Category Archives: Spain

Museums, Euro Cup, and Mass Celebration on the Streets!

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People out on the streets celebrating Spain’s victory against Italy in the Euro Cup finals.

Post for July 2, 2012

Yesterday was such an amazing day! It all started with a morning talk during breakfast with my host family. I asked them what they recommended I should go out and do because I pretty much had a free day. My host mom generously sat down to make a list of things to go out and see in Barcelona when she remembered that the first Sunday of every month is when most museums have free admission to everyone who goes. I made a few calls and less than two hours later Yianni, Lauren, Arti, Michelle, Kelli, and I were meeting up near the Cosmo Caixa museum of science. Others met up with us later because we spent like three and a half hours there looking at all the exhibits and animals. I definitely had a great time, but that was only the beginning to the “amazing day”. After the visit to the museum most of us were hungry so we went back to Michelle, and Arti’s apartment to get some food and rest a little bit before going out again for Spain’s soccer game against Italy. It was the final game for the Euro Cup between Italy and Spain, and our plan was to go to a sports bar and watch it with several other people from our program. We had a very difficult time finding a place where we’d all fit to watch the game and we even missed a part of it but eventually we found one with two floors and huge projector screens where everyone could watch the game. It was an incredibly fun game to watch because Spain won four to zero against Italy and everyone went nuts after every goal. After the game we went outside into this small plaza filled with cheering people singing and waving flags everywhere. Some people were jumping in and climbing on the fountain in the center and it looked like so much fun that we decided to join in. As we continued to move on to “Las Ramblas” (Barcelona’s main streets) we encountered even bigger masses of people climbing everything in sight and making lots of noise. Everyone was celebrating Spain’s victory. After a while of watching all of that craziness we decided to go into a bar to get a few drinks and “dance” but the place was quite lonely when we first arrived. Eventually there were a few other groups that we tried to mingle with. This was one of my favorite parts of the night because I met people from Australia, Holland, Switzerland, Mexico, and southern Spain. I got to practice some French and have a good time with random people who’s names I do not remember already. We also had quite the adventure trying to find our ways back home after leaving the bar and tried to watch over a few of the girls with us who had more to drink than they could handle.

I think I finally made it back home around four in the morning and got a few hours of sleep before waking up this morning at 8:30am and leaving for my first day of school here at 9am. I made it through the whole day without ever falling asleep! It was an easy day anyways since we just went over the syllabus and introduced ourselves to the professors. After school I went back home and rested for a little bit and then went to the beach with Christal. I swam in the ocean for a bit while Christal and Taylor laid in the sun. Now I’m home and ready for dinner. I also hope to meet my new host brother who I may be sharing a room with. He arrived yesterday and is temporarily living in the other spare room but eventually there will be two girls coming from India who will be living in that room. I can’t wait to meet them.

Sincerely,

Jose

“To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” – Bill Bryson

New Friends, Amazing Beach, Narrow Streets, and Delicious Food

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Amazingly delicious!

Post for Friday June 29 , 2012

Today was amazing! I love Barcelona so much already and I haven’t even been here for 2 days yet. Today I was reminded of the quote “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” because all of the amazingly delicious food we ate and saw has definitely made it’s way to my heart. I LOVE IT! I started off the day by meeting up with everyone in my program at our school and then we went to a place called “Barceloneta” which is by the beach. We walked around for a bit examining the  narrow streets and the architecture of the local homes and then we visited a nearby market with delicious looking fresh foods like seafood, meats, vegetables, and colorful fruits. I already have so many pictures from today that I will probably have to upload more separate from this post. While we spent some time walking by the beach I started to learn some new names and I made a few more friends. The best part of today was our lunch. We had an interesting salad, fried calamari rings with lemon, tiny fried and salted calamari, paella, pan con tomate, and flan for dessert. I thought I was in heaven because all of the food was delicious. This was actually the first time I had tried of any of these foods except for the flan and I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it. After lunch several others went to swim in the beach but I had not came prepared for that so my new friend Christal and I walked along the shore and explored parts of the city until we found a place where we could buy a cheap phone to use while we are here. Luckily we did find a place and now we can call and text our new friends which makes things a lot easier when we want to go out together.

Later Christal, her roommate Shelby, and I met up again near the port and explored the streets near the port. We had dinner outside a small restaurant as the sun was setting and we had our first glasses of Sangria in Spain. I also had some delicious shrimp spaghetti. After that we walked through a mall near the shipping dock and we stumbled upon a very fancy McDonalds that offers a much nicer dessert menu here. Eventually we turned back and stopped to look at some cool “pirate” ships. It was one great day. I am beyond satisfied with my first two days here that I cannot wait to see what else Barcelona has in store for me. I feel like I have been here for much more than two days too. I feel as if I have lived here for about a week now. Isn’t that strange?

Sincerely,

Jose

“I like to travel. I love touring, I love playing.” – Lita Ford

“I was always very determined and ambitious, and I knew I would do something that would let me travel and stuff, but I didn’t really know what I would do to get there.” – Rachel Stevens

I Made It Alive!

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I liked this view as we made our landing for my layover in Brussels, Belgium.

Post for Thursday June 28, 2012

Yesterday I left my home in Salem, Oregon at 5am with my dad to catch my flight from Portland to Philadelphia at 8:15am. I could hardly sleep with the anticipation of my flight and some nervous worries. I kept thinking about all the little things that could go wrong with my layovers or my luggage getting lost. I was also excited yet nervous to meet my home-stay family. Once my dad and I got to the Portland airport, everything went pretty smoothly. I got a window seat on my flight to Philadelphia and I sat next to a girl who was studying to be a biologist. I felt somewhat embarrassed towards the end of our flight because I suddenly started to feel nauseous. I was sweating heavily, I felt thirsty and started to get a headache and I almost vomited into the bag in the seat in front of me. I kept apologizing to the girl next to me. This was my least favorite of my three flights because, although it was not the longest, it was an uncomfortable flight and I do not know why I felt sick at the end. At the Philadelphia airport I got some delicious Chinese food without knowing that my flight to Brussels, Belgium would serve a meal. This was a much better flight because they gave us small pillows and I could sleep better even though it was my longest flight. I took a few pictures on my flights that I will post to share.

One thing I was disappointed in myself for was that I did not try any cheese-steak in Philadelphia, nor chocolate in Belgium. I completely forgot to get some. That’s okay though because I was just happy to make it to Barcelona without any issues. Once I arrived to the Barcelona Airport it took me some time to find my program mentors, but as soon as I did they gave me a map, and several other forms with information on where to go and what to do for the next three days. Once another student in my program showed up we took a taxi together to our homestays. The taxi could not stop in front of my building so it dropped me off at the end of the street and I was alone to find my way from there. I felt quite intimidated by my strange surroundings and uncomfortable as I looked for an unfamiliar building and apartment number. I found the right building and I knew I was supposed to go up the elevator to SA 2 which is the top floor but I mistakenly went to A 2 thinking I was at the right place so I awkwardly knocked on the door waiting for a response from a woman named Lety. I waited and knocked again several times but no one answered. I decided I would just wait since I was about 15 minutes early and perhaps they were home yet. Soon after an old lady with a little girl showed up and stared at me strangely as I asked the old lady if she was Lety. The old lady asked me which apartment I was looking for when I told her I was looking for Lety from SA 2 and she smiled and told me I was on the wrong floor and she kindly guided me upstairs to the last floor where we could here a radio from inside of the apartment I am now staying in. Apparently the radio is only turned on when no one is home so once again I waited outside the door until my host family arrived.

Lety and her two boys came out of the elevator and were surprised to see me outside of their apartment but quickly realized who I was and promptly introduced themselves and led me to my room. I could not quite remember what the names of the kids were because I remember thinking they were very unusual names. My host mom left me to unpack and settle into the room and told me that if I had any question I should feel free to ask her. Lety also gave me a set of their house keys so that I could come and go as I please and only asked that I please let her know when I was going to be home for dinner and when I wouldn’t be. I really liked this because I feared that my host family would be strict and limiting. After just two hours of being in my homestay I had to make my way towards an orientation at my school so I took my map and made my way to a (fairly distant) metro station. It was a scorching hot and humid day so I was quite sweaty once I finally made it to school. Our orientation was kind of boring but afterwards we went out to the main Plaza of Barcelona called Plaza Catalunya and we got some ice-cream. There I made my first friends Yianni, Arti, and Michelle and we walked down “Las Ramblas” towards the port by ourselves since everyone else wanted to go back home and rest. We were too eager to see Barcelona. Unfortunately I did not have my camera with me so I could not take any pictures but we had a long walk around the port and we got to see some pretty cool buildings and ships. Eventually I found my way home and I am glad to be back in my apartment to get some rest, although I am not sure how well I will sleep with all this heat in my room. I have opened my window but there is no air coming in our out so I feel like I’m in a sauna. Either way I am so excited and happy to finally be in Barcelona.

Sincerely,

Jose

“Just to travel is rather boring, but to travel with a purpose is educational and exciting.” – Sergeant Shriver

“When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.” – Clifton Paul Fadiman

Is This Real Life?

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It’s not the greatest, but I like it.

Post for Tuesday June 26, 2012

I cannot believe I leave for Spain tomorrow. So much has happened the past two weeks that I have not put as much thought to this as I think I normally would. Less than two weeks ago I finished my Spring term finals and my sophomore year of college, I said my goodbyes to my residents and friends, and I moved back home with my family. I have been spending some time preparing for my departure by doing things like getting cash Euros, doing some last minute shopping, and packing. My mom and my brother just left to Mexico four days ago and I am sad I will not be able to go with them. Before they left I asked to take a family picture just because we had not taken one in an extremely long time. It’s not the greatest picture because we took it just as we were on our way out to the airport, but I like it.

Yesterday I got an e-mail that described what my home stay will be like. The e-mail said I will stay in an apartmetnt with a large terrace right around the corner from Camp Nou (Barcelona’s Soccer stadium). It also said my host family has two boys, one three-year-old, and one seven-year-old. I am anxious to meet them and see the apartment, but I’m also very nervous because I hope they like me and I like them. Although I have been on several flights to Mexico in the past, I am scared I might get sick on the planes since I have never had such long flights. I do not know how well I will do with three long back-to-back flights. I hope I do not get sick though. I am almost done packing but I am not sure if I should take more because I was told to pack light but there is still a lot of space/weight left available and I feel like I should take advantage of that. I have learned that Barcelona is supposed to be pretty warm in July so I am taking a lot of shorts. My first flight is tomorrow morning at 8am, so my dad and I will be headed for the Portland Airport at 5am! I just want to make sure I don’t miss my flight though.

Besides my small fears and nerves, I am extremely excited to finally make this dream of mine come true. I have been hoping to travel overseas, to southern Europe in particular, for as long as I can remember. I know this will be a worthwhile experience and I cannot wait to share more about it.

– Jose

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine

Pre Departure

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Hola!

I’m so excited to go to Spain! My friends are throwing me a going away party at the Rogue hop farm and brewery in Independence. The party is going to be three days before I leave, so probably really emotional but I’m sure a good time. I know I’ll cry when I finally do have to say goodbye to my friends and especially my family. Not because I’m sad that I’m leaving, but because I’m going to miss them. Although, the whole point of this trip is for me to experience something new (in my case going to Europe for the first time,) make friends, and of course LEARN SPANISH! I’m excited to meet the rest of the students in the AHA program and to meet my host family. So far, I know that the mother is a widow who has three daughters and a cat. One of the daughters still lives at home because it is customary in Spain to live at home until one gets married.

Before I head to Spain, I will be going to Holland for four days. Why you might ask? Because I am going to go visit some very dear family friends of ours named Martijn and Patricia. Martijn was my grandparents’ exchange student back in 1989. Upon his stay in the U.S. he became very close with our family and ever since he graduated high school he and his long-time girlfriend Patricia have come back to visit us every few years! However, the peculiar thing is, is that no one in my family has every traveled to Holland to visit them! I am going to be the first one! I have already sent Martijn a list of interesting places I’d like to see. Once I get over there it will depend on he and Patricia’s work schedule, but, if I know Martijn, he’ll show me a great time! I also recently received an email from him asking me to please bring some of my grandma’s WORLD FAMOUS cookies and also I duck antenna topper for the Mini Cooper they just bought! Naturally those two item will be in my carry-on bag for safe keeping.

My plan is to fly to Amsterdam, visit Martijn and Patricia, fly to Barcelona and have a seven hour layover (yuck,) and finally fly to Oviedo!

Ciao for now!

Back in the USA

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I’ve been home for a week now and it’s been really nice in a lot of ways – but I’m starting to miss my adventures.

Getting home has been a lot easier than arriving in Spain. I really struggled with jet lag in Barcelona, a lot more than most people. It didn’t help that I had to adjust to a new place and culture, use a foreign language, and start a new job the day after I got there. It was all just too much for me to handle all at once. If I had known how much of a problem I’d have with jet lag, I would have gotten there a few days early so I’d have time to adjust before I started work.

I felt like this, basically.

In Oregon, everything is already familiar, so I don’t have the same problems adjusting or dealing with culture shock. I’ve also heard that you recover from jet lag faster when you travel west. Even still, I slept for 12 hours straight after I got back, and then kept accidentally falling asleep on the couch.

There were a lot of things I’m glad to have back: my family and friends, peanut butter, TV, being able to go outside without getting sunburned, the clothes I didn’t bring with me, my cat, texting, Pandora, speaking English, American money, etc.

Unlike American coins, Euro coins are good for more than change and parking meters, so you have to carry them around.

But I really, really miss the metro. It was so fast and convenient. Driving is fine, but I have to deal with things like finding a parking space. The public transportation system in Corvallis is fine, but not nearly as good.

There also aren’t as many places to go, or as much stuff within walking distance. I got used to having a grocery store right down the street. I never really thought of myself as being a big city person before, but now I miss being in a city. Maybe a trip to Portland is in order?

I had to leave as soon as I learned to ride the metro without clinging to the bars for dear life.

I’ve been through a lot of emotions over the past few days: happiness, sadness, emptiness, relief, frustration, exhaustion, restlessness. I want to be home but at the same time, I don’t want to be. It’s complicated and I’m not exactly sure how to put it into words.

All I know is, going to Barcelona was a great experience and I learned a lot from it. I hope I get the chance to travel again sometime soon! There are so many places I want to see, and not nearly enough time (or money) to visit them all!

First: Spain. Next: the entire world.

This is my last post here. It’s been nice sharing my thoughts and photos on the blog and reading about other people’s experiences. Safe travels!

Cicely

Due to problems…

Aside

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Due to problems with the internet in my apartment building, I wasn’t able to post during my last week in Spain, so here I am back in America.

My last week in Oviedo I attended a futbol game, and saw Real Oviedo play Real Madrid.

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Even though Oviedo lost 4-0, it was a great experience to cheer on my town. The other Oviedo fans were exuberant even when Madrid scored, singing, clapping, and waving flags. Although I’m usually not much of a sports fan, I enjoyed the game, and I felt a sense of belonging supporting Oviedo; even though I lived there for only a few weeks, it began to feel like home to me.

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I spent my last day there saying goodbye to the town by taking in for the last time some of the sights I had grown accustomed to seeing every day. I visited the open air market, and a couple of my favorite parks, and admired some of the plazas, fountains, and statues that can be found all around Oviedo.

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I didn’t expect to experience much culture shock upon arriving back in the US, but I did expect everything to feel very easy. I expected it to feel strange to go about everyday life with such ease; being able to speak English, and understanding cultural expectations.

While at first it was a little disconcerting to have everyone speak English, in general it hasn’t felt like much of an adjustment. Even in the short time that I was in Spain, I got used to how things are done there, and I was very comfortable, so being in the US does not feel “easy” by comparison the way I expected it to. I haven’t experienced much culture shock, but I have had a couple small instances of it. On my first day home I went out to dinner with family and I was surprised for a second when the waiter brought the check without being asked. In Spain it is considered rude to bring the check before it is asked for, and I am used to staying in a restaurants for much more time than we do here. However, in general my transition back has been pretty smooth.

Annelise

Adios, Barcelona

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Good morning – or good evening, depending on where you are. Although “morning” is a bit of a stretch, since it’s 3:45 am right now and still dark out. I woke up at 3 and couldn’t fall back asleep because I was too excited! I love Barcelona and hope to come back someday, but I’m not sad about leaving. I saw lots of places, tried new things, made friends, and used my time well. I’m ready to go home, with lots of good memories and no regrets.

Besides, there’s peanut butter at home.

And I miss my cat.

Before I left, my ideas about Barcelona weren’t inaccurate, but they were incomplete. For example, I knew that Catalan was widely spoken, but I didn’t know how proud many people here are of Catalan and their roots. I’ve learned a lot from living in Spain that I don’t think I could learn from a book.

However, I wish I could have interacted with more Spanish people. I did get to talk to people a little at work, and sometimes I made smalltalk with cashiers and waiters, but I didn’t really get to know anyone who lives here. I didn’t know how to meet people. That is, I didn’t know how to meet people safely. Plenty of people approached me, but they were almost always a) trying to pickpocket, b) asking for directions and possibly also trying to pickpocket, c) creepily hitting on me, or d) trying to sell me stuff.

There are a lot of things I love about Barcelona that I’m going to miss:

The architecture

The ancient buildings in el Gotic, which are older than any buildings in the United States

The Metro! It’s so convenient. I never had to worry about finding a parking space.

The food, the diversity, the history…Barcelona is a beautiful city and I’m glad I got the chance to live here, even if it was only for a month.

– Cicely

The Last Week

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Hola,

Tomorrow is my last day in Barcelona – my last chance to see new things and re-visit favorite places. It’s weird to think that this might be my last day here ever. I’d like to come back someday, but I feel like the next time I get the opportunity to travel, I’d rather to somewhere I haven’t already been.

This week has been mostly about checking as many things off my to-do list as possible. I didn’t do everything I wanted to do, but I’m okay with that because it was a really long list. I kept adding stuff to it, more than I could really do in a month. But I did get to check a lot of things off! Like going back to the Cathedral and not getting turned away.

This week I’ve been trying to visit different neighborhoods. I like seeing the similarities and differences between them. For example, Poble Sec has pretty typical buildings and layout, but it’s unique because it has an old air raid shelter and it’s really into theater. I love how every neighborhood here has its own history, traditions, and personality.

Poble Sec

I have also been doing some souvenir shopping and getting gifts for my family and friends. I’m glad I left plenty of room in my suitcase. Earlier today I went shopping on La Rambla. I’ve been there before, but I didn’t get to have a good look around. There are a ton of booths down the street, mostly flowers, which is what the section I was on is famous for. There are also lots of little side streets with all kinds of stores.

A huge market just off La Rambla. Oh, and a Dunkin Doughnuts.

I also stumbled across a cool mural while I was exploring (getting lost in) La Rambla.

It’s of the Cathedral, I believe.

My internship is finished now. As much as I would have loved to just explore Barcelona all day, I did come to enjoy working at the clinic. I was the translator, receptionist, and tech support all in one. I feel like I was doing genuinely important and useful work, not making coffee or doing busywork. My boss, who is really nice, wrote me a letter of recommendation in addition to the WOU employer evaluation form, and she also gave me a gift basket of beauty supplies. The people who work there are so nice. I wish them the best.

I’ll be posting again tomorrow night with my thoughts on returning home. Hasta luego,

Cicely

Almost Time to Leave….

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I can´t believe that I am leaving next week. I´m shocked that it´s been three whole weeks already but at the same time it feels like I´ve been here forever. I´ve become so used to my routine here already, and it´s strange to think that in eight days I will be leaving.

There are still some things that I find difficult or haven´t adjusted to, but for the main part I feel very comfortable here. I know my way around the city, and I even have a favorite grocery store. I still sometimes struggle when people speak Spanish too quickly to me, but even when I don´t quite understand someone, I can figure out what they mean through societal context.

Last weekend I went with a group of people from my program to Portugal. Being there made me realize how well I have adjusted to life here. In Portugal I constantly had to stop to try to figure things out, and it made me realize that I no longer do that here. I remember the first time I went grocery shopping here and I didn´t know that I had to weigh the fruit I bought before I took it to the checker, but now it´s second nature and I was surprised when I didn´t have to do the same in Portugal.

In such a short time I have become so accustomed to life here. The first couple times I saw the cathedral I was totally amazed by it, but now I walk past it every day without giving it a second thought. I still admire it, but it no longer seems strange to live next to something so old and beautiful.

I will try not to take things for granted in my last week here. I´m glad that I have been able to adjust so well, but at the same time it is important for me to notice how different it is here for me to fully appreciate it.

Annelise