This weekend was a whirlwind. Jen G. made an appearance in Barcelona with two friends from Oxford as well as three Buenas amigas from my townhouse this past semester- Mica, Zoey and Brittany.
On Thursday night Mica arrived! Everyone in IES had a Spanish exam on Friday morning but we found the time to take her to the best pizza in Barcelona- located around the corner from my Melon home! Mica, who is studying abroad in Italy, thought it was “funny” that we took her to Italian food her first night in Spain. It’s the closest!
Friday I got up early and took the test! More on that later…. After the test Mica and I met up with some friends for Mexican food (getting closer….). This place is called Rosa Negra and I’ve been DYING to go because everyone who has studied here raves about it. I had a shrimp quesadilla and yes, it was amazing. Mica and I wandered around a costume shop (thinking ahead for Carnaval) and then met up with Zoey and Brittany! At this point, we had a whole horde of Colgate gals and we headed straight for Parc Guell. Interestingly, Parc Guell once hosted America’s next top model, there is a long path that served as the runway. Naturally, we had a contest. I feel confident.
Later that night… JEN ARRIVED!! Bringing with her a friend who knew a guy, who knew a guy, who knew a guy…. And we ended up on a YACHT! A very legitimate yacht party, with Barcelona’s elite. Very posh, very fun.
Despite the events of the night before, Jen and I popped up early (relatively) to start exploring the city. We started by walking up and down Las Ramblas, having Spanish coffee, stopping in la Boqueria and having the traditional chocolate and churros. Next, we hit up Sagrada Familia and then needed a quick siesta to get ready for the Gran Rua Parade!!!! Lucky, oh so lucky for us, the parade ran up and down paral.lel… a very long and well known street where the melon house resides!! WOO! It was raining so Jen watched from the window but I stood out there! Later, we had dinner with the whole Colgate clan!
The next morning we headed to Jaume Placa for the once a year castilles competition (aka human pyramids). The base is a ton of people crowded around, donned in the same color, and the team climbs on top of each other creating HIGH pyramids! The top is always a kid, in a helmet pheww, who races up! Seriously they can climb!!
After this monumental (ha-ha no pun intended) event, I took the oxford crowd to Parc Guell to see what they’ve been missing. They loved it!
To cap off the night, of course, back to Salsa lessons for the GASP Valentine’s Day Special- Rumba lessons. Very difficult. I miss the comfort of Salsa.
The Real Carnaval took place in Sitges on Tuesday (fat Tuesday) all night. Half hour train from Barcelona. Really, the details aren’t appropriate for my family-oriented blog. JK! I hate to say it to the "world famous" Sitges but, really, its kind of like college- everyone in the street, not caring much, going wild…. To sum it up there was a huge dance party on the beach, a parade of predominately men in drag (Marilyn Monroes that would suddenly flash a body part that didn’t seem just right…) and confetti and crowds in the street. FUN!
This weekend..... to Paris! Bon Voyage (to me!)
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
GGGGOOOOOOAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLL
On Friday, I visited Gaudi's La Pedrera. This was the last house he built during his lifetime, and the images are very famous and often associated with Barcelona. I really enjoyed the house and I learned a lot about Gaudi. I couldn't resist a headset!! I was also able to (finally) pick up my articket- an extremely discounted entrance to the top 7 museums. I am coming back cultured!
Montserrat, meaning jagged mountain. GORGEOUS! BREATHTAKING!
The pictures do not do justice.
I traveled to Montserrat, about an hour from Barcelona, this Saturday. Montserrat, as old as 880 AD, was known for being secluded. We hiked the mountain, and WOWEE was I winded. It felt like 80% grade. Seriously. But it was a fun adventure, the wind was whipping!
The hike lasted all morning, with a little light commentary from a guide and several “photo-ops.” We reached the top and had the option of the soft route or hard route back… I obviously took the hard way. Many mocked my choice of moccasins, but when I reminded them that moccasins are how the Native Americans whisper walked in the forest, the scoffs ceased.
After calamari and patatas bravas (my favorite!), we spent the afternoon in the art museum and finally had a chance to touch the Black Madonna! The black depiction of the Virgin Mary. Very cool- especially because all the Mounties had to read The Secret Life of Bees.
Saturday night…. My first FC Barca futbol game!! FC Barca vs. Getafe. I’ve never been more hyped for a sporting event! The stadium is the largest futbol stadium in Europe, and even though this wasn’t a “big name” game it was PACKED!! The crowd was roaring! There was not a dull moment. Barca won! 2-1. Getafe scored a last minute goal on a penalty, and the fans tend to get a little heated !
As you know, it was a sports filled weekend, with the Superbowl on Sunday night. I couldn’t forgo weekly salsa lessons so I reported to my lesson and ended up staying there for the game with the 8 or so people we had recruited for lessons. The bar was supposed to close at 3am… but since we were there for the game they kicked everyone out except the Americans! WOOWEE! Oh, and also the Spanish guy with a Saints Jersey who only yelled “GO SAINTS!” It was a VIP Superbowl party in Barcelona with salsa lessons on the side.
I have tons of pictures AND a cord!!! They are on the way, I promise. I have them on my computer but am having trouble uploading them. I think the internet might not be strong enough on my laptop? Does this make sense to anyone who knows anything about computers? I'm the wrong girl for that! No matter, I think I'll bring the photos to IES on my usb key and you can see me very soon :) (Don't be jealous, Colgate friends, but I sometimes wear JUST a t-shirt here! No jacket necessary!!!)
Life around Barcelona is really picking up speed! Soon enough I’ll have not a moment to spare, with Carnavale, Paris, and visiting friends next on the docket!
Tarragona
Tarragona: A southern city in Catalonia, was formerly the capital of the Hispanic Roman Empire (Tarraco). We went under the guise of seeing Roman ruins.. and we DID see Roman ruins- UNESCO World Heritage (yes more to my checklist!!!) Roman ruins. But other than the Roman ruins in Tarragona, it felt as though it was a bit of a “filler” trip.
All the tours were in Spanish. I loved this, I hated this. I felt my comprehension improving, but my mind would wander and it would be hard for me to pull it back.
What we saw:
Tarragona: Roman Amphitheatre
Roman Circus- underground tunnel for carriage races. COOL!
MNAT Museum
Old City walls
Tarragona Cathedral
And that was Tarragona. You could walk around it a few times in a day. All 460+ students stayed in Tarragona at night, divided in 4 hotels. We had alternating itineraries, and the groups were based on Spanish classes so the classes could “bond.” On the other 2 days we took trips outside of Tarragona.
We visited Torres Winery, very well known wine in Spain. We took a quick tram ride around the vineyard and offered a very modest sample. Very modest. The administrators were there…
We saw Medol, the old quarry site for the Romans. This was off of a highway, and we had to walk through a gas station parking lot to see it, and hence my jaw dropped when I saw it was flanked with a World Heritage marker (check!) The site has a central “needle” that shows how deep the Romans had dug into the rock. It is impressive to think about but the site was rather…. Bland.
On the other day we visited Poblet and ANOTHER UNESCO World Heritage Monastery, dedicated to incorporating the natural landscape. We hiked after the long monastery tour. We also visited Montblanc where legend has it St. Jordi slayed a dragon.
I feel I’m losing my fans getting into the nitty gritty of Tarragona so I will recount one of the best Tarragona surprises.
Complimentary breakfast was provided by the hotel. And I knew this going into the trip, and beforehand, it really wasn’t something I was looking forward too. Spanish people believe in coffee for breakfast, occasionally some bread, so I assumed the hotel breakfast would be skimpy. This was, without a doubt, best breakfast spread I’ve ever encountered! All different pastries, eggs made any which way, every type of breakfast meat, 7 bread choices, countless cheese options, every fruit, fish, yogurts, nuts… you name it. It was probably there. I made pan con tomaste both days and plopped an egg and cheese on top. Delish!
IES fed us well overall. We had 2 traditional lunches- one day of Paella on the beach and one day of Calcots in the monastery. Calcots are like long onions. Everyone is given a bib when entering. When eating calcots you peel the layers of the long onion, dip them in the special ramesco sauce, and hold it high above your head like a long piece of spaghetti. Very entertaining.
Monday, February 1, 2010
BAILAR!
Blog Fans- I have SO much to catch you up on after the study Trip in Tarragona. Grade: B+
But first, while its fresh in my mind, last night’s wild adventures at salsa class.
Last week Maria and Tracy stumbled upon this hole in the wall bar that offered salsa lessons on Sunday nights. It’s a pretty ingenious set up, really. For two hours the bar (owned by 3 Jordi’s—HAS to be the most common name in Catalan) serves very cheap drinks, to get the crowd loose for the salsa instructor.
Gianfranco teaches the salsa. He’s probably 24. He was born in Venezuela and has been living in Europe his whole life; he’s currently a student. Maria, Tracy, Gianfranco and I were fast friends. Actually, last Sunday they warned him about me. APPARENTLY everyone thought they’d have a real laugh at my salsa dancing ability but noooo siree. In the class of us three Americans and two women from Rome, I was definitely one of the fastest feet (like fastest hands in the West). If Maria and Tracy wanted me to come to Salsa for laughable entertainment, they were sorely disappointed. I have found my newest talent!
I learned the steps. Gianfranco stands in front and the women line up and mimic him. Women only this week, next week we can try to recruit men. Each week I'm available I will return and add some more pizzazz to my nearly flawless moves.
I had a sleepover at Tracy and Maria’s because we ended up staying til closing and they live just across the street. I had a friend request waiting from Gianfranco. This is the start of a weekly activity.
Add Sunday night salsa lessons to my list of Spain favorites
But first, while its fresh in my mind, last night’s wild adventures at salsa class.
Last week Maria and Tracy stumbled upon this hole in the wall bar that offered salsa lessons on Sunday nights. It’s a pretty ingenious set up, really. For two hours the bar (owned by 3 Jordi’s—HAS to be the most common name in Catalan) serves very cheap drinks, to get the crowd loose for the salsa instructor.
Gianfranco teaches the salsa. He’s probably 24. He was born in Venezuela and has been living in Europe his whole life; he’s currently a student. Maria, Tracy, Gianfranco and I were fast friends. Actually, last Sunday they warned him about me. APPARENTLY everyone thought they’d have a real laugh at my salsa dancing ability but noooo siree. In the class of us three Americans and two women from Rome, I was definitely one of the fastest feet (like fastest hands in the West). If Maria and Tracy wanted me to come to Salsa for laughable entertainment, they were sorely disappointed. I have found my newest talent!
I learned the steps. Gianfranco stands in front and the women line up and mimic him. Women only this week, next week we can try to recruit men. Each week I'm available I will return and add some more pizzazz to my nearly flawless moves.
I had a sleepover at Tracy and Maria’s because we ended up staying til closing and they live just across the street. I had a friend request waiting from Gianfranco. This is the start of a weekly activity.
Add Sunday night salsa lessons to my list of Spain favorites
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Más Más Más
I´m sitting in a student computer area at my new university, Universitat Pompeu Fabra. I have an ID card! I have a username on the computer! Don´t believe me?
€€€¿?¿?¿?¿?ñññ
¿?¿Could you see that on my regular old laptop¿?¿
This place is crowded. Everyone hangs around in all the common areas, in a way that reminds me of the Mount. The students plop themselves on the ground right outside the classroom doors. Though, they seem to always be rolling cigarettes which only happened at the mount on fridays (jk!!!!) The guy on the computer next to me just shouted: joder!
I made it to Montjuic this weekend. Not really ¨made¨ it because it could be considered my backyard. Though I would definitely classify walking to the castle at the very top of Montjuic as ¨making it.¨ It was far and steep. BUT the views from up there were incredible. We stopped into the olympic stadium... it was really just a stadium. But it was cool to know some of the greats had walked there before me: Michael Johnson, Bob and Becky O´Shea....
On Sunday, believe it or not, I went to church in the Barcelona Cathedral. It took me some time to find a mass in ¨castellano¨rather than ¨catalan¨but it was well worth it! I sat in the old women section. I think thats the unofficial name. I sat next to 3 best friends. They looked at me and smiled periodically throughout the mass. I was blowing my nose fairly frequently, so I was certain they weren´t friendly smiles. But in the end, I won them over. I think it happened when I stood beside the pew and waited for them to seat themselves after communion. I´ve noticed very few forgo seats on the metro for the elderly, and this small gesture was greeted with many ¨thank you child.¨ At the end of mass, when I was still pouring over the hymnal, one tapped me on the shoulder and said Adios!!!! I think that was my invitation to sit with them. La cuatro amigas.
I now have my set schedule. I switched out of my 1.5 hour Spanish class into the longer class, which allowed me to drop a class. But! I lost my ¨fsem¨ group. That´s okay, cuanto más mejor.
On MWF I only have spanish from 10:45-12:15 at which point we take a half an hour break. I like to go to the cafe next door. (SIDE NOTE: My friend Tracy and I saw the singer from the Flamenco show!!! We were ecstatic and tried to tell him we were fans-- the spanglish was difficult --- and we were KICKING ourselves that neither of us had a camera. I don´t think he even knew he was famous before that moment). Anyway, we report back to spanish for one hour, 12:45-1:45 and then I am free!
After having attended three different spanish classes, with three local senoritas, I like my current senorita the best. Great! Interestingly, when I went to switch spanish classes, the woman who runs the registrar said: okay, SPAN 350, 3rd floor at 10:45. Wouldn´t you know there are two SPAN 350s on the 3rd floor at 10:45? I was attending the one in the room next door! I recieved an email saying I needed to meet with the Dean because I had so far attended 0 Spanish classes, and missing one more would warrant a fail! When I replied saying I had so far attended each session, we had a good laugh together. They took the blame so I can´t complain!
On Tues/Thurs I start bright and early with Mediterranean Environment at 9:00 am. At UPF, my real live spanish university with real live spanish students, I have class back to back from 1:00-5:00. At 1:00: Barcelona/Madrid: La ciudad frente la cinema y literatura. A class solamente en español. translation: Contemporary Barcelona/Madrid compared to literature and cinema. At 3:00, Barcelona: A City and its History. This is my only americano profesor. He graduated from Tufts, and wants to let the class know this is not a typical ¨abroad class with no work.¨pshhh. I read the syllabus. His bark is way worse than his bite.
Unfortunately, I do have a midterm and a paper due the week my parents are visiting. It´s not all bad, though, because they will assume I have been working that hard throughout the semester.
After classes yesterday I went to Tracy and Maria´s homestay for a delicious home cooked meal. Their señora does not speak a word of english, and boy can she talk! We had a 3 course meal, anything less in Spain would be rude. AND she made the best pan con tomaste in the world - only found in Catalan, a simple pre-appetizer of bread with oil and tomato paste. And though we kept inching towards the door at 11:30 since we had been dining together since 9:15, I had a great time! The señora was so nice and she said if she got her hands on me for the whole semester she´d force me to be fluent! I don´t know about that.... but she really loves hosting students and Tracy and Maria are very lucky!!! They have a bidet, I have a double bed.... we´re even.
This weekend: a study trip to Tarragona with all of IES! 460 Students!
€€€¿?¿?¿?¿?ñññ
¿?¿Could you see that on my regular old laptop¿?¿
This place is crowded. Everyone hangs around in all the common areas, in a way that reminds me of the Mount. The students plop themselves on the ground right outside the classroom doors. Though, they seem to always be rolling cigarettes which only happened at the mount on fridays (jk!!!!) The guy on the computer next to me just shouted: joder!
I made it to Montjuic this weekend. Not really ¨made¨ it because it could be considered my backyard. Though I would definitely classify walking to the castle at the very top of Montjuic as ¨making it.¨ It was far and steep. BUT the views from up there were incredible. We stopped into the olympic stadium... it was really just a stadium. But it was cool to know some of the greats had walked there before me: Michael Johnson, Bob and Becky O´Shea....
On Sunday, believe it or not, I went to church in the Barcelona Cathedral. It took me some time to find a mass in ¨castellano¨rather than ¨catalan¨but it was well worth it! I sat in the old women section. I think thats the unofficial name. I sat next to 3 best friends. They looked at me and smiled periodically throughout the mass. I was blowing my nose fairly frequently, so I was certain they weren´t friendly smiles. But in the end, I won them over. I think it happened when I stood beside the pew and waited for them to seat themselves after communion. I´ve noticed very few forgo seats on the metro for the elderly, and this small gesture was greeted with many ¨thank you child.¨ At the end of mass, when I was still pouring over the hymnal, one tapped me on the shoulder and said Adios!!!! I think that was my invitation to sit with them. La cuatro amigas.
I now have my set schedule. I switched out of my 1.5 hour Spanish class into the longer class, which allowed me to drop a class. But! I lost my ¨fsem¨ group. That´s okay, cuanto más mejor.
On MWF I only have spanish from 10:45-12:15 at which point we take a half an hour break. I like to go to the cafe next door. (SIDE NOTE: My friend Tracy and I saw the singer from the Flamenco show!!! We were ecstatic and tried to tell him we were fans-- the spanglish was difficult --- and we were KICKING ourselves that neither of us had a camera. I don´t think he even knew he was famous before that moment). Anyway, we report back to spanish for one hour, 12:45-1:45 and then I am free!
After having attended three different spanish classes, with three local senoritas, I like my current senorita the best. Great! Interestingly, when I went to switch spanish classes, the woman who runs the registrar said: okay, SPAN 350, 3rd floor at 10:45. Wouldn´t you know there are two SPAN 350s on the 3rd floor at 10:45? I was attending the one in the room next door! I recieved an email saying I needed to meet with the Dean because I had so far attended 0 Spanish classes, and missing one more would warrant a fail! When I replied saying I had so far attended each session, we had a good laugh together. They took the blame so I can´t complain!
On Tues/Thurs I start bright and early with Mediterranean Environment at 9:00 am. At UPF, my real live spanish university with real live spanish students, I have class back to back from 1:00-5:00. At 1:00: Barcelona/Madrid: La ciudad frente la cinema y literatura. A class solamente en español. translation: Contemporary Barcelona/Madrid compared to literature and cinema. At 3:00, Barcelona: A City and its History. This is my only americano profesor. He graduated from Tufts, and wants to let the class know this is not a typical ¨abroad class with no work.¨pshhh. I read the syllabus. His bark is way worse than his bite.
Unfortunately, I do have a midterm and a paper due the week my parents are visiting. It´s not all bad, though, because they will assume I have been working that hard throughout the semester.
After classes yesterday I went to Tracy and Maria´s homestay for a delicious home cooked meal. Their señora does not speak a word of english, and boy can she talk! We had a 3 course meal, anything less in Spain would be rude. AND she made the best pan con tomaste in the world - only found in Catalan, a simple pre-appetizer of bread with oil and tomato paste. And though we kept inching towards the door at 11:30 since we had been dining together since 9:15, I had a great time! The señora was so nice and she said if she got her hands on me for the whole semester she´d force me to be fluent! I don´t know about that.... but she really loves hosting students and Tracy and Maria are very lucky!!! They have a bidet, I have a double bed.... we´re even.
This weekend: a study trip to Tarragona with all of IES! 460 Students!
Friday, January 22, 2010
First Sights
I’m definitely getting used to the Spanish schedule, and sometimes give new meaning to the phrase “burning daylight.” I LOVE eating late. I think I was born to eat at 10-11pm… sometimes 12! Going out til 5am…. Never my ideal. But I’m managing a good balance between immersing myself in Spanish night culture (a very critical part of learning the culture, don’t you see) and romping the city by day. Here are some of my first sights:
Parc Guell: Gaudi’s famous park, originally designed as a residential area that failed and is now a pubic park. You’d recognize the extensive mosaics and is pictured above! I went with my new friends from Spanish class, and we’ve started exploring much more after our first successful excursion!
Picasso Museum: I went on a guided tour of Barcelona “through the eyes of Picasso. We were guided through Picasso’s life and work, inspired by Barcelona! The most interesting part: Picasso’s erotic Asian art period. Very graphic images incorporating octopi.
La Boquiera: AWESOME! So colorful… a few free samples ☺ Candied nuts, chocolate and fruits galore! I also couldn’t resist watching the butchers in action, they’ve got boar’s heads, pheasants, rabbits, you name it! My favorite part was the pureed fruit juices… I tried some mango/coconut. Hellooo paradise. I went back to La Boquiera a few days later for mid-day tapas. Yum.
La Sagrada Familia: The CHURCH started by Gaudi in 1882 that still is not complete and not expected to be complete for 20 years! You’ll often hear people call the Sagrada Famila a cathedral, Wrong! Every city can only have one cathedral and Barcelona’s is located in the Barrio Gotico, which I’ve also explored (Mom: not at night….. It’s not in Grace’s Night World because it is circled in red on the IES “places to avoid at night” map)
Las Ramblas: Well, of course. It’s located right off of Plaza Cataluyna, where IES is centered, so it’s basically in my walk to school. The street “performers” are the best part, though they don’t actually perform unless you drop a coin. I prefer to look, anyway.
My first flamenco show. Spanish guitar, singing, clapping and one flamenco dancer (sans huge red flower in her hair, we were really disappointed in that).
In terms of food, paella is good, a churro dipped in a cup of melted chocolate is great! These chocolaterias can be found all over Barcelona’s old Gothic quarter.
More to come on my exploration of Mounjuic. This is one of the barrios I haven’t become fully acquainted with and it has a TON of things to see!
Parc Guell: Gaudi’s famous park, originally designed as a residential area that failed and is now a pubic park. You’d recognize the extensive mosaics and is pictured above! I went with my new friends from Spanish class, and we’ve started exploring much more after our first successful excursion!
Picasso Museum: I went on a guided tour of Barcelona “through the eyes of Picasso. We were guided through Picasso’s life and work, inspired by Barcelona! The most interesting part: Picasso’s erotic Asian art period. Very graphic images incorporating octopi.
La Boquiera: AWESOME! So colorful… a few free samples ☺ Candied nuts, chocolate and fruits galore! I also couldn’t resist watching the butchers in action, they’ve got boar’s heads, pheasants, rabbits, you name it! My favorite part was the pureed fruit juices… I tried some mango/coconut. Hellooo paradise. I went back to La Boquiera a few days later for mid-day tapas. Yum.
La Sagrada Familia: The CHURCH started by Gaudi in 1882 that still is not complete and not expected to be complete for 20 years! You’ll often hear people call the Sagrada Famila a cathedral, Wrong! Every city can only have one cathedral and Barcelona’s is located in the Barrio Gotico, which I’ve also explored (Mom: not at night….. It’s not in Grace’s Night World because it is circled in red on the IES “places to avoid at night” map)
Las Ramblas: Well, of course. It’s located right off of Plaza Cataluyna, where IES is centered, so it’s basically in my walk to school. The street “performers” are the best part, though they don’t actually perform unless you drop a coin. I prefer to look, anyway.
My first flamenco show. Spanish guitar, singing, clapping and one flamenco dancer (sans huge red flower in her hair, we were really disappointed in that).
In terms of food, paella is good, a churro dipped in a cup of melted chocolate is great! These chocolaterias can be found all over Barcelona’s old Gothic quarter.
More to come on my exploration of Mounjuic. This is one of the barrios I haven’t become fully acquainted with and it has a TON of things to see!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Arrival
Bienvenidos a mi Blog! Estoy in Barcelona!
The flight was relatively simple. I made my connection in Frankfurt by a mere 7 minutes, but I prefer to cut the waiting time ☺! Upon arriving in BCN I checked in with IES at the airport, got a cell phone, and hailed my first taxi to take me to my melon themed home. I used my first Spanish to give my street and then he asked for the number! I was prepared (sorry, cannot say for security reasons). I went over the rules of the residence hall, and though the pool is referred to as a refreshing lounge, it might not be open until May! Especially with this weather: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/12/world/europe/12europe.html?th&emc=th
What a modern little room! The walls are lime green, the sheets are lime green; the bathroom is a “cruise ship” bathroom. There are American students in the building from all different programs and some Spanish estudiantes tambien.
It was easy to figure out the metro. I live on the same line that takes me straight to the IES center! 4 stops away, or a 20-minute walk, which I’ve done once with the help of a floor mate but couldn’t do again on my own. The IES building is very safe, parents- no markings of IES from the outside (walked by it a few times on the first day!) and a code to enter.
Holly (a Colgate student) came with her older brother who helped Holly and I find our other university, UPF. One transfer on the metro, none if I go from IES which I plan to do most days. Picture this: walk out from the dark metro, turn left = university buildings, turn right = beach! My day on Tues/Thurs starts at 9am at IES, and I’m thinking sunbathing until my 1pm classes at UPF.
This week we are doing everything with our Spanish classes, the Colgate equivalent of an FSEM. Yesterday we went on scavenger hunt around Barceloneta, the port. I found a ferry to Menorca!!!!! http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/travel/10places.html ("Minorica" #14)
I made my Barcelona Bucket list thus far, and I will update you on everything as I cross off. Please feel free to add suggestions.
Tonight: The IES Welcome Party at 8:30 pm!
I'd really like to add photos to my blog but i MAY, just may, have left the cord that connects the computer to the camera at home. We can talk about it later, M and D.
Hasta Luego!
The flight was relatively simple. I made my connection in Frankfurt by a mere 7 minutes, but I prefer to cut the waiting time ☺! Upon arriving in BCN I checked in with IES at the airport, got a cell phone, and hailed my first taxi to take me to my melon themed home. I used my first Spanish to give my street and then he asked for the number! I was prepared (sorry, cannot say for security reasons). I went over the rules of the residence hall, and though the pool is referred to as a refreshing lounge, it might not be open until May! Especially with this weather: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/12/world/europe/12europe.html?th&emc=th
What a modern little room! The walls are lime green, the sheets are lime green; the bathroom is a “cruise ship” bathroom. There are American students in the building from all different programs and some Spanish estudiantes tambien.
It was easy to figure out the metro. I live on the same line that takes me straight to the IES center! 4 stops away, or a 20-minute walk, which I’ve done once with the help of a floor mate but couldn’t do again on my own. The IES building is very safe, parents- no markings of IES from the outside (walked by it a few times on the first day!) and a code to enter.
Holly (a Colgate student) came with her older brother who helped Holly and I find our other university, UPF. One transfer on the metro, none if I go from IES which I plan to do most days. Picture this: walk out from the dark metro, turn left = university buildings, turn right = beach! My day on Tues/Thurs starts at 9am at IES, and I’m thinking sunbathing until my 1pm classes at UPF.
This week we are doing everything with our Spanish classes, the Colgate equivalent of an FSEM. Yesterday we went on scavenger hunt around Barceloneta, the port. I found a ferry to Menorca!!!!! http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/travel/10places.html ("Minorica" #14)
I made my Barcelona Bucket list thus far, and I will update you on everything as I cross off. Please feel free to add suggestions.
Tonight: The IES Welcome Party at 8:30 pm!
I'd really like to add photos to my blog but i MAY, just may, have left the cord that connects the computer to the camera at home. We can talk about it later, M and D.
Hasta Luego!
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