22 years and still kicking...

Celebrating birthdays abroad are never the easiest thing to do, but some how they end up incredible!

Thanks for all the birthday wishes, adventures and dinners!

La Mercè 2010

I have been doing awful with blogging. The plan was to use this as my journal as well, but I guess I am slacking...or am I. I mean, how many times can I write about my week of classes, great food and adventures with friends.

Since my last post, everything has been going really well. Life at home with Juana is incredible and my time in Barcelona has been very enjoyable. I must say though, this past weekend was a huge highlight. Every year at this time, the city of Barcelona celebrates La Mercè. This annual grand festival has been a tradition since 1871 and is still an incredible event. 1.4 million people participated in the weekend's activities. Thanks to my neighbor Eira, I was set up with a program and knew exactly which events I need to attend....without the trust advice, we would have missed some of the most spectacular events I have ever seen...and that says a lot....but hey, it was my birthday weekend, so I was ecstatic it went to well.

After class on Thursday, the fun began which turned out to be a weekend full of light nights and good times! Thursday was an incredible day to kick of the events. First a group of us went to the historical wine, cheese and meet tasting that has been held during Merce for years with hopes of promoting Cataluna's businesses. The day only continued with a visit to my dear friend Paula. Paula and I studied at Temple together down in Philly, but lives in Barcelona. She had invited myself and another friend over for dinner and to catch up. It felt so good to see her again, and to be able to enjoy the first night of the festival with a local. Turns out, we ended up joining her and her friends for another girls birthday. What a blast! From a concert in Plaza Catalunya to a 5 band music extravaganza at "The Forum" we really had an incredible night....and to think...I can speak Spanish until 4 am with no troubles.

Friday the 24th of September only added to the weekends excitement. We were up and out by 10 am to see what trouble we could get into. Come 12:30 we were at the Plaza Sant Jaume for the "Diada Castellera." This  is one of the oldest traditions that we saw besides the parade later in the day. Here, teams compete to make human towers by stacking and climbing onto each other in hopes of producing the highest tower. The crazy part is the last person, a young child who has to climb to the very top, raise their hand and then come back down....seems like child services needs to be called here in Spain. By nightfall we enjoyed the Parade of Giants in that the city parades its giants which are regional to specific neighborhoods in the city.

The incredible part about this weekend was the amount of FREE concerts and events. It is really a thank you and culture push for the people of Barcelona...All day and night :) there was something to do, a concert to see or a dance to dance.

Saturday the 25th...Day of my glorious birth...was yet another fun day. We have been non stop, but we have one weekend to enjoy this cultural party and festival...why not soak it all in? Today was the day I knew was going to be a blast....Morning and early afternoon was spent relaxing on the beach with friends which was nice after the past 2 busy days and 2 more to come. After a lovely birthday dinner, we were headed to the "Porta de I'infrn and Correfoc" Translated as Gates of hell and fire run...It is exactly as it sounds. Thanks again to Eira who made this weekend incredible (Though had to miss it for a trip with friends) we were prepared to cover all skin and for the time of our lives. Pictures say a thousands words, but the premise was that devils ran through the streets spitting fire and torches at the crowd. Yes. People got burnt. Yes. Things caught on Fire. and Yes. This was ridiculous.

Lastly, to end the weekend on a great note, Sunday we went to the PiroMusical which as a 30 min. power hour (Diff. Song every minute) set to fireworks. Again...Pictures say it all.

Between the people, culture, food, music and adventures...La Mercè 2010 was one of the most incredible weekends of my life!

12 Hours to Western Spain....

There is a good feeling about being settled into Barcelona these past few days. After the first week of nerves, broken Spanish, and mysteries of Barcelona, we were off to our little trek to Western Spain and now back and settled into our new lives. It is amazing how fast the time is going by.

Our trek was incredible. We all loaded up the coach last Friday packed with 2 sandwiches  and a 12 hour ride ahead! By now, after IBI, I am pretty good with long coach rides, and my body is ready to relax and fall asleep. part of me wanted to stay away and see the country side, but to my surprise, I was graced with desert all the way to Leon.

I have never really seen a desert, so it was incredible to see, but after hours of sand you get pretty bored. I am told the reason for all the desert is because years ago the Spaniards cut down all the forests to build ships and in turn destroyed the terrain. Our first stop was the little town of Tarazona. We actually only stopped her for lunch, but it was a pretty incredible place to stop. A little town built into the hill. Full of life, a river running through, and a very European looking church.

After 12 hours of pure fun, we had finally arrived in Leon, our first destination. We have been studying Art History in class, and the purpose of the trip was to actually see what we have been learning. A huge part of it is to help us with our language skills and comprehension...Art History....what a topic to pick. Leon was absolutely incredible. A beautiful city full of little restaurants and Tapas Bars. One thing I love is to be like the locals....so I set out on my own to find a Tapas bar filled with Spaniards. As always, I found myself the lone white man amongst all natives and with a deal of a life time. When you buy a drink here in Leon, you get a free Tapas with it. Sooner than you think, I became a connoisseur in all the local cuisines and drinks. We had a blast in Leon and really saw a lot of incredible churches and buildings.

After a few days in Leon, we headed a few days to Burgos. With a similar feel of Leon, yet colder weather, we had continued our adventure through the history of Spanish art and architecture. I have really enjoyed learning some of the old styles of art, especially when we get to see them in front of our eyes. As a group, we are having a blast exploring the tiny streets of these little towns and being a part of the local "system."

All good things must come to an end, so after another lunch visit now to Zaragoza, we were back in Barcelona on Wednesday. So far, this week has been incredible. Classes have begun, life has settled, and I am feeling good about being here. Time is flying by, but I am trying to enjoy everyday as if tomorrow was my last. Walking to class has been a blast as well as experiencing all there is in Barcelona.

This weekend should be fun to get out a bit and besides next weekend being my 22nd birthday, the city of Barcelona is celebrating a huge festival which should be incredible! More adventures ahead!

Hasta Luego!

Life is a System of Systems

In all my travels, I have come to many conclusions. My thoughts today as I made my morning commute to school (35 minutes) through the streets of Barcelona, is that life is nothing more than a system of systems. A collection of systematic processes that we live out because we are systematically trained to.

For instance, we go to school, graduate, go to college, graduate, get a job, find a partner, have a family, work, retire, die. Now don't get me wrong, that is a TON of fun, exciting options and opportunities and it is most important to remember that your life is what you make of it. That I am trying to say, is that this is one of the systems that we are programed to follow in life. It is possibly a stability system, one that we perceive as success and a society norm. The economic system we support in our daily life is another system in life's grid, the consumption of energy could very well be a system of its own.

One may wonder where all of this is coming from. Well, as I walk to school everyday, I at first can see the systems swirling around me. Stores opening, deliveries, parents walking kids to work, and most notably the 4 S's  theory of transportation in Barcelona. Sexy Suits, Stilettos and scooters. What I mean by the 4 S's is that every day I see some of the most well put together (This is what I mean by sexy.....but I needed an S word) men and women in suits and full business dresses riding and parking their scooters to go to work. As I watch all of these systems swirl behind me, I start to see myself in the middle of it all. I am becoming a part of the Spanish system. As a student, regular of the morning commute and a supporter of the economy, I am becoming a one with the revolving actions.

There is something incredible about this. I guess the most rewarding part is the things you learn, about the place, people and the culture. These are the very things that broaden our minds and make us a better asset to the system. These are the reasons we have these opportunities, the reasons we have been created (to glorify and grow), and the reasons why life is good.

Barcelona Port

Just as this shipping port manages to systematically unload, organize and redistribute thousands of crates a day SMOOTHLY for the entire world, our lives are a collections of systems we learn from, acquire and create to be better ourselves and the world.

With the bad comes the good.....

There was something about walking up to this entrance to the university today which reminded me that with the bad comes the good, or in a better way....with the good comes some bad. It is hard in the thick of a moment to remember that there is always a light in the end. This weekend, Saturday I should say was an interesting day...almost as if I hit culture shock in one day. Regardless, the weekend continued to be a blast, and led up until this moment....the end of my first day at the University...classes start the 15th of September, but our BCA language class continued today.

Sunday turned out amazing with a tour of the Parque Guell and all the designs of Gaudi. As you can see below, it really is an incredible park to see and explore.

The weekend turned out to be a lot better than I thought. After a busy day of Spanish lessons and a fun afternoon I felt a lot more comfortable to talk with my host mom Juana and enjoy the life I was given here. Even today, during out first day at the University, I was really excited to practice my Spanish and live the life of the Spaniards.

As you can tell by my pictures of the University...we are living the good life!

A Lunch to Remember

Some lunches are not that difficult to forget. My lunch on Saturday was one of those days. Nervous as I was to be in the house for the first full day had my nerves all excited. On top of that, I found out that we were having a family reunion, in that Juana's (My Mom) son and daughter (with her husband and 2 kids) were coming for a visit. At this point in time, I was pretty insecure with my Spanish and I didn't know what to think.

Well, it didn't take long for a blank stare to overcome my face and pure exhaustion to drain my body from life. Due to the fact that Juana's daughter is married to an incredible man from Africa, the table not only spoke Catalan, but French was also tossed around a bit.....in addition to the English from Juana's son and sometimes Spanish translations he offered me. By the end of the meal, I was pretty exhausted and ended up passing out in my room for a good two hours.

I better pick up the language quick or I am in big trouble!

-lpw

Juana Sanchez...mi madre de Barcelona

Today was the big draft today and the pick has been made!

As excited as I was to move in with my host family tomorrow, I was even more excited to see who I would be with! Today we got our placements and here is what I learned:

Juana Sanchez
Sardenya 311-313 (4FL,3a)
08025 Barcelona


All I can say, is that I am really excited. From what I was told, Juana is a single women in her 50's and has a cat and just got a puppy. It is hard to imagine I am going to be a proud father of a new dog...such a responsibility!

The most exciting part is that I am living directly across from the Sagrada Familia which is one of the most famous pieces of architecture in Barcelona....( There are a lot though....masterpieces I should say) Hearing about the location is exciting for me, since I am told it is one of the most beautiful parts of the city and I can walk to the university compared to many of the other students who are a 30 minute ride by subway.

So, tomorrow is the second big day when I move in, and I cannot wait!

Disappointment Strengthens us...

When Tedd always said to me...Don't expect anything and you won't be disappointed, I never thought I shouldn't "expect" to not practice Spanish in Spain. Let me try to explain...

Living on the coast this week, has been a blast but I am ready to move into my host house and live the "good life." Today was a day that all I could do is laugh...and it went a little like this. I was going for a run on the beach but before I left I stopped to say hello to a few friends soaking up the sun on the Mediterranean. As we stood there, I saw what looked like a small city in the distance on the the coastal line in the water...Was it an island or Barcelona...I wasn't sure, so I built up the courage and went on a questioning adventure.

The first woman I walked up to (only because it was the only woman with a top on on the beach besides us) responded to my question with: I only speak Russian (in Russian). What the Heck! I fly all the way to Spain...use my spanish and get a russian?????

Try number 2: Walked to a man sitting watching the crystal clear waves crash on the sand to get: No Tengo una idea....ok, that was progress but nothing more than 4 words.....Great!

As my group of friends could not hold from laughing I continued my journey onto the 3rd....which was supposed to be the charm. After my tongue rolled out a beautifully constructed question about what city was in the distance.....I was answered with English in a British accent. Great! So now I realize my Spanish sucks enough that this guy I knew English, and yet again....my skills were pointless. 

Very frustrated and confused why I was in Spain, I moved on and headed to the boardwalk for my run. As you know, I hate to give up, so I went on to ask the 4th person....my last try...I thought.....and as with the past 3 try's I happened to ask an older couple that only knew Catalan and absolutely no Spanish...this time I was screwed. 

I moved on, venting through my run, but wondering what I did wrong. As I ran for about a 5 minutes, my eye spotted a woman that I thought knew her stuff, so I stopped, asked and BAM! Hit in the head again with an English answer of....sry, I am not sure, I am not from here.

That was it. I was done trying, and I guess I should have never EXPECTED to use my Spanish in Spain! At least I thought I was done until I saw a life guard and knew that this was the perfect person to ask what city was in the distance.

Me: ¿Cuál es esa ciudad en la distancia?

Him....Senor, que es un barco. (It is a ship)

With embarrassment, I continued my run laughing and realizing I was here to make mistakes and learn from them!

That is Spain. Life is good!