At this time next week I will be back in the states. It's crazy to think about. I have been told everything will feel strange and somewhat foreign going back home. Although, I can't really imagine that being true. Leaving Barcelona is going to be so tough. I have said that studying abroad is somewhat like going away to freshman year of college, except you don't get to come back. However, at the same time there are somethings I am gonna be happy to go home to. Besides the biggies, like family and friends, here are some of the things I am looking forward to coming home to and the things I am going to miss the most.
Things I will be looking forward to coming home to:
>Good tap water
>The dollar
>12hour clocks
>American clothing sizes
>English speaking men
>normal sized beds and pillows
>having a cell phone
>saran wrap in sturdy cardboard
Things that I am going to miss dearly:
>The sun
>The metro, L7
>Plaça Joaquim Folguera
>Spanish tortilla
>Spanish men
>Legally being able to go to bars
>Hearing Spanish everyday
>Being able to use Spanish phrases all day and people not thinking its annoying
>City life & being able to do something new, fun and exciting everyday
>Everything...
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Barcelona in Bloom
Getting on the metro in Plaza Catalunya after spring break, I glanced down Las Ramblas and noticed right away something was different - eveything was green! Yep, it is officially spring here in Barcelona. There are not many other hints that spring has arrived other than the greenery. The temperature continues to hover around 57 degrees, give or take five degrees, with full sun and cloudless skies. I am not sure if the Barcelonians know what a change of season really means.
Nevertheless, the blooming trees make the already gorgeous city that much more picturesque. The other day I took a walk to Parc Guell (because I live THAT close ::big grin::) and was just mesmerized by the view. It wasn't the first time I had seen it, but I could just stare out over Barcelona all day. I think the views are one of my favorite things about this city. Parc Guell takes your eyes down the lines of l'Eixample to the Mediterranean. Montjuic shows the city framed by green landscapes on all sides. Even the view from a tiny, little-know park next to Kelsey's apartment offers a new perspective of the city. The view makes the Torre Agbar and La Sagrada Familia, two of the cities most famous landmarks, look side by side. [It's interesting to note that the people of Barcelona don't orient themselves north/south/east/west, but by mountain or sea. So when they give your directions going toward the mountains or towards the see, you just have to look up to see what they mean.]
The one view I had yet to officially see is perhaps the most famous; Tibidabo. I have seen various views from on the mountain side at the restaurant Mirablau and Parc de Collserola, but not from the tippy top. There is an amusement park at the top that still looks very much like it did at the turn of the century when it was made. The name of Tibidabo comes from the story in the bible when the devil takes Jesus up to the top of a mountain and shows him all the pleasures in the world and says tibidabo: I will give to you. So fitting of the proud Catalans that they named the mountain overlooking their capital city after the name given to all the pleasures in the world. Although, I don't blame them.
I might be able to make it to the top of Tibidabo before I leave, but time is running out and I don't want to stress about jam packing every last tourist sight into the final week. My best memories from this city are not seeing the sights, but just enjoying the city. Plus, I can always see it when I come back. After all, the one thing that is keeping us all sane about leaving, is knowing this won't be the last time were in Barcelona. It just can't be.
I really felt like Barcelona was my home the first time found myself saying "damn tourists!" while trying to get to my metro stop near Plaza Catalunya at the top of las Ramblas. I can't imagine seeing your city taken over by tourists. Although you could say I am just part of the problem, I like to think I have truly made an effort to learn the city as authentically as possible. I know there are some students that come to Barcelona and still couldn't tell you who Sant Jordi is or even what El Born is, but could tell in a second the quickest way to Shoko or wherever Kyke's event is that night. Even our RA told us that were are unlike any other Americans she has met, meaning we have acclimated ourselves well enough that we could easily come back and live in the city. This was perhaps, the best compliment she could have ever given us.
Nevertheless, the blooming trees make the already gorgeous city that much more picturesque. The other day I took a walk to Parc Guell (because I live THAT close ::big grin::) and was just mesmerized by the view. It wasn't the first time I had seen it, but I could just stare out over Barcelona all day. I think the views are one of my favorite things about this city. Parc Guell takes your eyes down the lines of l'Eixample to the Mediterranean. Montjuic shows the city framed by green landscapes on all sides. Even the view from a tiny, little-know park next to Kelsey's apartment offers a new perspective of the city. The view makes the Torre Agbar and La Sagrada Familia, two of the cities most famous landmarks, look side by side. [It's interesting to note that the people of Barcelona don't orient themselves north/south/east/west, but by mountain or sea. So when they give your directions going toward the mountains or towards the see, you just have to look up to see what they mean.]
The one view I had yet to officially see is perhaps the most famous; Tibidabo. I have seen various views from on the mountain side at the restaurant Mirablau and Parc de Collserola, but not from the tippy top. There is an amusement park at the top that still looks very much like it did at the turn of the century when it was made. The name of Tibidabo comes from the story in the bible when the devil takes Jesus up to the top of a mountain and shows him all the pleasures in the world and says tibidabo: I will give to you. So fitting of the proud Catalans that they named the mountain overlooking their capital city after the name given to all the pleasures in the world. Although, I don't blame them.
I might be able to make it to the top of Tibidabo before I leave, but time is running out and I don't want to stress about jam packing every last tourist sight into the final week. My best memories from this city are not seeing the sights, but just enjoying the city. Plus, I can always see it when I come back. After all, the one thing that is keeping us all sane about leaving, is knowing this won't be the last time were in Barcelona. It just can't be.
I really felt like Barcelona was my home the first time found myself saying "damn tourists!" while trying to get to my metro stop near Plaza Catalunya at the top of las Ramblas. I can't imagine seeing your city taken over by tourists. Although you could say I am just part of the problem, I like to think I have truly made an effort to learn the city as authentically as possible. I know there are some students that come to Barcelona and still couldn't tell you who Sant Jordi is or even what El Born is, but could tell in a second the quickest way to Shoko or wherever Kyke's event is that night. Even our RA told us that were are unlike any other Americans she has met, meaning we have acclimated ourselves well enough that we could easily come back and live in the city. This was perhaps, the best compliment she could have ever given us.
Monday, April 7, 2008
BARÇA! BARÇA! BARRRRRRÇA!
So I finally made it to a Fútbol Club Barcelona game last night! Third time's a charm. For some reason my roommates and I have had horrible luck getting tickets this semester. On our first attempt we were told you could just buy tickets before the game, but they were sold out. The second time, I spent hours trying to figure out the servicaixa machines (ATMs that sell tickets) to no avail. We also tried buying online, but same thing happened (I think it was an American credit card problem). We even tried going all the way out to the stadium, but got to the box office just 10mins late, ugh.
Nevertheless, our persistence finally paid off (thanks to Paula & Ruben) and last night we went to see FC Barça play Getafe CF (yeah, never heard of them either. In fact Julia and I spent a good 10mins before the game trying to read the Catalán program to see where they were from) in a quasi important La Liga game. The game was a thrilling....tie...at 0-0... Yep, both teams walked off the field without scoring a single goal. A double bagel as we would say in tennis. Although, Barça did hit the goal post 3 times, if that counts for anything. I have to admit, (if you can't already tell) I don't think I could ever become a fútbol fan. It's a game of constant disappointment and overly dramatic athletes. Although, I do give the sport more credit than Baseball, because the athletes and their footwork is pretty impressive.
Was it worth the trouble you might ask? Absolutely. I am taking a Sport & Society in Spain course, and we visited the museum, watched a documentary, and wrote our midterm papers on FC Barcelona. Moreover, I just finished my final paper for Barcelona: Ciudad y Historia on the manifestations of Catalán nationalism (6 pages in SPANISH!) and a chunk of it talked about Barça. In other words, I probably know more about the history of the team than some of its members. So for this reason, It was great to actually see them in action at Camp Nou (the Barça stadium that is 11th biggest stadium in the world). Also, since it was such a bad game, I got to see the fans wave white scarfs and whistle signaling extreme disappointment which we had seen in a documentary about the team (although, I think booing is much more satisfying than whistling). ...Go Barça!
Nevertheless, our persistence finally paid off (thanks to Paula & Ruben) and last night we went to see FC Barça play Getafe CF (yeah, never heard of them either. In fact Julia and I spent a good 10mins before the game trying to read the Catalán program to see where they were from) in a quasi important La Liga game. The game was a thrilling....tie...at 0-0... Yep, both teams walked off the field without scoring a single goal. A double bagel as we would say in tennis. Although, Barça did hit the goal post 3 times, if that counts for anything. I have to admit, (if you can't already tell) I don't think I could ever become a fútbol fan. It's a game of constant disappointment and overly dramatic athletes. Although, I do give the sport more credit than Baseball, because the athletes and their footwork is pretty impressive.
Was it worth the trouble you might ask? Absolutely. I am taking a Sport & Society in Spain course, and we visited the museum, watched a documentary, and wrote our midterm papers on FC Barcelona. Moreover, I just finished my final paper for Barcelona: Ciudad y Historia on the manifestations of Catalán nationalism (6 pages in SPANISH!) and a chunk of it talked about Barça. In other words, I probably know more about the history of the team than some of its members. So for this reason, It was great to actually see them in action at Camp Nou (the Barça stadium that is 11th biggest stadium in the world). Also, since it was such a bad game, I got to see the fans wave white scarfs and whistle signaling extreme disappointment which we had seen in a documentary about the team (although, I think booing is much more satisfying than whistling). ...Go Barça!
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Tidbits IV:
Spanish texting tips:
>Its SMS, not text
>Phonetic spelling is popular (i.e. Gwapa)
>d q means de que
>Qtal means que tal (which is answered with bien, not nada)
>jajaja means hahaha
>Pasta means $ (kinda like bread in English)
>Finde is short for fin de semana and bici is short for bicicleta
(these are also common spoken as well)
>Must end every text message with besos, un beso, besitos, etc.
Other interesting language tidbits:
>Toma! is like good or yeah (Paula says it when playing wii)
>tomar is used instead of beber when talking about drinking alcohol
>Semana blanca is spring break
>Its SMS, not text
>Phonetic spelling is popular (i.e. Gwapa)
>d q means de que
>Qtal means que tal (which is answered with bien, not nada)
>jajaja means hahaha
>Pasta means $ (kinda like bread in English)
>Finde is short for fin de semana and bici is short for bicicleta
(these are also common spoken as well)
>Must end every text message with besos, un beso, besitos, etc.
Other interesting language tidbits:
>Toma! is like good or yeah (Paula says it when playing wii)
>tomar is used instead of beber when talking about drinking alcohol
>Semana blanca is spring break
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