Memorial Day en España

Happy Memorial Day to everyone in America. I have spent part of today reflecting on how great it is to be an American, even though I"m a few thousand miles away. Europe is great, but it is even better to be from the greatest nation on earth. Several of the people I know on the program, including my roommate, are wearing their patriotic clothing today.

This weekend was pretty busy. I realized that I didn't bring enough pants, so I spent a lot of time trying to get more. Not sure why this was difficult, but it was. Nonetheless, El Corte Ingles came to the rescue.

I was going to meet some friends Saturday night for a tour of some of Barcelona's nightlife. I was on time and thought I knew what metro stop to get off. However, it was actually on a different line and I was far from my destination. This resulted in me running back to the metro, then running to the bus so I could meet them. I made it, but barely. This definitely taught me that I need to determine my route on Google maps every time I am going somewhere new. I'm happy I made it because the tour was really fun.

I slept late on Sunday, but ventured out in the afternoon. We went to Gaudí's Casa Batlló. This is a really cool building not too far from Plaza Catalunya. It's much more than just your average building though, as it is modern even for today's standards. I have never been inside a building so unique and with so many details. Everything was thought out and had a purpose. Yesterday, we were talking about how so many aspects of this masterpiece were left open for interpretation. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera and phone when I visited Casa Batlló, but I've included a few pictures from the Internet. (This also taught me a lesson: take a camera [phone] everywhere)

Outside Casa Batlló
(Source: olympicwanderings.com)

Inside Casa Batlló. There are many sources of
natural lighting in the building
(Source: olympicwanderings.com)

It was dinnertime after Casa Batlló. Sadly, Walker Texas Ranger is only on Monday-Friday, so hopefully that will be on during dinner tonight. The food is different, but I like it. I've only had McDonalds once since being here...please don't judge me. I went to the Magic Fountain of Montjuïc with some friends after dinner. This was probably my favorite site so far. I can almost guarantee it's better than any fountain in Vegas. The water and lights are in sync with music most nights, bringing many visitors to Plaza España.

My Spanish is continuing to improve, so that is helping things. School is getting in swing too. I started my International Business class today and it looks like it will be fun. We're even taking a field trip to Casa Bacardi at the end of the semester.

UPDATE: Tonight at dinner I learned that it's customary to finish everything on your plate. I didn't want to eat my bread with cheese, tomato, and ham, so I get to eat that for breakfast tomorrow. Wish me luck.

Walker Texas Guardabosque

I don't have too long to write a post today, but I thought I'd share a few things.

Tonight at dinner, where we had healthier options than Wednesday. But the highlight was watching Walker Texas Ranger around the dinner table. It was humorous to watch Maria's reactions to the action taking place. I made sure to remind her that he is from Texas.

Being abroad, on my own somewhat, reminds me of going to camp as a kid. It's a different environment with a lot of different people, and I don't always know what to do. There are also different rules when you live in someone else's home in a totally different country. For example, energy conservation is a huge thing here.

Other than class and Walker Texas Ranger, my day consisted of seeing a few of the sights Barcelona has to offer. Here's a glimpse.

"Sunset" Cruise

If you're reading this post on michaelfaaron.com, then follow this link to start reading on Blogger. For some reason my website is having some problems with the blog.

Last night I went out with some friends, so I got a late start today. I guess I got lucky because my classes don't start until 1:00. I know people who have class at 9:00 am, so this is definitely a relief. I had Spanish for a couple of hours today, where we are working on some basic things like phrases to use in restaurants, stores, etc. I got lucky two semesters in a row because my Spanish teacher is extremely nice.

After Spanish I went to eat tapas for the first time. They were very good. I then ran back to my homestay to relax for a few minutes before leaving for the "sunset" cruise. I use quotation marks because the cruise was from 6-8, and ended long before sunset. Not to complain, but it was a bust for the following reasons:

• It was boring
• I got sea sick
• There was not free wine like the poster implied there would be
• We just went up and down the coast a few times

Rough Waters

Top level of the boat

Due to my sea sickness I went to the lower level of the boat. I ended up putting my head down on a table and fell asleep for a few minutes. Not only do I fall asleep in movies all the time, but I also tend to fall asleep on boats because the same thing happening when I visited the Statue of Liberty.

I went to a restaurant with some friends after the cruise and tried paella for the first time. Paella is a rice dish that many times consists of seafood. I stuck to chicken, and it was probably my favorite meal here so far.

That pretty much sums up my day. I probably won't be blogging everyday from this point on, but I'll be sure to update with the highlights.

First Full Day

Today was our first full day in Barcelona. It all began with two pieces of toast and Nutella. I then went to Corte de Ingles, which is basically a shopping mall. I went on the search for several things, including a house shoes (customary in Spain), water bottle, power adaptor, and a cell phone (the most important thing on that list). I was able to find the power adaptor, but not the others.

I then went to orientation for my Spanish class, which was boring and pointless. Later came lunch and then a trip to a different cell phone store, where I got a pretty good deal and this gem of a phone:

My phone for six weeks

Now, the good news is that I will only be using it to communicate with fellow students in Spain, and only when I don't have wifi to use my iPhone. In addition, I will only be using it for a few weeks. But come on, it doesn't even have a camera. Europe needs to step their game up in the cellphone world.

After a welcome reception on the terrace at IES Barcelona, where we ate sandwiches and had a glass of vino or two, I went back to Corte Ingles with a few friends. I then came home for dinner, which was the first time i tried Maria's cooking.  The food we ate was good, but different than typical American cuisine. The menu consisted of:

• Fried ham with cheese
• Toast
• French Fries
• Pasta with pesto
• Ice cream sandwiches.

If this is the type of dinner we eat every night then I will definitely need to take up running while here. Otherwise, I'll probably need a seatbelt extender on the flight home.

This is a great city with a lot to do. On that note, it's time to go check out the discoteca.

Welcome to Barcelona

I'm writing this post from my homestay. It's a little after midnight here and I've had a pretty full day.

The flight was smooth and I got 5-6 hours of sleep in (thanks to ZzzQuill). Dinner on board was gross, but breakfast was actually good. The flight was a little over nine hours from Miami and we arrived about 9:30 a.m. There were quite a few studentes in the same program as me on my flight, which made it easier to navigate around the airport once we arrived.

Rachel prepping her pillow for the flight

We underwent an orientation process after getting our bags. Then, I took a taxi with my roommate to our apartment. We aren't far from the city center in a pretty nice neighborhood with a lot of restaurants, a supermarket, etc.

Our house mother, Maria, is an older lady who seems really nice. She hardly knows any English, which is good because that will require me to learn more Spanish. She doesn't start cooking for us until tomorrow, so you'll have to wait and see how the food is.

After lunch and a siesta, I met my resident assistant, Miquel, who took me, along with my roommates and his three other residents, to the IES Center (where we will take classes) and showed us around a little bit. Out of all the Spanish cuisine for us to try, we decided to eat hamburgers. In Texas, there are many places to grab a good burger, so I'm a tough critic. The burger I ate tonight was different than the typical American burger, but it was really good.

Spanish Hamburger

Tomorrow we will begin the full orientation process, and I am planning on exploring the city some more. I'm interested to see how jet lagged I am considering I've hardly experienced any thus far.

Here's a look at some of the architecture.