This and That

La Comida

Have you ever craved a cheesy, greasy, bacony, monster-of-a-burger so badly that your mouth watered? Have you ever woken from a dream of a giant plate of your Grandma's perfectly fluffy, buttery mashed potatoes and a big mound of sauerkraut with hot dogs cooked so long the ends were split almost to the center? Well if you haven't, let me assure, just 3 weeks of the food in Barcelona will have you aching for all of your favorite dishes and even those for which you'd never particularly cared. Bread, olive oil and seafood -- if you're not crazy about all three these guys then Spain is not your place. While I've seen it in the States, dipping a roll into olive oil is VERY common in Spain. In fact, olive oil, as well as an endless supply of bread is available with every meal in the dining commons at our residence hall. A few things I've come to find with the cuisine? Let's see...

1. If you order fish at a restaurant, do not faint when they set down your plate and you look down at your meal and it's looking back at you. In Spain, fish entrees are served with head, bones, tail and all!



2. This is not the place for a vegetarian. Spaniards love their meat -- jabon, jabon, jabon (ham) is used in many of the dishes. Nothing like a little ham or pork to spice up your potatoes.

3. Your first experience with paella (a popular Spanish dish with rice or pasta and LOTS of seafood) can be traumatizing if you're not prepared. I love shrimp, but I'm not a huge fan of little baby squid tentacles and whole snail shells tossed into my pasta.

4. On the upside, after pondering over and struggling with a Spanish menu for quiet some time one of my first few days in Barcelona, I wandered upon a "bocadillo de queso." Recognizing "bocadillo" as sandwich and "queso" as cheese, I figured I couldn't go wrong with bread and cheese -- and I was right! I quickly discovered that bocadillos de queso are very popular here. They spread a little olive oil over the bread that is so famous, then squash tomato goo on top of that, and finally top it off with a few slices of delicious cheese. Sometimes it's served cold and sometimes it's served warm, but it never lets me down! When I'm feeling a little down or homesick, I've found myself craving a bocadillo de queso. I think it's taken the role of my Spanish comfort food.

5. When you're dining with the Dean and a few advisers of your Spanish program, I'd recommend being familiar with the dish before placing your order. Because when you think a nice, pink, juicy piece of salmon sounds delicious and the waiter sets a plate of raw, ham-marinated fish down in front of you, you're going to have to gulp hard, take a deep breath and chow down! I hope you like ham-fish bubble gum.



I have an agenda waiting for me when my plane lands back in the United States: sleep for 3 days and then feast for 4.

Las Discotecas!

I'll never forget that very first night, when we were still too excited to sleep and more than anxious to explore our new world, we put on one of the new outfits we'd crammed into our suitcases and headed out into this beautiful city to celebrate our safe arrival and the start of the experience of our lives. Having no destination, we stumbled upon a little underground jazz club and when I walked up to the bar and said, "una cerveza, por favor," I must say it was a strange feeling. Exciting in that I was having my first legal beer with one of my best friends and one with which I was about to start a semester-long friendship, but at the same time, somewhat saddening in that I wasn't celebrating my 21st birthday with all of my closest friends as we all dream about. All of the hype that surrounds the celebration of legality in the U.S. left when I boarded the plane in Philly and took off for Europe.



But if you're curious about a city with a reputation of housing some of the best nightlife in Europe, let me just say, it is nothing I could have ever fathomed. From multiple floors of the best dancing music and flashing lights, to electric violinists, to giant people painted to look like rhinoceroses and horned monsters, the clubs in Barcelona are a must to experience.









A few things:

1. Flats are out of the question. If you're not wearing stilettos, you're under-dressed.

2. You can kiss sleep goodbye. In Spain, the bars open at midnight and close at 2am -- just in time for the clubs to open and stay open until 6am. I've danced and laughed myself into exhaustion.

3. If you make friends with the biggest promoter in Barcelona, you will spend time in the V.I.P. section, complete with free champagne, chocolate covered strawberries and fireworks. You may even be given free access to the bar and personal invitations to birthday bashes!





All this talk of discotecas and dancing almost made me forget about the long day of classes I have tomorrow. Last week was the first week of immersing myself in a semester of Spanish classes. This past weekend we also had our first Spanish study trip to Madrid, Spain. So next time, I'll cover how my classes are treating me at an all-Spanish university and my big trip to Madrid! Hasta luego (see you later)!

Settling In and Some Sights!

It's hard to believe that just two weeks ago I was standing with my best friend in the Philadelphia Airport with our bags packed, passports in hand, ready to board a plane and embark on perhaps one of the most exciting, not to mention slightly daunting, experiences of our lives. I had so many questions: would I know enough Spanish to get by? Would I get homesick? Would I love my suit mates? Would I like the food? It took less than two weeks for me to find the answers to many of these questions.



Unable to sleep more than an hour on our flight from Philadelphia to Frankfurt, Germany and then to Barcelona, we gathered our luggage and maneuvered our way through the airport and to a long line of taxi drivers awaiting outside in the rainy, dismal Barcelona weather -- more than eager to take our bags. (I would quickly find that my ideas about the warm sun and hot beaches were slightly off, as it is the winter months in Barcelona -- cold and rainy.) We immediately put our Spanish to use when we gave directions to our new home and we immediately discovered that this would not be the first time we would struggle with communicating in a foreign country, with a foreign language.

Once we made it safely to our 2' x 12' dorm room (haha I'm probably exaggerating a little), we unpacked and decided to scope out a little of our neighborhood. With the rain coming down and the wind in our faces, we wandered aimlessly for a while before we realized we had no idea where we were going. I can't speak for Nicole, but I know that I immediately began to feel slightly discouraged and frustrated, questioning my decision to leave everything I know and love and throw myself into a new country and entirely different culture.



As the days passed, however, it began to look up. We hit it off with each and every one of the students on our floor and slowly (and let me emphasize slowly) but surely, we came to find our way around. Our first stop was La Corte Ingles, a gigantic, 7+ leveled department store comparable to the Macy's or Nordstrom you'd find in the city back home. It had EVERYTHING. So we got everything we needed, from tape, to fresh bed sheets, to a hair dryer. Imagine two, blonde, CLEARLY American girls shuffling through endless floors of everything imaginable asking directions in Spanish and paying with foreign currency. It was a sight to see, I'm sure.

The Sights!

As I'm a little slow getting this blog started, I'm going to touch upon all the sights we've seen thus far without going into too much detail. Our first stop? Park Guell -- a simply stunning display of work by artist Gaudi. An outdoor mosaic tile and landscape masterpiece, Park Guell is located in Montjuic, a mountain in Barcelona that provides some of the best views of the city. Looking back, it was my first real introduction to the architecture, artwork and beauty that this city has to offer and immediately sparked my desire for more.







Next up, Las Ramblas -- one of the most popular attractions in Barcelona. A long cobble street that offers everything from mobile pet shops, to memorabilia and trinkets, to roosters! The street ultimately leads to the ocean (a sight I still have yet to see!) and along the way houses performers who paint and dress themselves, remaining perfectly still -- allowing pictures only when you drop some change in their cans. Little shops and restaurants also line the street but perhaps the greatest of all is La Boqueria -- a giant market with meats, vegetables and fruits that look too big, ripe and colorful to be true!







As we soon found FC Barcelona soccer (or fubol) jerseys to be a popular item for sale on every street corner, we thought what better way to be a true resident of Barcelona than to go to a game! So we booked tickets for a game against Seville on Saturday, January 16. While it got off to a slow start (FC Barcelona scoring once in the first half), the game picked up in the second and ended with my new city taking the win 4-0. The stadium was breathtaking, and while we didn't have the best seats (I guess you would say the nosebleed section as Nicole actually got a nosebleed during the game) it was an amazing view. It was surreal to hear the chants and enthusiasm of the faithful fans, even with the rain coming down. I really began to feel a part of something, like I might belong here.





The next day we took a bus to tour La Catedral de Barcelona -- a powerful, historic cathedral in Barcelona. Upon entering, I immediately felt a humbling presence come over me. I noticed that as we toured the cathedral, we spoke very little to one another -- perhaps each of us was finding our own way to take in its splendor and beauty.







With SO much happening in such little time, I'm pretty exhausted, to say the least and, still adjusting to the time difference and change in lifestyle here. So, I'm going to say "hasta pronto" or "see you soon" for now and next time I'll cover the good, bad and the ugly of the Spanish cuisine, the "party don't stop" nightlife and even what a little culture shock and homesickness feels like.