Oh, Español!

     I don’t know the right words to describe how I feel anymore. I am content, but left with this eerie feeling in my stomach like I am being haunted by the desire to just hop on a plane and come home. I mean, I do like it here: there’s lots of things to see and do, much to be explored, a new life here. But I want my old one back. My high school friends, my family, my boyfriend, my dogs, American food and eating a lot more than I do here, the fall weather, and the opportunity to celebrate my birthday as it quickly approaches. It’s a good thing this isn’t permanent, because I don’t understand how people can just up and relocate to a new city or foreign country. Props to you adventurous souls that can grab that bull by the horns! (I had to, I am in Spain…)

     On a different note, I had an interesting and busy week! Tuesday I had a field trip to the Olympic stadium. Barcelona hosted the 1992 Summer Olympics. The Olympics really changed the dynamics of the entire city. The beach never existed, it was just factories all the way up to the shoreline until they decided to renovate and add a few kilometers of sand for tourists. After the ’92 Olympics, tourists flocked to the city and have not gone back home since. Many locals get frustrated with this part of Barcelona, especially the ones that have been living here for a very long time. It doesn’t help that tourists are always up to some crazy antics (Like a group of Italian guys that decided it would be fun to run around the city in the nude for a few hours). I have seen banners hanging from balconies stating they don’t like tourists being here, but I don’t believe the tourists will be leaving anytime soon.

     The Olympic stadium was impressive, but unfortunately is not used for anything anymore. There is also a museum located a block away about the history of sports. There was more to see than there was to read, so it was a quick walk through, but the exhibit with all of the old soccer cleats was one of my favorites! By the end of the field trip as we were standing outside the Olympic stadium, the drizzle started to turn into a heavier rain and our professor encouraged us to find our way home as quickly as possible. But, he was far too late in his encouragement! I was heading to a wine tasting about a 30 minute walk from the Olympic stadium with a friend of mine. As we were walking, it started to pour! EVERYTHING was soaked by the time we walked into the building for the wine tasting… clothes, purses, hair, shoes had that squishy feeling every time you took a step. So, I got to attend a wine tasting absolutely drenched, I guess I can’t complain too much because it was wine. I just wish I liked wine!

     We got to try five different types: Cava (a sparkling champagne), two red wines, a white wine, and a moscato. The only type that I actually somewhat liked was called Albet i Noya petit albet 2013 Penedés. But it is probably a fair conclusion that I am not a wine type of girl. What I did find very amusing though was the beginning of the evening started out very quietly, nobody said a word. By the time it got to the 4^th and 5^th wine that we were tasting, the girls would not stop talking and it got very loud in the room. I found it very humorous how the atmosphere had changed and ended with a bunch of very tipsy ladies trying to find their way back to the metro. Judging from my dislike of wine, you can definitely conclude that I was not one of those ladies!!

     On Friday, I was supposed to meet up with a group of students for a guided hike up Mount Tibidabo, but as you can tell from the word “supposed”, that plan did not go well. Google maps did not cooperate and by the time that I arrived at the meeting place, the group had left. So, instead of just heading back to the apartment, I decided to just hike up the mountain myself! Wonderful idea, I know… First, I had to figure out where I was going because I had no idea which trail to take. So, after awkwardly standing in the same spot and watching people walk by me, an older gentleman kindly said, “Buen dia. [Good morning.]” to me which unfortunately opened up the opportunity for me to make him my victim of bad Spanish. Luckily, I still had service on my phone, so with a mix of my bad Spanish and google translator, he was able to show me which direction to go. The last thing he translated on my phone was “do not be ashamed of asking a question”. I guess it was obvious that I did not feel comfortable approaching someone, but he was very nice about it and I got to practice a little of my Spanish in the real world.

     I don’t know how long the trail is, but it was all uphill. There were many runners and bikers passing me as I made my way up the dirt/rock road to the top of the mountain. There are some spectacular views of the city as you make your way up and I stopped to take plenty of pictures! I saw a lot of those little brown lizards (the ones you can buy at the beach that are sometimes green but change colors) running across my path into the wooded areas for safety. At the top of Mount Tibidabo is an old amusement park and a huge cathedral. There was also a restaurant, café, 5-star hotel, and lots of stray cats that a homeless man was feeding. I took my time wandering through the souvenir shops, stopping to eat my packed lunch, and took even more pictures. The way back down was a lot nicer than the way up, at least it was all downhill! I didn’t realize there was a metro and bus that reach the top of the hill, but I was happier to get some exercise and to enjoy the peacefulness and serenity of being in nature. It was my first chance to get out of the hustle and bustle of the city.

     I guess I am starting to appear more Spanish, or at least look like I belong in Barcelona, because I am getting stopped by people that ask for directions in Spanish. Of course, my first instinct is to say “Ingles? (English?)”, but they usually don’t speak English so we must carry on in elementary-level Spanish. It’s really fun to speak Spanish for a purpose, not just in the classroom. The best part is that I will be continuing my Spanish education beyond just my time here in Barcelona, so I am dedicating a lot of my time and energy into absorbing as much of the language as possible.

     I have a field trip to the FC Barcelona stadium and museum on Tuesday (I am so excited to be able to stand on the field/pitch!) and a free dinner and Flamenco show on Wednesday evening, so expect more on those later! Thank you for reading and please feel free to ask any questions! J