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.

Bologna..."love it"

This past weekend, I went to Italy to visit Mari, my roommate from Wellesley. I left Barcelona early Friday morning and after a bus, plane, bus, train, another train, and one more bus, I met Mari in Siena. Mari’s class was on a field trip in Siena, so I tagged along on their tours of various museums and cultural sites in Siena. Mari is in an Italian program, so my understanding of the tour itself was virtually nonexistent, however, many of the students would translate a bit for me.

After the tour, we piled into a bus and returned to Bologna where Mari is studying. We got dressed then went to dinner at a restaurant where Mari’s friend is the head chef (score.). We ate 5 courses (no joke) of some of the most delicious food I’ve ever had then headed out to meet up with some of Mari’s friends at a nearby bar. Bologna is an incredibly authentic city; it’s beautiful and old, but doesn’t feel artificial or touristy like many of the other Italian cities I’ve visited. What was the biggest shock for me was that of the many Italians I met, only a handful spoke English. I was able to use Spanish and have Mari translate for me, so I wasn’t completely lost. After a night of exploring Bologna and meeting Mari’s friends, we headed home.

Between the early wake up and the late night, I had been awake for over 24 hours on Friday, so Mari and I decided to sleep in. We made breakfast then headed out to explore Bologna a bit. There’s a really cool market in Bologna on Fridays and Saturdays, so we decided to check that out. After a bit of shopping, we wandered around a little more, saw the sights, then met up with Mari’s friend, Clare, for dinner at Mari’s apartment. The girls took a cooking class as a part of their program so we (I use “we” loosely. More like “they”) made an ensalata mista and pasta with HOMEMADE tomato sauce for dinner. Yum.

After dinner, we decided to head into downtown to get our night started. Mari has two bikes and Clare has her own, so we all rode bikes into town. It only took me a few minutes to realize why Mari had to purchase a second bike. The one I rode had two flat tires, only one of the brakes worked (sometimes), and the handlebars were slanted, so when the front wheel was straight, your right hand was further forward than your left, making left turns very hard(“I’m not an ambi-turner”). After an evening of dancing, talking to the most international group of people you could imagine, and a late night kebab, we headed home to go to sleep.

We decided that Sunday was going to be our “cultural” day, so we woke up, made breakfast, then set out to see Bologna. As we were walking to the main plaza, we came across a parade and celebration. Good work guys. We had totally forgotten that is was Carnival. We bought some confetti and silly string and joined the festivities. I don’t really know a ton about the traditions of Carnivale, but all the little kids who were there were dressed in Halloween costumes and everyone was throwing confetti in the air and at each other. It was quite the time to be in Italy!

We continued to wander around Bologna, seeing the churches, plazas, government buildings, sculptures, and beautiful old buildings. After a gelato and a little more wandering, we decided to head home. Mari and I changed for dinner then had aperitivos, where you buy a drink and then get to go to town on the Italian buffet. Best 6€ ever. After dinner, we went to a bar where some of Mari’s friends work and we chatted with them for a bit while we waited for Clare. After she joined us, we headed to the Irish pub and hung out with some of Mari’s Italian and study abroad friends. One of the girls had studied abroad in Morocco the previous semester, so she and I talked about the recent political events there and I got to brag about how I was able to see it all first hand. Shortly after, we called it a night because I had an early flight to catch the following morning.

After the most frustrating day of travel (delayed trains, missed flights, crying baby next to me on the plane), I finally made it back to Barcelona. I LOVED Bologna and think that Mari chose an incredible place to study abroad, however I was so glad to be “home”. After a weekend of not understanding most of the conversations, not being able to ask for directions, and constantly being turned around, it was so nice to be back in Barca.

Nene and Juan Antonio are out of town for a few days, so I had the house to myself all afternoon. I made some lunch (I’m teaching myself to make Tortilla Espanola), did some work, Skyped with Sooz and Yiayia, then relaxed in my room for a bit. The doorbell rang at around 8:30 and two teenage girls were standing outside. They explained that they were Nene’s nieces and I was going to have dinner at their aunt’s house. On our walk over to the other house, the girls asked me where I was from. When I replied, “California” the girls gasped and started asking me if I knew any movie stars, if I knew how to surf, and kept exclaiming “¡Qué chulo!” (“How cool!”). I had dinner with three girls (two cousins and a friend) and their Aunt, which turned into a two and a half hour affair talking about everything from the role of Catalán in the area to all the American music artists the teenage girls listen to.

Mari’s coming to Barcelona this week for a few days. I had such a wonderful time in Bologna, so I want to make sure her visit to Barcelona is equally fun (it will be…).

Pues…that’s all for now. ¡Hasta!

New obsessions: talking about the political situation in Morocco (there was a surprisingly large number of Moroccans in Bologna who I spoke with about the current political atmosphere), aperitivos, my adorable shoes I bought at the Bologna market (for 3€!!!), Harp, and Bologna (I’ll say it. I loveddd that city!)

Morocco!

I know, I know. I’ve gotten really bad at updating the blog. Friends, family, teammates…I’m sorry.

Here it goes.

Two weekends ago, I went to Marrakech. I have a friend, Moni, who spent some time during his childhood there and is now currently living in the city, so I figured I’d take a trip and get shown around by a local. I left Barcelona EARLY on Friday morning to catch a bus with about 15 or so other CIEE students who were also traveling to Marrakech for the weekend. After a short flight, we were greeted by warm weather and sun, a much needed treat after a cold and rainy week in Barcelona. I met up with Moni outside baggage claim then he delivered me to my hostel on his motorcycle (I know…right?!). After dropping my backpack and chatting with the two staffers for a few minutes, Moni and I set out for the day. We started out wandering through the Souq, the market close to the central plaza, Djemma Fna. It was still fairly early and things were just starting to open up, so I decided to leave the shopping to another day and enjoy the sun and have a cup of coffee. After people watching, catching up, and a cup of STRONG coffee, we headed to the Bahi Palace, an old royal building with beautifully tiled walls and courtyards full of fragrant orange trees. After wandering through the palace, we decided to go across town to the Majorelle Gardens, a beautiful house and gardens previously owned by Yves Sant Laurent. The gardens were a nice quiet haven from the bustle of Barcelona and Marrakech. After the gardens, I had lunch on my own in a restaurant near my hostel. I chatted a bit with my waiter, enjoyed chicken couscous (the food so nice they named it twice), and got a Susan Freeman sunburn (read: just on the nose). After lunch, I met up with Moni again and we did more sightseeing. We went to the new part of the city and had a cup of coffee, then went over to his house where we had tea with his parents. Moni’s parents don’t speak English or Spanish, however we were able to find ways to communicate. They asked about my family, my school, my study abroad experience, and took this opportunity to break out the family photo albums (they were both especially proud of their daughter’s recent wedding).

After tea, we returned to Djemma Fna to stroll around the night market full of performers, stands selling dinner, and families out enjoying the evening together. It was at this point that I realized that Morocco is truly different than any other place I had visited before. This exotic and bustling scene full of Berber dancers, foreign food, snake charmers, and crowds of people in traditional dress was unlike anything I had ever seen before and moreover, it was an image of everyday life for people in Marrakech. After more of Marrakech´s mint tea, I returned to my hostel and went to bed.

Saturday morning, I woke up EARLY to catch a bus to Essaouira, a small beach town a few hours from Marrakech that Jimmi Hendrix used to frequent. We arrived around lunch time so we decided to go to the port to buy fresh fish and then pay someone in the market to cook it for us. After lunch and shopping (LINEN PANTS!), we strolled around the Souq some more then walked on the beach, took pictures of camels (no joke), then enjoyed a leisurely dinner and cup of tea before heading back to Marrakech.

After two early mornings back to back, I enjoyed a relaxing morning on Sunday. I had planned to meet Moni around 1ish in Djemma Fna, so I took this opportunity to wander around a bit on my own.

As I wandered around the plaza, I noticed a crowd of a couple hundred young people holding signs in what was at the time, a very peaceful protest. I asked a few people what was going on and it was explained to me that a country-wide protest had been called by a group of students and recent graduates who were calling for governmental reform. Background: Morocco has a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament. The king is wildly popular, however the parliament is incredibly corrupt, inefficient, and ineffective. The cost of living has been rising over the past 10 years and unemployment has been rapidly increasing. The protest called for more transparency, a halt to corruption, and a more functional democracy. After about a half hour or so, the crowds dispersed and I continued on my stroll. The protest had been, for the most part, peaceful. There was no violence, only a small and very removed police presence, and from what I saw, no damage to stores, restaurants, buildings, etc.

Though the protest had been peaceful, almost all the shops and restaurants had closed. I walked around for a bit then met up with Moni to do some hardcore shopping and haggling in the market. Each time I purchased something, I had Moni haggle for me and then was told by the shop owner that I was lucky and "was getting the Moroccan price". Thanks for telling me that had I been on my own, you would have screwed me. Vale.

After shopping, we decided we wanted to go get dinner and watch the FC Barcelona game on TV. As we were walking to the restaurant, a crowd came RUNNING towards us and Moni grabbed my arm and dragged me through the small alleys and streets of the Medina. As we dodged groups running and motorcycles shooting down the passage ways, I realized something was really wrong. Somehow Moni got me back to my hostel and firmly told me that the riots had started and I was to stay in my hostel and not leave until he told me it was safe. Obviously I ignored that advice and went out to take pictures and experience the riots first hand. As I was walking through Djemma Fna, things seemed pretty tame, so I decided to try to go find dinner. As I was walking down one of the streets off the plaza a crowd of people came running from behind me. I froze, not knowing what to do. Then a crowd came running from the opposite direction. It was clear something was wrong again, so I decided to run in the direction of my hostel (behind me). As I pushed through the crowd, it became evident I chose the wrong direction. I saw some people getting up against the walls trying to let the crowds pass, so I did the same. At that point, I saw a group of about 50 riot gear-ed police officers with shields and using their batons. A young Moroccan kid, probably around 16 or 17, saw that I had no idea what to do, so he grabbed my arm and signaled for me to follow him. He led me right into the crowd of police officers who started to run towards us but realized we weren't rioters (once I started screaming "I'M A TOURIST!"). One police officer and the Moroccan kid helped me navigate my way through the crowd and back to safety in the plaza.
A smart person would have decided to go back to their hostel at that point. However, I decided that I hadn't gotten enough pictures and I wanted to know what was going on. I kept my distance from the crowds and approached groups of young boys and men who were watching from a distance. I asked what was going on, if they were involved, what the goal of the riots were; everything. Many of the people I spoke with explained that they had been involved in the protest earlier in the day and were deeply distressed that it had turned to chaotic, violent, and destructive. People explained that the rioters had been damaging property and had been throwing stones, bottles, and pieces of pottery at the police officers. A rush of "activity" came through where I had been observing, and the young Moroccan who had helped me earlier led me into a hotel on the plaza. The old man who worked at the hotel pulled me up and chair, disappeared into the back room, and returned with a glass of tea for me. I spoke with him, the young Moroccan, and a few other people who had gone inside to get away from the violence for a bit. When I asked if the recent events in Tunis and Egypt contributed to the protests, one young man explained that the recent revolutions had shown that positive change was potential, however, the people involved in the political movement learned that they wanted to use different and less violent means.
After more picture taking, ducking into the hotel, and talking with young people, I decided that it was time to head back to the hostel and get some sleep.
My trip to Morocco made me uncomfortably aware of my gender. While I was walking around with Moni, men would rarely look at or speak to me. However when I was walking around alone during the day, I had people grab my arms and try to lead me into their shops, whistle, hiss, yell things in various languages, and most disturbingly, stroke my long hair. However, my experience during the riots were completely different. It was fairly clear I was out of place. There were NO white women out (most tourists had sought refuge in their hotels and hostels) and the few tourists who were out alone. While I was walking around I had people offering to help me find my hotel and ask if I was lost or okay. Aside from the stampedes, if I was near a crowd of rowdy protesters, they would calm down until I was at a safe distance. The hotel owner bringing me a chair and tea and constantly making sure I was alright (I kept explaining that I was interested in what was happening and didn't feel unsafe). However, the best example was the young Moroccan. After he helped the dumb tourist get out of the crowd of riot gear clad police officers, he kept an eye on me until I went back to my hostel. If things were starting to pick up he would say "Elizabeth, sígueme" (oh ps our common language was Spanish, not English. This was the case with most people I spoke with) and lead me to the hotel. I felt more unsafe and uncomfortable during the day while I was walking around than I did at night.

Since Morocco: Life has been pretty routine. We had midterms this week, which are always fun times. Not much has been going on other than the usual routine (class, work, run, exploring with friends).

Tomorrow (as in in 4 hours) I'm leaving to visit Mari Padilla, my Wellesley roommate, in Bologna, Italy. And you know what that means...lots of hugging and referring to each other as "my roommate". Can't wait.

That's enough for now. Hasta.

New obsessions: finally not having to run alone, the coffee machines at UPF, having it be ON, RACHEL HERVATIN WHO LOVES READING MY BLOG (I see you girl...)

p.s.
Running community (Dad, John, Crosby, Susan H, Brooke, Wolks, teammates in general)- My right foot has been bothering me (not a new annoyance; xc 2009). It's particularly tender in towards the front of the arch. It's particularly painful when I run up or down hill, fast running that puts me up more on my toes, and when I wear my Frees (I've stopped wearing them for now). I've been icing and rolling it on a tennis ball. Any suggestions? Taping? Inserts? Yes I know taking it easy and time off.

If you're interested in news coverage on the protests in Morocco from the weekend I was there, here are some good articles courtesy of my clipping service (aka Dad):

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/20/weekinreview/20logan.html?_r=1&emc=eta1
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/21/world/middleeast/21morocco.html?emc=eta1
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/856068-protests-spread-to-streets-of-morocco

Hanging out with my new friends Antoni (Gaudí) and Earnest (Hemingway)

In my entire time at Wellesley, I've only had class canceled once. This past week alone, I had two classes canceled. Study abroad is awesome. Since my only Friday class was canceled, on Thursday night Nikki, Grace, and I decided to go to La Oveja Negra, an old Barcelona tavern that Nene, my host mom, used to frequent when she was in college. It was really laid back, had a great ambiance, and was fully of a mix of foreigners and locals. One CIEE girl was celebrating her birthday and a friend of Nikki's from Boston joined us, so we had a good size group with us. After being in Barcelona for about a month, it's now starting to feel like less of a vacation (with homework?) and more like our current reality. And really, what could be better right now?
Since my Friday class was canceled, I took advantage of my three day weekend to do some exploring. I got up early, ran, did some errands, then met up w/ Grace to wander around Barri Gottica and explore a bit. Later, we met up with Nikki and her friend from high school for drinks in a funky cafe between Las Rambla and the water. After we had enough of wandering around and chatting, we all parted ways for dinner with our host families. The plan for the evening was a low key night that would have us in bed fairly early. This didn't end up happening. For the past few weeks, we've been searching for a bar in El Raval, one of Barcelona's barrios, called Bar Marsella. We were particularly motivated to spend an evening at Marsella because it's probably one of Barcelona's most historic and authentic bars. When Hemingway would visit Barcelona, he would frequent Marsella to enjoy their famous house beverage: absinthe. When we arrived at Marsella, we were blown away by the interior of the bar. In its hay day, Marsella was probably a very fashionable and posh place to go. However, the bar clearly hasn't been renovated (or probably even cleaned) long before Hemingway's time. Despite the peeling paint, cobwebs on the ceiling, and limited menu (absinthe and beer), we loved it. It felt authentic and like old Barcelona. As it got later, more and more locals began trickling in, giving the bar a lively and warm feel. Our waiter and one patron helped us prepare our absinthe properly; using the sugar, fork, and water. It was quite the scene watching three American girls have multiple Spaniards help them figure out how to drink absinthe, then struggle through the ROUGH taste. Good work team.
After Marsella, we decided that our ultimate plan to make it an early night wasn't going to happen, so we went back to La Oveja Negra, the tavern from the night before, to mingle with the locals and enjoy some Sangria.
The next morning, Nikki, Grace, Nikki's friend Paige, and I met up to wander through Gracia, another one of Barcelona's barrios. Gracia is quieter and a little more upscale than Barri Gottica, so we enjoyed a leisurely afternoon of wandering, window shopping, normal shopping (remind me to show you my adorable black booties!), and eating lunch in Plaza del Sol. It was a nice day, so we sat outside in the Plaza and watched some young kids play soccer and listen to guitar music. I love this city.
On Sunday morning, I got up and decided to go for a loooong walk around Barcelona while I waited for Nikki and Caroline, a CIEE student from Vanderbilt, to meet up w/ me in Old Town. It was a beautiful day, so I decided to stroll around and take pictures around El Born, another old barrio in the city I hadn't explored much yet. As I was walking through Plaza Sant Jaume, where the Parliament of Catalunya and Barcelona City Hall buildings are, I came across a celebration of some kind. There was a stage set up, a huge crowd, and a human pyramid in the middle of the Plaza. When I say "human pyramid" I don't mean a bunch of cheerleaders kneeling on each other's backs. I mean this: (http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_14725.shtml). What a surprise to come across on my leisurely Sunday morning walk! After meeting up with Nikki and Caroline, we sat in a nearby plaza and had some tea and watched the festivities of the day. As we were leaving we ran into a parade of drummers, ranging in ages between around 4 to 65 or so, that lasted about 20 or 30 minutes. I asked my homestay family tonight what the celebration was about and they said they didn't know. The research continues.
After we grabbed a bite to eat, Nikki, Caroline, and I met up with Nikki's friend Juan and his friend at a nearby bar to listen to live music. It ended up being an open mike night so locals got up on stage and performed a mix of Spanish and American rock songs. We were CLEARLY the only non-natives there, but everyone was nice and welcoming. Rumor has it that Wednesday night is Flamenco night. You can bet to see me there!
Today was a usual Monday: class, nap, class, Skype with Sooz, dinner, work.
This weekend made me appreciate Barcelona so much. Between wandering around and finding Gaudí buildings and sculptures, like the light posts in Plaza Reail, his first commission in the city, to coming across beautiful and exciting cultural events, like the parade and the human pyramids, I've gained such an appreciation for the life, color, and vibrance of this city.
Up next: My first paper, getting back into running after being sick for the past few days, and MOROCCO.

Current obsessions: napping, mint tea, hanging out with my boy Antoni (Gaudí), counting the days until MARI'S VISIT TO BARCELONAAAA!!!

Hasta.

Te Quiero, Barcelona

So clearly I’ve gotten in a bad pattern of not updating my blog for about a week at a time and then writing one looooong entry. Oops!

It’s been quite the week here. Last week was mostly finalizing classes, doing more at work, and being incredibly sore from the half. Here’s my final class list:

1. Human Rights (really really interesting but TOUGH)

2. Terrorism or terrorisms? (stupid title, but AWESOME class)

3. Contemporary Spanish Literature (for you Harry Potter fans out there, my professor is essentially a Spanish version of Madam Trelawney)

4. Linguistics (I just added this class this morning, but it seems like it’ll be awesome)

In addition to classes, I’m also doing my internship which is panning out to be really cool. Right now, I’m working on translating documents from Spanish to English so they can be used in presentations to other countries’ governments who are considering adopting a similar sustainable model to the one Barcelona has. I’m excited that the duties I’m performing are not only important, but also that what I create will actually be used and valued by other people.

The BCN half was a lot of fun and I have no regrets about running it, however throughout most of last week, I was pretty sore. As any runner can tell you, after a particularly long and hard run, stairs are torture (particularly going down). I have to walk down a set of stairs to get to the metro and the day after the race I STRUGGLED to get down the stairs. Once I finally made it to the track, someone asked me “did you run the marathon yesterday?” Considering how I was walking, that seemed like a pretty stupid question, so I decided to answer, “No. I always walk like this.”

The rest of the week was relatively uneventful (aside from a visit to the doctor’s office for an ear infection). However, last weekend CIEE took the whole liberal arts program to Madrid and Toledo. We woke up pretty early on Friday morning and met at Estacio Sants to take the AVE, Spain’s high speed train, to Madrid. After arriving in Madrid, we checked into our hotel then went for a walking tour of the city. We saw the Plaza Ocidental, the Royal Palace, the Cathedral, the Plaza Mayor, Plaza del Sol, Plaza Espana and finally ended our tour at Museo del Prado, Spain’s most famous museum that is full of works by El Greco and Goya (among other important artists). The museum was amazing and full of pieces of art I had learned about since middle school. After we had had enough of El Prado, our group headed back to the hotel to rest up a bit before dinner. The rest of the night was uneventful; dinner and then most of us went back to the hotel to go to bed.

The following day, we took a trip to Toledo, a beautiful, old city about an hour outside of Madrid. Toledo is famous for its religious history. The city acted as a center for the three major religious groups in Spain at one point or another and the history is evident in the culture and architecture of the city. We took a walking tour of the city to see the Synagogue (heavily influenced by the Arab architects and builders) and the Cathedral. After our tour, we had lunch, wandered around, then headed back to Madrid.

After a little nap and shopping, Grace, Nikki, and I decided to head to a vegetarian restaurant for dinner where we ran into Shun and Katie. After our delicious dinner, we stopped in a candy shop to get a little dessert then wandered over to the Plaza Mayor, one of the major plazas in Madrid. The five of us were standing in the Plaza, people watching and chatting when we were approached by two guys who asked us in broken English to take a picture with them. After taking an awkward picture, Nikki handed one of the guys back his camera and said something to him in Spanish. He looked at her in shock and said “¿HABLAIS ESPANOL!?” We continued to speak to them for about a half hour or so. The content of the conversation wasn’t terribly interesting, however we had a strange experience. Typically whenever I’m speaking with foreigners, I’m always the one who speaks the fewest number of languages and the foreigners can speak to each other in their own language in front of me and I’ll have no idea what they’re saying (even sometimes with Spanish). However, this was the first time I had been on the other side of it. When we were talking to the Spanish guys, occasionally we’d switch over to English (often unintentionally) and they’d have to ask us “en español por favor”. Often times when we’d lapse into English they would think we were making fun of them (which was sometimes true). It was interesting being on the side with the upper hand.

The following day in Madrid, we got up early to go to the Museo Reina Sofia, Madrid’s modern art museum. I’m not a huge fan of modern art, but I wanted to be sure to make it to Reina Sofia to see Picasso’s famous “Guernica”, which has arguably been one of the most important and controversial (remember when UN officials covered its reproduction when Colin Powell presented the US’s case for the war in Iraq to the UN Security Council?) pieces of art in the last 100 years (maybe even longer). The painting is absolutely enormous and is in a room with no other pieces of art. It’s only in black and white, which for me, made it more powerful.

After Reina Sofia, a big group of us went to El Rastro, Madrid’s open air market. It was incredibly crowded and hectic, but still a lot of fun. After a little shopping, Nikki, Grace, and I headed back to the hotel where we had lunch, then shortly after went back to Barcelona.

After spending time in Madrid, I felt so pleased with my choice to study in Barcelona. True, Madrid is BEAUTIFUL and certainly more “Spanish” than Barcelona (you’ll only see and hear Spanish as opposed to Barcelona’s Catalan), however Barcelona is truly vibrant. Madrid felt bustle-y and cold (figuratively) like New York , whereas Barcelona is much more relaxed, while still having the excitement and vibrance of a big city. Many people have described Barcelona as a “bohemian” city, probably because it’s hard to describe it in any other way. The city is very liberal and very forward-thinking. Moreover, Barcelona puts a major emphasis on public space including public works of art tucked into residential neighborhoods (I came across a Joan Miró sculpture on my run yesterday through my neighborhood!!). I love love love it here.

Since being back from Madrid, I’ve spent a lot of time with Nene, my host mom. Juan Antonio is in Switzerland visiting friends, so it’s just been “nosostras solitas” (“us alone”). Nene is so fantastic and caring. I feel so fortunate to have been placed with such wonderful people.

Well…that’s all for now. Judee Utoh and Nirali Shah (two Wellesley ladies) will be in Barcelona the next few days with their study abroad program. Andale as they say.

Hasta!

New obsessions: Nene´s croquetas, Sooz’s phenomenal emails, looking at flights on Ryan Air