That dreaded holdover from colonial times...

That's right: coffee.  Before coming to Spain I HATED it with a passion; it tasted gross, I didn't like all the caffeine, etc.  Now, I find myself drinking it 2-3 times a day.  Am I that in need of a caffeine boost?  Not really; it just tastes soooo good.  Un minutito, voy a explicarme:

I get a call this morning from my friend Pria, after the two of us both admit to sleeping in for wayyy too long, she asks me what I'm doing after lunch.  We both agree that we'd like to explore our neighborhood of Les Corts a bit more and perhaps do a little more shopping (sidebar---yesterday I finally found a bag large enough to carry my school books without being completely fugly for the low low price of 6.00 euro).  Then came the dreaded afterthought, "Maybe we could also grab a cup of coffee," said the Pria.  As I've mentioned, my relationship with coffee has been a tumultuous one.  My mother has called me a crappy Puerto Rican for swearing off coffee and only drinking tea.  However, my mom has very strict rules when it comes to her coffee--she drinks it RIDICULOUSLY strong and with almost no sugar or milk.  If I dared to put some sugar in a cup of coffee that she brewed for me, I would never see the light of day (I'm being slightly melodramatic, but things are more fun that way).  Here in Spain, I can put as much sugar and milk in my coffee as I'd like.  "Hold up," is what you're thinking, "you can do that in the U.S."  Ahh, but the one HUGE difference is that American coffee sucks; it really truly does.  I add all sorts of things to coffee in the states, and it never tastes very good.  In Spain, a cafe con leche is nothing short of heaven.  I've come to enjoy my daily coffee whether brewed at home by my host mom or purchased from my fave cafe near my university; however, I always feel guilty after buying a cup of coffee.  Will I regret having that third cup at Cafe Caracas in April when I'm trying to purchase souvenirs?  Potentially, but for now I'm loving it, and I probably WILL buy a cup when I'm out with Pria later today.   One cup can't hurt; I'll just have to limit the number of pastries I consume in conjunction with my coffee.

One of my favorite pastries: Ensaimadas

Joan Miro is nice...but naps are nicer

The past few days have been extremely tiring—mainly because we have class beginning at 9am for two hours and then the world’s longest siesta until 7:30.  It wouldn’t be so bad if all of us weren’t hellbent on exploring Barca and if all of us weren’t so cheap that we didn’t want to have to use 4 metro rides rather than 2 in a day.  Yesterday, Amanda, Christina, and I took a very long walk in between classes and nearly died later in the day from exhaustion.  Today we all had grand plans to visit the Joan Miró Foundation but when everyone met this morning for class, we all agreed that our time would be better spent in our apartments, napping.  …..and that’s exactly what I did!  Joan Miró is definitely a priority while I’m here, so I know I’ll visit his museum sometime in the near future.  I’m just overjoyed that tomorrow will be the last day that I have to wake up obscenely early for my language class!

In other news, I’ve been learning more and more about my host mom (slowly but surely…language barriers are tough).  I’ve made it my mission to learn about all of the students who’ve stayed with her before me.  Today I learned of the various boys she’s hosted, but nothing more than the usual “he was nice”  “Mike was really tall and played American football,” etc.  Ideally she would tell me the really hilarious things that I’m sure have come up all too often due to the cultural differences.  She did tell me about one student she had, who was very overweight.  It was more of a miserable story—apparently this girl nearly ate Fina out of house and home, but Fina didn’t have the heart to call the program to have her switched.  Fina said that no one in the program wanted to be her friend.  Can you imagine being in a foreign country, where you know that you’re definitely being judged and you can’t even find reprieve with those from your native country?  I’m so glad that isn’t my problem; not to sound callous, but I’ve made some great friends!  I find it pretty amusing that some of them are from Bryn Mawr—girls that I’ve seen fairly often over the past three years or so, but never spoke to.  It will be pretty exciting to go to Andalucía this weekend; I kind of miss all of us being together like we were in the hotel.  

Until next time!

Resfriado :(

While in Spain, I’m trying amazing new foods, meeting great people, and seeing some of the most breathtaking architecture EVER, but I am realizing that the seemingly small, insignificant details of my life are of interest to people…so here they are in the form of the most obvious and hilarious differences between Spain and the U.S.

1. The Spanish like to save money.  Granted, Americans aren’t spending crazy, but in comparison….they are. This is probably why many Europeans have the ridiculous notion that all Americans are rich.  Another reason for the Spanish obsession with saving money lies in the fact that so many things Americans consider essentials are very expensive here.  For example, paying for the water heater is a huge issue here, and for this reason showers are kept short.  I already mentioned that there is no heat in my apartment (this is because my host mom has allergies, but many families in Barca go without heat, or make do with very little).  Getting out of the nice, warm shower every morning is one of my biggest fears, right up there with barnacles and the Bloody Mary legend.
2. The Spanish are WAY more relaxed than we are.  I think I’ve heard “tranquila” a million times already.  I had to laugh today when our program director told us that it’s rude to be late to class in Spain, and that she had no idea where the stereotype about Spanish tardiness came from.  My professors have been late for almost EVERY class.  As someone who is at least 10 minutes early for everything and gets nervous after sitting in a restaurant for too long, this is somewhat of an adjustment for me, but I totally love it.
3. I can barely sustain the Barca sleep pattern.  Many people are accustomed to the notion that Catalans are huge partiers, generally eating dinner at 9/10 pm and going clubbing beginning at 2am.  This, however, doesn’t mean that they sleep in.  Guess again; when I sleep in until 10 am, I look like the laziest sack of potatoes.  This goes back to the whole “tranquila” thing…they need to relax during the day or else a severe lack of sleep will cause them to self destruct.  Additionally, the siesta is becoming a thing of the past, and some people opt to forego it altogether.  I have yet to take a proper siesta L although I attempted today since I have a cold (it was a failure, so I’d rather not dwell on it).
4. Something that drives me insane is how expensive non-alcoholic drinks are here.  It’s nice that I can get a beer for less than 2 euros, or a glass of wine for almost nothing, but when I’m walking around all day and have to return to class in a few hours, the last thing I want is some wine.  I want bottled water; unfortunately, water or soda (especially soda) tends to be the more expensive drinks on restaurant menus.  Tap water isn’t exactly a solution because people here don’t drink tap water when they go out to eat, although it is safe to drink.

That's it...for now.  Tomorrow I'm probably going to go shopping again since all the huge sales are happening this week; I've already bought a few things for only 30 euro (about $45).  I hate that the Euro is beating the crap out of the dollar...the exchange rate constantly throws me off.  I nearly bought a bag at MANGO yesterday because I was so excited that it cost 40 euro, only to find out that it was more like 60.  No worries though; the hunt continues.

NO WIFI, what am I going to do?

I think I've publicized this pretty well, but I don't have internet access at my homestay!  At times, I'm able to receive a VERY weak signal from some unsuspecting neighbor...but it definitely is not regular.  That being said, I have a lot to post about and very little time in which to do so.

Thursday (that's January 20th) night was the last night the students in my program were all together in the hotel, thus we felt inclined to all go to a club together.  Somehow a group of us (myself included) became separated from everyone else, ending up at a completely different club; nevertheless, we had an amazing time.  We went to a club called Shoko which was Asian inspired and along the Mediterranean.  I was surprised at how many Americans there were (and even had a mini bonding session with a few girls in the bathroom).  I quickly realized that this is because it was only 12am, and the Spanish don't begin their clubbing experience until atleast 2 am, ending their night at about 5 or 6 in the morning.  Since we all had class at 9:00am and had to have our bags packed beforehand, we opted to leave at 3, which was just when the party was starting. :(  The cab ride back was an adventure (the metro closes at midnight on weekdays and sundays, 4am on fridays, and operates 24 hours on Saturdays) and we were definitely ripped off, but all of us had such a good time that it really didn't bother us very much.

Friday was a whirlwind of madness.  Being that our program didn't feel like paying for an extra day, we had to vacate our rooms by 10am, but were still required to return to the hotel after classes to meet our host families.  After getting 2-3 hours of sleep (and not being completely recovered from jetlag) this was TORTURE. Some of my friends fell asleep in the hotel lobby, which was pretty hilarious.  Somehow, I managed to stay awake, which is a miracle considering I hadn't had a single cup of coffee all day long.  Perhaps I stayed awake because I was so ridden with anxiety over meeting my host mom--something that was completely unwarranted because my host mother is ADORABLE.  Everyone should know that Spanish women are the epitome of chic (what up Duff?) even when they age.  Rufina (or Fina, as she prefers) arrived with her adorable Victoria Beckham-esque bob, stylish glasses, and high heeled boots.  Keep in mind that this woman is in her early 60s.  She is so, so friendly and took me to her apartment.  Bad news?  There is NO heat...not even a butane canister like my friend Drea had at her Barcelona homestay last spring.  Needless to say, I froze then (and I'm freezing right now).  The good news?  Fina is an amazing cook and has a brand new bathroom with a big shower (compared to average American showers, Fina's is on the small side, but here in Spain it's a PALACE).  Dinner last night was simple, a tortilla (a Spanish tortilla is more like an American omelette) de patatas (potatoes), an ensalada de tomates, bread, ham, and yogurt for dessert.  Dinner is normally small here, with lunch being the main meal of the day (although I have yet to experience the quintessential BIG Spanish lunch).  After dinner I was so exhausted that I fell asleep at 10:30.  Sidebar:  Fina is actually away this weekend (she's going to Rome!  NBD or anything), but she has someone staying with me.  This someone is actually a student she hosted seven years ago, who is getting her master's from the Universitat de Barcelona.  It is extremely reassuring to know that someone enjoyed their stay with Fina so much so that she continues to visit her! 

La Sagrada Familia (entrance is free on Saturdays, hence the mass amount of people)!

Today was extremely busy, but probably one of the best days I've had in Barca thus far!  A group of us (there are 3 girls from my program living right around the corner, which is FANTASTIC) met up so that we could travel to La Sagrada Familia, one of Antoni Gaudi's architectural masterpieces.  As someone who previously wanted to be an architect and still considers herself a design nerd, seeing this masterpiece was so surreal.  I didn't go inside, but this wasn't even necessary.  The church isn't finished, and in my opinion, it doesn't need to be, it's already gorgeous.  Gaudi's architecture is honestly like no other.  After this we walked around Barcelona, stopping at La Boqueria (the outdoor market).  The fish there is so fresh, that some of it is still squirming around (offputting for some, but not for me)!  There were hundreds of stands with fresh cheeses, spices, meats, literally, ANYTHING.  After the boqueria we continued to explore, stopping along the port so I could eat my delicious bocadillo (a sandwich of tomatoes, ham, manchego cheese, and olive oil on a baguette) that Lisa (the student staying with me for the weekend) made me.   

One of the entrances to La Boqueria

Tomorrow a few of us are going to Parc Guell (another one of Gaudi's works), a whimsical outdoor park, and I cannot wait! 

Hasta luego!

Day Two (more like Day One)

After arriving in Barcelona at 10:25am (that's 4:25 am Eastern time) and staying awake for the entire day, I was hardly in any shape to begin this blog.  In other words, my first day in Barcelona was a big, hot mess.  In order to become acclimated to the time difference, my program's director insisted that we try to stay awake until atleast 8:00 pm.  This was probably the most difficult task I have had to undergo in quite sometime.  Aside from a grueling battle with jetlag, very little happened yesterday.  A few of us roamed around the neighborhood, Pedralbes, where our hotel is located, but in terms of major sites, there is very little in this area. 

Today, however, was the (pseudo) first day of classes, which meant that we were able to take the metro to Ciutat Vella (what is essentially downtown Barcelona).  Barcelona's metro is fairly extensive, but extremely easy to navigate, especially when compared to New York's subway.  Ciutat Vella is beautiful--it's exactly what I pictured Barcelona to look like--and the Universitat de Barcelona (where I'm studying) is probably one of the most intimidating institutions of higher learning I've ever encountered.  It has nothing to do with the level of difficulty, the intimidation factor lies in the sheer size of the institution.  It makes Rutgers, UConn, and any other ridiculously large American university look like a small liberal arts college.  The Universitat has 90,000 students.  No, that is not a typo.  Somehow, my tiny program operates within the monstrous institution, yet I love it!  The classes we began today were standard intro to grammar/conversation courses that will only last 2-3 weeks until our real classes begin on February 7th.  Eventhough they aren't official courses, we still received homework...which was kind of a buzzkill.

After classes were over, a group of us decided to stop at El Corte Ingles for outlet adapters because the super amazingly inexpensive one I bought at Coconuts (curse that going out of business sale) doesn't fit in the hotel's outlet.  Words cannot describe Corte Ingles.  I had heard of the store before coming to Spain and it was always described to me as a department store.  But this place isn't just a Macy's or a Nordstrom's with Spanish signage everywhere, instead it's a strange hybrid of upscale department store, Ikea, and Target.  What began as a simple stop for electronics became an all out JOURNEY.  We trekked through rows of laundry machines, mattresses, Bulgari watches---each floor could have been (and probably should have been) a separate store.  After 20 minutes of wandering around and asking several store clerks for assistance, we emerged victorious and arrived back at the hotel just in time for dinner (which wasn't very thrilling, so I'm not going to describe it).    

Aside from this, very little has happened during these first two days; it's orientation week which means a lot of information sessions and very little exploration.  Tonight a few of us are going to go out, but it won't be anything crazy...most of us are still a little jetlagged.  The next time I update, I promise to have far more interesting tales as well as pictures (I keep forgetting that I own a camera)!!

Hasta luego!