Ey! Cabrón! Saluda al Campeón!

So as we’ve all seen, I’m now the world’s biggest FC Barcelona fan. Call me what you want: an athletic enthusiast or simply a bandwagoner. Regardless, FC’s big win this weekend was easily one of the standout nights of my time in Barcelona. In case you weren’t aware, Barça had the Champions League final game this past Saturday night against Manchester United. Futbol (soccer) and FC Barça is not only an athletic event here, but a cultural phenomenon/OBSESSION. On Easter Sunday, people went to church, but for a traditionally catholic country, it was a fairly underwhelming spectacle. As far as I’m concerned, FC Barcelona has replaced organized religion in Cataluña. On Saturday night, I set out downtown to meet some of the girls I had met in Mallorca to watch the game. We settled in a bar near Las Ramblas that had set up a huge screen and rows of folding chairs to watch the match. Everyone was decked out in blue and red and anxiously awaiting the kickoff. At 27 minutes in, FC´s Pedro tapped the first goal in. The people in the bar went nuts: high fives, hugs, and the FC anthems broke out. Things settled back down for a few minutes until ManU’s Rooney weaved past Barça’s defense and tied the score. One very brave ManU fan celebrated but was promptly silenced by the local fans. After a tense 20 minutes AND halftime break, Barça’s Messi put another goal in to secure Barça’s lead. More celebration including singing and hugging continued. After a few close calls on both sides, at 69 minutes, David Villa secured Barça’s final goal. The room’s reaction made it clear that the rest of the night was going to be CRAZY. After the game ended, we headed out into the streets to join the celebrations. We headed toward Las Ramblas, where there were more people than you could possibly imagine. Everyone was singing FC Barça’s anthems (“Ole le! Ola la! Ser de Barça es el millor que hi ha!” Ole! Ola! Being a Barça fan is the best there is!), cheering, setting off fireworks, and dancing. Even the police officers, who were enjoying “adult sodas” in the street, were celebrating as well. However, as the night went on, it was clear that the celebrating was getting to be a little more than I could handle so I decided to head home.

The following day, I wanted to avoid the crowds in the city that would be celebrating the big win, so I decided to take the train to Sitges, the beach town outside of Barcelona CIEE took us to visit. It was a wonderful, relaxing day on the beach. Sitges is a popular destination for gay vacationers, so the beaches were full of painfully attractive men wearing the skimpiest bathing suits you could find. Rough. A Spanish couple from Alicante asked if they could use my SPF 50 (ha good joke. Baby oil. Duhhhhh.) and then chatted me up for a bit. They asked where I was from (San Francisco), where I learned Spanish (partly in school, partly at my family’s vacation home in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico’s gay capital), and where I studied in the US (a women’s college). Javi, one of the guys then responded to me, “Wow. You love ‘nosotros gays’”. Yes, Javi. Yes I do.

A common theme throughout my semester abroad has been the prevalence of protests. While I was in Morocco, revolts broke out. All of Spain has been full of political protests the past few weeks, including in Plaza Cataluña in downtown Barça. This past weekend, there was a incident of what people are calling police brutality, where protestors refused to leave the Plaza when the city needed to clean it, and the police forcefully removed them (using their batons). People were OUTRAGED. Last night at around 9pm, people throughout my neighborhood went out onto their balconies and began banging on pots and pans. There was no shouting, just banging. I asked Juan what was going on and he explained it was a typical Spanish way of expressing displeasure with political events. It went on for about 30 minutes, but eventually people went back into their houses. It was surprisingly powerful.

Nothing terribly exciting coming up. I’m starting the second job this week, which is great, so I’ll have a little bit less free time. I suppose that’s all for now.

Hasta!

Current obsessions: FC Barcelona (2011 winners of the Champions League), guarding my bag from getting pick pocketed, getting annoyed at tourists (I’m going to elaborate on this. First of all, I’m flattered you think I’m Spanish, but if YOU don’t speak Spanish, don’t try. “AYUDA AHORA. PEDIDOS.” Shut up. At least throw a “por favor” in there. And then when I respond to you in English don’t say “Oh thank GOD you speak English. There are so many people who speak Spanish here!!!” Seriously? You’re in Spain. Keep up.), no lines at Bo d B!!!!!, tortilla española everrrrrrrrry day.

I'm tanner than you are

This weekend, I went to Mallorca, the largest of Spain’s Balearic Islands. It was a wonderful, relaxing weekend (which I clearly need because my 9a-2p, T-F work schedule is very stressful). I wish I could say I saw lots of beautiful sights, explored the island extensively, and came back a changed woman. In reality, I spent almost all my time on the beach and got a killer tan. However, there were a few highlights. The second day I was there, I decided to rent a bike and explore the island. Two Brazilian girls from my hostel, Ana and Tatiana, were also renting bikes and they invited me to join them on their adventure.

Before we go any further, I’d like to say one thing. People who steal stuff are awful. Especially people who target young tourists. We’re already young and strapped for cash. Please don’t take our credit cards and cameras.

Moving on. The Brazilians had heard about nice beaches north of where we were staying, so we decided to bike there. We spotted a potential spot, so Tatiana first went to check it out, then Ana and I went while Tatiana watched the bikes and bags. When we came back, Ana noticed her purse was no longer in her bike’s basket. While we were gone, a guy approached Tatiana and started talking to her about really random stuff. Because of how he was situated, she was forced to turn her back to Ana’s bike and presumably his partner snuck behind Tatiana and snatched the purse. What a jerk. The most terrible part, though, was that Ana had been robbed on the beach just two days before.

Ana called the bank and then we hit the beach and got a little lunch later. All in all, it was a really fun afternoon despite the robbery.

That night, the Brazilians invited me to join them and a few of their friends who also happened to be in Mallorca for the weekend to a club. All in all there were seven girls from literally all over the world (Canada/Argentina, Morocco, Brazil, US) and all but one are studying abroad in Barcelona. So this is great news…new friends! (Don’t worry CIEE girls, no one can replace you all).

Despite mostly lazying around all weekend, my trip to Mallorca was fantastic. I love spending time with other people my age, but it was also such a treat to have a little alone time. I did a lot of reading, writing in my journal, and thinking about my next steps. I’ve already proposed this to Crosby, my brother, but I’m thinking that we move to Mallorca and open a sibling business. It’ll happen.

So I’ve been back in Barcelona for a few days and there are only a few things to report. I FINALLY finished my 40-page document translation for the Agency this week. That took foreverrrrrr. Also, there have been various elections going on in Spain (I wish I could say I’ve been following the details, but that would be untrue), and as a result, there have been lots of protests in Plaza Catalunya and in various neighborhoods throughout the city. When I asked Juan Antonio what the people were protesting about, he explained that it was mostly discontent regarding the political system in general rather than the results of the election. I’m going to do a little more research on this and try to figure this out.

Well…¡hasta!

Current obsessions: my checkout lady, Susana, at Mercadona (my supermarket) who calls me “guapa” every other word, being tanner than YOU MAYA KOHLI, my new Brazilian friends, and the book "Barcelona" by Robert Hughes

Prague, Brussels, and work

Is this real life?

After my dad left, I headed out for my solo adventure to Prague and Brussels. As I sat in the airport waiting for my delayed flight, I spotted a familiar head of red hair...ALLISON MADIGAN (girl from my study abroad program). Turned out she was on the same flight as me to Prague, so my solo adventure turned into an adventure with a friend.
When we touched down in Prague at around 2am we were greeted by freezing weather (32 degrees F...awesome). My flip flops and light leather jacket clearly weren't going to cut it. I headed to my hostel (The Czech Inn...haha) and got a little sleep before meeting Allison the following day at Prague Castle for some sightseeing. Though it was freezing, Prague is truly a beautiful city and I really enjoyed it. We saw the Lenin Wall, most of the old town including Old Town Square, the Charles Bridge, and Wenceslas Square. After we'd had enough walking, we got a little lunch then in the Spanish style, took a siesta before meeting up for the evening.
The following day, we did more wandering, picture taking, and eating (obviously...). Allison made friends at her hostel whom we met up with later in the day and then went to a bar with in the evening. A fun, but relatively uneventful day.
On Day 3, we decided that rather than aimless wandering, we should really SEE Prague, so we found a tour that left from Old Town Square and took us around for about three hours seeing the sights and hearing the history and "legends" of Prague. Highlights: the theater where Mozart performed, various beautiful churches, and the Jewish Quarter. That night, again after our siesta, Allison and I went out with our new friends (two Danes, a Swiss, and an Aussie). We went to a bar in the Jewish Quarter called Chapeau Rouge, a smoky, very cool spot with delicious Czech beer and a very international crowd.
On our final day in Prague, Allison and I went to a music festival in one of Prague's parks to enjoy some live music and BEAUTIFUL weather. After I headed back to my hostel, I chatted with two American Air Force guys stationed in Germany who were staying in my hostel. They were running Prague the marathon (the next day), so we hung out mostly in the bar of the where they said they were doing some carbo-loading (ouch.). We chatted about running and their experience living in Germany. I had an early flight the following morning and they were a few carb dense beverages deep, so I decided to call it a night fairly early.
I caught my plane to Brussels the following morning and enjoyed my first day in the city wandering around, taking pictures, and enjoying live music I stumbled upon. I went back to my hostel to freshen up and chatted with a few of the girls staying in my room. One American girl and I had an exchange that went like this:
Me: Where are you from?
Yael: San Francisco. You?
Me: Oh me too! The East Bay. Oakland area...
Yael: I'm from Layfaette.
Me: I'm from Piedmont.
Yael: Oh my god. Do you know Lia Korn?

Lia Korn has been one of my close friends for years. We sang in Piedmont Choirs together and both attended PHS. Yael knows Lia through her Jewish youth group. I love Lia. She loves Lia. So we decided to be friends.
Yael and I grabbed dinner, hit a bar, but then decided to call it an early night. The following day, we wandered around the city together and checked off all the major sights. A little after noon, we settled down in one of Brussels's famous bar/cafe's, Delirium. We made friends w/ the bartender, a young girl named Tamara who chatted with us for a bit. Unfortunately, Yael had an afternoon flight to catch, so we headed back to the hostel and I sent her off. I spent the rest of the afternoon sitting in a cafe, writing in my journal and people watching.
I headed back to Barcelona the next day and slept for (no joke) 12 hours, which was much needed before I started work the following day. I only work 4 days a week from 9am until 2pm, which is great because my office is right on the beach, so I get plenty of sun time. On Friday, rather than hitting the beach, I decided to take a long walk after work. I took my book up to Gracia, a neighborhood up in the hills, and did some window shopping and reading in Plaza del Sol.

The past two weeks at work have been relatively uneventful. I’m finishing up the project I started during the semester and will start on some new stuff next week. I’m starting to get to know my coworkers a little bit better, which has been great. It’s a very international group (Spaniards, Italians, Latin Americans, and me), but speaking with everyone is a great way to keep my Spanish up.

As I mentioned, I only work 4 days a week from 9am to 2pm with Barcelona Ecologia, so I was feeling a little idle. I came across an opportunity to work with an American angel-investing group called Keiretsu Forum, which is a great opportunity for me. I met with their head of communications yesterday, and was hired on the spot, so that’s cool. I’m still kind of unsure as to what I’ll exactly be doing for them, but I’m sure it’ll be interesting!

Since all my study abroad friends left (*sob*), I’ve had a lot of time to myself. I’ve been exploring the city more and more and am falling deeper and deeper in love with it. I’ve discovered beautiful plazas, gardens, and public art tucked into neighborhoods over the city. I can’t believe I ONLY have two more months here. And don't worry, concerned family members (mom), I'm making friends here.

Well, I think that's about it. I'm heading to Mallorca this weekend for a relaxing beach weekend. I'm sure I'll come back with a killer tan and some great stories.

Hasta!

Current obsessions: Discovering el Raval's gardens and jazz clubs, my new black purse, trying to seem as Spanish as possible, collecting friends from every country possible so I have people to visit ("Oh you're from Brazil? Sorry. I already have a Brazilian friend. Thanks anyway...").

The past month or so...(sorry)

First of all, let's start this blog out right and get one thing out in the open. Long live Lionel Messi. Also, Ronaldo. Spend more time on the field and less time in the tanning salons and maybe you too would hit 50 goals this season. Va Barca, va.

So I know I've been terrible about updating. A combination of nice weather, a little traveling, and studying (unexpected plot twist!) got in the way of sitting down a plugging through an increasingly long blog post. So here's what I've been up to:
1. Day trip to Valencia to see Las Fallas, the strangest holiday I've ever seen where the city builds enormous statues then burns them down in the streets of downtown.
2. A visit to a cava winery and Sitges, a charming little beach town outside of Barca
3. Finals
4. Traveling with my godparents in País Vasco
5. DP's (my dad) visit to Barcelona and our trips to Sevilla and the Costa Brava
6. Reflections and looking forward

Valencia
In mid-March (yes a month and a half ago, I know...), a group of my friends and I took a day trip to Valencia to participate in the city's annual celebration called Las Fallas. From my understanding, Las Fallas started out as a carpenters' holiday where at the end of the year, they would use their scrap materials and create satirical/comical statues poking fun at an event that had occurred that year. Once they had their laughs, the carpenters would burn their statues, which came to have the name of "fallas", to create room in their workshops. This tradition evolved over time to what it is today. Each neighborhood in Valencia creates a Falla, poking fun at a political or social event that had occurred that year. The Fallas are ENORMOUS (30-50ft tall) and are beautifully constructed and painted. A committee votes on the best Falla, which is preserved in a museum along with the other winners. The rest are burned to the ground under fireworks and amidst buildings in downtown Valencia.
Our experience in Valencia was incredible. I'm still not entirely sure what to think of Las Fallas. It was certainly fun, but the crowds along with people throwing firecrackers into them was a little more than I was ready for. It was unlike anything I had ever seen (it would NEVER fly in a US city), so I'm glad I experienced it.

Cava and Sitges
CIEE, our study abroad program, arranged a tour of a cava (Spanish champagne) vineyard outside of Barcelona for us. I don't remember all the details now, but it is one of the oldest (maybe the oldest?) cava wineries in Catalunia. The tour was interesting and informative, and the two glasses of cava at the end were a nice treat! After the tour, we all went to Sitges, a beach town where we spent the day enjoying the sand and sun.

Finals
Who am I kidding? No one wants to read about this. My finals were fine. Study abroad is incredible.

País Vasco with ChaCha and Josh
I met my godparents (who from hereon out will be referred to as "the ChaCha's) in Bilbao the day after I finished finals for a little traveling around the north of Spain for a few days. Each time I get together with the ChaCha's, they never fail to spoil me much more than I deserve. I arrived in Bilbao and we immediately set out to go to the Guggenheim museum. I'm not normally a fan of modern art, but there were a handful of exhibits that really intrigued me. If you're ever traveling in Spain, I'd definitely recommend a stop in Bilbao to hit the Guggenheim. The rest of our time in Bilbao was characterized by shopping and eating, which are arguably two of my favorite things, so needless to say it was an enjoyable day and a half.
Next we moved on to Hondarribia, a small town near San Sebastian, where we stayed in a Parador, which from what I understand are historic buildings that have been transformed into incredible hotels throughout Spain and Portugal. Our Parador was a former monastery that is now a beautiful stone hotel overlooking the water. Again, more shopping and phenomenal food. One afternoon while in Hondarribia, Auntie ChaCha suggested that we get massages (I know, friends. Try not to hate me.). When the masseuse showed up, I was surprised to find out that I was not going to be getting a massage from the 20, 30, or 40-something woman I had been expecting, but rather a 20-something male Basque. Score. Don't worry concerned parents and friends of parents, but friends, you should hate me. The ChaChas and I laughed about the awkward encounter for the rest of the trip.
Finally, we ended in San Sebastian, which is probably one of the most beautiful Spanish cities I've spent time in. The city itself is adorable, full of beautiful plazas, old buildings, gorgeous beaches. Again, more shopping and eating INCREDIBLE food (including hands down the best dinner of my life at Akelarre), but a highlight of the time in San Sebastian was just wandering around the city and relaxing with a book.
My trip to País Vasco couldn't have been a better start to summer. The ChaCha's are the best. Be jealous they're not your godparents.

Don Pedro takes Espana by storm
For those of you who don't know, my dad adopted the name "Don Pedro" during a trip to Mexico a few years ago, and he continues to use it among our family. He'll sign emails "DP" and sometimes introduce himself that way. For the non-Spanish speakers, "Don" translates to something like "Lord". So...yeah.
DP arrived in Barca, but like a true champ, hit the ground running and kicked the jet lag immediately. We started out our trip exploring Barca: wandering through Barrio Gottico, enjoying Plaza Real, Bo d B (obviously), and trudging through the rain. The following days we hit a few museums, hung out with my BFF Antoni Gaudi at the Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell, explored Montjuic, and had dinner at Quitz Nits with Katie, Grace, and Maya.
Next up was our trip to Sevilla. I love Barcelona, but Sevilla rivals it for my favorite Spanish city. It's much smaller than Barca (we walked EVERYWHERE), but it's beautiful and feels much more "Spanish" to me (the lack of Catalan helps). We spent our first day visiting the Cathedral, siesta-ing, and exploring. The next few days were filled with trips to the Alcazar, the old Palace of Spanish rulers that is full of extensive gardens and architecture straight out of Morocco, shopping for FABULOUS new shoes for the Don, visiting Sevilla's Plaza Espana, the sight of the World Fair in 1929 (mas o menos?), and exploring Sevilla's old town. It was a GREAT trip.
The morning after we returned to Barca, DP and I rented a car and headed up to the Costa Brava. We stopped in Girona for a rainy walk through the city and glance at the cathedral and city walls before continuing on to L'Escala and Roses, two darling beach towns where we wandered, chatted, and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. We moved on to Figueres where we were spending the night, had dinner near their "Rambla" (not even remotely the same), then went to bed. We got up the following morning and went to the Dalí museum. As I mentioned earlier, modern art isn't usually my cup of tea, but Dalí's art is FASCINATING. It may have been one of my favorite museums I've been to since I've been in Spain.
We moved on to Cadaques, another little beach town, where we sat, enjoyed a picnic lunch, took pictures, wandered through the cobble stoned streets, and admired the beautiful town and landscape. In my dream life, I would live in Cadaques, own a scooter, and relax on my boat all day. Anyone looking for fund that lifestyle for me?
Our last day in Barcelona was spent wandering around going place to place finding them all to be closed (May 1 is a Spanish holiday...who knew?). We walked along the beach, did a little shopping for YOU Crosby, Brooke, and Soozles, went back to Montijuic to one of my favorite parks, then got dinner in El Born.
It was a treat to see my dad, and I can't quite tell if I'm more or less homesick than I was before (he just left this morning). It was great to get to introduce him to some of my friends and the family I live with, do some traveling, and show him what my life is like here. He kept saying how much he loved Barca and that he understands why I love it here so much. So. Come visit me, friends, family, etc. It's awesome here.

Reflections and looking forward.
Study abroad is incredible. I've made friends I know I will have forever and have had experiences that have and will shape who I am as a woman. To my younger friends- go abroad. You'll LOVE it and it's so important to your growth as a person. To my friends here- you're fantastic. Os quiero mucho. Reunion next summer? No brainer.
Today is the beginning of the second part of my experience here. All my friends have left and I have no more anticipated visitors, but I'm truly excited about this opportunity. I have a job doing interesting work, I'm living with a family that takes phenomenal care of me, and I'm in one of the most incredible cities in the world. Summer 2011...best summer ever.

I'm sure no one has read all of this (I'm not even going to proof read it; it's too long), except you Rachel Hervatin because I know how much you love my blog and how much you missed it.

That's all for now. Hasta!

Current obsessions: Lionel Messi, making Spanish friends, my shorts from Mango (THANK YOU AUNTIE CHACHA!!), trying to think about what I want to be when I grow up, missing my friiiiends, my new running route, and the Cuban bar.