Monday, December 31, 2007
New Year's Resolution
My New Year's Resolution this year (with some help from Ross): Don't be a hater.
Some Mexican Conclusions
We got back from Mexico at 3 AM last night (really this morning, but it's kind of obnoxious when people say that). Overall the trip was really fun and I even managed to get sunburned (I blame the 8-year-old who was supposed to keep my back covered and missed two crucial chunks).
I realized that Mexico looks like what the Wild West must have looked like to the cowboys. Even though it's pretty in its own way, I have a really hard time imagining anyone deciding they want to risk their lives for something that barren because they think it's paradise. That's just me.
In Mexico, they put chili powder in all their packaged products. They carry Flaming-Hot Cheetos in most convenience stores (of course), but then they also sprinkle what appears to be pepper mixed with chili powder on their regular cheese-flavored Cheetos.
My Spanish in Mexico is more widely understood but I always use the wrong words (zumo vs. jugo, etc).
Rain in Mexico is way cooler than rain anywhere else in the world (except maybe Wyoming or Colorado or one of those states that looks like a greener version of Mexico) because they have SO much thunder and lightening, even if it's not raining that much.
Fruit in Mexico is bland and they don't think so. Their orange juice is light yellow.
Mexican people are less likely to congregate and aggressively play sports than American people. We went to the public tennis courts one day and they were all occupied by people in jeans who appeared to be dicking around (for several hours). Next to the tennis courts people were playing "volleyball" (throwing an inflatable light-weight ball from Toys R Us over a net and chasing it) and "basketball."
My mom decided to start stretching to make it look like she was an extremely intense athlete to pressure them into vacating the tennis courts. It didn't work.
I realized that Mexico looks like what the Wild West must have looked like to the cowboys. Even though it's pretty in its own way, I have a really hard time imagining anyone deciding they want to risk their lives for something that barren because they think it's paradise. That's just me.
In Mexico, they put chili powder in all their packaged products. They carry Flaming-Hot Cheetos in most convenience stores (of course), but then they also sprinkle what appears to be pepper mixed with chili powder on their regular cheese-flavored Cheetos.
My Spanish in Mexico is more widely understood but I always use the wrong words (zumo vs. jugo, etc).
Rain in Mexico is way cooler than rain anywhere else in the world (except maybe Wyoming or Colorado or one of those states that looks like a greener version of Mexico) because they have SO much thunder and lightening, even if it's not raining that much.
Fruit in Mexico is bland and they don't think so. Their orange juice is light yellow.
Mexican people are less likely to congregate and aggressively play sports than American people. We went to the public tennis courts one day and they were all occupied by people in jeans who appeared to be dicking around (for several hours). Next to the tennis courts people were playing "volleyball" (throwing an inflatable light-weight ball from Toys R Us over a net and chasing it) and "basketball."
My mom decided to start stretching to make it look like she was an extremely intense athlete to pressure them into vacating the tennis courts. It didn't work.
The Best Knock-Knock Joke Ever
"Knock-knock?"
"Who's there?"
"I'm a pile-up."
This was on day 9 or so of being the oldest in the batch of kids in Mexico (from both my biological and non-biological families).
I actually laughed out loud for about five minutes.
"Who's there?"
"I'm a pile-up."
This was on day 9 or so of being the oldest in the batch of kids in Mexico (from both my biological and non-biological families).
I actually laughed out loud for about five minutes.
ID
While we were in Mexico, Price, Zoe, Ella, Alex and I were all sitting around and I thought it would be funny to bring up how Price once tried to convince me to give him my ID when I turn 21 (he's convinced we look enough alike for the gender thing to not be an issue). Instead of Price cowering in shame like I thought he would, he apparently is still convinced he can pull off using my ID.
Reasons Price will NEVER be able to pass as 21 with my ID (in 10 months):
1. On my ID, I am 5' 5" and weigh 110. Price is at least 6' 1" and weighs about 145. He claims that since he's light, it's close enough to 110.
2. On my ID, my gender is listed as Female. Price is not a female. He is sure that if he crossdresses and speaks in a fairly high voice, no one will ask him to "prove it."
3. Many of my features don't actually match up with Price's. Although we look alike, my hair is much darker than his (especially in my driver's license photo), and my teeth are very straight (whereas his look like he's been trying to chew concrete for the last five years).
I would keep going with reasons, but it's totally unnecessary. There is no way Price could pass as a girl. To prove my point, I have convinced him to participate in a "dry run," where we will go to 7-11 with my older ID that has expired and Price will put on a nice dress and try to buy cigarettes.
Reasons Price will NEVER be able to pass as 21 with my ID (in 10 months):
1. On my ID, I am 5' 5" and weigh 110. Price is at least 6' 1" and weighs about 145. He claims that since he's light, it's close enough to 110.
2. On my ID, my gender is listed as Female. Price is not a female. He is sure that if he crossdresses and speaks in a fairly high voice, no one will ask him to "prove it."
3. Many of my features don't actually match up with Price's. Although we look alike, my hair is much darker than his (especially in my driver's license photo), and my teeth are very straight (whereas his look like he's been trying to chew concrete for the last five years).
I would keep going with reasons, but it's totally unnecessary. There is no way Price could pass as a girl. To prove my point, I have convinced him to participate in a "dry run," where we will go to 7-11 with my older ID that has expired and Price will put on a nice dress and try to buy cigarettes.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Mexico So Far
First of all, Merry Christmas everybody.
At the airport on our way to Mexico, the airline (Mexicana) sold our seats while we were waiting in line so my mom ended up yelling at the airline employee until he pushed the silent alarm and called security. After about 10 security guards showed up (I'll post pictures on Facebook when I get back to Spain) they ended up putting us on the next flight and we got here just fine.
The house we're staying in is huge and comes with people who feed us which is great. It's rained a couple times which has actually been kind of nice, and we don't do anything beyond drinking, puzzles, Monopoly, Scrabble, and sitting by the pool.
We're staying in San Miguel de Allende which is a small, artsy-feeling town in Central Mexico. I've only made it into town a couple times because I've been busy being the laziest person ever.
Even though being away from Spain is definitely cheaper, I'm definitely starting to miss it. Last night I realized I can't picture what Joanna looks like anymore. That's pretty much on par with a child forgetting what their mom looks like - it's really scary.
At the airport on our way to Mexico, the airline (Mexicana) sold our seats while we were waiting in line so my mom ended up yelling at the airline employee until he pushed the silent alarm and called security. After about 10 security guards showed up (I'll post pictures on Facebook when I get back to Spain) they ended up putting us on the next flight and we got here just fine.
The house we're staying in is huge and comes with people who feed us which is great. It's rained a couple times which has actually been kind of nice, and we don't do anything beyond drinking, puzzles, Monopoly, Scrabble, and sitting by the pool.
We're staying in San Miguel de Allende which is a small, artsy-feeling town in Central Mexico. I've only made it into town a couple times because I've been busy being the laziest person ever.
Even though being away from Spain is definitely cheaper, I'm definitely starting to miss it. Last night I realized I can't picture what Joanna looks like anymore. That's pretty much on par with a child forgetting what their mom looks like - it's really scary.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Mexico
I'm going to Mexico for 9 days! No internet or phones, so if you call me and I don't answer, don't get offended.
Spain Folk
I was just looking through my blog posts and noticing that Joanna and Ross have managed to comment on a lot of my blogs. I feel so missed.
So, I'm going to post unflattering pictures of you guys. Because I'm bored.
So, I'm going to post unflattering pictures of you guys. Because I'm bored.
Homey Stuff
Some nice things about being home:
- Bagels and creamcheese
- Sushi
- Pedicures
- Movies in English without subtitles
- Limewire (not that I use Limewire, so please don't sue me)
- You realize how close everything you walk to is since you never walk for longer than 5 minutes
- You hear about celebrity gossip pretty much as it happens instead of a week later/by word of mouth (e.g. Jamie Lynn Spears)
- You can have actual phone conversations on your cell phone (instead of the usual 50 euro cent/minute quick calls)
- Hamburgers are made out of beef, not ham
Some less nice things about being home:
- Listening to your family fight and actual meaning it (instead of Spain where the only yelling you hear is between people on the street and it's all in good fun).
- Getting asked how Spain is going every 30 seconds by a different friend of my parents.
- Having access to a car but needing to ask when I can use it constantly.
- Cafe con leche is never an option so you end up with a minimum of 12 ounces of milky coffee (I know, I know, I complained about this before I left, but it sucks now).
- Having to do favors for your family instead of Spain life where you only really have to do things for yourself.
- Can't go to bars, so you end up sitting around either at home or in the homes of your friends - totally sober.
- Hearing about things going on in Spain and not being able to participate.
- Becoming incredibly high strung from too much stimulation.
- Knowing that I'm going to be getting on 6 separate planes in the next couple weeks - including the really long flight back to Europe.
It's good to be back though, don't get me wrong. Only right now my house is being remodeled so I get to listen to incessant banging right above my bed. Last night my bed was covered in ceiling chips from the re-flooring happening above me. At least I get good food, though.
- Bagels and creamcheese
- Sushi
- Pedicures
- Movies in English without subtitles
- Limewire (not that I use Limewire, so please don't sue me)
- You realize how close everything you walk to is since you never walk for longer than 5 minutes
- You hear about celebrity gossip pretty much as it happens instead of a week later/by word of mouth (e.g. Jamie Lynn Spears)
- You can have actual phone conversations on your cell phone (instead of the usual 50 euro cent/minute quick calls)
- Hamburgers are made out of beef, not ham
Some less nice things about being home:
- Listening to your family fight and actual meaning it (instead of Spain where the only yelling you hear is between people on the street and it's all in good fun).
- Getting asked how Spain is going every 30 seconds by a different friend of my parents.
- Having access to a car but needing to ask when I can use it constantly.
- Cafe con leche is never an option so you end up with a minimum of 12 ounces of milky coffee (I know, I know, I complained about this before I left, but it sucks now).
- Having to do favors for your family instead of Spain life where you only really have to do things for yourself.
- Can't go to bars, so you end up sitting around either at home or in the homes of your friends - totally sober.
- Hearing about things going on in Spain and not being able to participate.
- Becoming incredibly high strung from too much stimulation.
- Knowing that I'm going to be getting on 6 separate planes in the next couple weeks - including the really long flight back to Europe.
It's good to be back though, don't get me wrong. Only right now my house is being remodeled so I get to listen to incessant banging right above my bed. Last night my bed was covered in ceiling chips from the re-flooring happening above me. At least I get good food, though.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Barcelona People
I leave for a few days and everything in Barcelona goes to hell: Ross wants the color orange to disappear because it sucks and no one likes it.
Home is good, still. I'm going up to Davis today to visit some people. It's gonna be pretty amazing. I can go to the Tea House and get boba.
It's probably good that I'm leaving since I'm getting back in my rut of sitting around listening to music and playing mahjongg all day.
Home is good, still. I'm going up to Davis today to visit some people. It's gonna be pretty amazing. I can go to the Tea House and get boba.
It's probably good that I'm leaving since I'm getting back in my rut of sitting around listening to music and playing mahjongg all day.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Driving
I drove today. It was really scary because all that was going through my head was "WOW I definitely cannot walk this fast." Even though I've been in cars in Spain (mostly cabs) I haven't actually gotten to operate anything (even a bike) and so being in control of going faster than 5 miles per hour is pretty mind-blowing.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
I'm Home
I'm finally home, and it turns out California isn't all burned down. Weird.
The main difference is that my family moved the kitchen into my room which is actually cool because the old rule of "no food after 10" can't be reinforced.
I'm hanging out with my non-biological family (Zoe and Ella - both freaks)
and watching Planet Earth. So basically I'm in high school again.
I ate Mexican food for dinner and it was really spicy. Be jealous.
The main difference is that my family moved the kitchen into my room which is actually cool because the old rule of "no food after 10" can't be reinforced.
I'm hanging out with my non-biological family (Zoe and Ella - both freaks)
and watching Planet Earth. So basically I'm in high school again.
I ate Mexican food for dinner and it was really spicy. Be jealous.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
WWHD? (What Will Hillary Drive?)
A few days ago, my mom sent me an e-mail where she non-chalantly mentioned that Price got in a "fender bender in SF." She disguised this news by hiding it between other things she thought I would care more about.
Last night, I was on the internet (because I have so many friends and so much to do) talking to Josh, Zoe's dad (again, because I have so many friends and so much to do), and I asked him about the fender bender. Turns out, Pricey totaled my Passat (that I had not yet driven) by bailing out of an illegal u-turn and hitting a new Volvo and I am now going to be car-less over break. Josh sent me a Facebook message titled "WWHD? (What Will Hillary Drive?)" with this picture attached:
Every single person I tell this to has the immediate response of: "OH NO! Is he OKAY!?!?" YES HE IS OKAY, JESUS H. CHRIST. Not only is he okay, but odds are he is not going to get punished and my mother will buy him a new car.
On top of all this (and I am currently livid), no one in my family will come pick me up from the airport. My mom says she might, but only if that's what she needs to do to "make me feel loved."
So, Zoe, wanna come get me? I bought you a Christmas present and we're totally friends, for now, but that can all change really quickly.
Last night, I was on the internet (because I have so many friends and so much to do) talking to Josh, Zoe's dad (again, because I have so many friends and so much to do), and I asked him about the fender bender. Turns out, Pricey totaled my Passat (that I had not yet driven) by bailing out of an illegal u-turn and hitting a new Volvo and I am now going to be car-less over break. Josh sent me a Facebook message titled "WWHD? (What Will Hillary Drive?)" with this picture attached:
Every single person I tell this to has the immediate response of: "OH NO! Is he OKAY!?!?" YES HE IS OKAY, JESUS H. CHRIST. Not only is he okay, but odds are he is not going to get punished and my mother will buy him a new car.
On top of all this (and I am currently livid), no one in my family will come pick me up from the airport. My mom says she might, but only if that's what she needs to do to "make me feel loved."
So, Zoe, wanna come get me? I bought you a Christmas present and we're totally friends, for now, but that can all change really quickly.
Fútbol
Joanna and I went to the Barcelona game tonight. It's definitely interesting to watch, and the fans are pretty intense. Even though I used to play soccer, I never understood how people could be so riveted by it, so the fact that I made it through the whole game is pretty impressive.
The majority of the people who go are older men who sit there with their portable radios listening to the commentary while watching the game.
We met some tourists from Brazil who (once they stopped hitting on Joanna/taking pictures where she would obviously be in the background) semi-criticized us for talking during the game and appearing less amused than the drunk guys who were getting progressively naked-er with each goal (it was probably 4 degrees out).
During half-time we went to buy a snack and I got laughed at multiple times by the random lady standing next to me at the counter. Apparently my accent is the funniest thing she's ever heard. I'm sick of getting made fun of by people here, so it's good I'll get to come home for a few weeks.
It was amusing enough but I mostly just went to see what the games are like. I'm still happy I went, though.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Madrid
I went to Madrid for the four-day weekend with Joanna, Ross and Marc. Unlike the rest of our vacations, we were visiting a lot of people from Cádiz (and back home) so we did more general hanging out than I expected.
Aside from the night when Courtney and I went to Capital (the 8-story discoteca) and got way too drunk - which included stealing some guy's drink ticket, playing with bubbles for what felt like hours, and lying to new Spanish friends (I claimed I was German or Russian because I was getting offended that they kept speaking to me in English) - the weekend was pretty uneventful.
The first night there, we took a lot of videos on my camera (mostly of Ross dancing) which are posted below. Since I have absolutely no video editing software on my computer, a lot of the videos are sideways and none of them actually have a point. Also, Joanna took a video upside-down. Enjoy.
If you're not in the movies, you probably won't enjoy them because they're pretty much awful.
Aside from the night when Courtney and I went to Capital (the 8-story discoteca) and got way too drunk - which included stealing some guy's drink ticket, playing with bubbles for what felt like hours, and lying to new Spanish friends (I claimed I was German or Russian because I was getting offended that they kept speaking to me in English) - the weekend was pretty uneventful.
The first night there, we took a lot of videos on my camera (mostly of Ross dancing) which are posted below. Since I have absolutely no video editing software on my computer, a lot of the videos are sideways and none of them actually have a point. Also, Joanna took a video upside-down. Enjoy.
If you're not in the movies, you probably won't enjoy them because they're pretty much awful.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
McDonald's
Tonight after dinner, Ross and I decided to go to McDonald's for some French Fries and dessert. Although most people feel that it is somehow wrong to go to places like McDonald's and Starbucks when in a foreign country, I have deemed it okay. My reasoning: they are totally different places when you leave the United States (or even California).
The food in Europe tastes totally different and each restaurant has a unique ambiance. Also, many observations about consistencies within each country's McDonald's can be made:
- The women who work behind the counter are always oddly misshapen and extremely pale.
- If you don't look out the window, you can convince yourself you are in the midwest and THAT explains the decorating scheme.
- McFlurries are always out of the best flavor OR never serve the best flavors all together.
In Aragón (the Autonomous Community next to Barcelona) last weekend, we got apple pies at McDonald's (basically a fried wonton stuffed with burning hot apple slime). Since lawsuits don't really exist here, I burned myself REALLY badly multiple times. It was great.
I come home in 10 days! To the HOME of McDonald's!
The food in Europe tastes totally different and each restaurant has a unique ambiance. Also, many observations about consistencies within each country's McDonald's can be made:
- The women who work behind the counter are always oddly misshapen and extremely pale.
- If you don't look out the window, you can convince yourself you are in the midwest and THAT explains the decorating scheme.
- McFlurries are always out of the best flavor OR never serve the best flavors all together.
In Aragón (the Autonomous Community next to Barcelona) last weekend, we got apple pies at McDonald's (basically a fried wonton stuffed with burning hot apple slime). Since lawsuits don't really exist here, I burned myself REALLY badly multiple times. It was great.
I come home in 10 days! To the HOME of McDonald's!
Urine?
Last night I went in the bathroom to wash my face and there was an empty urine-sample cup on the counter. This morning it was gone. I really hope everything is okay with Rosé. I also hope I don't get evicted for posting her personal life on the internet.
Haircut Round 2
I got my hair cut for the second time since I've been in Spain. The first time was in Cádiz and I was really uncomfortable and let them cut my hair all one length because I was willing to settle for anything that wasn't a mullet.
Today I went to the place down the street from my house and managed to have a functioning conversation with the guy who cut my hair (the only thing lost in translation is that I think his name is Anna, and I know that can't be right). He ended up cutting off 5 inches even though we agreed on closer to 2 inches, but it's fine because my hair grows really fast.
We got to have some great hair stylist-client conversations, such as: How long have you been cutting hair? How long do people go to beauty school here? How long have you worked in this salon? Have you seen the movie "Edward Scissorhands?" Etc.
When I got home, I was upset for about five seconds about how much hair I was missing. First I ran my hands through my hair a few times. Then I put it in a ponytail. Then I tried to tie it to itself (which didn't work). But now, I'm more familiar with it and kind of over it.
Also, I remembered that when my brother and I were in elementary school, my mom was driving us to school and I was asking Price who he was going to marry when he grew up. His only requirement: "I want to marry someone like Mom." I asked him what he meant and he said "She needs to have short hair like Mom." So, even though I don't want to marry my brother or anything, I am really amused that Price admitted to wanting to marry someone like our mother.
Today I went to the place down the street from my house and managed to have a functioning conversation with the guy who cut my hair (the only thing lost in translation is that I think his name is Anna, and I know that can't be right). He ended up cutting off 5 inches even though we agreed on closer to 2 inches, but it's fine because my hair grows really fast.
We got to have some great hair stylist-client conversations, such as: How long have you been cutting hair? How long do people go to beauty school here? How long have you worked in this salon? Have you seen the movie "Edward Scissorhands?" Etc.
When I got home, I was upset for about five seconds about how much hair I was missing. First I ran my hands through my hair a few times. Then I put it in a ponytail. Then I tried to tie it to itself (which didn't work). But now, I'm more familiar with it and kind of over it.
Also, I remembered that when my brother and I were in elementary school, my mom was driving us to school and I was asking Price who he was going to marry when he grew up. His only requirement: "I want to marry someone like Mom." I asked him what he meant and he said "She needs to have short hair like Mom." So, even though I don't want to marry my brother or anything, I am really amused that Price admitted to wanting to marry someone like our mother.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Things That Piss Me Off
Since I've been in Spain for a few months now, the initial novelty of the country is wearing off and I've re-acquired my ability to be pissed off at things. So, without further ado, here are some things that piss me off:
SingStar I was just catching up on the latest episode of The Real World on MTV Overdrive (since nbc.com and abc.com don't work in Europe - and the writers are all on strike anyway) and was being forced to watch commercials that only really apply to people in the United States. I was already in a bad enough mood because my internet was being tempramental and refused to show me The Real World, and then I had to watch a commercial for this new Playstation 2 game called SingStar. The premise of this game: guitar hero with singing. And no guitars. I already don't like listening to most the people I know sing in general, and now there's a game that actually encourages people to competitively sing for points. Stupid.
Café Con Leche In Spain, they use espresso instead of real coffee when you get coffee drinks. What seems to be the largest option is a café con leche - literally a sip of coffee with some milk in it. Initially, I fell in love with those little guys. You can throw back about 10 a day and still fall asleep at night, but somehow maintain alertness. You can buy them from vending machines (40 cents) or restaurants (about a euro), but lately I've been craving a huge black coffee that I can carry around and sip at while studying and running errands. The option is still here since there's a Starbucks on every corner, but that's not the European way.
The Metro I'm sick of being forced to physically touch an old man on the crowded metro just because I want to get home. Enough said.
Midterms Although we have midterms back at Davis (and they do piss me off there, too), at least you are given about 10 sample midterms and the teacher tells you exactly what is expected of you. Here, they just announce that you will have a test, you should write in pen, and there's gonna be stuff on it. They won't tell you what kind of stuff (e.g. if the random questions everyone asks which determine the lecture also determine the test), and they don't even give you grades, but instead each teacher seems to have their own number system (usually 10 point scale, but a 3 point scale in some cases) so you actually have no idea how you did.
Ross I just found out today that I'm not tagged in Ross' blog (rosserichards.blogspot.com) even though some of our other friends are. I'm at the end of my rope.
Glad I got all that off my chest. 14 more days until I come home and drink massive amounts of real coffee.
SingStar I was just catching up on the latest episode of The Real World on MTV Overdrive (since nbc.com and abc.com don't work in Europe - and the writers are all on strike anyway) and was being forced to watch commercials that only really apply to people in the United States. I was already in a bad enough mood because my internet was being tempramental and refused to show me The Real World, and then I had to watch a commercial for this new Playstation 2 game called SingStar. The premise of this game: guitar hero with singing. And no guitars. I already don't like listening to most the people I know sing in general, and now there's a game that actually encourages people to competitively sing for points. Stupid.
Café Con Leche In Spain, they use espresso instead of real coffee when you get coffee drinks. What seems to be the largest option is a café con leche - literally a sip of coffee with some milk in it. Initially, I fell in love with those little guys. You can throw back about 10 a day and still fall asleep at night, but somehow maintain alertness. You can buy them from vending machines (40 cents) or restaurants (about a euro), but lately I've been craving a huge black coffee that I can carry around and sip at while studying and running errands. The option is still here since there's a Starbucks on every corner, but that's not the European way.
The Metro I'm sick of being forced to physically touch an old man on the crowded metro just because I want to get home. Enough said.
Midterms Although we have midterms back at Davis (and they do piss me off there, too), at least you are given about 10 sample midterms and the teacher tells you exactly what is expected of you. Here, they just announce that you will have a test, you should write in pen, and there's gonna be stuff on it. They won't tell you what kind of stuff (e.g. if the random questions everyone asks which determine the lecture also determine the test), and they don't even give you grades, but instead each teacher seems to have their own number system (usually 10 point scale, but a 3 point scale in some cases) so you actually have no idea how you did.
Ross I just found out today that I'm not tagged in Ross' blog (rosserichards.blogspot.com) even though some of our other friends are. I'm at the end of my rope.
Glad I got all that off my chest. 14 more days until I come home and drink massive amounts of real coffee.
Emily is the classiest person I know.
A couple months ago, Emily went to a discoteca and met "some random black dude" who she thought was hot. They were hanging out together and walking around outside.
In Barcelona, there is a swarm of Pakastani men near the discotecas who try to sell roses to drunk people for a euro each. The second anyone comes out of the clubs, they semi-attack them and try to convince them that the girl they are with is beautiful and deserves a rose.
While Emily and her "date" were outside, he took his wallet out to look for his metro card, or see how much money he had, or something, and a Pakastani rose-vendor came up to them trying to sell roses. Emily wasn't really paying attention to what was going on, and looked over to see the wallet and the roses and put two and two together. Her immediate response was: "Oh! You don't have to buy me flowers!"
He looked at her for a second and then said "I... wasn't going to."
(Note: Emily said I can only put this on my blog if I say how much this guy really liked her. I've never met him, but supposedly he told her he wants to come visit her in Piedmont, so it's true love, for sure.)
Last Thursday, Emily got way too drunk and got in bed with her Señora. Emily lives with a host family who feeds her but has strict rules about having people over (only girls, and even then she needs to ask first).
Emily came home, got into her own bed, went to the bathroom to vomit, and then accidentally went into her Señora's room (the door was closed and the lights were off) where she started trying to crawl into bed. Her Señora screamed, and turned on the lights to find Emily half on the ground, with her torso on the bed since she was trying to pull herself onto it.
Emily is the classiest person I know.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Home
Some things I miss:
(There's more but I'm sick of uploading pictures.)
I'm getting really excited to go home. Especially since I get to see Zoe and my non-biological family. And it'll be cool to see my biological family too. Even though I'll be on the longest flight in the world in 18 days, I think time should speed up a little bit because right now I just have essays and tests for school and they are really getting in the way of me becoming the biggest piece of shit ever.
I haven't made it to my Introduction to US Literature class since last Tuesday (this includes me not going today). I started out with a legitimate excuse (being in Portugal) but that quickly evolved into "I haven't read what we're discussing," "I don't want to waste a metro ticket," "I don't feel like interacting with Rosé because it's too early and I can hear that she's awake." I haven't actually managed to oversleep yet. Obviously, I go back to sleep after I decide not go to class, but I always wake up, snooze, then convince myself not to go.
All this is going to change, soon. I have a test on Monday (so I have to go to that class - even though I'm ditching the class before to meet up with the Linguistics babe and study) and the last possibly essay prompt has rolled around for Intro to US Lit, so I'll be making an appearance to turn in my 350 word masterpiece.
You would think I would be attending every class possible since I'm missing the last week of classes to go home (always a good idea - missing the classes before the finals). I wonder if you could actually get kicked out of school here?
(There's more but I'm sick of uploading pictures.)
I'm getting really excited to go home. Especially since I get to see Zoe and my non-biological family. And it'll be cool to see my biological family too. Even though I'll be on the longest flight in the world in 18 days, I think time should speed up a little bit because right now I just have essays and tests for school and they are really getting in the way of me becoming the biggest piece of shit ever.
I haven't made it to my Introduction to US Literature class since last Tuesday (this includes me not going today). I started out with a legitimate excuse (being in Portugal) but that quickly evolved into "I haven't read what we're discussing," "I don't want to waste a metro ticket," "I don't feel like interacting with Rosé because it's too early and I can hear that she's awake." I haven't actually managed to oversleep yet. Obviously, I go back to sleep after I decide not go to class, but I always wake up, snooze, then convince myself not to go.
All this is going to change, soon. I have a test on Monday (so I have to go to that class - even though I'm ditching the class before to meet up with the Linguistics babe and study) and the last possibly essay prompt has rolled around for Intro to US Lit, so I'll be making an appearance to turn in my 350 word masterpiece.
You would think I would be attending every class possible since I'm missing the last week of classes to go home (always a good idea - missing the classes before the finals). I wonder if you could actually get kicked out of school here?
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Rosé
The other night I went to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth, and through the wall I could hear "Jump For My Love" by the Pointer Sisters. Using my brilliant skills of deduction (and kind of embarrassing skills of having seen too many romantic comedies), I figured out Rosé (my mom/landlady/woman) was watching "Love Actually," which I really like.
I almost never leave my room and don't hang out with Rosé ever - which makes it slightly weird when she does things like ram pieces of magnet in my soap then design an apparatus where she can suspend it from the underside of shelves in the shower and say nothing to me about it - but this was a good chance since we could just watch the movie and not really interact very much.
During the commercial breaks of the movie (it was on TV and here they do 15 minutes of commercials every 45 minutes) she pretty much told me her life story. Her husband left her because he fell in love with another woman and she's had a couple failed relationships since then, but nothing has ever worked out so now she's just sticking to herself. Her life dream has always been that some man will marry her and take care of her so she won't have to work but that's never happened. It was pretty depressing.
She also told me about her daughters - one lives on Ibiza (probably selling drugs), and the other one is a traveling actress who usually lives in the South of France - and she semi-analyzed the personalities of her dogs for me.
Apparently I remind her of this girl from Texas who lived with her a couple years back and was really sweet, so she likes me.
I almost never leave my room and don't hang out with Rosé ever - which makes it slightly weird when she does things like ram pieces of magnet in my soap then design an apparatus where she can suspend it from the underside of shelves in the shower and say nothing to me about it - but this was a good chance since we could just watch the movie and not really interact very much.
During the commercial breaks of the movie (it was on TV and here they do 15 minutes of commercials every 45 minutes) she pretty much told me her life story. Her husband left her because he fell in love with another woman and she's had a couple failed relationships since then, but nothing has ever worked out so now she's just sticking to herself. Her life dream has always been that some man will marry her and take care of her so she won't have to work but that's never happened. It was pretty depressing.
She also told me about her daughters - one lives on Ibiza (probably selling drugs), and the other one is a traveling actress who usually lives in the South of France - and she semi-analyzed the personalities of her dogs for me.
Apparently I remind her of this girl from Texas who lived with her a couple years back and was really sweet, so she likes me.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Lisbon
I went to Lisbon this weekend with some people in my program. When I first got there, I was sure it was my new favorite city. I started imagining returning to Portugal on my honeymoon and then - if I was lucky enough - moving there for a little while. I even started considering what my life would have been like if I had chose to study in Lisbon instead of Barcelona. I was reminded of San Francisco just because it seems like a pretty normal port city, but prettier and more European (and less people). We walked around and actually made it to almost all of the tourist attractions (Fado Museum, Monestary, etc.) but by the end of the weekend I liked Lisbon a lot less.
The main issue is, I don't speak Portuguese. There were multiple instances where I would try to buy something by speaking to the clerk in Spanish and they wouldn't speak to me in Spanish or English. It wasn't really an issue of them not understanding the languages but more the need to be huge douches about how I'm not from Portugal.
One of the attractions of Lisbon is that it's cheaper than Barcelona, but this means there is a lot more poverty. When we were walking home at night on the unlit streets past all the shady Lisbon folk, I felt pretty unsafe. Apparently 95% of the population consists of old men who have accidentally spent their life savings drinking and now have strange deformities that look like they're the result of accidents. These men can be found on the tram, or right outside your hostel.
There's also a lot more physical deformity in general than the rest of the world. We actually had a conversation about dwarfs versus midgets because we saw so many of them and needed to be able to easily classify which was which.
Overall it was a really good trip. We still haven't really had anything bad happen to our group on vacation yet (knock on wood) so hopefully the next couple weekends will go smoothly, too.
The main issue is, I don't speak Portuguese. There were multiple instances where I would try to buy something by speaking to the clerk in Spanish and they wouldn't speak to me in Spanish or English. It wasn't really an issue of them not understanding the languages but more the need to be huge douches about how I'm not from Portugal.
One of the attractions of Lisbon is that it's cheaper than Barcelona, but this means there is a lot more poverty. When we were walking home at night on the unlit streets past all the shady Lisbon folk, I felt pretty unsafe. Apparently 95% of the population consists of old men who have accidentally spent their life savings drinking and now have strange deformities that look like they're the result of accidents. These men can be found on the tram, or right outside your hostel.
There's also a lot more physical deformity in general than the rest of the world. We actually had a conversation about dwarfs versus midgets because we saw so many of them and needed to be able to easily classify which was which.
Overall it was a really good trip. We still haven't really had anything bad happen to our group on vacation yet (knock on wood) so hopefully the next couple weekends will go smoothly, too.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Sleep
Right now it's 4:36AM Spain time. I have class at 10:00AM Spain time tomorrow (technically this) morning. I haven't made it to this class in a week and we now have "group work" that we turn in at the end of each class so I really should go.
It's not looking good.
This is not my fault, though. I really can't fall asleep. I've been trying for a few hours and I keep getting distracted by really complex, unlikely scenarios (kidnapping, high school reunions, buying things at convenience stores while speaking English, etc).
I've decided my body has just gone back to California time. Probably because I'm coming home in 26 days for Christmas.
It's not looking good.
This is not my fault, though. I really can't fall asleep. I've been trying for a few hours and I keep getting distracted by really complex, unlikely scenarios (kidnapping, high school reunions, buying things at convenience stores while speaking English, etc).
I've decided my body has just gone back to California time. Probably because I'm coming home in 26 days for Christmas.
Linguistics
Today I befriended the kid from Penn in my linguistics class. After close evalution, I've decided I can totally take him in a fight. I'm now just trying to pick the perfect time to attack him and steal his notes.
When I introduced myself today, he said "Oh yeah, I walked by you in the courtyard today." As though I would say "So THAT'S how I know you!" Not us having class together twice a week since September or anything. Maybe he's not that smart, after all. He is majoring in Urban Studies. Whatever that means.
When I introduced myself today, he said "Oh yeah, I walked by you in the courtyard today." As though I would say "So THAT'S how I know you!" Not us having class together twice a week since September or anything. Maybe he's not that smart, after all. He is majoring in Urban Studies. Whatever that means.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Heater
Earlier this week, I went to Sevilla to see my dad and stepmom who are currently road-tripping through Spain. When I left Barcelona there was roughly one cloud in the sky, and the Spaniards were incredibly bundled up. I was on the verge of adding "Seeing what ridiculous things Spaniards will wear when it's about 68 degrees out," to my interests on Facebook after observing how many layers people can wear and somehow not die of hypothermia and exhaustion.
I checked the weather in Sevilla, noted that it was supposed to hit 75 my first day there, then get progressively hotter, packed a couple pairs of sandals and left.
Thursday night, I got back to Barcelona. While I was gone, Cataluña managed to enter some sort of ice age. I was convinced my toes were going to fall off before I made it inside after my cab ride from the airport. After getting inside, I pretty much donned every article of clothing I own and haven't taken them off since. The woman I live with likes to leave every window and door open during the day (even though she was the one telling me I was under-dressed a week ago), and at this point I'm positive the eskimos have it better than I do.
I couldn't figure out how to turn the heat on in my apartment, and was forced to fall asleep completely submerged in my covers, trying to exhale toward my feet to avoid frostbite. I would shift in the middle of the night, exposing a couple square inches of my leg and almost enter a hyperthermic seizure.
Today, Rosé (the woman I live with) gave me a heater. It's about a foot wide and a couple inches tall and I'm pretty sure it will burn the entire country of Spain to the ground if I leave it on for longer than six minutes. There are several settings, but I've been instructed to only use one because the rest "smell like burning." Upon close inspection, I realized the heater has enough lint and paper wedged in the heat-emitting section to burn down a small village, but at this point I really don't care. If it breaks, I'm pretty sure I'm going to have no other option but to kill myself.
I checked the weather in Sevilla, noted that it was supposed to hit 75 my first day there, then get progressively hotter, packed a couple pairs of sandals and left.
Thursday night, I got back to Barcelona. While I was gone, Cataluña managed to enter some sort of ice age. I was convinced my toes were going to fall off before I made it inside after my cab ride from the airport. After getting inside, I pretty much donned every article of clothing I own and haven't taken them off since. The woman I live with likes to leave every window and door open during the day (even though she was the one telling me I was under-dressed a week ago), and at this point I'm positive the eskimos have it better than I do.
I couldn't figure out how to turn the heat on in my apartment, and was forced to fall asleep completely submerged in my covers, trying to exhale toward my feet to avoid frostbite. I would shift in the middle of the night, exposing a couple square inches of my leg and almost enter a hyperthermic seizure.
Today, Rosé (the woman I live with) gave me a heater. It's about a foot wide and a couple inches tall and I'm pretty sure it will burn the entire country of Spain to the ground if I leave it on for longer than six minutes. There are several settings, but I've been instructed to only use one because the rest "smell like burning." Upon close inspection, I realized the heater has enough lint and paper wedged in the heat-emitting section to burn down a small village, but at this point I really don't care. If it breaks, I'm pretty sure I'm going to have no other option but to kill myself.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Girona
I went to Girona on Saturday. It was pretty, but kind of boring.
We ended up wandering for about two hours before we realized that we had some pot (this realization happened shortly before I almost died of boredom - ok maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit), which we smoked and then walked along the wall to the city. The wall didn't really go anywhere (since it just goes AROUND the city), but we made about a million un-funny jokes (e.g. "Are we in China? Is this really the great wall of China??!?)
Joanna and I took a million pictures of everything (like always), so that also saved us from getting too bored. We were planning on spending something like 5 hours total in Girona, but didn't quite make it. We started looking for the train station after about 3 (during this 3 hour span we ate twice).
Marc and Joanna during our train-hunt
Cathedral
Some leaves along the Great Wall of China
We ended up wandering for about two hours before we realized that we had some pot (this realization happened shortly before I almost died of boredom - ok maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit), which we smoked and then walked along the wall to the city. The wall didn't really go anywhere (since it just goes AROUND the city), but we made about a million un-funny jokes (e.g. "Are we in China? Is this really the great wall of China??!?)
Joanna and I took a million pictures of everything (like always), so that also saved us from getting too bored. We were planning on spending something like 5 hours total in Girona, but didn't quite make it. We started looking for the train station after about 3 (during this 3 hour span we ate twice).
Marc and Joanna during our train-hunt
Cathedral
Some leaves along the Great Wall of China
Linguistics Class
For the most part, my classes are ridiculously easy. But, I have a linguistics class (which I am not taking by choice but because Davis is pretty much forcing me to) that is going to be close to impossible for me to pass. We discuss the evolution of Latin to 14th century Spanish, and there isn't homework or anything to make sure everyone is on the same page.
Instead, the teacher lists off a bunch of information and then people ask her questions - but not questions to clarify. Not only do these people not need any clarification, they want MORE information on this fascinating subject.
My only hope at this point involves befriending this guy from Penn who is in the class and then beating him up and stealing his notes. The only problem with this plan (which is otherwise pure genius), is that I booked my flight home at Christmas for a week before classes end (luckily we don't take the final until a month later), and he's going back to Penn before I get back from California.
I'm working on the befriending thing, though (just in case I can beat him up and steal his notes so far since he's one of those people who asks questions). I've been progressively sitting closer to him (today I was only TWO seats away!) but I'm pretty sure this is getting misinterpreted as me being interested in him. I mean, who can resist his blindingly white New Balance sneakers with white Nike socks. To top it all off, he consistently wears shorts (even in winter) to show off his pale, hairy legs. What a babe.
Instead, the teacher lists off a bunch of information and then people ask her questions - but not questions to clarify. Not only do these people not need any clarification, they want MORE information on this fascinating subject.
My only hope at this point involves befriending this guy from Penn who is in the class and then beating him up and stealing his notes. The only problem with this plan (which is otherwise pure genius), is that I booked my flight home at Christmas for a week before classes end (luckily we don't take the final until a month later), and he's going back to Penn before I get back from California.
I'm working on the befriending thing, though (just in case I can beat him up and steal his notes so far since he's one of those people who asks questions). I've been progressively sitting closer to him (today I was only TWO seats away!) but I'm pretty sure this is getting misinterpreted as me being interested in him. I mean, who can resist his blindingly white New Balance sneakers with white Nike socks. To top it all off, he consistently wears shorts (even in winter) to show off his pale, hairy legs. What a babe.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Amsterdam
This weekend I went to Amsterdam for two days with Joanna and some other people from Cádiz who are studying in Barcelona. All in all, it was really fun to go somewhere where weed is legalized and it's socially acceptable to sit around doing nothing all day.
We spent the majority of our time in various coffee shops where the customer just goes up to the counter, reads a menu of marijuana, and picks out what kind they want to buy. The shop-keepers have pre-arranged amounts (either a gram or 2.7 grams) and one usually spends around 25 Euro for 2.7 grams, and around 10 Euro for one.
The owners usually encourage you to get a drink, but they don't serve alcohol in the coffee shops and they aggressively card EVERYONE to make sure they're over 18. You get to use their rolling papers for free the rest of the time you're in that particular coffee shop, or you can go in a smoke shop and buy your own papers/pipe or rent a bong from the Roor store.
We did some touristy stuff: went to Anne Frank's house (depressing), the Heineken Experience (closed), the sex museum (after eating some edibles - mostly it was really disturbing), and the Van Gogh Museum (I was on shrooms - which you can also just buy in stores there, but usually in smoke shops instead of coffee shops. You get to pick which effects you want and then they tell you which ones to take).
There were times when Amsterdam became a little disturbing, such as seeing prostitutes standing in windows wearing only underwear and trying to look sexy (half the time by acting out little roles that might fulfill the fantasies of the old, British men walking down the street). Then, when they did get a customer, have to haggle the price with them and end up selling themselves for something incredibly low. All in all, it was a really cool place. I would never be able to study abroad there or live there for an extended period of time, but it's a cool place to see.
We spent the majority of our time in various coffee shops where the customer just goes up to the counter, reads a menu of marijuana, and picks out what kind they want to buy. The shop-keepers have pre-arranged amounts (either a gram or 2.7 grams) and one usually spends around 25 Euro for 2.7 grams, and around 10 Euro for one.
The owners usually encourage you to get a drink, but they don't serve alcohol in the coffee shops and they aggressively card EVERYONE to make sure they're over 18. You get to use their rolling papers for free the rest of the time you're in that particular coffee shop, or you can go in a smoke shop and buy your own papers/pipe or rent a bong from the Roor store.
We did some touristy stuff: went to Anne Frank's house (depressing), the Heineken Experience (closed), the sex museum (after eating some edibles - mostly it was really disturbing), and the Van Gogh Museum (I was on shrooms - which you can also just buy in stores there, but usually in smoke shops instead of coffee shops. You get to pick which effects you want and then they tell you which ones to take).
There were times when Amsterdam became a little disturbing, such as seeing prostitutes standing in windows wearing only underwear and trying to look sexy (half the time by acting out little roles that might fulfill the fantasies of the old, British men walking down the street). Then, when they did get a customer, have to haggle the price with them and end up selling themselves for something incredibly low. All in all, it was a really cool place. I would never be able to study abroad there or live there for an extended period of time, but it's a cool place to see.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Tennis Club
A couple weeks ago, I decided that I am on vacation (since I don't really go to class anymore) and that I should start doing vacation-y things. So, I joined a tennis club and a Barcelona tennis website. Through this site, I meet forty year-old women who kick my ass in tennis and then run back to the British instructor to tell him about how good they are.
This morning I was waiting in the reception area of the club for a re-match with a British flight attendant who beat me a couple weeks ago. The instructor was hanging out waiting for someone and we started talking. Every single one of his stories involved a. A date, b. Getting really drunk, and c. Him being the only guy there. He told me about 16 girls he went out with last night, a nice woman who lives near me that he took out to a movie last week, etc.
As he brushed his wedding-band-free hand over his mouth, I realized that he has herpes. Gross.
Shorty after, I beat the woman who had previously defeated me (he had given her a private lesson to the day before).
This morning I was waiting in the reception area of the club for a re-match with a British flight attendant who beat me a couple weeks ago. The instructor was hanging out waiting for someone and we started talking. Every single one of his stories involved a. A date, b. Getting really drunk, and c. Him being the only guy there. He told me about 16 girls he went out with last night, a nice woman who lives near me that he took out to a movie last week, etc.
As he brushed his wedding-band-free hand over his mouth, I realized that he has herpes. Gross.
Shorty after, I beat the woman who had previously defeated me (he had given her a private lesson to the day before).
Saturday, October 27, 2007
F.O.B.
Freshman year, I lived a couple doors down from a Chinese boy who had just moved to the US to go to school. His real name was totally un-pronounceable so he went by Arvin. One of his best friends (Wang) lived down the hall from a friend of mine in another dorm. My friend and I would constantly compare notes on funny things these boys did (made bowls of Cup-of-Noodles the size of football helmets, go to all-night raves in the woods, sneak Chinese chicks into their rooms when their roommates were out).
I distinctly remember a conversation I had with Arvin about dorm t-shirts. I was taking orders and wanted to get him one but wasn't sure if he wanted one/would understand that he had to pay for it. He claimed he really wanted it and I figured if he could take Chemistry classes in English, he probably understood what I was saying - even though he just appeared to be smiling and saying "yes" a lot.
In my current living situation, the woman I rent a room from is the one Spaniard that I can only understand about 5% of the time. Our conversations always end with her saying something incomprehinsible and me saying "Sí," as I back up into my room and lock the door. I'm pretty sure she thinks of me as a total F.O.B. (fresh off the boat, for you non-racists) who hates to leave her room unless it's to go drink all night. I'm sure my situation isn't that similar to Arvin's, but I definitely understand him better now.
I distinctly remember a conversation I had with Arvin about dorm t-shirts. I was taking orders and wanted to get him one but wasn't sure if he wanted one/would understand that he had to pay for it. He claimed he really wanted it and I figured if he could take Chemistry classes in English, he probably understood what I was saying - even though he just appeared to be smiling and saying "yes" a lot.
In my current living situation, the woman I rent a room from is the one Spaniard that I can only understand about 5% of the time. Our conversations always end with her saying something incomprehinsible and me saying "Sí," as I back up into my room and lock the door. I'm pretty sure she thinks of me as a total F.O.B. (fresh off the boat, for you non-racists) who hates to leave her room unless it's to go drink all night. I'm sure my situation isn't that similar to Arvin's, but I definitely understand him better now.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Sick
I think I'm getting sick again. Which sucks because no one likes being sick but rules because I can utilize my disease (a very light cold) as an excuse to never go to class (which I wouldn't be doing anyway) and stay in bed all day reading Oprah's Book Club books and watching TV on my computer.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Ma Birthday
Monday was my birthday, and even though some people
weren't here to celebrate it (I'll someday manage to forgive them, I'm sure), it was really fun. The main highlights were going to a Pirate Bar on rap night, cutting class to find a seedy bar in the middle of the day with Ross, and a really nice dinner my mom paid for. Since I hate recounting everything that happens in detail, I'm just going to post a mini-photo-montage of Ross at dinner.
weren't here to celebrate it (I'll someday manage to forgive them, I'm sure), it was really fun. The main highlights were going to a Pirate Bar on rap night, cutting class to find a seedy bar in the middle of the day with Ross, and a really nice dinner my mom paid for. Since I hate recounting everything that happens in detail, I'm just going to post a mini-photo-montage of Ross at dinner.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Old Men Are Gross
This morning I decided to go to my US Literature class again (I really don't understand why I keep making this mistake). I hadn't showered in a couple days and threw on the first clothes I could find which happened to be really dirty because I wore them all weekend at La Granja.
On my way to the metro, I passed an old man. As he hobbled by me, he slurped (yes, that's right, slurped) at me. I was pretty disgusted but decided to keep making my way to school (instead of going home and crawling back into bed and crying like I wanted to).
Class sucked.
After class, I was rushing across the street toward the metro (that could take me home to my bed where I could cry about this morning) when an old man said something to me about "chorizo" (sausage), followed by an "adios, guapa" (bye, pretty) as he looked me up and down.
Gross.
On my way to the metro, I passed an old man. As he hobbled by me, he slurped (yes, that's right, slurped) at me. I was pretty disgusted but decided to keep making my way to school (instead of going home and crawling back into bed and crying like I wanted to).
Class sucked.
After class, I was rushing across the street toward the metro (that could take me home to my bed where I could cry about this morning) when an old man said something to me about "chorizo" (sausage), followed by an "adios, guapa" (bye, pretty) as he looked me up and down.
Gross.
Monday, October 15, 2007
La Granja
This weekend we went to our friend Marc's farm in La Garriga. His family is Catalán and have a farmhouse they don't use that he has access to, so we visited. It was really cool, had enough beds for everyone, and the woman who takes care of La Granja fed us a couple meals. Saturday night, we went through 13 bottles of wine and a bottle and a half of vodka (12 people), not to mention the beer we consumed before dinner.
After a couple games of billiards and hide & go seek (what else are you expected to do without technology?), people started passing out. A friend of mine who was visiting for the weekend fell asleep pretty quickly, and for some reason, people decided to wake her up. After some semi-violent shaking, she woke up, ran to the sink in her bedroom (it doesn't drain), and vomited in it. Since the sink is non-functioning, her roommates (two girls who had never met her before) scooped the vomit out of the sink with a cup into a bucket.
Marc was carrying the bucket down the stairs when he slipped and spilled puke all over himself. Somehow, it also got spilled in the kitchen and the girl who got sick mopped the floor up the next morning before she left. Luckily, I managed to fall asleep before she threw up, and wake up after it was all cleaned up. All in all, it was a pretty good weekend.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Classes
I made it to all of my classes this week for the first time since real classes have started. I even got to go to my Introduction to US Literature class on Thursday morning! We discussed "The Raven" because class is ridiculously pointless. Our teacher made us listen to an eight minute long reading of the poem by Christopher Walken she pulled up on YouTube (background noises of a storm included), while she talked about how amazing his voice is.
I'm dead serious, she said Christopher Walken has a good voice.
For homework, she advised that we watch The Simpsons Halloween special on YouTube of "The Raven." She tried to explain why would enjoy it, but I couldn't understand what she was saying since she's not a native English speaker and screws up her accent sometimes.
I'm dead serious, she said Christopher Walken has a good voice.
For homework, she advised that we watch The Simpsons Halloween special on YouTube of "The Raven." She tried to explain why would enjoy it, but I couldn't understand what she was saying since she's not a native English speaker and screws up her accent sometimes.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Universitat de Barcelona
I just got back from my Introduction to United States Literature class (this class is a total joke). I probably shouldn't be enrolled to take this because it is targeted at Spaniards who don't really know English and are only in their second year of college. But Davis agreed to give me credit for it, so I'm taking it.
Today, we spent the third consecutive class section covering Washington Irving's "Rip Van Winkle." Classes here are an hour and half long - which means we have spent four and a half hours discussing "Rip Van Winkle" (also, we never actually look at the text in class). The teacher's English is horrible and her views on American literature is incredibly skewed (she's convinced that everything we do is a reflection of the Revolutionary War in some way).
Another thing I've noticed about Spaniards is when the teacher rhetorically asks "Do you get what I'm saying?" they have no problem responding "No." So, we usually spend an average of 2 hours on each concept because there's always someone who doesn't get it.
I haven't yet made it to a Thursday class since I keep going out Wednesday nights (class sessions are Tues/Thurs), so I may be consistently catching her on her "off" days. My goal for the week is to actually go to all of my classes, so we'll see.
Today, we spent the third consecutive class section covering Washington Irving's "Rip Van Winkle." Classes here are an hour and half long - which means we have spent four and a half hours discussing "Rip Van Winkle" (also, we never actually look at the text in class). The teacher's English is horrible and her views on American literature is incredibly skewed (she's convinced that everything we do is a reflection of the Revolutionary War in some way).
Another thing I've noticed about Spaniards is when the teacher rhetorically asks "Do you get what I'm saying?" they have no problem responding "No." So, we usually spend an average of 2 hours on each concept because there's always someone who doesn't get it.
I haven't yet made it to a Thursday class since I keep going out Wednesday nights (class sessions are Tues/Thurs), so I may be consistently catching her on her "off" days. My goal for the week is to actually go to all of my classes, so we'll see.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Hug Me Constantly
On Wednesday night, I was considering staying in since I keep missing my Thursday morning class due to hangovers (even if it is Intro to US Literature for non-English speakers) but decided to participate in a bar crawl under the conditions that I was allowed to leave early. At the first bar, while waiting for my mohito, I realized there was no way I was leaving early and was going to probably make it to the end. All the bars were so close to where I lived and I couldn't use the metro closing as an excuse since I didn't need to take the metro.
I ended up missing both my classes the next day (the first due to a hangover and the second due to H&M), but all in all I'm pretty sure I'm better off than Ross.
The night before, a few of us went to Cafe Del Sol - a bar near where we live that is in the running for becoming 'our place' - and the entire time Ross was complaining about how he hasn't been drunk in Spain (and how the last time he was actually drunk was June). I guess this discussion drove him to realize how much he wants to drink?
He showed up to the bar crawl totally plastered. He had finished 3/4 of a bottle of 5 euro vodka on an empty stomach in an attempt to end his sobriety streak. He immediately ran up to a girl he didn't know and kept touching her and talking to her. She came over, introduced herself to me, and told me "Ross is cut off. I don't even know Ross, but he is cut off."
We decided this was a good time to give Ross a shot of vodka (from a second 5 euro bottle) that we had snuck in. We poured it out of the plastic waterbottle we had used to smuggle it in, into a used shotglass in front of him. When we handed him the shot his response was "Aww! Did you buy this for me?" He then tried to get everyone around him to dance, even though no music was playing, and he doesn't usually dance. His dance consisted of waving to the bottles and saying "Bottles, bottles bottles" then switching sides and waving to an Audrey Hepburn poster and saying "Audrey Hepburn, Audrey Hepburn, Audrey Hepburn."
On the way to the next bar, we temporarily lost Ross since he refused to move because he was "waiting for someone to pee." He then refused to go into the bar because "this is the place where murderers are murdered." He also kept telling people things like "I'm as drunk as an animal that shoots odors out of it's rectum... A SKUUUNNKKK," and asking people to "Hug me constantly" (he initially only did this to girls but after some provoking it evolved into "Marc, my man, hug me constanlty"). You would think this would motivate him to stop drinking, but instead he continued to buy beer, and ended up puking under the table at the last bar after passing out:
I ended up missing both my classes the next day (the first due to a hangover and the second due to H&M), but all in all I'm pretty sure I'm better off than Ross.
The night before, a few of us went to Cafe Del Sol - a bar near where we live that is in the running for becoming 'our place' - and the entire time Ross was complaining about how he hasn't been drunk in Spain (and how the last time he was actually drunk was June). I guess this discussion drove him to realize how much he wants to drink?
He showed up to the bar crawl totally plastered. He had finished 3/4 of a bottle of 5 euro vodka on an empty stomach in an attempt to end his sobriety streak. He immediately ran up to a girl he didn't know and kept touching her and talking to her. She came over, introduced herself to me, and told me "Ross is cut off. I don't even know Ross, but he is cut off."
We decided this was a good time to give Ross a shot of vodka (from a second 5 euro bottle) that we had snuck in. We poured it out of the plastic waterbottle we had used to smuggle it in, into a used shotglass in front of him. When we handed him the shot his response was "Aww! Did you buy this for me?" He then tried to get everyone around him to dance, even though no music was playing, and he doesn't usually dance. His dance consisted of waving to the bottles and saying "Bottles, bottles bottles" then switching sides and waving to an Audrey Hepburn poster and saying "Audrey Hepburn, Audrey Hepburn, Audrey Hepburn."
On the way to the next bar, we temporarily lost Ross since he refused to move because he was "waiting for someone to pee." He then refused to go into the bar because "this is the place where murderers are murdered." He also kept telling people things like "I'm as drunk as an animal that shoots odors out of it's rectum... A SKUUUNNKKK," and asking people to "Hug me constantly" (he initially only did this to girls but after some provoking it evolved into "Marc, my man, hug me constanlty"). You would think this would motivate him to stop drinking, but instead he continued to buy beer, and ended up puking under the table at the last bar after passing out:
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Figueres
On Friday, we went on an optional excursion to Figueres to see some Roman ruins and the Dalí theater/museum he designed in honor of himself. The Roman ruins were pretty boring - you've seen one ruin you've seen them all. Not to metnion they're just rocks stacked on top of each other. So, Joanna and I adopted a new hobby of "squishing" people who are far away:
The Dalí museum was very cool, though.
The Dalí museum was very cool, though.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Oh Mercé Mercé Me
Last weekend were the Mercé festivals in Barcelona. The city puts on a bunch of free stuff for people to go to (such as Correfoc - a fire run) and it coincided with MTV España's Music Week which involves MTV putting on a bunch of free stuff for people go to (such as huge concerts every night at the Forum). Unluckily, I missed a lot of this because I was in Munich at Oktoberfest, but I did manage to get a good couple nights of Mercé in.
I got to see one of the three nights of Forum shows (a few Euro bands that resembled the Beatles but with more members and more instruments) and Pyromusical - fireworks set to music (think Avril Lavigne "Hey, hey, you, you I don't like your girlfriend" to mass amounts of fireworks over a crowd of people gathered in a Plaza).
Montjuic, the building that the fireworks were over
Plaza España
Pyromusical!
During the fireworkks, a voice came on the loud speaker and said something I couldn't understand. Then, all the locals in the crowd pulled out sparklers (to participate, I guess?) and held them up for the rest of the show:
I got to see one of the three nights of Forum shows (a few Euro bands that resembled the Beatles but with more members and more instruments) and Pyromusical - fireworks set to music (think Avril Lavigne "Hey, hey, you, you I don't like your girlfriend" to mass amounts of fireworks over a crowd of people gathered in a Plaza).
Montjuic, the building that the fireworks were over
Plaza España
Pyromusical!
During the fireworkks, a voice came on the loud speaker and said something I couldn't understand. Then, all the locals in the crowd pulled out sparklers (to participate, I guess?) and held them up for the rest of the show:
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Oktoberfest
I went to Oktoberfest in Munich last weekend. Since I'm sick of explainig it, here are some pictures (courtesy of Julie - who actually brought a camera) that pretty much sum it up:
Germany:sausage::Spain:ham
You go in tents all day (such as this one) and drink
Beer wench
Inside the tent
People I went there with
Germans who taught us drinking songs
Also, I made this my profile picture on Facebook:
Then got a message last night from my mom (yes, my mom has Facebook):
I am sure Oktoberfest was tons of fun, but that picture is not your best....Love, Mom
Germany:sausage::Spain:ham
You go in tents all day (such as this one) and drink
Beer wench
Inside the tent
People I went there with
Germans who taught us drinking songs
Also, I made this my profile picture on Facebook:
Then got a message last night from my mom (yes, my mom has Facebook):
I am sure Oktoberfest was tons of fun, but that picture is not your best....Love, Mom
Sunday, September 16, 2007
The Clown
I moved into my apartment a couple days ago, but Rose, the 40 year-old woman I'm living with, was out of town working on her thesis about Leprosy, so she had some of her daughter's friends taking turns staying here and watching over the dogs.
The first day there was a girl named Rosita (which is confusing since my roomie's name is Rose) from La Mancha who is about to leave Spain for a year and travel through Mexico and South America. Yesterday, she randomly disappeared and was replaced by a really hot guy whose name I don't know. I assumed he was Rose's son - she has a couple kids in their 20s.
I came back from dinner last night and was sitting in my room on AIM when he came and knocked on my door to see if I wanted to have a glass of wine with him. I didn't want to be rude, so I went and sat with him for a little while and talked about where he's from (Barcelona) and how he knows Rose (his girlfriend is friends with her daughter). I finished up my glass (after a lot of really awkward pauses where I would just look around the room to see what the dogs were doing) and was about to get up when he quickly poured me another glass. I asked him what he does for a living, and - I shit you not - he's a professional clown.
I understand that it's possible that this kind of thing can get lost in translation, but I had him clarify multiple times and he is definitely a clown. It's even called "clown" in Spanish (and all over the world, according to him). He went to three years of theater school and at the end was finally allowed to take clowning classes. He asked me to come to his street performance on October 20th in Poble Nou. I asked him if there would be other clown-friends assisting his act and he said only one - it's a really tough gig to get, apparently.
I think he misinterpreted my genuine amusement in his clown-ness (I got up to go to the bathroom at one point and came back to him playing circus-esque music on the piano) as interest in him, because he started asking me if I have a boyfriend, and trying to talk me out of my plans ("You don't REALLY want to go to Barceloneta, do you?"). I asked him if he had a girlfriend, even though I knew he already did, to see if he was going to pull some sleazy story-switching. He responded "Yes, but she's living in Holland so it doesn't matter."
Although this is by far the hottest Spaniard I have met so far, there is no way I'm going to toss my morals out the window and do anything with a guy who has a girlfriend. There is also no way I would do anything that could get back to my roomie who I haven't even lived with yet. I also think it's wrong to fool around with clowns. I left and went out to Barceloneta and by this morning he had already been replaced by some new dog-watcher.
The first day there was a girl named Rosita (which is confusing since my roomie's name is Rose) from La Mancha who is about to leave Spain for a year and travel through Mexico and South America. Yesterday, she randomly disappeared and was replaced by a really hot guy whose name I don't know. I assumed he was Rose's son - she has a couple kids in their 20s.
I came back from dinner last night and was sitting in my room on AIM when he came and knocked on my door to see if I wanted to have a glass of wine with him. I didn't want to be rude, so I went and sat with him for a little while and talked about where he's from (Barcelona) and how he knows Rose (his girlfriend is friends with her daughter). I finished up my glass (after a lot of really awkward pauses where I would just look around the room to see what the dogs were doing) and was about to get up when he quickly poured me another glass. I asked him what he does for a living, and - I shit you not - he's a professional clown.
I understand that it's possible that this kind of thing can get lost in translation, but I had him clarify multiple times and he is definitely a clown. It's even called "clown" in Spanish (and all over the world, according to him). He went to three years of theater school and at the end was finally allowed to take clowning classes. He asked me to come to his street performance on October 20th in Poble Nou. I asked him if there would be other clown-friends assisting his act and he said only one - it's a really tough gig to get, apparently.
I think he misinterpreted my genuine amusement in his clown-ness (I got up to go to the bathroom at one point and came back to him playing circus-esque music on the piano) as interest in him, because he started asking me if I have a boyfriend, and trying to talk me out of my plans ("You don't REALLY want to go to Barceloneta, do you?"). I asked him if he had a girlfriend, even though I knew he already did, to see if he was going to pull some sleazy story-switching. He responded "Yes, but she's living in Holland so it doesn't matter."
Although this is by far the hottest Spaniard I have met so far, there is no way I'm going to toss my morals out the window and do anything with a guy who has a girlfriend. There is also no way I would do anything that could get back to my roomie who I haven't even lived with yet. I also think it's wrong to fool around with clowns. I left and went out to Barceloneta and by this morning he had already been replaced by some new dog-watcher.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Best Music Videos Ever
Since I have finals tomorrow for my Intensive Language Program (real classes start Monday), I've been doing all kinds of procrastinating and came up with a list of the top ten music videos ever. I've spent countless hours in front of YouTube watching videos from my Middle School-hood and deciding which ones are the best.
The Criteria:
- It has to be great because of the video, not the song
- It helps to have a good story/cool visual effects/etc.
- It can't be "Thriller," "Smells Like Teen Spirit," "The Wall" or any of those other videos that always fall first on VH1 countdowns
Here's what I ended up with:
1. "Weapon Of Choice" - Fatboy Slim (http://youtube.com/watch?v=0WW8flwpH-Q)
Features Christopher Walken dancing around a hotel with some extremely cool effects (he FLIES). This got number one mostly based on the fact that I would never listen to this song on it's own (especially not in its entirety) but gladly watched this video twice in a row.
2. "Hey Ya" - Outkast (http://youtube.com/watch?v=XvIw5ZqC1ms)
This is a fairly simple video but there's still enough going on to keep it entertaining. The opening scene where the manager is talking to them gives it a slight plot and the video feels very classic. I especially like videos where there are only a couple people playing multiple characters. The kids dancing in their living room is really great, too.
3. "By The Way" - Red Hot Chili Peppers (http://youtube.com/watch?v=TdagH15ZEwQ)
Entertaining.
4. "Vogue" - Madonna (http://youtube.com/watch?v=xRIYvfhXrdA)
She's really cool in this, and I like when they're dancing and they all swing their arms behind their heads at the same time - the dancing in general is really cool. Madonna looks really glamorous but not to the point where it's obnoxious.
5. "The Whole World" - Outkast (http://youtube.com/watch?v=p5UJjQt3bkM)
Even though this video is kind of scary, I really like the circus theme and how un-afraid Outkast is of looking totally gay by wearing blonde wigs.
6. "Baby One More Time" - Britney Spears (http://youtube.com/watch?v=_BclTRsTBZM)
There are some really stupid points to this video, but when it actually came out it was incredible how much air time it go on MTV. Also, I went to her concert back in the day and there were SO many girls dressed up as Catholic school girls - the fact that she can influence so many people by a couple minutes of music video is incredible.
7. "Doo Wop (That Thing)" - Lauryn Hill (http://youtube.com/watch?v=bGBKCff9o2k)
I really like the split screen between the '60s and present day New York City block parties. It kind of bothers me that present-day-Lauryn looks smaller for part of it, but it's still a really good video.
8. "The Bad Touch" - Bloodhound Gang (http://youtube.com/watch?v=iTW8oUV8Aq0)
THEY'RE DRESSED IN MONKEY SUITS FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. And they managed to get famous off a song about "you and me baby ain't nothing but mammals so let's do it like they do on the discovery channel."
9. "Las De La Intuicion" - Shakira (http://youtube.com/watch?v=NqkkAvRJ28M)
She's wearing a purple mod wig and she dances with saran wrap and manages to not look stupid at all.
10. "Together Again" - Janet Jackson (http://youtube.com/watch?v=5PwpZVlOumc)
I'm pretty sure she actually went to Africa to film this, and it looks really awesome. Her hair is slightly less awesome, but the elephants make up for it.
The Criteria:
- It has to be great because of the video, not the song
- It helps to have a good story/cool visual effects/etc.
- It can't be "Thriller," "Smells Like Teen Spirit," "The Wall" or any of those other videos that always fall first on VH1 countdowns
Here's what I ended up with:
1. "Weapon Of Choice" - Fatboy Slim (http://youtube.com/watch?v=0WW8flwpH-Q)
Features Christopher Walken dancing around a hotel with some extremely cool effects (he FLIES). This got number one mostly based on the fact that I would never listen to this song on it's own (especially not in its entirety) but gladly watched this video twice in a row.
2. "Hey Ya" - Outkast (http://youtube.com/watch?v=XvIw5ZqC1ms)
This is a fairly simple video but there's still enough going on to keep it entertaining. The opening scene where the manager is talking to them gives it a slight plot and the video feels very classic. I especially like videos where there are only a couple people playing multiple characters. The kids dancing in their living room is really great, too.
3. "By The Way" - Red Hot Chili Peppers (http://youtube.com/watch?v=TdagH15ZEwQ)
Entertaining.
4. "Vogue" - Madonna (http://youtube.com/watch?v=xRIYvfhXrdA)
She's really cool in this, and I like when they're dancing and they all swing their arms behind their heads at the same time - the dancing in general is really cool. Madonna looks really glamorous but not to the point where it's obnoxious.
5. "The Whole World" - Outkast (http://youtube.com/watch?v=p5UJjQt3bkM)
Even though this video is kind of scary, I really like the circus theme and how un-afraid Outkast is of looking totally gay by wearing blonde wigs.
6. "Baby One More Time" - Britney Spears (http://youtube.com/watch?v=_BclTRsTBZM)
There are some really stupid points to this video, but when it actually came out it was incredible how much air time it go on MTV. Also, I went to her concert back in the day and there were SO many girls dressed up as Catholic school girls - the fact that she can influence so many people by a couple minutes of music video is incredible.
7. "Doo Wop (That Thing)" - Lauryn Hill (http://youtube.com/watch?v=bGBKCff9o2k)
I really like the split screen between the '60s and present day New York City block parties. It kind of bothers me that present-day-Lauryn looks smaller for part of it, but it's still a really good video.
8. "The Bad Touch" - Bloodhound Gang (http://youtube.com/watch?v=iTW8oUV8Aq0)
THEY'RE DRESSED IN MONKEY SUITS FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. And they managed to get famous off a song about "you and me baby ain't nothing but mammals so let's do it like they do on the discovery channel."
9. "Las De La Intuicion" - Shakira (http://youtube.com/watch?v=NqkkAvRJ28M)
She's wearing a purple mod wig and she dances with saran wrap and manages to not look stupid at all.
10. "Together Again" - Janet Jackson (http://youtube.com/watch?v=5PwpZVlOumc)
I'm pretty sure she actually went to Africa to film this, and it looks really awesome. Her hair is slightly less awesome, but the elephants make up for it.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Rebels
Over the course of the long weekend, three of my friends have been kicked out of bars/clubs - one each night we went out. It would be great to have some really cool stories about doing something so awesome they had to ask us to leave, but mostly these are all just pretty sad and embarrassing.
David - We went to a club called Catwalk in Barceloneta with disco on the ground floor and rap upstairs. The drinks were really overpriced and the guys on the rap floor were extremely creepy, but it was still pretty fun. Later in the night, it got really crowded and Karli and David went to the bar to take shots. They bartender poured their shots and then walked away. Karli turned to David and told him that they should take the shots and just run. Karli managed to pull this off flawlessly, while David - one of the only people over 6 feet tall in the country - was grabbed by the female bartender, then hustled out of the club by a bouncer. We found him outside, covered in ketchup eating a hot dog.
Guillermo - We went to a bar called L'Ovella Negra off Las Ramblas for this guy Gabe's birthday. The bar is kind of an underground tavern with a lot of tables and people from all over the world. We befriended a couple British guys, one of our friends beat them at a chugging contest, and we were having a pretty good time. We tried to sing Happy Birthday to Gabe but the bouncers got annoyed and made us be quiet. Guillermo gave Gabe a bottle of Absynthe for his birthday and apparently it was being passed around under the table. As it got back to Guillermo, the bouncer saw it, and asked him to leave. Later that night, Guillermo threw up on the side of Corte Ingles (the Spanish version of a Macy's/Safeway/Pricey Target in one).
Joanna - We went to a bar/club called Lila last night that was packed with foreign students. It was pretty awful, and we had been promised free Champagne which we never received so we weren't super happy. When we first got there, I had to go to the bathroom and there was a huge line in the girls' room so I just went in the (then empty) guys' restroom. Later that night, Joanna decided to do the same. She waited her turn in the packed bathroom line by the urinal, and was almost to the front of the line when a guy told her she needs to leave and go in the girls' room. She argued with him for a little while, then pretended to leave so he would leave her alone - but immediately went back in. The guy ended up telling the bouncer and having her kicked out. I managed to find the guy and convince him to go tell the bouncer to let her back in, but at that point the bouncer was fed up with Joanna trying to argue her way back in and refused to let her in. I stayed inside for a little while longer, but after hearing that they were calling the police, Joanna and I went home.
Tossa de Mar
Since we have a four-day weekend in honor of Cataluña, Joanna and Alex and I decided to hop on a bus and go to Tossa de Mar in Costa Brava for the day. It was really pretty, and nice to go to a beach that existed pre-1992 (the beaches in Barcelona were man-made for the Olympics).
Since there's so much to do in Tossa de Mar, our activities included: reading, drinking lots of beer, and passing out on the beach. It was pretty uneventful.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Emily
Emily's finally here! It's really weird to see people from home here in general, it really freaks me out. But I'm still really excited.
Last night we went to this really cool bar called L'Ovella Negra (the black sheep in Catalan) that was kind of an underground-tavern. The guy in front of me in the picture is my new British friend, Toby, who told me I can stay with him if I ever come to Britain even though he doesn't live especially close to anything.
I bought my tickets to go to Amsterdam in November today. I'm really sick of everyone making plans that fall through, so Joanna and I booked a flight and a hostel and we're definitely going!
This entry is kind of all over the place, but I also lost my Spanish bet. I was talking to Jim (the guy I have the bet with) about flights to Amsterdam and was having the entire conversation in English without even thinking about it. Halfway through, I realized I wasn't speaking Spanish and decided to just play it off because he obviously didn't notice. As I was hanging up the phone, Jim said "Oh Hillary, one last thing... I just heard a lot of English come out of your mouth." Apparently I'll be buying him some drinks in Amsterdam. Oh, well. At least I can finally speak English now. After wanting to say things and having to keep them to myself I realize that must be how shy people feel all the time.
Friday, September 7, 2007
Yael
On one of the first days of culture class in Cádiz, this girl with water splashed all over her face came up to me singing "Kiss" by Prince as she got closer. Since I've historically never been a huge fan of people invading my personal space bubble, this small, wet, Prince-emitting girl immediately became someone on my shit list. But, after spending the last couple months together, she's really grown on me. Things that I initially interpreted as slightly creepy I now find charming and hilarious; whenever I go to the bathroom in the class we have together, I come back to find something I own vandalized (my name tag now reads "Hillary '08").
A couple weeks ago, we went on a class field trip to Pedrables, one of the buildings Gaudí designed, with huge statues on the roof. We were standing on the roof enjoying the view of the city when a man came up to us and asked if we thought "she" was okay as he pointed to someone rubbing their body up and down one of the tile shapes. As we got closer we realized that it was Yael, eyes closed, really getting to know the statue:
When we left Cádiz, most of Yael's friends ended up going to Granada or Madrid, so she wasn't too stoked on Barcelona. Once she figured out there was an alternative school in the mountains she had not signed up for, she was even less stoked.
Last night, I was in someone's room in the Residencia and a guy from our program came in, gloating about an apartment he had found. Turns out, he had gone with Yael to look at a place (after she has made multiple charts, spent days looking for places, and convinced our Catalán teacher that she would be a great roomie if she really can't find anything by our kick-out-of-the-residencia date) and decided that he wanted it for herself and essentially stole it from her.
The worst part of this was everyone defending him in discussions about this (based on the fact that Yael gets sick when she drinks so she doesn't drink often, so she wouldn't fit in with the "cool" roommates that come with the apartment). What kind of sick person can be mean to someone who loves everything (including statues)?
A couple weeks ago, we went on a class field trip to Pedrables, one of the buildings Gaudí designed, with huge statues on the roof. We were standing on the roof enjoying the view of the city when a man came up to us and asked if we thought "she" was okay as he pointed to someone rubbing their body up and down one of the tile shapes. As we got closer we realized that it was Yael, eyes closed, really getting to know the statue:
When we left Cádiz, most of Yael's friends ended up going to Granada or Madrid, so she wasn't too stoked on Barcelona. Once she figured out there was an alternative school in the mountains she had not signed up for, she was even less stoked.
Last night, I was in someone's room in the Residencia and a guy from our program came in, gloating about an apartment he had found. Turns out, he had gone with Yael to look at a place (after she has made multiple charts, spent days looking for places, and convinced our Catalán teacher that she would be a great roomie if she really can't find anything by our kick-out-of-the-residencia date) and decided that he wanted it for herself and essentially stole it from her.
The worst part of this was everyone defending him in discussions about this (based on the fact that Yael gets sick when she drinks so she doesn't drink often, so she wouldn't fit in with the "cool" roommates that come with the apartment). What kind of sick person can be mean to someone who loves everything (including statues)?
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Sushi
Tonight I went out for sushi with Joanna to Barri Gotic. A couple days ago I read a letter to the editor about how bad the neighborhood is - drug addicts lying in all the gutters, drunks vomiting, etc, so I felt really safe walking around with Joanna in the middle of the night overhearing conversations about which of someone's friends has money.
We got to the sushi restaurant and it was totally full, reservation only. It's tiny and one of the only sushi restaurants in the city. We managed to get a barstool and they let me stand while Joanna sat. After a little while, the couple sitting next to us asked the waitress for the check (in English). She didn't understand them and asked me to translate. I like to think of this as step one of her warming up to us (up until then she had seemed very unpleased with our standing/sitting formation).
She then proceeded to take forever to get our order in, after we stole a stool from the couple. (Note: when she took our order, she just handed me a piece of paper and had me write down what I wanted since she didn't have time for us. She didn't make anyone else in the bar do this. This was pre-translating help time.)
We spent an hour or so waiting for sushi, a food that is usually immediately available, which is especially great because Joanna stayed home sick today and all she had eaten was a croissant. When they did bring food out, they would only bring out things that I had ordered, which Joanna didn't want to eat since she didn't want to risk getting sicker by eating fish (she stuck to veggie/soup based dishes).
By the end of the meal, we weren't too full, and we had been in the restaurant for what felt like years. We were about to leave, when the waitress told us the two guys sitting at the table closest to us had sent over some sake. Turns out it was the guy that Joanna had kept staring at because she was fascinated by how gay he was and I kept accidentally staring at when looking longingly toward where the food comes from. He was a little too old for us, but wasn't bad looking. His friend, on the other hand, was not looking too good. I'm pretty sure he was shorter than me, and his hair was going pretty fast.
They tried to convince us to come out to a bar with them (the bar was supposedly "chulo," but when older people drop words that mean cool it freaks me out a little). We ended up leaving and not going to the bar. For the record, this is the first time in Barcelona anyone has bought us drinks AND asked us out.
Also, I took a picture of a guy playing violin in the metro on the way back!
We got to the sushi restaurant and it was totally full, reservation only. It's tiny and one of the only sushi restaurants in the city. We managed to get a barstool and they let me stand while Joanna sat. After a little while, the couple sitting next to us asked the waitress for the check (in English). She didn't understand them and asked me to translate. I like to think of this as step one of her warming up to us (up until then she had seemed very unpleased with our standing/sitting formation).
She then proceeded to take forever to get our order in, after we stole a stool from the couple. (Note: when she took our order, she just handed me a piece of paper and had me write down what I wanted since she didn't have time for us. She didn't make anyone else in the bar do this. This was pre-translating help time.)
We spent an hour or so waiting for sushi, a food that is usually immediately available, which is especially great because Joanna stayed home sick today and all she had eaten was a croissant. When they did bring food out, they would only bring out things that I had ordered, which Joanna didn't want to eat since she didn't want to risk getting sicker by eating fish (she stuck to veggie/soup based dishes).
By the end of the meal, we weren't too full, and we had been in the restaurant for what felt like years. We were about to leave, when the waitress told us the two guys sitting at the table closest to us had sent over some sake. Turns out it was the guy that Joanna had kept staring at because she was fascinated by how gay he was and I kept accidentally staring at when looking longingly toward where the food comes from. He was a little too old for us, but wasn't bad looking. His friend, on the other hand, was not looking too good. I'm pretty sure he was shorter than me, and his hair was going pretty fast.
They tried to convince us to come out to a bar with them (the bar was supposedly "chulo," but when older people drop words that mean cool it freaks me out a little). We ended up leaving and not going to the bar. For the record, this is the first time in Barcelona anyone has bought us drinks AND asked us out.
Also, I took a picture of a guy playing violin in the metro on the way back!
Crabs
Today in class, one of the California girls in our program turned to one of the girls from Illinois (we don't really get along with the kids from Illinois for some reason, probably has to do with the fact that everyone from Illinois seems to be a moron) and mouthed "I have cramps." This was totally out of the blue, since they aren't really friends and it was during the middle of a presentation. I saw this and was sure she said "I have crabs."
Monday, September 3, 2007
Speaking of Other Blogs...
Some other blogs I am secretly in love with - mostly people I know...
hillaryswoolley.blogspot.com - Zoe's blog invented in my honor. She's way funnier than me.
j0clay.blogspot.com aka Joanna España - Joanna's take on everything we do, pretty much the same stories from a different and more descriptive perspective.
rosserichards.blogspot.com (see below) - Ross' Spain blog with some Vonnegut-y observations. Me gusta.
palomasenlaplaza.blogspot.com - Matt's Granada blog. Some weird shit happens here (think getting locked into an office when trying to get a laundry card, weird interactions in the streets with locals, etc.).
hillaryswoolley.blogspot.com - Zoe's blog invented in my honor. She's way funnier than me.
j0clay.blogspot.com aka Joanna España - Joanna's take on everything we do, pretty much the same stories from a different and more descriptive perspective.
rosserichards.blogspot.com (see below) - Ross' Spain blog with some Vonnegut-y observations. Me gusta.
palomasenlaplaza.blogspot.com - Matt's Granada blog. Some weird shit happens here (think getting locked into an office when trying to get a laundry card, weird interactions in the streets with locals, etc.).
Ross
Since I haven't been carrying my camera with me anywhere - probably a combination of laziness and my roommate's paranoia rubbing off on me - I've been stealing mass amounts of photos from Facebook. Mostly from Ross (rosserichards.blogspot.com):
Gracias, Ross.
Gracias, Ross.
Decaf Coffee
This morning I woke up at 8 (clearly a miracle of nature) even though I didn't fall asleep until past 3am since my body has convinced itself that bedtime isn't until 6am (probably a side-effect of going out five nights in a row).
I made my way downstairs, then through the really awful breakfast line - where all the give you is a burnt, greasy croissant and an empty coffee cup - and went over to the coffee machine. I pushed the red coffee button and nothing happened. I then pushed every other red button on the machine and started freaking out. I found Ursula, our awkward student program director, and explained that the coffee machine "no funciona." She pushed the blue buttons (which I've always stayed the hell away from since the person who taught me how to use the machine told me to go for the red) and coffee came out!
She asked me what I had been pushing and I pointed to the red buttons (stupid vow of Spanish). Turns out, I've managed to "kick Ursula's biggest habit!!!" (I hate Ursula) by drinking decaf every day. She stood there talking about coffee forever, and all I could do was smile in nod since my obscure, European coffee machine vocab isn't up to par.
No wonder I can barely stay awake in class regardless of how much coffee I drink in the morning. I just assumed it was really cheap because the rest of the food is so bad.
I miss good food. And Zoe. See below:
I made my way downstairs, then through the really awful breakfast line - where all the give you is a burnt, greasy croissant and an empty coffee cup - and went over to the coffee machine. I pushed the red coffee button and nothing happened. I then pushed every other red button on the machine and started freaking out. I found Ursula, our awkward student program director, and explained that the coffee machine "no funciona." She pushed the blue buttons (which I've always stayed the hell away from since the person who taught me how to use the machine told me to go for the red) and coffee came out!
She asked me what I had been pushing and I pointed to the red buttons (stupid vow of Spanish). Turns out, I've managed to "kick Ursula's biggest habit!!!" (I hate Ursula) by drinking decaf every day. She stood there talking about coffee forever, and all I could do was smile in nod since my obscure, European coffee machine vocab isn't up to par.
No wonder I can barely stay awake in class regardless of how much coffee I drink in the morning. I just assumed it was really cheap because the rest of the food is so bad.
I miss good food. And Zoe. See below:
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Month of Spanish
I decided to only speak Spanish for the entire month of September, since I can talk for hours on end about women's rights or drug legalization in Spanish but don't know how to talk about what I did yesterday. It started out as fun, harmless activity to improve my Spanish but now I have a couple bets going, such as I have to buy all of my friend's drinks one night if I speak English once, but he has to buy all my drinks if I make it.
Supposedly I already messed up because the first night I was arguing with somone and yelled at them in English. I don't remember this at all, but my bet opponent does.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Razzmatazz
Last night I went to see Ratatat at Razzmatazz, a huge club in Vila Olimpica that has 5 separate bar/clubs in it that all play different kinds of music and have different themes. It was really fun but really easy to lose people, and I'm pretty sure Ratatat ended up playing for less than an hour.
We left after 5am so the metro was open again. The group I left with was only 4 people, one of which I'm not that close to because I wasn't in Cádiz and is kind of an asshole to me. He always looks like he's not having fun when we go out (if he even makes it out), so I was trying to dance with him and hang out with him so he would feel more part of the group. On the metro he refused to sit with us, but eventually gave in, then wouldn't talk to us. Another guy from our group asked him what was wrong, and he just pointed at me and said "I can't listen to this. Her awful Spanish is really brutal."
First of all, I'm pretty sure his Spanish is horrible. Second, people shouldn't be consistently rude and mean after I try to actually make them feel like they fit in and go out of my way to be nice, which is really difficult for me.
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