Still Recovering
Today, I woke up feeling like I got sick all over again (not nearly as bad). I thought that being off the meds would help, but evidently not. I surrendered and went to the local pharmacy and got medicine for my throat and nasal congestion. Within an hour of taking both, I certainly noticed a difference. I just hope this goes away soon...I'm tired of being responsible for the "tissue mountains" in the trash can.
Internship at American Chamber of Commerce
As I mentioned yesterday, this morning was my interview with the American Chamber of Commerce. I woke up groggy from feeling sick and my roommate's alarm going off at 6:30 am but left the house promptly at 9 am, giving me 15 minutes of wiggle room in case I got lost or something. I missed the first metro, so I sat and waited for the next one that departed at 9:12 pm. Everything was dandy until I got off the correct metro station: I exited the station and was at the big avenue but should I go right or left? I asked a woman walking her baby in a stroller and she said go left. So, I went left for about 5 minutes or so, but the streets didn't look right (from what I remembered on the map). I asked another person and they said, "Oh no, you're going the opposite direction. You should've turned right." My mental panic kicks in and it's 9:27 (my interview's at 9:30 am). I start walking very quickly and manage to find the building (9:35 am). The office is on the second floor and door #1 (it's not too nice looking on the outside, reminds me of an old apartment building). I come in all flustered, apologize for arriving late, and say "Buenos Dias" to my interviewer. She responds back, "Good Morning." English mode. OK. The meeting went well and within about 10 minutes, she asked me what my schedule looked like. I'd assumed she had already decided to have me intern with her, but just wanted to interview with me to make sure I was the candidate she wanted. Turns out there's another girl from the same program (IES Abroad) but from UT Austin that will be interning as well. I will be interning Mondays and Wednesdays and start next Monday at 9 am.
Getting lost on the Metro
After the interview, I met up with the other intern (named Crystal) and since she was a late arrival (got here Sunday due to her dad getting a stroke), I walked her to and rode the metro with her to Placa Catalunya. Afterwards, I assumed I was on L7 (the line I take to get home), so I just sat in my seat thinking it would go back in the opposite direction toward home. Several stops later, the names were very unfamiliar to the ones on L7 and I asked another rider and she replied I was on L6. I got off at the next stop, exited the metro, and thought I could easily just walk a few streets over to the next stop. Well, I got lost and was walking like a headless chicken around the business district of Barcelona. After 45 minutes of this, I just gave up, took the first metro stop I saw, and used the map to find my way back. Lesson Learned: If a metro is available, use that to find your way back. Walking around a city doesn't do much, especially when the locals tell you the wrong directions! I found this quote that makes getting lost not seem so bad:
Getting lost is just another way of saying 'going exploring.'
A Cooking Lesson and Another Siesta...
After the internship interview and getting lost on the metro (or should I say 'exploring' the metro and the city), I changed out of my business clothes and into shorts and a t-shirt. I read the Spain 2020 report the American Chamber of Commerce gave me to read about some recommendations they have for Spain's economy. Very interesting stats, such as 20% unemployment, 40% Youth unemployment, and 11% of teachers (from pre school to university) incorporate IT into the curriculum. Anyways, economics aside, the lady who comes to clean for Isabel came at this time and she showed me how to make Tortilla de Patata (a Spanish omelette). As I mentioned last week, the one she made (shes the one who makes them) was OUT OF THIS WORLD. From the first bite, I knew I was in love with her Tortilla de Patata. I wrote down the recipe in scribbles, so I'll post it later this week.
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| Simmering ingredients for Tortilla de Patata...made the house smell divine... |
I was so wiped out from the day, I lay down and took a 30 minute power nap before my class at 5:30 pm. I certainly needed it because the last two days I didn't get a good night's sleep. It certainly helped me get through class.
Class
Today, I had my Spain's Economic Development and the EU class. I think this is my favorite class so far because the professor is extremely smart and organized (the other one may be smart, but he's so disorganized!). In class, we learned about the chronological history of Spain's Economic Development. In class, we'll be focusing on the 19th century but looking at the periods of convergence and divergence. Funnily enough, there's 17 boys and 5 girls in the class - I'm not sure if this class wasn't very appealing to people, or if Economics is not a very popular major among girls. Either way, I find it fascinating because through economics, one can study, analyze, and understand history in such a way that you can predict a future (to an extent) by looking at the current situation and comparing it to previous times.
Dinner
For dinner, we had our delicious patata...mmm...I must make this when I get home! I think once a week I'll make a point of having "Barcelona/Spain day" where I cook all the scrumptious food I had here. I'm thinking the menu will include: pan con tomate, Tortilla de Patata, and tomatoes with olive oil, vinegar, and a pinch of salt.
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