Siempre Hay una Adventura

I am not visiting Spain, I am living here! Life has taken hold of its routines (homework, practicing, etc.), but even the quietest days contain adventures (this is true no matter where you live, as long as you remember that you have a mind). What´s been going on this week:

• School: On Monday I had my first exams in Art History and Geography. To all of you Americans reading this: Art History requires a lot of analysis of structures, materials, classifications, etc., and the class I am taking is the second year continuation of the class I did not (for obvious reasons) take last year. On a scale of 1 to 10, I came out with a 3. I refuse to feel bad about this. In Geography I had to take a 0 on the test (I feel a little bad, but it was definitely a good learning experience). Very little is given in the way of photocopies, and I probably should have realized when I went to take the physical Geography exam that I needed to bring my own blank maps (which are sold in una botiga en la Plaça Mayor). All in all, I´m working on my studies, but I´m still glad that I do not need spectacular marks this year. Wednsday was fiesta, meaning...

• BARCELONA!!!!!!  October 12th (Columbus Day) is a National Spanish Holiday, since Columbus is such an important figure in Spanish history. The Catalonians don´t identify strongly with this day (at heart they aren´t Spanish), but any day given off by the Government is a day taken. On Wednsday I toured parts of Barcelona with my host family. The day began with a visit to La Sagrada Familia (an amazing basilica designed by Gaudí) and was followed with a visit to La Plaza del Reys. An explanation: Barcino (ancient day Barcelona) was a city established in the first century. Everytime major construction takes place in Barcelona, chances are more ruins will be dug up of the ancient establishments of this era. It blows my mind that underneath the bustling modern streets are the streets that began with the very foundation of the city (as well as other foundational remains). I then witnessed one of the most incredible human acts ever: the Casteller. I am beyond words to describe it, which is why I´ve posted a video at the bottom of the page. Later in the afternoon, after experiencing tapas for the first time and learning that I like sardines, my host family took me for a walk through the streets of the old part of Barcelona (the part that contains streets established in the later Roman epoca and the 600 year old cathedrals, churches, and basilicas whose architecture is astounding). There is so much more to see of that city: I´m really glad I´ll be staying here a little bit longer!
• Cursos de Catalá! I have now begun my Catalán classes in Vic´s central linguistic center. Since all of the classes were full, I´m in the medium level two class. This is a trial for about three weeks; if it´s too difficult I´ll move down to level one. As it is, I´m studying up on some of the basics. I may not be able to speak very much Catalá by the end of this exchange, but I refuse to live in Catalunya for a year and not even try to understand this fundamental part of the culture. An explanation of the doors this class has opened for me mentally is an entry I will save for another day. As it is, I have now found my favorite street in the city, as well as a couple of really nice study bars (one that everyone knows as L´India, and the other which has no name). I have also continued to encounter many nice people during my walks and activities, and there are times when that reknowned American smile just can´t stay off my face.
 

             I have taken many pictures which will eventually work there way on here, and one day I´ll get around to writing the requested food entry. As it is, my life is continuing along in a way that I refuse to complain about.

Sidenote: If you´re ever in Catalunya this time of year, be sure to eat the castanyedas (a type of nut that is coal roasted). They´re amazing! Also, a good cure for just about anything (adventure lust, the need to exercise, etc) is to go ahead and take a walk. It´s something I´d recommend, even if you don´t have problems. There is always, always, ALWAYS an adventure to be had.

This is a video example of a Casteller. I´m sure I´ll explain more about this tradition in a later post.

 

Daily Adventures

For over one month now I have lived in the city of Vic. Within this short time, one month later, I have come to realize I have very little sense of time. I have a routine I follow for the most part, yet each day I am still learning new things, stumbling across new places, stumbling across a place I already found and lost, and overall taking in what's surrounding me inside and outside of the house.

My adventures this past week:

• Enrolling in a Catalán class which will begin next week.
• Taking up Pilates with Maria Carme (my host mom)
• Getting a library card (and informing the man at the front desk that the book he read which stated girls from Des Moines, IA are beautiful is correct)
• Doing my homework (Don Quijote has some strange adventures, math is relief, Art History is way over my head, and I now have a strange and slightly impulsive internal desire to study grammar)
• Meeting new people and meeting people again whose names I forgot, as well as just going about being friendly in general.
• Buying and ordering things in broken Spanish
• Going to a Discotech (no explanation)
• Falling in love with the shoes here even more
• Going through the process of getting (more!) identification to, yet again, work with the visa process.
• Learning that I cannot download certain items since they are not within Spain's domain

There's been a lot more going on, but these are the everyday sort of things that have been keeping me occupied. Four very nice girls are now helping me learn Catalán one day a week, and I´ve been keeping up with my cello. I've also been going on a lot of walks around Vic, and tomorrow I plan on seeing an exhibit of a local artist's work in the museum located above the library. I've had a couple of requests to write more about food, so you can guess what my next blog will be about :) I have a couple of exams coming up on Monday, so I should probably study ...

Sidenote: My ability to understand and/or speak in a foreign language varies day by day. Today was a bit more difficult. I still don't know if the feeling in my head is from translating or from something else altogether. I've gotten into the habit of now listening to a local Catalán station when I go walking with Stick. My first Rotary presentation is coming up on October 26th: first order of business, establishing that a vast majority of Americans are not representatives of NYC.