Getting ready for a weekend in Costa Brava

Still sick...
I'd say I'm feeling better, but not quite 100% yet. I'd say 80%.  I have no idea what bug I caught, but I'm telling you, this is a tough one to get over! I've been sick for almost a week now (but then again I've been switching meds every few days). The Spanish medicine I bought has been working well but my ears still feel a bit blocked up and I have to clear my throat/blow my nose every once in a while. I hope I'll just get over it naturally. Fortunately, I'm not the only one sick (I feel like I'm on the "uphill" side of getting over a bad cold). Today in class and just around IES in general, I heard sneezing, coughing, blowing noses, etc. It seems there's more people getting sick now, so hopefully now that I'm at the tail end of this bug going around, I won't catch it again. That'd be miserable. I should have packed vitamins...or at least vitamin C. Oh well.

Classes & Some exploring (no getting lost this time!)
Today, I had my European Regional Economies class at 12:25 pm and Mediterranean Oceanography class at 3:45 pm. Both classes went well but I think the medicine I'm taking makes me really sleepy because I found it very difficult to stay awake. Fortunately, both professors are fairly energetic, so that got me through both classes. In between both classes (I have a two hour break), I went exploring around the neighborhood to do some comparison shopping of "Menus del Dia". I've mentioned before that when it comes to eating well and on a budget here in Barcelona, trying "Menus del Dia" are the way to go. They can range from 9/10 Euros to 15/20 depending on where/what you eat. Generally, they're a great value and I've been splitting them with friends because they're so filling (and it's always more fun to share!) I found a few promising cafes and a second hand store. I settled on a small cafe about two blocks from IES and off the main avenue where I got a bocadillo (Spanish sandwich) de jamon serrano (dry cured Spanish ham) especial. For 4 euros, I got a bocadillo (which is practically 2 sandwiches) and a bottle of Sprite. Have I mentioned that soda is oftentimes more expensive than wine here? It's not uncommon to see a can of Sprite/Coke/Fanta/etc for about 2 euros + and wine for 1 euro. It's very weird because because back home it's the opposite. Anyways, my bocadillo was delicious - it had jamon serrano, sliced tomatoes, cheese, and grilled peppers...mmm! So delicious! I'm telling you, I've eaten so well here it's ridiculous. I'll certainly miss the food here...especially since I can afford to eat a lot of carbohydrates without feeling guilty (since I walk at least 2 miles a day on average).

Mexican Independence Day Celebration in Barcelona
While enjoying the sights and sounds of National Catalan Day this past Sunday, my friends and I came across a booth for the Mexican Consulate. They gave us an itinerary of events for this month and suggested we attend the Official Ceremony for "El Grito de Independencia 2011". This evening, my friends and I attended some of the events.They were all very good, but I got quite tired around 9:15 pm, so I took the metro back home and packed for the weekend. We have to be at Placa Catalunya at 7:30 am, so I'm off to bed.

Off to Costa Brava for the Weekend

Costa Brava

This weekend, you won't be hearing much from me because IES has organized for all the students a study journey to the Costa Brava. The Costa Brava is a beautiful costal region in the Northwest corner of Catalonia. We will be visiting Girona, Cadaques, Portlligat, Dali Museum, Collioure, and much more. I don't want to spoil too much of what we'll be doing. I'll probably do a long post Sunday evening/Monday afternoon. I start my internship Monday as well....so look out...long posts (and even more pictures) coming soon!


Have a wonderful weekend!

A Mixed Bag of a Day

I don't know if today was a good day or bad day. But, I'd say it started out bad and got gradually better.

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. 

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.

Productive Tuesday

Still sick (but gradually recovering!)
I'd say I'm back at 70% from 85%, I stopped taking medicine (thinking that I would recover naturally). But that wasn't too successful. So, I'm back on my meds and honey+lemon treatments, which have made a significant difference. Even if I feel slightly better, I've just got to stick to my routine.

Vegetarian Lunch
Today my wanna be vegetarianess got to me - I indulged in a DELICIOUS falafel from Maoz Vegetarian Restaurant on Las Ramblas. I would have taken a picture ( I did take out my camera) but it was so good and I was so hungry that I ate it too quickly. The only photo I would have managed to take was of the used napkins (it was a messy lunch but oh so scrumptious). I'd almost say the falafels here are better than the ones I get at the Santa Clara Farmers Market because 1) you order the falafel (on either wheat or white pita bread) and 2) add additional toppings/sauces/etc from the buffet line (e.g. tabbouleh, grilled carrots, sun-dried tomatoes). I'll definitely be stopping by again between classes. 

Classes, Classes, and Classes - Oh my!
As I mentioned yesterday in my post, I had three classes today. Each class is about an hour and a half, but fortunately I have two hour breaks in between, so that definitely helps. But it just makes for a long day! Today, I had my....
(a) Internship Seminar (9 am - 10:30 Am)
The professor for this class is extremely flamboyant and funny! I really like him! We'll be meeting 1x a week to discuss our internship experiences, learn about the Spanish lifestyle/culture in work environments, and writing compositions about our experience. I've never taken a formal Spanish class before so I'm actually looking forward to this because I'll actually get to improve my written Spanish.
(b) European Regional Economies (12:25 pm - 1:55 pm)
 Today was my class with my Professor who's wife is expecting a baby any day now. He came in a bit frazzled but we talked about our upcoming group research project/paper. I've never done an Econ Research paper before (probably cause I just finished all my foundations courses) but it sounds exciting and different
(c) Mediterranean Oceanography
For this class, as I mentioned before, we visited the Barcelona Aquarium. We went through the exhibit in an hour while our professor pointed out different fish (some hermaphrodites, others normal) including flounders, eels, sharks, and clown fish. I'm still a big fan of the Monterrey Bay Aquarium but this was still quite impressive because the Mediterranean eco-system is very different from the Pacific. Check out some photos below.    

To look at all my photos from my adventures studying abroad, please check out my Barcelona 2011 Album.


Catching up with the Parental Unit (PU)

I came home exhausted from all the walking (and learning!) today. I caught up with my parental unit on Skype. My mom did a little fashion for me of what clothes to send me (Did I mention I only brought 5 shirts and 2 sweaters with me to Spain? I think i wasn't thinking straight when I was packing...I was trying to be minimalist but clearly was not being a realist). Here are some really comical print screen shots from our conversation. Oh they're so funny!

My mom's putting Mexican Flags in my care package...typical Mom!

My mom showing me some super hoochie mama boots she bought (but they're cute I will admit!)

Interview for Internship Tomorrow
Normally, I wouldn't wake up so early on Wednesdays, but tomorrow is my interview for an internship with the American Chamber of Commerce here in Barcelona. I have to be there at 9:30 am, but will leave early to allow time for delays and getting lost (which I'm sure will happen!) So, I've got to get up early so I can look nice. Well, I'm off to bed. Hopefully I'll have good news to report on the internship!

First week of school!

So, I'm about 85% better but I'm still kind of stuffed up and my throat's dry. I'll just keep hydrating myself with water, and hopefully I'll just get over it naturally. Today I woke up at 12:10 pm (I know, super late), so I slept a good 11 hours. I think my body just needed to recuperate from being sick all weekend.

Exploring my neighborhood
I had a late breakfast of greek yogurt and a banana, showered, and did some exploring in my area. As I've mentioned before, it's very expensive here in Europe and I'm getting tired of spending a lot of money for lunch. I explored the local area and found a lot of really nice (and affordable!) shops, markets, bakeries and restaurants. I stopped by a local market and bought myself a salad and peach for about 3 Euros ($4.50), so not too shabby! I also discovered a nice Thai restaurant down the street and a mouthwatering bakery a few blocks down.

Class at IES
I arrived at IES about an hour early and caught up on some news with the Wall Street Journal (they get daily subscriptions! YAY!). I read a few interesting articles on Greece's new property tax to raise revenue and 9/11 Memorial in NYC. From 5:30 - 7 pm, I had my second econ class (Spain's Development and its Impact on the EU). The professor seems very good, but her accent's not too good. The class will be very interesting I believe because it's kind of a nice mix of macroeconomics and microeconomics. We'll be focusing on how Spain's economy affects EU economy and how the EU economy at large affects Spain's economy. We didn't get into too much class content today but she did make some interesting notes about Spain's economy. For instance:
- Spain's current unemployment rate is 20%
- Because of the formation of the EU, Spain has lost control/power over fiscal and monetary policy
- Spain does not have a competitive advantage in any sector (previously it was housing but the financial crisis hit them hard)
- When companies must lay off workers, they do not lay off people who are least productive but rather those who are the "cheapest" to lay off. In other words, when employees are asked to leave the company, the company pays them to leave. So, generally, it's the people who have been there the shortest amount of time
I like that she seems unbiased - she's just straightforward and to the point. She also mentioned a few cultural notes that have impacted/explain certain Economic aspects/issues. My other professor seemed very Pro Spanish Economy, but I may be too quick to judge.

A quick bocadillo
After class, Bianca and I headed off to meet up with some other friends for a small bite to eat. Her and I split a tortilla espanola (NOTE: Tortilla here in Spain does not mean a Mexican tortilla, but rather a sandwich/baguette!) It was DELICIOUS - two slices of bread rubbed with tomato and drizzled with olive oil and fried potatoes in between....mmmm. The photo below does not accurately represent how good it was FYI.

Tortilla Espanola

My first Paella in Spain
For dinner, Isabel  prepared for us homemade Paella with shrimp and chicken. To be honest, I wasn't crazy in love with it...but it may be because the tortilla espanola I had earlier filled me up a bit. But it was still good! No complaints here. I think what threw me off was the the shrimp with heads (Yes. You read that correctly. WITH HEADS and FEELERS!) I'm not normally a shellfish kind of person,but when I saw the eyes...I think my jaw dropped. I had to ask Isabel how to eat them because I don't normally eat them. I tried them, they were alright, but let's just say I'm not in love with them or anything.

Isabel's Paella with chicken and shrimp (see the heads?!?!?)

Well, I didn't do too much today. But I'm ready for bed now. I have a VERY long day tomorrow. I have 3 classes:
a) Internship Seminar (9 am - 10:30 am)
b) European Regional Economies (12:25 pm - 1:55 pm)
c) Mediterranean Oceanography (3:45 pm - 5:15 pm)

But technically, I won't have a class for Mediterranean Oceanography because we're going to the AQUARIUM! Yay for field trips! I'll be sure to take lots of photos (not that I don't already or anything...)

Officially Sick

This sums up how I feel (and look) right now.

Feeling Under the Weather...
It's about 10:30 pm here and I'm officially sick - I have a sore throat, I'm congested, and overall feel very weak and lightheaded. I don't know how I could have gotten sick, but now that I think about it, during my econ class on Thursday, I shook hands with my neighbor to introduce myself. Shortly after we shook hands, he informed me that he was leaving class early for a doctors visit because he was sick (Why did he not tell me this BEFORE we shook hands?!) Either way, whether it was this kid or germs I caught on the metro, I'm miserable. However, I have been taking some medicine for congestion that I brought with me and almost every hour, drinking 1 tablespoon of honey and lemon juice to coat my throat. I have noticed a difference, but I've been lying in bed all day (which is very rare for me) so I feel utterly lazy and unproductive. But then again, resting is the only way to feel better. I'm just happy I'm getting sick now as opposed to later in the semester when things get very busy (e.g. classes, internship, field trips). I really hope I can get over this soon. Any suggestions for getting better?

Oh, and another not so lovely thing happened to me today: I stepped in dog poop. I noticed a lot of Spaniards have dogs and walk them quite often around the neighborhoods, but I would say almost everytime their pet has a little accident, they clean it up. But today, someone did not and it certainly didn't make my day any better, especially considering I was semi-conscious walking down the street to the corner store (I've been very dizzy and lightheaded today) for some lemons.


Free Trip to Montserrat
On a happier note, I mentioned in my post from last weekend that I participated in a Scavenger Hunt with a group of other IES students. I got an e-mail today from IES saying my group won the Scavenger hunt, so we are all getting a free trip (worth $40) to Montserrat on October 8th. I've been so bored today that I've been filling in my agenda with the trips and I'll have 3 trips in October! Considering I've been homesick, filling in my agenda has made me feel better because it helps me realize that today may be going slowly, but before I know it, I'll be packing my bags to go back home.

Montserrat

Observations of Spanish culture
I've been here about 10 days now but I have noticed several interesting things about Spanish culture. I've been talking so much about what I AM doing, I haven't talked about what OTHERS do. Here are some things I've noticed/observed:
- Spaniards eat breakfast at 8/9 am, a light snack at 10/11 am, lunch around 1/2 pm, another snack around 4/5 pm, and a dinner at 9/10 pm.
- Spaniards love their coffee! (e.g. cafe solo, cafe con leche, cafe americano, cafe cortado, etc)
- Spaniards really enjoy their meals. Meals are the opportunity to connect with other people and relish the subtle and potent flavors of the food. They're not nearly as rushed as Americans. In fact, lunch is generally an hour and a half to two hours.
- The work schedule here is generally 9 am - 2 pm (then everything closes from 2 pm to 5 pm) and 5 pm to 7/8pm.
- Catalan food is very simple and flavorful, but depends on high quality ingredients.

I'll keep working on this list. I'll see if I can add more observations as I go along in my posts.