A Pleasant Sunday

A much better start
Well, I'm about 60-70% better. Feeling much better than I was yesterday. I think it's because I got an early start (got up around 9 am). Ever since I got here, I've been sleeping in till about 11:30 am and it's made me very groggy and messed up my sleeping cycle. My mom called me at 9 am and I groggily answered, but I'm glad she woke me up, because it gave me a headstart.

I took a quick shower, got dressed, and noticed I was much better. No more sore throat, dizziness, or lightheadedness. Now, I am just congested ever so slightly feverish. But I'm sure I'll be over the fever by tomorrow. I got a call from my friend Alysse around 10 am asking how I was doing (she went out last night with some friends and Bianca told them I'd been at home sick all day) and if I wanted to go out for the day. I think the very invitation to just get out of the house made me feel better instantly because in no time, I'd had breakfast, packed my bags, and headed off to the metro to meet Alysse, her roommate Lily, and Jessica at the Arc de Triomf

National Day of Catalonia
Although September  11 brings a wave of sadness to people around the world, particularly in the U.S, September 11 is "National Day of Catalonia" here in Catalonia. Think of it as 4th of July for the Catalan people...just as big, flamboyant, and nationalist (in a good way) as it in the U.S.
NOTE: For those of you who are unfamiliar with Catalan's history, Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia ( an autonomous region in Spain). In Catalonia, they speak Catalan ( a Romantic language that sounds like a mixture of French and Spanish).
Anyways, here are some pictures from the festivities:

Very typical dress of National day of Catalonia attendees

More attendees...

Catalonia's Flag waving under the Arc de Triomfe

Undergarments with Catalonia's Flag

Espadrilles for all ages and sizes

Cute little witch figurines

View of the Festivities

After walking around the booths, my friends and I decided to take a tour of Catalan's Parliament. They are only open today (September 11) for public tours, so we took advantage. It was such a gorgeous building, VERY impressive. Check out the photos.

Ceiling of Parliament building

My friends and I at Catalan's Parliament

Catalan Parliament (2nd floor)

Other tourists

My friends and I (I insist on taking group pics!)

Gorgeous architecture

Hearing room

A (Heavenly) Taste of Barcelona's Chocolate Museum
After checking out the festivities from National Day of Catalonia, my friends and I were in desperate need of a chocolate fix and visited Barcelona's Museu del Chocolate (or as they say in Catalan, Museu de la Xocolata). Unfortunately, they were closing in 20 minutes, but that didn't stop us from their knee-wobbling, mouth-watering, finger-licking good hot chocolate. We all ordered a chocolate pequeno (or small hot chocolate). For all you chocaholics out there (I'm with you!), the spoon literally stood in the hot chocolate by itself...THAT's how thick and rich it was.

Museu de la Xocolata's legendary Xocolate Caliente (peqeno)

Literally, I was scraping every last drop of the hot chocolate in my cup. Let's just say next time, I'll order un chocolate grande. The pequeno was such a tease for me...

A Spectacular Evening
After resting at home for a bit and having dinner , I reunited with  my friends from earlier today to see the Magic Fountain of Montjuic (meaning "Jewish Mountain" in Catalan). Apparently, it's every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the Summer (so through September) and then afterwards only on Fridays and Saturdays. It was so stunning...beautiful water works with gorgeous accompanying music (from Opera to Classical) . I took a video because I was simply lost for words to describe it to you all.

For all the photos from my adventures, please check out my Barcelona 2011 Album.

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.

Laid Back Friday

Since I had no Spanish class today, I slept in and mosied about the house for a few hours.

Late Lunch with Alysse
My friend Alysse and I met up for a (very) late lunch at 3 pm. I'm not sure the name of the restaurant but we split a chorizo sandwhich. It was delicious! The bread had tomato rubbed on both sides and a nice serving of Spanish chorizo made for a nice yet filling lunch.

A Night at the Cinemas
At 4:30 pm, Alysse and I met up with friends at the Lauren Universitat movie theater  (just down the street from Placa Catalunya) to see the movie La Piel Que Habito (The Skin I Live In). It got 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and had excellent reviews. The film was certainly interesting and original, but slightly disturbing. I wouldn't say it was bad, it's just not normally the genre of film I normally watch. However, for movie lovers, it definitely has a big unsuspected twist half way through and it is very thought provoking. I don't want to say too much about the film and spoil it, but if you're interested, check out the trailer on the IMDB website (click link above).  But then again, I think experiences like these help me understand Spanish culture and film a bit more.

Shop Walk till you drop!
After the film, Bianca, Bonnie, Jessica and I walked around La Placa and explored the surrounding area of Las Ramblas. We went from one side street to the other. Like I've said before, the streets here are like a labrinyth - you don't know which way or direction you're going, but around each corner lurks another unique store our mouth-watering restaurant/sweet shop. We walked around for almost 2 hours. Afterwards, we said good bye, and we're on the metro by 8 pm.

Dinner
For dinner, Pilar prepared fried eggs, pan amb tomaquet (pan con tomate), salad, and cold rice salad with tomato sauce and pineapple. From all the walking we did today, Bianca and I gobbled it all up and were soon in another food coma (it's become quite a frequent occurrence for the both of us these past 10 days or so).

Under the weather
This past week has been a bit slow for me: I think it's because of all the stress with sorting out my schedule, feeling a bit homesick, and starting to get sick. I sneezed several times today and my throat feels a bit icky. I did a round of neti pot and I'm going to gargle some salt water. Hopefully I'll feel better in the morning as a result of these remedies and a good night's sleep.

1 Week Anniversary in Barcelona!

Hi Everyone,
Bear with me - this is a longer post because I was too tired to blog last night. I got back home at 1 am. Read below for details!


WEDNESDAY
A lazy afternooon
Since I no longer have Spanish language classes, I had no class today. Also, the area studies classes (my 2 econ classes and Mediterranean Oceanography class) start on Thursday.

I woke up a little bit groggy, I think I'm still adjusting to the schedule here. I find that I have a really hard time falling asleep. I think it may be because its so hot here at nights and our senora has a fan (but I feel bad using it since electricity is so expensive).

Be A Gourmet Tour
At 3:30 pm, Bianca and I met other IES students for a "Be A Gourmet" Tour. This is one of the tours Santa Clara paid for (worth about 16 Euros), so that was nice!
I thought this was a tour of La Boqueria (a large public market off Las Ramblas in Barcelona)  and opportunity to sample food. But , boy was I wrong! First, we walked around the world-famous La Boqueria. Think of La Boqueria as a super big and diverse Farmers' Market but packed with locals and tourists. I asked my homestay mom and she explained that it's mostly a tourist destination (thus the expensive prices) but there are some rare/unique foods to find here. As a foodie, I was in absolute heaven because I was drooling over the gourmet chocolates, ripe fruit, freshly squeezed juices, and mouth watering jamon (even as a wanna be vegetarian, the smell of ham was enticing!) Check out the photos below!

La Boqueria Sign

Yummy Chocolates...

Freshly squeezed juices...delish!

Nuts!

My lovely friend Alysse enjoying her jugo natural

Fresh fruit...mmm

 Also, we checked out other areas to find unique food to Barcelona/Spain (e.g. churros con chocolate, gourmet chocolates, cookies/sweets prepared by nuns from local convents). I think we walked at least 5/6 miles from one end of the city to the other. Let's just say after the tour, I sat down for a good hour to recover!

Dinner with RA
For Dinner, we met up with our Resident Advisor (RA), who is the intermediary between our housing assignments (either homestay or apartment) and IES. So, if we have any problems with our homestay, we go to him first then IES if it's a bigger problem. Our RA is named Alberto and he organized a group dinner for us at a restaurant called Tasca i Vins. For about 15 euros per person (and 32 person dinner!), we had a variety of courses served to us. It was very good, not my favorite, but I figured it was a good opportunity to meet other students (not from Santa Clara) and discover a new part of town.  However, because we started eating dinner at 10:30 pm and left at 11:30ish pm, Bianca and I missed the metro home. So, from Placa Catalunya, we learned how to take the Night bus. We got home around 1 am, got into our jammies, and went straight to bed!

THURSDAY

Back to school!
Today, was my first *official* day of area studies class with IES. My first class is European Regional Economies and is from 12:25 pm to 1:55 pm. My professor is named Nestor Duch and he was born and raised in Mexico, but to a Catalan family. He later on moved to Spain to pursue his masters and doctorate. It sounds like a really great class - we'll be learning about how certain regions within the EU have emerged as important economic and political actors, especially as Europe forges an increasingly closer union. We got out 20 minutes early, so I caught up with my friend Alysse and chatted about our plans for Friday.

My first Tortilla de Patata!
Since I was feeling really tired and not up for hunting for lunch, I went back home and had a DELICIOUS tortilla de patata (potato and egg omelette), sliced tomatoes drizzled with olive oil, vinegar, and a pinch of salt, and strawberry flavored Greek yogurt. It was scrumptious delicious (but then again, I haven't had a bad meal at all while I've been here)! Fortunately, I took a picture of my meal before I ate it. I must ask senora for the recipe! As soon as I get it, I'll post it on this blog for readers who are adventurous cooks!

Tortilla de Patata, Tomatoes, and greek yogurt!

Back to School...again!
At 3:15, I packed my bags and was on the metro for my afternoon class: Mediterranean Oceanography. This class will fulfill my Natural Science requirement and it sounds really interesting! During the first part of the course, we'll be learning about Mediterranean eco-systems then in the second part, learn about the impact human activity has on those eco-systems. I'm excited for our next class - we'll be visiting the Aquarium! I feel like I'm 8 years old all over again - yay for field trips!

A Little Chocolate Fix...
The past two days, I've felt like my energy level has been very low. So, what better way to pump it up with a dose of chocolate! After class, I headed down Las Ramblas to an old restaurant called La Granja and bought a Cacaolat (or chocolate milk from Barcelona). I drank it too quickly to take a picture, but here's one I found off the internet. It was absolutely delicious! Let's just say I'll be making a few more trips to buy these, especially when I need a little study break.

Cacaolat

Another delicious dinner
For dinner, Pilar (Isabel's friend) prepared for us a cold lentil salad, pan amb tomaquet, and tortilla de patata. It was scrumptious! Here's a picture:

Pilar's Lentil Salad with tomatoes, tuna, and olives!

Had a quiet evening. Tomorrow I plan on going to movies with friends and getting chocolate con churros!

Terrific Tuesday!

Hello Everyone,

Sorry for such a grumpy post the other day. Yesterday was definitely not a good day for me - it was just one of those days where all the little things compound into one big thing and dampen the mood.

All's Well that Ends Well

I am very happy to report that today was MUCH better!

Everything is sorted:

1. I got a full nights rest yesterday (first in over 9 days!)

2. My schedule of classes worked out well and I will receive full credit from Santa Clara for all the classes I am taking.  I spoke with the Director of Academics today (who was raised in England but born in Mexico City) and said I do not have to take a Spanish class because I am already enrolled in the Spanish Internship Seminar (I'm doing an internship abroad), so it is unnecessary to enroll in a Spanish class that isn't relevant to my major (e.g. History of the Gypsies). I knew that Professor I spoke to earlier didn't have his facts straight.

3. I went back to the shoe store (couldn't get the shoes exchanged) but got another pair of navy blue boat shoes that do fit (I am apparently a size 40). I've noticed European shoe sizes don't account for those of us in between (e.g. I am an 8.5 in US), so the first pair of shoes were a 1/2 size too small. However, the shop assistants gave me some tips on how to stretch the first pair of shoes I bought (e.g. put wet newspaper at the toe end of the shoe and let it absorb the moisture for 1 day so the next time I wear it it'll have more give room for my feet). After all that stress, I've realized the British poster from WWII has never been more true: "Keep Calm and Carry On"

I came home (literally skipping to the metro) and had leftovers from yesterday. Since I hardly ate yesterday from all this stress, I helped myself to three servings of a pasta, a filet of salmon, sliced tomato with vinegar, olive oil, and salt, and a big slice of Pa Amb Tomaquet (traditional Catalan bread consisting of toasted bread, rubbed with tomato, and a drizzle of olive oil).

Pa Amb Tomaquet (or Bread with Tomato)

I relaxed in the afternoon in Bianca and I's room just surfing the net and responding to e-mails. At 3, we took the metro and met at the IES Center for our tour of the Gothic Quarter (Thanks, Santa Clara). Santa Clara kindly paid for two side trips (worth about 20 Euros each), in comparison, most students didn't even have their metro card or these optional trips paid for by their university.

Gothic Quarter Tour

On my tour of the Gothic Quarter, this area came "alive" thanks to our lively and comical tour guide. I had no idea that the city of Barcelona has history dating over 2000 years! For those who are unfamiliar with Barcelona, the Gothic Quarter is a beautiful neighborhood that was given this name because it used to be a Roman village and has many remnants of  its Roman past.   These days( because of the constant modernization) one sees an ancient building right next to one built in the 90s. It makes for quite an eclectic mix of old and new. Not to mention, the narrow, winding streets make you feel like you're in a labyrinth - one minute you're in a peaceful square (or placa) and the next you're "ooh"ing and "aah"ing at small boutiques carrying quirky, unique souvenirs. I can't wait to go back. In particular, I can't wait to visit the Barcelona Cathedral (we only saw it from the outside). If you're ever in Barcelona, the Gothic Quarter is perfect for an afternoon stroll! Here are some shots from my trip.

Bridge in Gothic Quarter

Ancient Roman Columns from Temple of Augustus

Placa de Sant Felip Neri

Barcelona Cathedral (Not to be confused with Sagrada Familia)

Me in a Spanish courtyard

Gothic Quarter

King's private prayer chamber

ADORABLE dog...he was so sweet and cuddly!

Placa de Sant Just

****For all the photos I've taken during my trip, check out my Barcelona 2011 Album. 

A Quiet Evening and Pleasant Surprise

After the trip to the Gothic Quarter, I walked around with my friends Bianca, Bonnie, Jessica, and Alysse and then strolled down Las Ramblas. Bonnie, Jessica, and Bianca were hungry so they left early to go home. Alysse and I haven't had much of a chance to catch up, so we stayed a bit longer, chatting and catching up while sitting on a bench in Placa Catalunya. Around 8:30, it started getting dark, so we said good bye and I headed off on the metro to get home. While on the metro, I met a lovely American couple from Sacramento, California and chatted about Spain and their travels so far. Turns out that one of their nieces went to Santa Clara and loved the experience. Who would have guessed that I would meet a couple from Sacramento whose niece went to Santa Clara on the L7 line of Barcelona's metro on a Tuesday night? What a small world!

Attack of the Giggles!

For dinner, Bianca and I each had a giggle attack! Her and I love putting salt on our food, especially on the tomatoes with olive oil and vinegar, for a little extra flavor. Tonight, as I was putting salt on the chicken (or at least I think it was chicken...), the cap popped off the bottle and i got a mountain of salt on my chicken. It doesn't sound funny as I write it, but it was absolutely hilarious to Bianca and I. For some reason, we couldn't stop laughing. We also noticed that our homestay mom's friend, Pilar, who is currently taking care of us while Isabel is away, has a tendency to smack her lips after every sentence. We think it's adorable, and it made us giggle even more. 

It's about 12:01 AM here on Wednesday (I've been here a week already!) but I'll go to bed soon. My class schedule is wonderful - I have class from Monday to Thursday but most of my classes start very late in the day. So, I can sleep in! 

Stressful Monday

Hi Everyone,
I updated the previous post about my first weekend in Barcelona with the video (forgot to upload it and the correct link for the photos)

For more pictures, please check out my Barcelona 2011 Album. 

Today has been a very long and stressful day for me. Hopefully the last, if not, one of few during my stay here in Barcelona.

I had a nightmare last night and couldn't go to bed after 3:30 am, so I've been awake since then. Then, I had to sit in on the Advanced Business Spanish class I was put in and it was terribly tedious and boring. This class is obviously for students who Spanish is their second language and have a very limited vocabulary. But I had to sit through it to make sure it was below my level. Then, I waited around in the lobby area of IES and walked around the city with some friends before my appointment at 2 with the Director of Academics.  We walked around La Ribera District and El Born Disrict (where I went to previously on my scavenger hunt). Here are some great pics of the Santa Maria del Mar church, which is absolutely stunning!

Afterwards, this is where the trouble started, I was on my way back to IES Center for my appointment at 2 pm when my sandal broke! I could no longer walk without looking as if I was limping. It happened to break right in front of a shoe store. I walked in and to my dismay, they had a) overpriced shoes and b) ugly shoes and c) shoes not in my size. So I hobbled over another block with my broken sandal till I found another store. I had 10 minutes before the appointment, grabbed a pair of leather moccassins on sale, and walked out of the store with them. They seemed comfortable at first then I felt as if my feet were being squeezed very tightly and rubbing against the side of the shoe. Before I knew it, I got blisters and my feet were swollen.  So, I got the wrong size. I went back to see if I could exchange it but they said that since I'd walked outside with it, I couldn't return it. I'll try cleaning it up and seeing if I can exchange it or something tomorrow.

I went to IES for my meeting and met with the wrong Maria. I was told by another woman at the Center to ask for Maria (but I did not know or was informed that there were 2 Marias!) The first Maria referred me to another woman named Jane, then Jane referred me to the original Maria, but the original Maria wasn't available, so I spoke with a Spanish professor.  I wont' go into the dirty details because its complicated but essentially a ) I can't drop the Spanish class unless Santa Clara says I can (so an advisor has to contact them directly) and b) even when I do drop the Spanish class, I have to enroll in a Spanish class (the only options left are silly ones like "history of the gypsies") and c) the one class I would get credit for in Santa Clara is in English.

It's been a very long and stressful day (I swear my blood pressure rose a ton from all this stress and I loss my appetite at dinner). I hope I can get this class thing sorted out. It's stressful enough being in a new country and dealing with jetlag, but now this?!

Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day...

First Weekend in Barcelona - UPDATED WITH LINK and VIDEO!

Hello Everyone. Sorry for not posting this past weekend. The internet wasn't working and I haven't been able to log on today. But the internet's fixed :) Read below for my first  weekend in Barcelona....

Check out the Barcelona 2011 Album for all my photos.

SATURDAY

Today, I had another fantastic day exploring Barcelona and falling more in love with this incredible city. I’m so happy I have three and a half months to experience, relish, and cherish everything this city has to offer.

Morning Jetlag & Metro Madness

This morning I experienced jetlag for the first time since I arrived. I was very good about not taking naps in the afternoon but for some reason this morning, I was ready to start the day at 6:30 am. My second session of Orientation didn’t start until 9:00 am so I figured I should respond to some e-mails and log on to Skype. I skyped my parents for the first time and it was nice to see them again. It was my mom’s first time ever using Skype…. So congratulations to her (with my dad’s help as her IT person when the connectivity failed).  It’s funny but the days go by so slowly here (but in a good way) so it feels like I’ve been away for a long time.  

Once Bianca and I were ready to go, we headed out to the Metro but had some issues. She inserted her ticket and walked through the entrance. When I inserted my ticket, it spit it back out and said it was invalid. It was 8:35 and it takes us 20 minutes to arrive so I started fretting. I tried another machine and that also said it was invalid. I tried Bianca’s ticket, then mine again, and it just failed. So I was trapped on one side and Bianca on the other. We called for help and the attendant inserted my ticket and it went through. I blushed and apologized for not trying the other machines.

At IES & Scavenger Hunt

Upon arrival at IES, I joined the Spanish class I was assigned to (but plan on testing out shortly) and participated in class discussion on study abroad expectations and goals and culture shock incidents while in Barcelona so far. As Native speakers, I think myself and another student from the Dominican Republic may have intimidated the other students in the class while speaking to the instructors because we have a more advanced vocabulary and also more comfort/fluidity with the language.  For some reason, I was assigned to this class but the instructors approached me after class and said I should be either in a higher level of Spanish or just take another area studies course (which I plan on doing). I’ll speak with the Director of Academics on Monday to discuss my other class options.

We got out of our class session early since there was relatively little participation aside from the interactions between myself, the student from the Dominican Republic and the instructors. So, we got started on the scavenger hunt everyone in the program was supposed to do. The grand prize to the group who has the most answers correct gets a free trip to Montserrat. Second prize is free tickets to museums or something. We got started shortly after class ended and had an amazing time exploring La Ribera District and La Cituadella Park.  I think it’s my favorite part of the whole trip so far, I definitely plan on going back and exploring some more. Some of the highlights of the scavenger hunt included:  Santa Maria del Mar (a beautiful Catalan-gothic style church), Museo Picasso (didn’t walk in, just walked by, but plan on going back soon), Princesa street (LOVE this…absolutely charming), and Museo de la Xocolata (DEFINITELY plan on going back since I am a chocoholic), and Ciutadella Park. As my parents would know from my first trip to NYC, I’m an obsessive photographer  (I took two rolls of film of the Statue of Liberty alone when I was 8) and took dozens of photographs within a 2 mile radius of La Ribera District.  

Oh and I tested out my French during the Scavenger Hunt. At one point, we had to take a group picture in front of a monument and noticed some of the other tourists were speaking French. So, I politely asked in French, "Pouvez-vous faire du foto si vous plait?" So, Madame deBree, I have not forgotten my French - I didn't even have to think about it! In fact, one of the girls in the group (who had just found out I was fluent in Spanish and English) asked, "Oh , you speak French, too?!"

Here  are some of my favorite shots:

Cascada con el carro de L'Aurora

Elephant Statue at Ciutadella Park

Ciutadella Park

Museo de la Xocolata

Carrer de la Princesa 

Carrer de la Princesa 

On my way back to IES, I stumbled upon this charming musician. He specialized in New Orleans Jazz. Who knew I would hear New Orleans Jazz in Barcelona, Spain. Go figure. Take a listen!

Lunch

For lunch, I ate out at a local restaurant with my group since we worked up quite an appetite after a good 2.5 hour scavenger hunt.  However, the pizza here is expensive! I split a vegetarian pizza of 10” with another girl and it was 8 Euros, not to mention my Sprite was 2.25 Euros.  I planned on ordering from the Menu Del Dia but those are only available from 1 – 3 pm Mondays –Fridays apparently. I think from now on I’ll buy my lunch from the grocery stores to save money, especially since the pizza wasn’t good enough to be 8 Euros.

My first siesta (hopefully one of many!)

All of the things described above wiped me out such that by the time it was 3:30 pm I was heading home on the metro for my first siesta! Bianca was still out with friends so it was my first time navigating the metro alone and I felt so independent. The metro here is so easy to use (despite all the signs written in Catalan) and very efficient. Before I knew it, I was at Isabel’s freshening up and getting ready for my (are you ready for it?) 3 hour nap. 3 hours. Yes, you read that correctly. I’ve never been a napping person but I really needed to catch up on sleep since I’d woken up at 6:30 this morning and I’ve been walking a lot.  I set an alarm but I guess I was so tired I turned it off.  My nap was longer than expected but that’s very typical for Spaniards! As they say, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do” but in this case, “When In Barcelona, do as the Catalan do!”

Evening

I woke up at 7 pm to find Bianca asleep in her bed as well. She woke up around 7:45 pm, so we were both exhausted. We mosied about the house and had dinner at 9 pm with Isabel and her childhood friend Pilar (who will be taking care of us while Isabel is away for a week).

Bianca and I met up with Bonnie and Jessica  and attempted to go to a flamenco bar but apparently the last show had recently ended.  So, we were on a mission to find some ice cream/gelato. It took an hour of walking around the city until we finally settled with an ice cream place (can’t remember the name) recommended by a local. It was delicious, so delicious I didn’t take a picture quickly enough for the blog. Afterwards, a friend of Bianca’s called and asked if we wanted to go to a bar near Las Ramblas. I was curious about the night life but didn’t plan on drinking so I tagged along to see what it was like. The bar owner was overly friendly to the point where he was artificial and kept asking why I looked so sad. I explained to him that I’m not sad, but I simply didn’t want a drink. Every 15/20 minutes he would do this and I just stopped responding and ignored him. The girls finally finished their drinks around 2 am and I was exhausted. They wanted to go to a club but I wasn’t so keen so I went home on the metro alone. Because of my siesta, I didn’t fall asleep until about 5 am…so no more siestas for me. Or at least, no more three hour ones or late afternoon ones.

SUNDAY

Lazy Morning

I woke up feeling groggy and exhausted from the late night on Saturday. I honestly don’t know how other kids in the program manage to go out every single night and still go to class. Our classes don’t start until next week but I really don’t want to go out again that late, it makes me feel so unproductive and tired the next day. 

Beach
Bianca and I had a late breakfast at 12 pm and decided to go to the beach with Bonnie and Jessica. I was ready in about 10 minutes but Bianca likes to put on her make up, do her hair, etc so we didn’t leave the house till around 2 pm. When we finally left, we met up with the other girls at the metro and took a bus down to the beach. It felt  like a very long ride with all the stops but we arrived around 3 pm. I lathered on some 60 SPF since I am sunburn-prone and soaked up some Mediterranean sun. Then, we went swimming in the water and boy it was warm (well, compared to Carmel/Santa Cruz). It wasn’t luke warm, but it was definitely swim-able. The water was also very salty so when I got some water in my eyes it stung a bit due to the acidity. I came back after my swim and laid down on my towel ( I ended up taking a quick 15 minute power nap). We left around 5:30 pm and took the bus home. Since dinner isn’t served until at least 9 pm around here and the trip to the beach made us hungry, we stopped by a placed called Martin’s Bar and had bocadillos (Spanish sandwiches that can have potatoes, chorizo, cheese, etc). I ordered a half-size portion of the chorizo bocadillo but was still hungry so I ordered a torilla de patata (potato sandwich). 

One of Barcelona's finest beaches

From left to right: Jessica, Bonnie, Alexis, and Bianca

Evening Shower and Dinner

I took a nice hot shower when I got home, talked to my mom for a bit, and had a nice dinner with Isabel, Bianca, and Pilar. I’m off to bed now (10 pm) because this weekend was absolutely exhausting and I just want a good night’s rest.