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."