Coming back from Barcelona, I was jetlagged, craved so much food and I didn’t even know where to start talking about my experience. All I could say was, “It was AMAZING/AWESOME!” I used the words interchangeably, by the way.
BUT now, after being a bum for a week, I started my new internship at National Instruments (from now on it will be NI). Let me tell you, if this is a glance at the real world, its not too shabby. People are so relaxed here. NI really focuses on developing the culture of the company. The people you see walking around vary from being in jeans, t-shirts and flip-flops to dressy shoes, slacks and a nice, casual shirt. Pretty much holds the whole spectrum of people.
Ok, I’ll admit it. Before coming to Barcelona I could care less about fútbol or anything that dealt with it. I’m blaming it on the media for not putting much emphasis on the sport and on the lack of good teams in North America, BUT ever since I arrived I have been watching fútbol and I will be the first to tell you that… it is AWESOME!
EuroCup 2008 just finished and guess who won the championship? If you guessed Spain…..well my friends you were right!!
“Podemos!! Podemos!! Sí!!” (that was the Spaniards chant for the EuroCup. It was heard EVERYWHERE, T.V., radio, on signs, graffitti..everywhere. It was even placed on a Spanish flag at the bar)
España beat Germany in the finals and it was a sweet victory! First of all it was insane because Spain had not won a Cup since 1964 when they beat Russia and they had not had such a good team in like for ever long too. People, despite the fact that here in Barcelona there are A LOT of nationalist - meaning they oppose anything that deals with Cataluña (the territory that Barcelona belongs to) being a part of Spain) - were going nuts! We joined the festivities in Pl. España were people were climbing statutes, playing in the fountains, burning port-a-potties, chanting like maniacs (”Sí, sí la copa ya esta aquí,” “Soy Español, Español, Español,” and “Campeooones, Campeoooones” to say a few) and running/driving around with the Spain flag.
I cannot believe that I was here to experience history in the making! It was unbelieveable. Here are a few pictures of Sunday night´s festivities.
This is us sporting our Spain pride! (mine is blue because I’m wearing the Goal keepers jersey)
People getting rowdy and destructive.
They were suppose to look like if they were gonna kick a ball and I have my hands up to simulate catching the ball…Sam didn´t get it. haha.
I had promised myself that I would not fuss or complain about things that I missed from the States. I told myself that it was only gonna be 9 weeks and no need to be homesick because I have been away from home before (no biggie). I have enjoyed my time in Barcelona. I have adapted to their cultural norms ( at least I believe that I have), and I have adjusted to the lack of spices in the food, but this has gone a little too far. I need my drinks to be cold!!!!
Come on Spain! I understand the need to be energy efficient and what not, but would lowering the temperature in your refrigerators be a little too much to ask? Seriously! I once passed by this town in Indiana that their grocery store had no cold beers. All their beer was not in refrigerators like normal grocery stores do, and I thought that was bizarre. But here…everything (soda, juice, beer, liquor, wine, water, and MILK) is not kept cold! INSANE! I know. Ugh, I thought I could handle it (I have dealt with it for the past month), but temperature here in Barcelona is getting to be a little ridiculous and I don’t want to drink hot beverages!!!!
And you wonder why I’m so dark! Well because I’m at the beach trying to cool off!! And even then t hose people selling drinks on the beach don’t even have cold drinks..why? Because grocery stores don’t sell them that way!!
As I sit here in my living room, I have decided this blog will not match the consistency that the other blogs have had: tons of pictures. I have a few things in my mind that I would like to share.
Study Abroad. I used to think that it was this option that the “priveledged” could have. Something that those with money to spare, those who could not bare to have a boring, mediocre summer that consisted of work, dull-internships, partying with your friends (routine partying which consist of going over to the same person’s apartment with a six pack -or a 24 pack if you mean business-and talking about the same drama that has been happening between you and your ‘boy’/'girl’ for the past week) could not have and thus had to go ‘abroad’ somewhere to have a solid, three-month glorified summer. I was wrong. And for those of you out there that might feel the same way, don’t. As cliche as this might sound, the options are endles, you just need to look.
I am so glad that I chose to Study Abroad. Not for the “awesome” classes that my program offers, nor for the opportunity to have an internship in a foreign country (definitely adding to my already semi-solid resume), but for the cultural and social experience I have chosen to be given.
I am now 4 weeks and 4 days into my study abroad experience in Barcelona and I am a little sad that in another 4 weeks and 4 days I will have to return to the semi-routine, time-crunch, on-the-go, survival of the fittest type of lifestyle that our beloved America has bestowed upon our social lifestyle. I have become in-tune with the Barcelona way of doing things. The relaxed, do-things-at-your-own-pace type of lifestyle that I can already feel a slight resentment to America (don’t get me wrong I love being an American, but damn can we slow down just a bit?) It is slightly absurd to think that I will miss the people that I have met here (you are probably thinking “come on how good of a friendship - if you can even call it that - can you develop with people that you just met?”), but thats the thing. This is what makes this experience so worthwhile. The people.
We all come from all sorts of backgrounds. Half-German, Italian, Chineese, American, Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, and the list can go on and on (rather not) and with all sorts of life experiences that bring us here, to Barcelona, but are here for one main reason: to have fun. Of course, to attempt to define fun would be ridiculous because everyone has different definitions of fun (could range from getting completely hammered and not remember a damn thing or simply hanging out on the roof of your apartment), either way we all came here and will share this experience together. Years later, after this is all over, we can all reflect back on that time that we studied abroad in Barcelona, over the friends we made, the memories we shared and gossip over who “hooked up” with who (gossip is internatiional, drama follows it everywhere). But until then, I hope that those that bother to read this (or previous posts) have enjoyed the pictures so far and whatever I had to say. Tootles!!
Saturday Morning. Weather is shit and we cant go to the beach. Bummer I know. But for some reason walking in the rain seems way better than sitting inside. So we start our one hour walk to one of Gaudi’s unfinished works, (it has been in the “works” for about 120 years) La Sagrada Familia.
Close up Picture of the Cathedral’s center piece.
An attempt to take a full picture of the facade. In case you didnt know, a lot of his work is labeled to be of the Modernism era.
The detail is awesome!
We weren’t the only crazy ones walking around in the rain. Even that doesn’t stop people from going to look at this.
La Plaza de los Toros. So they still have the Run of the Bulls. Typically its held in another city but BCN has its very own in July. I’ll let you know later how that goes.
I tried to sneak in through the open gates thinking no one was out there charging people, but this grumpy old man caught me.
After orientation was done with, IES planned out an entire weekend trip to Tarragona and Valencia. Amazing! Tarragona used to be the ¨capitol¨to Rome in the oooooollddd days…and Valencia used to be its own ¨provincia¨and part of the Corona de Aragon back in the days. So as you can imagine a ton of old, beautiful buildings and believe it or not new, modern ones too (thanks to the skilled architect by the name of Santiago Calatrava who created three super cool buildings..pictures below).
The Opera building (below)
There is an Imax inside that! ( below)
Queen Sofia was there watching an Opera…we just got to see the firework show afterwards. Read the rest of this entry »
I´m at work so I´ll make this fast. First night out in BCN. SHOKO LOUNGE. Below is a picture of my flat mates and I along with some randoms trying to get into the picture.
Carlotta, Katy, (random girl) Me, Kelsey, Erika, Laura
Shoko was full of techno music, random people dressed in costumes (space man, edward scissor hands and a creepy monster), and sweet set up. Red couches overlooking the beach front and other cool looking furniture. Drinks are ubber expensive so couldn¨t tell you if they make a mean sangria. sorry dudes!
Talk about jet lag…10 hour flight to London (left at 4:30 p.m.)…three hour lay over and a two hour flight to Barcelona and I get here at 2:30 p.m. with a two hour nap on the plane!!!
(thats the first picture I took once i exited the plane in the Barcelona Airport) Yeah! SUPER tired…but I refused to take a nap when I got here. My apartment is Awesome! here are a few pictures of where I stay.
So this is the cool, antique elevator that by BCN´ian law cannot be removed from the apartment, I take to go up to my apartment.
This is the view of the entrance to my apartment.
This is my room (sorry it´s messy but I only had my sheet and no covers at the time).
This is where I hang my clothes to dry because the majority of BCN has no dryers! (super electricity efficient people).
And this is my kitchen!
I have three other roomates and share the floor with four other girls, so technically we live in a flat. I have my own bathroom (ok its shared with my other roomate but still) and a beauitiful view of the (near) downtown area of Barcelona (below is the picture from my apt´s rooftop at night..obviously).
Hanging out on the roof.
I´m about 25 minutes from DT and there are cafes everywhere. Well I´m gonna go enjoy the nice weather outside and meet some nice locals (a lot of tourist so it´s a little hard to distinguish), and I´ll let you know how that goes. Until then, bon dia! <— thats Catalan for Buenos Dias!
For those of you that do not know, I will be leaving to Barcelona for two months starting May 18, 2008. I started writing a blog for my class and decided to create a new blog to keep my friends and family updated on my trip.
Yesterday morning my best friend Ashley graduated from the University of Texas with a Marketing Degree! Woo! Congratulations!
After her graduation we met up with her and her family at her apartment where we waited on some home styled hamburgers and hot dogs….mmmmm! Delicious! While we waited I gave her her present…a video of her years at UT a long with commentary from her closest friends. She loved it! Which made me feel accomplished, and well special because my gift was better than anyone else’s (lol DUH!!). After stuffing my face and doing a toast with some Moet Champagne (courtesy of Monther) I was pooped! (going out the night before until 3:30 a.m. and waking up at 6:30 a.m NO BUENO!). NAP TIME!!!
For dinner, we ate at Hula Hut with Jen, Jessica, Monther and Thalia. Like always, the food was AWESOME and eating next to the lake during a nice summer night…spectacular! Next stop…DOWNTOWN!!
Except, I had to wait for my family to drive into Austin for like an hour after they said they would get here! What made it bearable was driving my friends VIPER, super cool car! Once they got into town, I quickly rushed to SIXTH street where i met the rest of the 100 and some graduates and friends of graduates and friends of friends of graduates etc….in other words SIXTH street was PACKED!!! OMG it took me forever to find parking! Good thing I walk fast that in no time I was at the bar with my friends. Considering that I had to wake up to pack up my stuff and move out I decided not to drink and play it safe (also I was still tired from Thursday night).
Early this morning, I woke up and starting packing, moving and cleaning. Grrrr! My least favorite thing to do but it had to be done because I leave to BARCELONA, SPAIN tomorrow morning! Insane I know. But I’m super stoked about going for two months! Woooooo!
I leave tomorrow (Sunday 5-18-08 ) at 4:25 p.m. I’ll get there on Monday at 7:55 a.m., meaning that when I get there most of you guys will be out partying and just getting out of the bars! So Cheers! Until then. I’ll try to keep you guys updated.
