It has come to the end of my trip; I will be flying out of Barcelona on Monday morning, and arriving back stateside that night. I have mixed feelings about leaving. Even though I'm so excited to be coming home, I'm really going to miss this city, its culture, and all the people I've met.
I feel like this experience has helped me change for the better, and I've learned a lot about myself, including important things like I should never keep a blog because I'm absolutely awful and keeping it updated. Other things as well, but that one seems particularly relevant :)
Happy Holidays to everybody!
Carmel
PS I want to see everybody and hear about their semesters! If you're around, let me know, we can grab coffee or something!
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Un Poco Loco
Wow. It's only been like 3 days since the program started but it feels like forever. We met the first day for orientation, had a relatively comprehensible meeting, went for a tour of important things like Metra stops and banks, ate dinner, and crashed (we had to get up early the next day).
The day after (Tuesday) we got up early, went to more meetings, placement exams, more meetings, more tours, another meeting, and then met our host family since by that time, we were so fried we could barely walk straight. I love my family, though! They are a couple from the Dominican Republic, with two children. The dad's name is Antonio, and the Mom is Bea. Their son, Angelo, is 11 and goes to an FC Barcelona school. He loves to play soccer, and is a forward. I might get to go to one of his games this Saturday, which I'm really looking forward to! The daughter, Beth, is going to turn 1 on September 22nd. She's so cute, and just learning how to walk.
When the first picked me up, Bea was talking and it was very difficult to talk to her since she spoke so quickly. But Antonio stepped in and was much more clear, so I could converse fairly well with him. The house never ever gets quiet, everybody is always yelling at everybody else, but it's always in Spanish so that's cool with me :)
I was feeling really overwhelmed, but then I sat down with Antonio to watch the Spain-Argentina game that was played yesterday. It was a really good way to chill out, and talk with him in a more relaxed setting. He's also a big Obama fan, so the University of Chicago gear that I brought them went over quite well. Unfortunately for all of us, Spain played awful. There was a goalie fumble that was, in my eyes, probably the most cringe-worthy thing I've ever seen on a soccer field. Ouch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNDKDDrDKQ4 (around the 2:40 mark)
I also got a cellphone! Probably won't be using it to call the USA, but I have it to call my friends here. Woot.
This morning we had more meetings, and then our first class, which was 3 hours long. I already have homework, which is a bummer. My teacher taught for 2 years at UChicago, so when I told her where I went to school she asked if I knew Irena Kajkova, who was my first (and favorite) spanish teacher at UC. It was pretty neat. However, she didn't see any need to talk slowly since we were an "advanced" class. I could follow her most of the time... but not all of it. Fortunately the rest of the class was in the same boat, so afterward we all got together and compared notes.
After class a couple of us walked down to the beach, which was packed with tourists. Also, we were on the part of the beach that allows partial nudity, which we didn't realize until we saw a man with a shirt but no swim trunks. Awkward.
So the days have been packed but fun. I'm crazy about Spain, I love the weather, I love the people, I love the architecture, and I love the food (well, most of it- I accidentally ordered a dish that was flavored with octopus ink and it turned my mouth black). But I'm super excited to be here!
The day after (Tuesday) we got up early, went to more meetings, placement exams, more meetings, more tours, another meeting, and then met our host family since by that time, we were so fried we could barely walk straight. I love my family, though! They are a couple from the Dominican Republic, with two children. The dad's name is Antonio, and the Mom is Bea. Their son, Angelo, is 11 and goes to an FC Barcelona school. He loves to play soccer, and is a forward. I might get to go to one of his games this Saturday, which I'm really looking forward to! The daughter, Beth, is going to turn 1 on September 22nd. She's so cute, and just learning how to walk.
When the first picked me up, Bea was talking and it was very difficult to talk to her since she spoke so quickly. But Antonio stepped in and was much more clear, so I could converse fairly well with him. The house never ever gets quiet, everybody is always yelling at everybody else, but it's always in Spanish so that's cool with me :)
I was feeling really overwhelmed, but then I sat down with Antonio to watch the Spain-Argentina game that was played yesterday. It was a really good way to chill out, and talk with him in a more relaxed setting. He's also a big Obama fan, so the University of Chicago gear that I brought them went over quite well. Unfortunately for all of us, Spain played awful. There was a goalie fumble that was, in my eyes, probably the most cringe-worthy thing I've ever seen on a soccer field. Ouch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNDKDDrDKQ4 (around the 2:40 mark)
I also got a cellphone! Probably won't be using it to call the USA, but I have it to call my friends here. Woot.
This morning we had more meetings, and then our first class, which was 3 hours long. I already have homework, which is a bummer. My teacher taught for 2 years at UChicago, so when I told her where I went to school she asked if I knew Irena Kajkova, who was my first (and favorite) spanish teacher at UC. It was pretty neat. However, she didn't see any need to talk slowly since we were an "advanced" class. I could follow her most of the time... but not all of it. Fortunately the rest of the class was in the same boat, so afterward we all got together and compared notes.
After class a couple of us walked down to the beach, which was packed with tourists. Also, we were on the part of the beach that allows partial nudity, which we didn't realize until we saw a man with a shirt but no swim trunks. Awkward.
So the days have been packed but fun. I'm crazy about Spain, I love the weather, I love the people, I love the architecture, and I love the food (well, most of it- I accidentally ordered a dish that was flavored with octopus ink and it turned my mouth black). But I'm super excited to be here!
Saturday, September 4, 2010
A Blur of Buildings
Continuing our sort of architectural tour of the first two days, the last two days were centered around more buildings, both modern (sort of) and ancient. I had plenty of use for my camera both days; especially yesterday, I pretty much didn't put it down. Fortunately, it's got a very good battery.
Friday we started out by grabbing breakfast to go and walking to the Sagrada Familia, a church that Gaudi built in the final years of his life. I mean, he started to build it in the final years of his life, which was the 1920's. It's still under construction, although they hope to have it finished by 2030. I'm counting this as "modern" architecture, since most of the other cathedrals were built before Columbus was sailing the ocean blue (read: 1492). Sagrada Familia was breathtaking; the stained glass windows were beautiful, the ceiling was amazing, and the facades were stunning. Pictures!
We then walked up to the top of the park, which afforded us a great view of the city and Mediterranean Sea. After admiring it, and catching our breath, we hiked our way back to the hotel, where we cleaned up, and went out for some more tapas. We've managed to eat something different at every meal, and it's all been delicious. The big surprise this time was bacon covered dates, which turned out to be way better than I expected. Also, hot chocolate is literally "hot chocolate"; it's like a microwaved candy bar in a cup. Super fantastic!
Today, we woke up early, and spent plenty of time trying to figure out the public transportation system. Since it is getting late here, and I was just getting on a real sort of schedule, I'm going to sum up- We made it to Terragona and saw the ruins of a Roman Ampitheather and an Aquaduct, and then made it back despite some miscommunication with the information desk.
Friday we started out by grabbing breakfast to go and walking to the Sagrada Familia, a church that Gaudi built in the final years of his life. I mean, he started to build it in the final years of his life, which was the 1920's. It's still under construction, although they hope to have it finished by 2030. I'm counting this as "modern" architecture, since most of the other cathedrals were built before Columbus was sailing the ocean blue (read: 1492). Sagrada Familia was breathtaking; the stained glass windows were beautiful, the ceiling was amazing, and the facades were stunning. Pictures!
From there we walked a few blocks to the to an old hospital, which was actually way cooler than it sounds. It was beautiful, and we got to walk around the grounds for a little bit, but unfortunately most of it was under construction. Still really neat!
Then we went to Park Guell, which was full of spectacular tile work. My favorite was this little dragon here:
But there was a lot of stuff, and the scale was enormous (no pun intended). There was a massive pavilion lined with benches, each one covered with mosaic. Too bad people insisted on sitting on them.
We then walked up to the top of the park, which afforded us a great view of the city and Mediterranean Sea. After admiring it, and catching our breath, we hiked our way back to the hotel, where we cleaned up, and went out for some more tapas. We've managed to eat something different at every meal, and it's all been delicious. The big surprise this time was bacon covered dates, which turned out to be way better than I expected. Also, hot chocolate is literally "hot chocolate"; it's like a microwaved candy bar in a cup. Super fantastic!
Today, we woke up early, and spent plenty of time trying to figure out the public transportation system. Since it is getting late here, and I was just getting on a real sort of schedule, I'm going to sum up- We made it to Terragona and saw the ruins of a Roman Ampitheather and an Aquaduct, and then made it back despite some miscommunication with the information desk.
Reminds me of the Aquaduct Caitlyn and I made in 6th grade.
But ours was way more legit.
I'm looking forward to a more relaxing day tomorrow, we think we'll hit up the beach and the Picasso Museum. My program starts Monday, so this is the last day I have with my parents. I'm going to miss them a ton, but I'm also really excited to meet my homestay family and the other students in my program.
Hope all is well in the states, and a special shout out to KAM, who didn't get a special shout out last time.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
The Second 24 Hours
The second day of our trip was just as packed as the first. My program starts Monday, so I'm trying to see as much of the city as possible with my parents before that. We started out the day with Casa Mila, another apartment designed by Gaudi. The rooftop was breathtaking, and we took the audio tour through the inside that taught us a little about Spanish life in the early 1900's.
We grabbed a plate of paella, which was delicious, then we wandered down the to Las Ramblas to watch street performers, look at the fancy shops, and use drinking fountains that look like faucets. It was packed with people from all over the world, which was really neat. From there we went to the Gothic Quarter (only 1 block away, so not a strenuous trip) and saw a bunch of neat old buildings, Barcelona's only church, and lots of narrow streets.
"Barcelona's only church" was a joke, by the way. As we wandered through the Gothic Quarter, a trip that was a mere 3/4 mile long, we saw 4 different churches. The one in the picture is the Cathedral of Santa Eulalia, which is one of the biggest in the city.
From there we walked south to Mediterranean, which was full of sail boats and cruise ships, and had a monument to a wooden submarine. After goofing around in an FC Barcelona store, we walked back.
Barcelona is just a gorgeous city, and my pictures certainly don't do it justice. That definitely doesn't stop me from trying, though; I took about 250 pictures today. It seems like there is something cool around every corner. Tomorrow we're heading to the Sagrada Familia and Park Guell.
Best wishes to everybody stateside! And to Elissa, who is not.
The roof of Casa Mila; the statues are actually chimneys
We grabbed a plate of paella, which was delicious, then we wandered down the to Las Ramblas to watch street performers, look at the fancy shops, and use drinking fountains that look like faucets. It was packed with people from all over the world, which was really neat. From there we went to the Gothic Quarter (only 1 block away, so not a strenuous trip) and saw a bunch of neat old buildings, Barcelona's only church, and lots of narrow streets.
The Cathedral- Inside
The Cathedral- Outside
"Barcelona's only church" was a joke, by the way. As we wandered through the Gothic Quarter, a trip that was a mere 3/4 mile long, we saw 4 different churches. The one in the picture is the Cathedral of Santa Eulalia, which is one of the biggest in the city.
From there we walked south to Mediterranean, which was full of sail boats and cruise ships, and had a monument to a wooden submarine. After goofing around in an FC Barcelona store, we walked back.
Barcelona is just a gorgeous city, and my pictures certainly don't do it justice. That definitely doesn't stop me from trying, though; I took about 250 pictures today. It seems like there is something cool around every corner. Tomorrow we're heading to the Sagrada Familia and Park Guell.
Best wishes to everybody stateside! And to Elissa, who is not.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Arrived and Survived!
I've made it to Barcelona! But first, how I got here...
The plane trip over was uneventful, I pretty much slept the entire time. My family and I arrived in London, where we had a 7 hour layover. Instead of hanging out at Heathrow, we decided to leave the airport and run a whirlwind tour through Hyde Park (felt like home, haha), Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Parliament, and Big Ben. We almost made it to Kings Cross; I figured since it was September 1st, there was no way that I couldn't run into a wizard. Ah well. Pictures are below!
The plane trip over was uneventful, I pretty much slept the entire time. My family and I arrived in London, where we had a 7 hour layover. Instead of hanging out at Heathrow, we decided to leave the airport and run a whirlwind tour through Hyde Park (felt like home, haha), Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Parliament, and Big Ben. We almost made it to Kings Cross; I figured since it was September 1st, there was no way that I couldn't run into a wizard. Ah well. Pictures are below!
Wellington Arch- near Hyde Park
Buckingham Palace
Front of Westminster Abbey
Big Ben!
We returned in a rush, but still had a little bit of time to stop for fish and chips. It actually was pretty good... we even tried the vinegar on the fries, which I had previously decided was disgusting, but was quite a bit better the second time around.
Then we boarded a plane for Barcelona, and took a taxi with a very friendly driver to our hotel. It was the first time I got to use my Spanish in Spain, which was pretty thrilling. We dropped our stuff off, and went to grab dinner at a tapas bar. It was midnight, but the city was still bustling. I tried a bunch of new food, all of it delicious. The menus were all in Catalan, so we were kind of flying by the seat of our pants, but our waiter was really helpful. In fact, every person we've met here so far is incredibly nice. Our waiter seemed really excited about us being from Chicago, since that's where Obama is from. Apparently he's a big hit here :)
Down the street from our hotel is a Gaudi apartment called Casa Batllo, which we walked by on the way back from dinner. More pictures!
Spooky!
But very colorful. I'll have to post a daytime picture.
Tomorrow we plan on heading down checking out some more Gaudi apartments, strolling down Las Ramblas, and checking out the Gothic Quarter before relaxing on the beach.
Hopefully everybody is doing well at home! Miss you guys!
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Test Post
It's Sunday night, and I leave Tuesday. Hopefully I'll be able to use this blog to keep my friends and family updated on my trip to Barcelona; I'll be there for this fall semester.
Las Ramblas is a main street running through downtown Barcelona, and it separates the Gothic Quarter from the neighborhood of El Raval.
Las Ramblas is a main street running through downtown Barcelona, and it separates the Gothic Quarter from the neighborhood of El Raval.
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