Hola,
As I mentioned in the previous post, the volunteering that I am doing while living in Barcelona deserves its own post.
The fourth class that I am taking, International Service Learning, is all about understanding the local community and getting involved to help make a difference in people's lives. This class meets once a week on Thursdays for an hour and half where we learn about problems and real issues that locals are dealing with. So far, we have talked about immigration and the housing problem in the city.
In addition to the class time, we are assigned a place to volunteer once a week for two and a half hours in the community. On Tuesdays from 4:30-7:00, I take the metro to the outer area of Barcelona and volunteer at an after school program. The kids I work with are ages 3-5 and many of them come from unstable homes. Some of them are also children of immigrants so sometimes Spanish isn't their first language.
Since I have a lot of experience with kids being a camp counselor for the past two years and babysitting since I was younger, I thought this would be similar to what I had experienced before. I couldn't be more wrong. When I first walked in, all of the kids were reading books. They were reading books by themselves and to each other. It was so cute. Even though they didn't know who I was, they immediately came up to me and asked me to read to them in Spanish. Good thing they were young because most of the books they asked me to read were in Catalan (which is really different than Spanish)! They also lost interest pretty quickly so I didn't feel that bad about having a bad accent. When reading time is over, they all have a snack. All of the kids went to get their own chair and sat down at their tables without any problems. They had fruit and cookies as a snack and when they were done, the teachers assigned certain kids to wash the tables. When they were done cleaning up, they had play time but the kids who behaved the best during snack time were allowed to start playing first. I have never seen kids go so crazy while playing! They rode little bikes all over the place and were crashing into the walls and each other! I honestly felt afraid for my life. Other kids were playing with blocks, dolls or reading more books. When they were done playing, they divided the kids into their age groups and did age appropriate activities. I sat with the 3 year olds and the teacher read them a book about animals and made it interactive and visual by asking them questions and putting pictures of the animals on the board. They absolutely loved it! Once this was over, their parents started showing up and they were on their way!
I have to admit, I was really overwhelmed by this at first. The language barrier was really hard (not to mention, sometimes it is hard to even communicate with 3 year olds when they speak the same language as you). I also had to take a step back since the kids and the teachers knew their schedule and I had to follow along. I have also never seen kids behaved so well. Their schedule was strict and followed a certain time frame and the kids knew what to do as soon as they asked. For example, after play time was over, the teachers asked the kids to clean up and they did so immediately. Not one kid kept playing after they asked to clean up. This amazed me. Another difference I noticed was how touchy the kids were with me. Before even knowing me, they were giving me hugs, sitting on my lap and pulling at my arm to play with me. These are culture differences I had never noticed before until I was interacting with the locals.
I can't wait to go back next Tuesday. I loved every second I was there and the program director told me I was "encantada" which means delighted. For next week, I am going to look up some words and phrases to better interact with the kids. I think here out of anywhere I go and anything I do in Spain, is where I am going to learn and speak the most Spanish. I am so excited to go back and play with the kids again!
Besos!
Friday, January 31, 2014
Thursday, January 30, 2014
The "Study" Part
Hola,
Since the main reason for coming to Barcelona was to "study," you are all probably wondering how much "studying" I am doing during my abroad semester. For starters, the program that I am here with, CEA, has their own school in two different buildings about seven blocks from each other. Each class is really small; most classes have at most around 15-20 students in them. This is a huge difference from the lecture halls at UMass with anywhere from 200-400 students. It is nice to have smaller classes for a change. However, a big difference between the two are how long the classes are. At UMass, classes are either fifty minutes, three times a week or an hour and fifteen minutes twice a week. Here, each class is an hour and a half. They do give us a five minute break in each class for "phone time." This is going to take some time to get used to!
CEA is a really great program not only for the classes but for everything else they provide. They do not hold classes on Fridays which makes for long weekends every weekend for traveling or exploring the city. They also include different free programs you can sign up for while you are here. The second weekend of February, my roommates and I are going to Valencia, Spain for a weekend with CEA and in March, they are taking us to Madrid. On Monday, I am going to a Tapas Cooking Class provided by CEA and during the first week of March, I will experience the excitement of my first Barcelona futbol (soccer) game! It is really nice they know we are here to travel but also to explore Barcelona and the rest of Spain and they're here to help us do that.
During the week, I have classes Monday, Wednesday and Thursday and volunteer on Tuesday.
On Monday and Wednesday, I have three classes: Barcelona History: Past and Present, Spanish and Social Media. On Thursday, I have International Social Learning which is how I got involved with volunteering.
In my Barcelona history class, we are learning about the history of Barcelona and how it turned into the way it is today. We have many field trips that we go on, keep a blog and have class presentations. Yesterday, we went to the Museum of History for the City of Barcelona which is right near the ancient Cathedral. We saw ancient city walls, sewage wells and ancient artifacts that had been collected over the years. I love history and I can't wait to see parts of the city that I would not normally go to if not for this class.
Since the main reason for coming to Barcelona was to "study," you are all probably wondering how much "studying" I am doing during my abroad semester. For starters, the program that I am here with, CEA, has their own school in two different buildings about seven blocks from each other. Each class is really small; most classes have at most around 15-20 students in them. This is a huge difference from the lecture halls at UMass with anywhere from 200-400 students. It is nice to have smaller classes for a change. However, a big difference between the two are how long the classes are. At UMass, classes are either fifty minutes, three times a week or an hour and fifteen minutes twice a week. Here, each class is an hour and a half. They do give us a five minute break in each class for "phone time." This is going to take some time to get used to!
CEA is a really great program not only for the classes but for everything else they provide. They do not hold classes on Fridays which makes for long weekends every weekend for traveling or exploring the city. They also include different free programs you can sign up for while you are here. The second weekend of February, my roommates and I are going to Valencia, Spain for a weekend with CEA and in March, they are taking us to Madrid. On Monday, I am going to a Tapas Cooking Class provided by CEA and during the first week of March, I will experience the excitement of my first Barcelona futbol (soccer) game! It is really nice they know we are here to travel but also to explore Barcelona and the rest of Spain and they're here to help us do that.
During the week, I have classes Monday, Wednesday and Thursday and volunteer on Tuesday.
On Monday and Wednesday, I have three classes: Barcelona History: Past and Present, Spanish and Social Media. On Thursday, I have International Social Learning which is how I got involved with volunteering.
In my Barcelona history class, we are learning about the history of Barcelona and how it turned into the way it is today. We have many field trips that we go on, keep a blog and have class presentations. Yesterday, we went to the Museum of History for the City of Barcelona which is right near the ancient Cathedral. We saw ancient city walls, sewage wells and ancient artifacts that had been collected over the years. I love history and I can't wait to see parts of the city that I would not normally go to if not for this class.
The Cathedral
Museum of History for the City of Barcelona
Ancient columns
Ancient Walls
A place where they kept their fish
Ancient walls that used to be a basilica
I am in the Intermediate Spanish 2 class. Luckily, my Spanish teacher speaks very slowly so it is (sometimes) easy to understand. Hopefully I can take this Spanish and use it when I explore the city!
My Social Media Class is really interesting. My teacher Pipo Serrano, has a lot of experience in all social media platforms. He has his own blog, runs his own radio station and even designed the communications campaign for the President of FC Barcelona. We are going to have a speakers talk to us about different social media platforms. Our assignments every week are a blog on the website called Storify, which is a blogging website that is on the rise. You can look at my Storify blog here!
My next post will be about my volunteer experience, be sure to check it out! It is such a great experience that it deserves its own post.
Can't wait for another weekend in Barcelona! Will post again soon!
Besos!
Saturday, January 25, 2014
On the Mend
Hola,
After being sick for almost a week (which totally stinks when you want to go out and explore a new city but all you want to do is sleep), I'm finally on the mend! Finding the Doctor's office in a huge city where I usually get lost when I'm healthy is totally not fun when you have a pounding headache and no voice to communicate with. Instead, I found myself wandering for 45 minutes, which normally would have been kind of fun to explore but in this case, all I wanted to do was get there.
But not to worry, it was only a bad cold and after missing a weekend in Interlaken with my roommates (sadness, but I seriously needed to NOT be in the cold and the snow) I'm finally better! After spending the day yesterday in bed catching up on the Bachelor (<3 you Juan Pablo) and a serious Gossip Girl marathon on Netflix (Blair and Chuck!! Serena and Nate!!), I was able to venture out of the apartment and breathe some fresh air.
The first adventure was brunch in the Gothic Area of Barcelona at a super cute and tiny restaurant called MILK. It was really touristy and there were mostly Americans in there but it was so worth it. I tried their eggs Benedict, which were amazing! It came with bacon underneath and home fries on the side and it was totally worth getting out of bed for. The other two girls who I went with got a burger with bacon and a fried egg on it with home fries, definitely the next thing I need to try when I go there.
Besos!
After being sick for almost a week (which totally stinks when you want to go out and explore a new city but all you want to do is sleep), I'm finally on the mend! Finding the Doctor's office in a huge city where I usually get lost when I'm healthy is totally not fun when you have a pounding headache and no voice to communicate with. Instead, I found myself wandering for 45 minutes, which normally would have been kind of fun to explore but in this case, all I wanted to do was get there.
But not to worry, it was only a bad cold and after missing a weekend in Interlaken with my roommates (sadness, but I seriously needed to NOT be in the cold and the snow) I'm finally better! After spending the day yesterday in bed catching up on the Bachelor (<3 you Juan Pablo) and a serious Gossip Girl marathon on Netflix (Blair and Chuck!! Serena and Nate!!), I was able to venture out of the apartment and breathe some fresh air.
The first adventure was brunch in the Gothic Area of Barcelona at a super cute and tiny restaurant called MILK. It was really touristy and there were mostly Americans in there but it was so worth it. I tried their eggs Benedict, which were amazing! It came with bacon underneath and home fries on the side and it was totally worth getting out of bed for. The other two girls who I went with got a burger with bacon and a fried egg on it with home fries, definitely the next thing I need to try when I go there.
After, we decided to walk around for a little bit. Even though I have been here for almost three weeks now, I still have no sense of direction here. I usually don't mind getting lost in the city because you come across some cool and new things. This was the case today. We wandered around and ended up finding some beautiful buildings, the port of Barcelona, a lobster statue and some cool art. I could tell you the general location of where I was (somewhere in Barcelona) but not the exact location. Someday I'll get this city down.
But for now, its back to relaxing to fully recover. Definitely by Monday I'll be all better. Until then...
Besos!
Monday, January 20, 2014
A New Experience
Hola,
Before coming to Spain, I told myself that I wanted to immerse myself in the culture, experience new things and see and interact with the locals. Three blocks from where my apartment is, is the famous Gaudi Church, Sagrada Familia. It is one of the main points of tourism in Barcelona because it is unfinished, seriously huge and absolutely beautiful. During the week, the hold mass in the basement of the building (where Gaudi is also buried! Creepy! but I didn't find him). When two of my roommates decided they wanted to go to a Spanish mass, my other roommate and I (who is also Jewish) decided to tag along to see the inside of the church (for free!) and to try something new.
Now I know this might seem weird being Jewish and all, but I mean, when in Spain, do as the Spaniards, right? We walked in a few minutes late and took a seat in the far back. At first, I was in awe of the inside of the building. There were beautiful arches that made a center circle where most of the people sat and the Priest stood at the front of the congregation in his cute green robe. Everything was so intricately designed and every time I looked around, I saw something new. It isn't something I can describe in words, it really has to be seen for yourself.
I was surprised about how casual the whole ceremony was. People were constantly coming in and out of the room and they were dressed so casually. Many people were really into the ceremony and others kind of prayed on their own. It found it so interesting that in one of the most famous churches in the whole world that people would act this way.
I didn't understand anything that the cute Priest was saying from what I know, most religions pray about the same thing: peace, love and how fortunate we are to be alive and experience life everyday. This is something I've noticed in Temple services and I can only assume that they were talking about the same thing. From this I found a commonality from the Jewish religion to Catholicism. I found myself sitting there, in a new situation that was way out of my comfort zone, thinking about how fortunate I was to be where I was. That was what I got the most out of this experience: how lucky and fortunate I was to be in a beautiful place in a beautiful country!
Besos!
Before coming to Spain, I told myself that I wanted to immerse myself in the culture, experience new things and see and interact with the locals. Three blocks from where my apartment is, is the famous Gaudi Church, Sagrada Familia. It is one of the main points of tourism in Barcelona because it is unfinished, seriously huge and absolutely beautiful. During the week, the hold mass in the basement of the building (where Gaudi is also buried! Creepy! but I didn't find him). When two of my roommates decided they wanted to go to a Spanish mass, my other roommate and I (who is also Jewish) decided to tag along to see the inside of the church (for free!) and to try something new.
Now I know this might seem weird being Jewish and all, but I mean, when in Spain, do as the Spaniards, right? We walked in a few minutes late and took a seat in the far back. At first, I was in awe of the inside of the building. There were beautiful arches that made a center circle where most of the people sat and the Priest stood at the front of the congregation in his cute green robe. Everything was so intricately designed and every time I looked around, I saw something new. It isn't something I can describe in words, it really has to be seen for yourself.
I was surprised about how casual the whole ceremony was. People were constantly coming in and out of the room and they were dressed so casually. Many people were really into the ceremony and others kind of prayed on their own. It found it so interesting that in one of the most famous churches in the whole world that people would act this way.
I didn't understand anything that the cute Priest was saying from what I know, most religions pray about the same thing: peace, love and how fortunate we are to be alive and experience life everyday. This is something I've noticed in Temple services and I can only assume that they were talking about the same thing. From this I found a commonality from the Jewish religion to Catholicism. I found myself sitting there, in a new situation that was way out of my comfort zone, thinking about how fortunate I was to be where I was. That was what I got the most out of this experience: how lucky and fortunate I was to be in a beautiful place in a beautiful country!
Besos!
Friday, January 17, 2014
Park Güell
Hola,
Thank goodness for Friday's off so I have time to go explore the amazing city I'm in! Today after getting a late start, we found our way to Park Guell, a beautiful park filled with flowers and architecture by Gaudi. I can honestly say it was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. There were so many mosaics, huge intricately designed buildings that look different than any other buildings. What was the most amazing thing is that it was built during the early 1900s and they didn't have the kind of technology that we have now today to design and execute these complex places. I think that is what is most amazing about these places - we don't need crazy technology to build beautiful things that last hundreds of years.
Thank goodness for Friday's off so I have time to go explore the amazing city I'm in! Today after getting a late start, we found our way to Park Guell, a beautiful park filled with flowers and architecture by Gaudi. I can honestly say it was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. There were so many mosaics, huge intricately designed buildings that look different than any other buildings. What was the most amazing thing is that it was built during the early 1900s and they didn't have the kind of technology that we have now today to design and execute these complex places. I think that is what is most amazing about these places - we don't need crazy technology to build beautiful things that last hundreds of years.
(In between these posts, I got hungry and went to KFC for late night gross greasy food. FYI, not as good as in the states.)
After walking around the beautiful park, we went to an awesome Mexican restaurant Rosa Negra. It was so good and I don't know if it was because we were so hungry or it really was good. I had a chicken burrito and we all shared chips and guacamole. Rosa Negra could have given Chipotle a run for its money, which is saying a lot. We devoured the food.
Last night (Thursday, Jan. 17), we went to a fun tiny bar called Chupitos, which literally means shots. They have hundreds of shots there all for 2 euros each! So much cheaper than other places we've been to. They're not normal shots, a lot of them are on fire or you drink them with candy! One that we all tried was called the Boy Scout where the light the table on fire a little, you roast a marshmallow, take the drink and eat!
Besos! xoxo
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Some Little Things
Hola!
Now that I've been here for 8 days, there are some things that I've noticed that are really different in America and Spain. You're probably thinking, "well duh, they're too completely different countries." Yes, but I'm not talking about the language difference or the "siestas" people take. I'm talking about everyday little things you notice once you walk around the whole city and really take it in.
No dryers: Dryers are not a thing here. Washing machines are, but not dryers. Everyone hangs their stuff outside to dry which takes a long time! Not to mention you can see other people's undies. This could potentially be struggle because like most college kids, I wait until the last possible minute to do laundry, but this is going to take way more planning than I thought. I don't want to wear wet clothes!
Their trash bins: Usually in the states, there are trash chutes or garbage trucks that take away people's trash from the end of the driveway. In Espana, there are huge bins on the corners of the streets where people throw away their trash. They are color coded to show the difference between trash, recycle and bottles (I think). Then the garbage trucks come and take them away in the middle of the night! Sneaky.
Now that I've been here for 8 days, there are some things that I've noticed that are really different in America and Spain. You're probably thinking, "well duh, they're too completely different countries." Yes, but I'm not talking about the language difference or the "siestas" people take. I'm talking about everyday little things you notice once you walk around the whole city and really take it in.
No dryers: Dryers are not a thing here. Washing machines are, but not dryers. Everyone hangs their stuff outside to dry which takes a long time! Not to mention you can see other people's undies. This could potentially be struggle because like most college kids, I wait until the last possible minute to do laundry, but this is going to take way more planning than I thought. I don't want to wear wet clothes!
Their trash bins: Usually in the states, there are trash chutes or garbage trucks that take away people's trash from the end of the driveway. In Espana, there are huge bins on the corners of the streets where people throw away their trash. They are color coded to show the difference between trash, recycle and bottles (I think). Then the garbage trucks come and take them away in the middle of the night! Sneaky.
Dog drinking fountains: Every once in a while, you run into a fire hydrant kind of thing. It's actually a dog drinking fountain! Today I saw a man drinking from it, which I guess could come in handy someday. I have never seen one before coming here.
The crosswalks: I know this might sound pretty dumb, but the sidewalks aren't at the corners of the street! They are around the corner because each street is almost rounded. It is kind of hard to explain but it is different than other major cities I've been to.
The stores: I have never seen so many pharmacies, shoe stores, bakeries or fresh fruits/vegetable stores in my life! I especially love the bakeries and the fruits and vegetables because everything is so good! I'm going to try to try a different one as much as I can. To be honest, it's really hard to walk past a bakery without wanting another chocolate croissant!
All for now, besos!
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
La Rambla
Hola!
La Rambla is a super touristy area of Barcelona that I think most people have heard about. It's filled with a lot of American chains like Starbucks, H&M, Burger King and even a Dunkin Donuts! But after walking around this street on two different occasions, a few things stand out:
Bar Lobo - restaurant, Carrer del Pintor Fortuny, 3
This restaurant was so good! It was the first time my roommates and I had tapas in Spain and we couldn't have found a better place to try. It is in the back of a side street. We ordered a bottle of champagne, and 6 tapas of tuna with guacamole (!!), clams, sausage on bread, some sort of meatballs, croquettes and these fried/baked potatoes with some sort of gravy. All so good!! And not too expensive. Definitely a recommendation for anyone who goes to this area.
La Boqueria - outside market
This was the cutest market. Inside there are so many candies, sweets, meat, cheese, vegetables and other little food places to eat. And everything was laid out so pretty! There were hundreds of different kinds of nuts and dried fruits that looked so pretty when they were put side by side. Even though it's touristy, it is so fun to walk around there and explore the different foods they have. Really easy to find too, it is in front of the first Dunkin Donuts I found in Spain!
There are also a lot of cute small stores in the middle of the street, like gelato and waffles! (Something I regret not trying.) But because this is a super touristy place, you have to be really careful about the pickpocketers!! When I got lost trying to find my way (LOL) a very nice man working at a hotel warned me about it and just told me to be aware. But it was fine. Still, a super fun place to walk around.
The more I explore La Rambla, I will add to the list even more. It is definitely not the last time I will be there!
Besos from Barca!
La Rambla is a super touristy area of Barcelona that I think most people have heard about. It's filled with a lot of American chains like Starbucks, H&M, Burger King and even a Dunkin Donuts! But after walking around this street on two different occasions, a few things stand out:
Bar Lobo - restaurant, Carrer del Pintor Fortuny, 3
This restaurant was so good! It was the first time my roommates and I had tapas in Spain and we couldn't have found a better place to try. It is in the back of a side street. We ordered a bottle of champagne, and 6 tapas of tuna with guacamole (!!), clams, sausage on bread, some sort of meatballs, croquettes and these fried/baked potatoes with some sort of gravy. All so good!! And not too expensive. Definitely a recommendation for anyone who goes to this area.
La Boqueria - outside market
This was the cutest market. Inside there are so many candies, sweets, meat, cheese, vegetables and other little food places to eat. And everything was laid out so pretty! There were hundreds of different kinds of nuts and dried fruits that looked so pretty when they were put side by side. Even though it's touristy, it is so fun to walk around there and explore the different foods they have. Really easy to find too, it is in front of the first Dunkin Donuts I found in Spain!
There are also a lot of cute small stores in the middle of the street, like gelato and waffles! (Something I regret not trying.) But because this is a super touristy place, you have to be really careful about the pickpocketers!! When I got lost trying to find my way (LOL) a very nice man working at a hotel warned me about it and just told me to be aware. But it was fine. Still, a super fun place to walk around.
The more I explore La Rambla, I will add to the list even more. It is definitely not the last time I will be there!
Besos from Barca!
The First Week
Hola from Barcelona!
So I decided to give this whole blogging thing a try since I can't manage to find a notebook anywhere in Spain...so here it goes!
My first week in Barcelona has been amazing and I think I'm finally figuring out this whole city living thing. I got here on Wednesday, January 8 after flying through Dublin (which was the scariest flight I've ever been on, by the way) and have loved every minute of it. The first few days were all about navigating the new city, figuring out how to communicate with the locals, who speak Catalan and not Spanish (super confusing!) and meeting new people. My random roommates, who could not have been better, are awesome and I can't wait to spend the next 4 months exploring Europe with them!
The first night here was all about finding food to eat and toilet paper. Not kidding. We all had pizza for dinner and beer (because we're all legal!) and walked around our area for a little bit. The next day, we had orientation at our program where we were 45 minutes late because we got lost! But it was okay since we weren't the last people there. We then walked around a cute local market that has fish, meat, vegetables and fruits that is right by our house. Later that night after a siesta (which could be my favorite part of the day), we met up with some friends and went to one of Barcelona's famous night clubs called Opium. So fun, but exhausting since we didn't get back until 5:30 am! Talk about a huge adjustment compared to the US.
The next day, we walked around Barceloneta, another part of Barcelona near the ocean. We went to a restaurant called Restaurant Port-Vell and had lots of sangria and my first paella! Muy delicioso! In true Spanish tradition, we stayed at the restaurant for hours enjoying the drinks and the food. Later that night, we went to another local bar called George Payne. It's an Irish bar that many abroad students go to and is filled with Americans. We met a lot of students from the US and watched the football game!
On Sunday, we walked around the Parc de la Ciutadella, which is the park right near the Arc de Triomf. It was such a nice day and there were so many people outside. We came across such a beautiful fountain and posed with a giant elephant/mammoth (mamut) structure. Lots of fun but a lot of walking!
Thats all for now, will post again soon!
Besos from Barca!
So I decided to give this whole blogging thing a try since I can't manage to find a notebook anywhere in Spain...so here it goes!
My first week in Barcelona has been amazing and I think I'm finally figuring out this whole city living thing. I got here on Wednesday, January 8 after flying through Dublin (which was the scariest flight I've ever been on, by the way) and have loved every minute of it. The first few days were all about navigating the new city, figuring out how to communicate with the locals, who speak Catalan and not Spanish (super confusing!) and meeting new people. My random roommates, who could not have been better, are awesome and I can't wait to spend the next 4 months exploring Europe with them!
The first night here was all about finding food to eat and toilet paper. Not kidding. We all had pizza for dinner and beer (because we're all legal!) and walked around our area for a little bit. The next day, we had orientation at our program where we were 45 minutes late because we got lost! But it was okay since we weren't the last people there. We then walked around a cute local market that has fish, meat, vegetables and fruits that is right by our house. Later that night after a siesta (which could be my favorite part of the day), we met up with some friends and went to one of Barcelona's famous night clubs called Opium. So fun, but exhausting since we didn't get back until 5:30 am! Talk about a huge adjustment compared to the US.
The next day, we walked around Barceloneta, another part of Barcelona near the ocean. We went to a restaurant called Restaurant Port-Vell and had lots of sangria and my first paella! Muy delicioso! In true Spanish tradition, we stayed at the restaurant for hours enjoying the drinks and the food. Later that night, we went to another local bar called George Payne. It's an Irish bar that many abroad students go to and is filled with Americans. We met a lot of students from the US and watched the football game!
On Sunday, we walked around the Parc de la Ciutadella, which is the park right near the Arc de Triomf. It was such a nice day and there were so many people outside. We came across such a beautiful fountain and posed with a giant elephant/mammoth (mamut) structure. Lots of fun but a lot of walking!
Besos from Barca!
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