Not So Important, Miscellaneous-Type Things

   That moment when you realize your skinny jeans aren't tight on you anymore = day made. :) Not such a fat bastard anymore from all the walking i've been doing here. Booya!

* * *

   i am very surprised by the number of people who speak English at the university. My friend was just talking to me about needing to set up her wifi, and a girl with a possibly German accent asked to go with her because she was having trouble too. Then, a cute ginger with a British accent tried to help them.
   You really have no idea where to expect English.

* * *

   This song has been stuck in my head for a few days now. i started singing it one morning, and now, i can't seem to stop.

"She wears a Red Sox cap

to hide her baby dreads.

The girl she was in New England

is different now and then.

In all the local bars, 

she flirts and tells the boys 

while they're talkin':

she's from Boston."

-Kenny Chesney, "Boston"

i am . . . random.

To the Land of the (Really) White and Green!

   A brief aside to Dana:
  My pasty white and freckle-faced friend, i write to you to tell you that i will be venturing to the land of your kin.
   And, don't worry: I'll bring them sunscreen.
   -Alex

* * *

  i am so excited to go to Ireland! Jess, my housemate, (yes, i can finally use her name), and i are flying out tomorrow. We plan to visit Trinity College and see the Book of Kells, Dublin Castle and the gardens behind it, and of course, the Guinness Factory.
  Jess said, "This is your first time to Europe, right?"
   "Yup," i replied.
   "Okay, then you pick what we do. i have one thing i want to see, and that's it."
   "Wait, what?"
   She was totally cool about it, and said, "Yeah, I've traveled around, and this is your first time, so we have to make it the best."
   i was speechless. After a while, i said, "Are you sure?"
   She just answered with a smile, "So, what're we going to do in Dublin?"
   Isn't she awesome?
   Yeah, i guess I'll keep her. :)

* * *

   Well, to answer her question:
   On Friday, we will be doing a tour of the Irish countryside from Dublin of the east to Limerick in the west. Along the way, i will get my share of medieval castles and Celtic ruins, while we both enjoy the beautiful view of the green hills and commentary on the history of Ireland. Our very exciting destination is the the Cliffs of Moher, which is where the Cliffs of Insanity scene in The Princess Bride was filmed. (For those who don't know, that is my favorite movie.) Another favorite of mine is the Harry Potter series, which more of you probably know. These cliffs happen to be where the scene in the sixth movie when Harry and Dumbledore travel to the cliffside to go to Voldemort's cave was filmed. Needless to say, my dork-o-meter is sky-rocketing, and i can barely control my excitement! It looks amazing! I'll try to get pics up here soon.
   i plan on ending the day in a good ol' Irish pub to sing, dance, and drink along with Jess and some real Irishmen! (Who knows, maybe I'll find one in his twenties. You never know, i could dig gingers.) :) And, "Benny and the Jets" may also be requested. Not Irish, but as 27 Dresses shows us, lassies and lads, always a good bar tune.

(P.S. - Dad, trying Bailey's in Ireland is on my to-do list, so you can live vicariously through me! They won't be as good as yours, but I'll let you know the verdict.)

First Day!

9:41 pm Barcelona time
   "First day of school! First day of school!!"
   Yup, today was my 18th First Day of School.
   But i felt more intimidated than a freshmen in high school for the first time. At least freshmen don't have to worry about everything being, well, foreign. Literally. Today was difficult. It was the first time i really had trouble communicating with people here, and it got very frustrating. It made asking simple questions into a big process sometimes. And, i won't lie; i was in super stress mode between that and my literature professor coming off as a stony, unapproachable stick-in-the-mud. Being the dork that i am, i was really excited - and also nervous - for the literature class. My program luckily has tutors to help me with the class, which makes me feel so much better. And, they said what i have realized from 18 years of different teachers: teachers have to show who's boss on the first day.
   i have a lot of respect for study abroad students who come to America and go to other countries now. People told me i was brave for going abroad, but i didn't feel brave then and still don't. i feel . . . ignorant . . . and maybe naive. Because i didn't realize that the Spanish "have a different word for everything!" No, really.It finally hit me today that English is not always going to be an option, and while i knew that before, i haven't run into situations where i can't ask for someone else's help or explain what i mean in Spanish. Today, i was on my own. It could have been way worse, but i definitely felt alone at times.

i am . . . (maybe) getting more independent.. .

A Few More Days (Somos Dias Mas)

   Finally, i write this, doing just what i was most dying to do when i knew i was going abroad. Imagine the most stereotypical, romantic perception of Europe there is: sitting at an outdoor cafe, writing. i just enjoyed a croissant con crema (the cream like the filling of a Boston cream pie - a little, surprise reminder of home. And then, its' heavy presence a perfect contrast directly in front of me: the Arc de Triompf (the Arc of Triumph). Ironically, the arch wasn't actually built to celebrate the winning of a battle; it was built for the 1888 World Fair. Barcelona has been host to two World Fairs, 1888 and 1929.

Okay, I'm catching up on 3 exciting days, so sorry for the long post!

The 15th

   Breakfast today was toast with peach marmalade, a banana, and some instant coffee with my housemate, J (still don't know if i can use her name. i just met her, so i don't want to freak her out by telling her that I'm writing about her.) We took the metro and had to go to another meeting - this one, not as boring as the last ones. J and i then split a panini with cheese, a light pizza sauce, and hotdogs.i also had my first "cafe con leche" (coffee with milk). It's a shot of espresso with milk mixed with it. We then split a sort-of cheese danish, minus the cheese. It was filled with "crema," and sprinkled with coconut. It sucked. Just kidding - it was delicious. i have been wanting to try more pastry since.
     Then, my program provided a city bus tour in a coach bus for all of us. Yes, the guide showed us most of the tourist traps in the city, but he told us a lot about the history of Catalonia, as well. Seeing all of the beautiful sights of the city made all of our to-do lists a LOT longer!
   As if that weren't enough for one day, some of us, myself included, had to take our Spanish placement test: 80 multiple choice, 1 short answer, and a 5 minute interview. i found out that i placed into Advanced Spanish 1, which i hope is a good thing. After the test, we had a tour around the school by students who will be doing study abroad in the U.S. Most of them will be going to B.C.

The 16th

   We went to an old church!
   Yeah, right. This was not just any old church; this was the most famous Catalonian basilica, La Sagrada Familia, perceived by Antoni Guadi. It is so complicatedly detailed that it has a beauty not only pleasing to the eye, but to the mind. The basilica's name means, "The Sacred Family," meaning Jesus, Mary, and Joseph of Christianity, and it tells their story from Jesus' birth to his death. However, the basilica was built primarily to restore morale in the old traditions, which people were losing faith in. It was meant to bring people back to The Church, so it was to be a masterpiece.
   It does not disappoint, completed or not. The building is not completed because it used to run strictly on donations; it was to be FOR the people, BY the people. For one whole decade, there was a recession and not much money went to the church, which slowed construction. Now, the construction funds come from selling tickets to see the building, which brings in twenty-five million euros a year! They hope to finish the construction by 2026, the centennial of Guadi's death. But, with the ten tallest towers still to be built, things are (ironically) not looking up. The basilica was started in the 1880s, but who knows when it'll be finished.

The 17th

   Today was J's birthday!
   J and i met up with two amigas of ours and took the metro to Monjuic, a mountain in Barcelona. We went up to see the Olympic Village and the view from the top of the mountain. MCLA friends, i think i found the real Top of the World. We walked down the mountain and found a restaurant that had coffee, which was surprisingly difficult at 4:00 pm, and we had cafe cortado con hielo (ice coffee).
   Our program took us on a tour of the MNAC (Museo Nacional del Arte Catalunya), where we got to see Gothic and Neo-Gothic art. We didn't get to see the modern art and other exhibits because of how little time we had, so J and i are planning to go back. Then, there was a water show with all of the fountains outside the museum lit up. And, to top of the day, a group of us had some mojitos and tapas at an outdoor restaurant. Everything was delicious, and it felt good to feel like i was in the right place at the right time, just enjoying the moments. i don't know how many people have those moments or how often, but this was a day full of moments like that and plenty of laughter.
   And hey, i'm making friends, too, which feels awesome!

The 18th 

   i went to a tour of the Gothic Quarters of Barcelona. It contains the parts of the Old City that still remain, whether by reconstruction of old buildings or a building made in layers through the centuries.  (Fun fact for my Jewish friends: there is also a Jewish Quarters as part of the Old City,) We learned some of the legends of Barcelona's patron saints, St. Jordi (George) and St. Eulalia. The city's buildings in the Gothic Quarters date back to Roman times, when the Romans took over the

***
   Tonight starts the five-day-long celebration of the patron saint, Merce. We had dinner (lightly fried fish, caprese-type salad, and a warm green bean, potato, and some-type-of-ham-type-meat mix) and are going to the fireworks at the beach!

i am . . . a shoobie (for now).

P.S.: i found out that the insult word for tourists is pronounced "giddy," so it's not "biddy."

La Sagrada Familia & My Host Familia

1:25 AM
Barcelona, Spain

My Host

   My host must think I'm a stereotypical fat American.
   My host family consists of an older Spanish woman,** who cooks wonderfully! Mom, I'm eating very well: from tortillas espanas - not flour tortillas - (It's a 2 inch thick seared egg, onion, and potato slab of goodness!) to paella with shrimp and sausage and ham fritters. I will eat anything she puts in front of me and usually only ask what it is after I've started eating.
   Something funny: the Spanish eat fruit and yogurt for dessert. I'm loving the watermelon after dinner, but it's no wonder I'm not seeing any fat Spaniards!

Cornelius Fudge at My School

   Today, I walked into the university and saw . . . Cornelius Fudge.
   Okay, not exactly. You know in the fifth movie when that huge banner of Cornelius Fudge is hanging in the Ministry of Magic? Yeah, my school has a smaller one hanging outside the main entrance in a cobblestone paved plaza.
   Only it's not Cornelius Fudge. But he DOES have a hat on similar to the iconic bowler! So, anyway, the guy is actually Pompeu Fabra, the guy my university is named after and more importantly, the creator of the first official Catalan dictionary. He solidified many of the grammar rules followed in Catalan.

Bookworms, Unite!

   I had boring meetings in the morning, but I got to see what clubs and sports are offered at UPF (my school). Summary: theater is an option; softball is not.
   Moving on: the library here (from the pics they showed us) looks like the library at Hogwarts, so being the nerd I am, I can't wait to see it! A big part of our university is renovating and using old buildings, and I think they said the library used to be a textile factory. It looks like it has high ceilings and brick walls. #EnglishMajor #DorkingOut

La Sagrada Familia

   My feet won't thank me for the walking I did today.
  The most exciting part of my day was walking around with some of the girls from my program. We walked around Barcelona, exploring the streets. We saw the outside of La Sagrada Familia, which is indescribably and complicatedly beautiful. The Gothic architecture is amazingly detailed. It was designed by the famous artist Gaudi, but he died when they were not even close to done. The city has been trying to finish it for years, and it is estimated to be done  in 2026.
   We walked the streets more - wherever they took us really - and looked in some shops. Then, we walked down to the beach and sat there and talked a while. It was all really cool, different, and pretty! It's still kinda weird to see a lot of restaurants and shops closed during some periods of the day (for siesta or dinner time).

My Housemate

   Oh! And, I hung out a bit with my housemate. She's super cool! And, she wants to be friends, not just housemates, which I really appreciate. I just hope I am getting off on the right foot with her. I don't want her to think, "Great. I'm stuck with you. I guess we'll be friends." When I get excited, I blab. A lot. I know I was doing it earlier because I was so excited to get to know more about her. She'll probably get me duck tape for my birthday. I hope it wasn't too annoying.
  She said she really misses her family (she's been away from them a couple weeks) because they are close-knit, which sounds like mine. I want to make her feel . . . not so alone. Hopefully, hugs will help! :)

I am . . . feeling much more adventurous than yesterday.

**Haven't gotten permission to use names of people yet.

From Biddy to Being a "Biddy"

9-13-15

7:20 AM Spain time

Hey, everyone!

(I’m writing this from Madrid’s airport, but I won’t be able to post until later.)

   Today (or yesterday, I suppose), I left my hometown of Peabody, fondly nicknamed ‘Biddy,’ and embarked on what everyone keeps calling “the adventure of a lifetime.” Well, I’m just saying, Barcelona had better live up to that because otherwise, well, . . . we’ll see . . . I’ve heard that the natives / locals call foreigners “biddies.” I was hoping to NOT be called a “biddy” until a lot later in life, but oh, well. I just hope they mean it less like the term “gringo” in Mexico and more like the term “shoobie” for a tourist in Rocket Power.

   It was strange saying the whole “Adios” to my parents. Of course, Angelabaglady was on the verge of tears, following the stereotype of protective Italian-American mom to a T. (Love you, Mom! And I wil miss your hugs, too.) And Dad was joking, making us feel better about the whole thing, telling me he was jealous and Ma that “There is no crying on Spain Day!” Leaving went by in a blur. I still kinda feel like I wasn’t there; maybe I watched it all happen from outside my body. Feels that way.

But, as I sit in this airport café, typing away to literally no one yet because I’d have to pay for Wifi, I find it really hard to imagine that I’m in a different country. NO. Really. Other than the fact that a LOT of people are speaking – get this: SPANISH around me (it’s like a convention that I wasn’t invited to), the signs are all in English! The café is called “Eating Point” with cheesy pics of people smiling at various dinner tables, saying “smile,” “eat,” “enjoy.” I’m not complaining: it’s clean and has sangwiches and water, so I’m all set. All the airport signs have English and Spanish, too. (Thank the airline gods!)

   Can’t wait to be done with my upcoming flight and be in Barcelona! Very excited to see the city, meet my new housemate & host family, and talk to other humanoids. (I’m a wee bit shy with my rusty, mediocre Spanish at the moment.)

I am . . . full of anticipation!