Get Lost

Hello Friends,

I have spent most of my first week in Barcelona adjusting, but overall, I call it a success. I went on two organized trips with my Study Abroad group this week (Park Guell (which is ridiculously cool) and the Salvador Dali museum in Figueres (which is one of the most bizarre places I have ever been, but was still amazing)). (Yes, I know I am severely over-using parentheses, but I have to seperate these thoughts somehow). But the theme of this post is going to be the more random aspects of the last week and a half.

#1. In Toledo, there are tons of shops that sell Damascene art (http://www.lands-faraway.com/images/damascene-ex.jpg). Jim and I passed a very small store that was maybe 6 feet wide, and noticed that the little old man inside was actually working on a small plate right there in the store. We stopped and watched for a little bit and then ended up going inside. He showed us how he used all of his tools and what each of them were for. He had several of his patterns hanging on the wall, but near the bottom, there was a picture of him holding a fish. I asked him about it (in broken Spanish) and his eyes lit up! He walked over to one of his drawers and pulled out a fishing magazine. Even though we speak very little Spanish, and he spoke even less English, we talked with him for about 20 minutes. It was a really cool experience to communicate with someone so well, even with such a gap between us. I tend to like people who are really interested in at least one thing. This old man loves his art and he loves fishing. Just for that, he is okay in my book.

#2. A couple of days ago, I was wandering around an unfamiliar part of the city and ended up finding La Pedrera, which is a building designed by Antoni Gaudi and is one of Barcelona's most famous landmarks. I then developed a theory that this city is so full of great things that I should be able to go just about anywhere and find something interesting. Today, I proved myself right. I took the metro to Plaza Catalunya (one of the bigger town squares, lots of stores and stuff) only to find that everything shuts down on Sundays. I knew this was true of most small shops and restaurants, but apparently EVERYTHING closes... well, except McDonald's, but I'm going to try my best not to step into one of those unless I need a good laugh (they have a McPollo. hehe.). I spent 20 minutes trying to find a place to get a cup of coffee. I ended up wandering around for, oh... about 6 hours. In the process I found the following:

-The Center of Contemporary Culture of Barcelona. They had a very interesting and very well put together exhibit about the expansion and modernization of Barcelona in the late 19th century. I think this place was a good find. Hopefully they'll have more cool exhibits come through before I leave.

- Casa Batllo. Another of Gaudi's amazing buildings. If you are not familiar with any of Gaudi's work, then Google it or something. He was a genius... and was decades ahead of his time.

-The Thinker (http://library.thinkquest.org/07aug/00137/philosophy_files/the_thinker.jpg)

I was walking down a string of streets known as Las Ramblas and came upon sign promoting "Arte en la Calle" or "Art in the Street". Auguste Rodin was the featured artist. I knew I had heard this name before but I wasn't sure why. I walked past 7 or 8 bronze statues and when I got to the last one, I realized why I had heard the name. All of these statues, including The Thinker, are normally housed at the Rodin museum in Paris, but they brought them to Barcelona where they will be displayed on Las Ramblas until early February. Finding one of the most famous statues in the world was definitely one of the more surprising parts of my walk.

When it started getting dark, I decided I should probably find a Metro stop and head home. When I got to one, I realized I was only one stop away from the apartment, so I decided to end my journey the right way and walk the rest of the way home. I asked for directions in Spanish and actually understood most of the response. He said that it was a little far, but if I walk down Avenguida Diagonal, I would see a monument and that's where I should turn. I only knew the general direction I was supposed to be heading, but when I realized where I was, I was standing at the door to my apartment building. It was a good ending to a good day. I posted this on Facebook earlier, but I think I am going to try to get lost every Sunday. It will be a good way to familiarize myself with different parts of the city, and also to discover things or places I might not have looked into otherwise. But now I need to get some rest. I keep forgetting that I am actually here to go to school :/

Talk to you soon,

LC

First days in Spain...

Hello Friends,

After 20+ hours of travel, sitting in airports, and waiting in hotel lobbies, I finally arrived at my hotel room in Madrid on Thursday afternoon. Our first day there, Jim (roomie) and I walked a couple of blocks to a park called "El Parque del Retiro". Not many of the students in our group visited... or really even knew about El Retiro, but it was on of my favorite things I have seen so far. It was built for Spanish royalty in the 1600s and has several beautiful statues and monuments scattered throughout. The second day of the trip, we visited El Museo del Prado and the Reina Sofia. I had never been to a legitimate art museum before, but they were both awesome. We were only able to stay in each museum for about 2 hours, so we didn't get to see much. But instead of just running us through and showing us as many paintings as possible, our tour guides showed us lots of paintings by just a few artists, which I really enjoyed.

Day three took us to Toledo. I don't even want to try to explain this city. It's something you only see pictures and movies, but don't ever think about it actually still existing. Here is a link. Its just what comes up when you Google "Toledo Spain" and click on "Images" http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=toledo%20spain&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

We arrived in Barcelona last night around 7 or 8 o'clock. Our new Spanish mom, Chelo (short for Consuelo) picked us up and drove us to her apartment. Its in a nice neighborhood that is less than a mile from La Sagrada Familia (which I'm sure I'll write about later) and only a 20 minute walk or a 5 minute subway ride to the school I'll be attending. We have a really sweet dog named Daisy and a crazy cat named Susu. Jim and I have to share a room, but we have been getting along great, so I think it will be fine. Chelo speaks less English than I do Spanish, and Jim speaks almost no Spanish, so most of the interpretation and translating duties fall on me. This thought is terrifying if you have ever heard me speak Spanish, but I think it will be good. I am really excited about the prospect of learning Spanish and I think this situation will only speed the process along.

The last few days have been a blur. We have been going and going and going, only stopping to eat... and to try out our terrible Spanish on unsuspecting members of the service industry. Tonight is the first night I have had time to sit and relax since I arrived in Spain. Now that the initial excitement has died down, I can really appreciate the opportunity at hand. As some of you know, I've worked harder to make this happen than anything else I have ever done. I can't wait to see what is going to happen in the months to come, and the effect it will have on the years to come. I would love to hear from everybody, so send me a facebook message or something of the like.

Also, pass this link along to people who may not see it on facebook. Thanks!

Talk to you soon,

LC

Pre-departure

Hello friends,

As many of you know, I am leaving for Spain in about a week. I will be living in Barcelona with an older Spanish couple, along with another American student from Colorado. I'm a little nervous about this situation. I have lived with my brother for the last few years, but I have always had my own room, my own bathroom, and have not really anybody to answer to but myself. I'm sure it will all be fine, but it will probably take a while to get used to. I'll be taking 15 hours of classes (9 hrs of Business classes, 6 hrs of Spanish) at a school called Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona ("Autonomous University of Barcelona" in English).

Something a lot of people don't know about Barcelona is that its in a region of Spain where a language called Catalan is widely spoken. It has similarities to Spanish, French, and Italian. Other than that, I know very little about it. Haha. Spanish is still widely spoken in Barcelona, but most street signs and storefronts are in Catalan. So, not only will I be quite confused a majority of the time, but I'll be confused in two languages.... Awesome... It will be an adventure.

I would like to keep in touch with as many people as will have it, so I will try to update this fairly often. Come find me before I leave!

Talk to you soon,

LC