunch after class at this amazing paella place (at 3:30...which is when most people are eating lunch. i really like the european eating schedule), and then wandered around las Ramblas, hitting up some shoe stores and la Boqueria- the most famous outdoor market in Barcelona. We were particularly enchanted by the dried fruit. As you can see, there's rarely a dull moment here.
Congratulations if you read that all. More to come soon!
Friday, September 5, 2008
vale. vale vale vale vale vale.
"vale" is one of those all-encompassing phrases that people use a lot here. I'm not sure if anyone knows exactly what it means- kind of like "okay? okay." or like "understand? okay. alright. yeah."
this is basically the first bit of free time that I have had since arriving. They have kept us incredibly busy and exhausted (someone suggested this was to keep us from going out the first few nights- if this is true, it definitely worked). Orientation activities ended today, and classes do not start til Monday. First, we will be taking an intensive spanish class (3.5 hours a day/5 days a week) for the first three weeks. Then, we will be starting regular classes on September 29th. We received our class schedules during orientation. Tentatively, I'm going to be taking the continuation of my intensive spanish class (Advanced grammar, composition, and conversation II), Contemporary Spanish literature, Society and Politics in Contemporary Spain, and 20th century Spanish Cinema. This might be changing, but it's what I've got for now. The language class will be with other students from the CIEE program, but the other three are part of Universitat Pompeu Fabra's HESP (Hispanic and English Studies Program). This means that, although the classes are going to be in Spanish, they are geared towards international students. I will be in those classes with other students from CIEE in addition to any other study abroad programs that are run through the Universitat Pompeu Fabra. Most other students from my program will be taking a direct enrollment class in UPF- however, I just don't think my level of Spanish is good enough. I found out that I am basically the only CIEE student doing the liberal arts program here who just started Spanish in college. As in, I have taken up through Spanish IV. Most other kids have taken through the equivalent of 22 (two more semesters), or even more! This is a little bit scary, but I know I'll learn a lot...it also strengthened my resolve not to take a direct enrollment class.
I'll write more about classes when they start. To talk briefly about orientation, it began on Tuesday. My flights went smoothly and I was able to make my connection from Frankfurt to Barcelona without a problem. From the airport, we came to the hotel where orientation was held, and immediately got a few talks about basic things from the Resident Staff here- safety, security, rules, etc. We then met our "Guardian Angels" (students in Barcelona who are here to help us out). Belen, my GA, took us to buy cell phones and walk a little bit around the area, known as L'Eixample. All of the streets are a grid in L'Eixample, which distinguishes it from other areas. It is a pretty nice area, with a lot of upscale shopping. Not my favorite thing in the world, but it was nice to walk around. We slept well that night- we were all pretty jet-lagged.
The next day we got split up from the CIEE: Language and Culture (read: kids who basically don't speak Spanish at all) for our orientation. This meant that from then on, everything was done in Spanish. A few hours worth of wisdom were imparted to us re: academics, housing, cultural differences, cultural activities. Listening to all of that in Spanish was exhausting, but I got the gist. We took a bus tour around the city, which made me more excited to see everything (from a bus you kind of just see everything very peripherally). The city is beautiful though- one thing I learned from the tour. We saw lots of Gaudi. That night, those of us in Residencias (a cross between apartments and dorms, basically) moved in, and the rest of the kids met their host families. The residencia is nice- small kitchen, bathroom, desk, chair, lots of storage space. It's really bare because I wasn't exactly going to bring my posters, so I'll have to work on that. Again, sleep was essential.
Yesterday we had yet more rounds of talks about academics, and a language placement exam. The exam was okay- I know I should be in the lowest level of Spanish in the program, so it was nothing to lose sleep about. We also had a walking tour of the Barri Gotic, which is the ancient part of Barcelona. It was beautiful again, and we saw La Catedral and some other ancient religious and other sites, including remains of Roman buildings that still exist under modern-day Barcelona. Lauren, one of the other girls from the group, and I went to Plaza Catalunya after the tour to sit and people-watch. All of the plazas and other public spaces here are nice, but it was particularly gorgeous, and there were some entertaining street musicians. We had ridiculously good tapas for dinner. That night, I came to the conclusion that Spanish food is amazing.
AND- today. We finally saw the campus where we will be spending time. It was good getting to see it, but our guides did really unnecessary things, such as parade all twenty-five of us through the library, in a circle, and through the library again. It basically screamed "hey! look! American students!" After that, orientation was over, and we celebrated by having beach time. Now, I'm just enjoying the time to myself. Tonight we're actually going to try to experience the nightlife, because we've been slacking so far. Tomorrow we are going wine-tasting in southern catalonia! I am so excited.
I'll try to write again soon, feel free to e-mail me as well!
love, andrea
this is basically the first bit of free time that I have had since arriving. They have kept us incredibly busy and exhausted (someone suggested this was to keep us from going out the first few nights- if this is true, it definitely worked). Orientation activities ended today, and classes do not start til Monday. First, we will be taking an intensive spanish class (3.5 hours a day/5 days a week) for the first three weeks. Then, we will be starting regular classes on September 29th. We received our class schedules during orientation. Tentatively, I'm going to be taking the continuation of my intensive spanish class (Advanced grammar, composition, and conversation II), Contemporary Spanish literature, Society and Politics in Contemporary Spain, and 20th century Spanish Cinema. This might be changing, but it's what I've got for now. The language class will be with other students from the CIEE program, but the other three are part of Universitat Pompeu Fabra's HESP (Hispanic and English Studies Program). This means that, although the classes are going to be in Spanish, they are geared towards international students. I will be in those classes with other students from CIEE in addition to any other study abroad programs that are run through the Universitat Pompeu Fabra. Most other students from my program will be taking a direct enrollment class in UPF- however, I just don't think my level of Spanish is good enough. I found out that I am basically the only CIEE student doing the liberal arts program here who just started Spanish in college. As in, I have taken up through Spanish IV. Most other kids have taken through the equivalent of 22 (two more semesters), or even more! This is a little bit scary, but I know I'll learn a lot...it also strengthened my resolve not to take a direct enrollment class.
I'll write more about classes when they start. To talk briefly about orientation, it began on Tuesday. My flights went smoothly and I was able to make my connection from Frankfurt to Barcelona without a problem. From the airport, we came to the hotel where orientation was held, and immediately got a few talks about basic things from the Resident Staff here- safety, security, rules, etc. We then met our "Guardian Angels" (students in Barcelona who are here to help us out). Belen, my GA, took us to buy cell phones and walk a little bit around the area, known as L'Eixample. All of the streets are a grid in L'Eixample, which distinguishes it from other areas. It is a pretty nice area, with a lot of upscale shopping. Not my favorite thing in the world, but it was nice to walk around. We slept well that night- we were all pretty jet-lagged.
The next day we got split up from the CIEE: Language and Culture (read: kids who basically don't speak Spanish at all) for our orientation. This meant that from then on, everything was done in Spanish. A few hours worth of wisdom were imparted to us re: academics, housing, cultural differences, cultural activities. Listening to all of that in Spanish was exhausting, but I got the gist. We took a bus tour around the city, which made me more excited to see everything (from a bus you kind of just see everything very peripherally). The city is beautiful though- one thing I learned from the tour. We saw lots of Gaudi. That night, those of us in Residencias (a cross between apartments and dorms, basically) moved in, and the rest of the kids met their host families. The residencia is nice- small kitchen, bathroom, desk, chair, lots of storage space. It's really bare because I wasn't exactly going to bring my posters, so I'll have to work on that. Again, sleep was essential.
Yesterday we had yet more rounds of talks about academics, and a language placement exam. The exam was okay- I know I should be in the lowest level of Spanish in the program, so it was nothing to lose sleep about. We also had a walking tour of the Barri Gotic, which is the ancient part of Barcelona. It was beautiful again, and we saw La Catedral and some other ancient religious and other sites, including remains of Roman buildings that still exist under modern-day Barcelona. Lauren, one of the other girls from the group, and I went to Plaza Catalunya after the tour to sit and people-watch. All of the plazas and other public spaces here are nice, but it was particularly gorgeous, and there were some entertaining street musicians. We had ridiculously good tapas for dinner. That night, I came to the conclusion that Spanish food is amazing.
AND- today. We finally saw the campus where we will be spending time. It was good getting to see it, but our guides did really unnecessary things, such as parade all twenty-five of us through the library, in a circle, and through the library again. It basically screamed "hey! look! American students!" After that, orientation was over, and we celebrated by having beach time. Now, I'm just enjoying the time to myself. Tonight we're actually going to try to experience the nightlife, because we've been slacking so far. Tomorrow we are going wine-tasting in southern catalonia! I am so excited.
I'll try to write again soon, feel free to e-mail me as well!
love, andrea
Sunday, August 31, 2008
just kidding...still in the states
i lied; i'm still here. i don't know what my schedule will be like the first few days (we have a mysterious three-day orientation immediately upon arrival- this could be intense, or could mean a whole lot of nothing. only time will tell), so i just wanted to write quickly pre-departure.
i'm headed to barcelona via frankfurt, germany- one of the many instances of flight itineraries making absolutely no geographic sense (if you are confused, just look at a map of europe. you'll figure it out). however, in a rare moment of ease in air travel, this flight departs out of none other than philadelphia international. if i never had to visit JFK again, i would have zero regrets.
this past weekend (thurs-sunday morning) was spent at tufts, getting some insights into off-campus living (decision: it is sweet), and mostly just seeing all of the various people moving back in. it was great seeing everyone and i had a lot of fun, but now it's on to Spain!
p.s. who am i kidding? i really just want to meet this guy: http://img.skysports.com/08/06/800x600/Casillas_987861.jpg
i'm headed to barcelona via frankfurt, germany- one of the many instances of flight itineraries making absolutely no geographic sense (if you are confused, just look at a map of europe. you'll figure it out). however, in a rare moment of ease in air travel, this flight departs out of none other than philadelphia international. if i never had to visit JFK again, i would have zero regrets.
this past weekend (thurs-sunday morning) was spent at tufts, getting some insights into off-campus living (decision: it is sweet), and mostly just seeing all of the various people moving back in. it was great seeing everyone and i had a lot of fun, but now it's on to Spain!
p.s. who am i kidding? i really just want to meet this guy: http://img.skysports.com/08/06/800x600/Casillas_987861.jpg
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
the chicago cubs will not beat every team in the league
even though they did beat atlanta 10-2 today. sorry, john darnielle.
back to the intention of this post- sooo, i started a blog. i am well aware that this makes me a tool, but i figure it will be less obnoxious than constant three-page long e-mail updates to a whole bunch of family, friends, and acquaintances, 99.999% of them who don't care whatsoever. This way, you can just click the lovely link sent via e-mail or available on my facebook or profile or what have you, and read to your heart's content.
now that I just spent (wasted?) a paragraph defending my right to "keep" a blog- here we go. this cyberspace creation will chronicle my time abroad on the CIEE program in Barcelona, Spain. I am leaving from Philadelphia on September 1st (in a mere 2.5 weeks!) and returning on...well, that's to be determined. don't get nervous, i'll be back eventually. while in Barcelona, i'll be taking classes in Spanish language- basic language classes, and classes with particular emphasis on speaking and writing, Spanish politics, and Spanish culture- either literature or cinema. In other words, I'm tucking the economics part of my life away for a semester, but it's probably a strong and necessary choice. what better place to take my IR requirements like history, culture, and language than in a country that is not the United States, really? i'll be writing here about my classes, the culture, and all the travels I am doing- hopefully to a bunch of places in Spain as well as my soon-to-be European neighbors.
to briefly recap- i spent the summer in D.C. interning and generally having a grand old time. i got back to philadelphia two days ago, and am going to be here until i leave for spain. the next time i write will be from across the Atlantic- que bien!
back to the intention of this post- sooo, i started a blog. i am well aware that this makes me a tool, but i figure it will be less obnoxious than constant three-page long e-mail updates to a whole bunch of family, friends, and acquaintances, 99.999% of them who don't care whatsoever. This way, you can just click the lovely link sent via e-mail or available on my facebook or profile or what have you, and read to your heart's content.
now that I just spent (wasted?) a paragraph defending my right to "keep" a blog- here we go. this cyberspace creation will chronicle my time abroad on the CIEE program in Barcelona, Spain. I am leaving from Philadelphia on September 1st (in a mere 2.5 weeks!) and returning on...well, that's to be determined. don't get nervous, i'll be back eventually. while in Barcelona, i'll be taking classes in Spanish language- basic language classes, and classes with particular emphasis on speaking and writing, Spanish politics, and Spanish culture- either literature or cinema. In other words, I'm tucking the economics part of my life away for a semester, but it's probably a strong and necessary choice. what better place to take my IR requirements like history, culture, and language than in a country that is not the United States, really? i'll be writing here about my classes, the culture, and all the travels I am doing- hopefully to a bunch of places in Spain as well as my soon-to-be European neighbors.
to briefly recap- i spent the summer in D.C. interning and generally having a grand old time. i got back to philadelphia two days ago, and am going to be here until i leave for spain. the next time i write will be from across the Atlantic- que bien!
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