One week down (más o menos)

So this whole week has really been go-go-go nonstop for me. At times, I feel like I've been running around like a mad woman trying to do all of these different things. My list is way too long for a two month span. It's funny actually because all summer I literally did NOTHING, except the obvious studying of course. But it's nice to have a change here and to be constantly busy doing new things!

Last Sunday night was the big game! Barça vs Real Madrid!!!
I should have known that things were going to be crazy, given that one time I once walked around for an hour in Argentina during a soccer game looking for a place to watch the game. We tried to go to one pub here to watch, it was full. Tried another, full. And another, full. We finally ended up at Hard Rock and LUCKILY got seated so quickly and in a great spot to watch the game. We actually only missed like the first 10 minutes. At that point people were just piling into the the bar area just to watch the game, without even buying anything. It was a very cool atmosphere, although I have to say the end of the game was completely anticlimactic. One of the things I don't like about soccer is when it ends in a tie. And a tie it was. 2-2 with Messi scoring twice for Barça and Ronaldo also scoring twice (he is SUCH A DRAMA QUEEN) for Real Madrid. It was a fun time, and it's always a plus getting to watch Messi play. Dude is that man!

Bueno, so Monday night I went to an intercambio. It wasn't necessarily a new experience for me because I had previously gone to Spanglish in Buenos Aires, but it was my first time here in Barcelona and it had a little bit of a different environment than Spanglish. For those of you who don't know an intercambio is a language exchange. You speak in English for a half hour or so, and then you switch to Spanish and you keep following that pattern the entire time. Spanglish of Buenos Aires sets it up almost like speed dating, where you have 10 minutes or so with each person. Barcelona has a different style. You get seated at a table and you stay with those people the entire time. Well, you can move around towards the end when people start moving out, but most people spend an hour or two at the same table. I really enjoyed this method better because you can actually have meaningful conversations versus a quick "hi! how are you? where are you from?" conversation. AND, what's even better is that usually you will be the only english speaker at the table! The group I sat with was a lot of fun, and I hope to make this Monday night event a regular activity in my calendar while here!

While we're on the topic of language exchange, I also met a chico from Tarragona (a town in Cataluña, just outside of Barcelona) through Conversation Exchange. We met up for coffee Wednesday afternoon, and by coffee I mean I ordered a coke. Claro! He's trying to practice English and me the same with Spanish. We had a really interesting conversation for about an hour and half, and I really got the low down on the job market here. We also talked sports for awhile too! Apparently many, many jobs here especially in the finance sector require you to be able to speak English. It's almost as much of a prerequisite as a college degree is in the US. Could you imagine if the job market required Americans to speak another language?

Friday was a feriado, and oh how I love Spanish countries and their holidays every other week. The weather was pretty terrible all day long, but I somehow managed to sneak out for a couple of hours when the rain held off. I ended up visiting La Pedrera which is another of Gaudí's famous works here in Barcelona. The roof was awesome, and it had an awesome view of La Sagrada Familia and other parts of the city. I was a little taken aback about how expensive it was to get in, but it was a really cool experience nonetheless.

So the nightlife here is definitely different from Madrid and any other Spanish country I've ever been to for that matter. First things first, the music - either DJ's are playing house music (which in my opinion is pretty dreadful to listen to after 5 or 10 minutes) or they play US top hits that were top hits at least 6 months ago. WHERE IS MY SPANISH MUSIC??? De veras, no existe acá. Last night at one of the local bars I asked a guy what was up with that and he basically told me that they don't play Spanish music here because Barcelona is not "Spain". Crazy right? Barcelona, more now so than ever, is vying for their independence. If you ask some Catalans, they will tell you that they don't live in Spain, they live in Cataluña. But in any case, the nightlife here is pretty fun. You just need to know where to go!

Other than that, I spent some time in new parts of the city as well as time in more familiar places. I went to Plaza España for the first time and spent some time exploring in that area of the city with a friend. We then eventually ended up at La Rambla. There's just no avoiding that awesome street! I also spent time in Plaza Real, which is turning into one of my favorite spots in Barcelona. It's similar to Plaza Mayor in Madrid with many cafes and street entertainment and a chill environment. I also had a little nostalgic moment when I found alfajores y dulce de leche de mi querida Argentina in a food market. Es increíble que hace dos años y todavía no me puedo dejar lo de Argentina.

Today I took a day trip with two friends to Sitges, a small town about 40 minutes south of Barcelona. It was really beautiful, right on the beach! It reminded me a lot of Portugal for some reason. I really enjoyed walking around, and it was a nice relaxing day with beautiful scenery!

Tomorrow will mark my second official week of working here. Can't believe I'm already heading into week two! I need my beauty sleep so unfortunately you will have to wait until next time to hear more about my trabajo!

Beso grande y qué tengan una buena semana!

And one last unrelated note, today marks 6 months without my Mommom. Time really does fly. We miss you so much Mommom!! Things just aren't the same without you!

The roof of La Pedrera - it's awesome!

View of La Sagrada Familia from atop La Pedrera

Typical Gaudí!

Freshly squeezed juices in the market. I tried the mix of mango, strawberry, & papaya!

Argentina :-) And ps - Havanna is my absolute favorite!!!!!!

Town of Sitges!