elenaespanola

Alright everyone, meet Darren!
He's the onsite staffer here that picked me up from the airport.

Darren is a very very nice mild-mannered man that makes sure none of us are too offended by politically incorrect things. He e-mails us all of the random facts about Barcelona, and is very concerned with propriety, politeness, and formality. In his bio in our our handbook it says, "Darren graduated from the Queen's University of Belfast with an Honours degree in French and Spanish, specialising in the traditional Spanish lyric and writers and artists of the Vanguard. In his spare time Darren enjoys going out, socialising with friends, visiting exhibitions, painting, reading biographies and novels, cooking, and going for walks with his dog called 'Swat.'" So, everybody got a feel for what Darren is like now?

Okay, then I hope you can grasp all of the levels of humor in this ( e-mail. )

Our little Tour of Italy was smashing.

Jenni and I arrived in Rome (after another 6 hour RyanAir scavenger delight, complete with opinionated French seatmate) and we navigated that city like pros (though Giuseppe's aid was always appreciated). After checking into our dirty hostel (complete with a techno disco club right below us), we partook in some lunch... and Italian lunch means no more bocadillas! Just in case I have a heart attack, you can trace it back to the lunch we had... this vodka/cream pasta of artery clogging delight. When in Rome.

I don't really know what to tell about Rome. I mean, it has been my top travel destination since I was really little, so, I've read many travel magazines, art books, and other things that supplemented my visit there. But, whatever I have to say about seeing all of them seems really redundant and cliche. Regardless of all that, standing in the Colosseum made me feel like I'd really accomplished something. It was the one day during our visit that the sun was shining, and it was lovely. Jenni and I even bought the Colosseum/ Palatine tour for English-speakers... though they thought we were Spanish initially (jajaja). I can't say enough about finally being in the Colosseum without being lame, so let's move onto my gushing about the Vatican. Actually, how about if I just gush about the Sistine Chapel?

The Sistine Chapel. Now, you'd think that it might have lost its specialness... with all of the pictures I've seen of it, all of the times it has been analyzed in my art classes, all of the travel channel specials I've watched with my Grammi, the guards yelling "SHHHHH! No fotos!," and the mob of people in the thing. But, no! I stood there for longer than anybody else in our group cared to, and just took it all in. I watched the angels lean down over the edges, the curtains hang with the weight of their antique paint, and made several laps around to discover everything that the pictures, my art class, and the TV specials had left out. It was lovely.

So, we left Rome for a train to Venice. The Trevi Fountain has 2 of my coins, one for me to return to Rome, and the other for me to fall in love with an Italian... self-fulfilling prophesies in my mind (maybe I'll elaborate later).

Now, as sad as we were about missing Florence... Venice was a welcomed break from gawking at old cathedrals, and making your way through crowded streets. It was rainy, romantic, and still. The streets were empty at 9:00, and the city was perfect to go on group photography expeditions. The "hostel" we stayed in turned out to be an adorable bed and breakfast. It's the off-season, so me and Jenni had a spacious, cozy, cabin-feeling room all to ourselves... the place cost 20euro a night! We shopped a bit, and relaxed a lot by the canals.

If you need a visual of things: http://elenaespanola.myphotoalbum.com/albums.php

Let's conclude with a cheesey sitcom moment:
Lost in the windy streets of Venice, looking for our obscure bed and breakfast on Calle San Polo.

Jenni says oh so brightly and helpfully, "Oh! Here we are! Isn't this the street we were looking for? San Marco?" My short and angry reply was, "Polo."

Hardy har har.

Update about the viajes from London to Morocco... aka: wigglies, camels, and smiling delight!!!


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I´m the only one in Advanced that isn´t majoring in Spanish, should I? Should I minor?

Is anybody going by Humanities sometime soon, and want to find out how much work it would take for me to do this?

Don´t worry, I will give my scout of academic information a handsome prize.

For a change of pace from dancing, and because we´re cultured little Catalonian nationalists... we went to the "famous":

It was quite an experience seeing an entire play in a language you´ve only had a few months experience hearing, much less learning. Nevertheless, I think that I understood the majority of the play... it was called Uuuuh! and was an ironic comedy about Charlie Rival... the famous clown that was forced to entertain Hitler. It was definitely a play intended to spark discourse about  the obligations artists have to society, the innocence of creativity, and blah blah blah... too many language barriers in order to discuss the matter as though I knew what was going on. Here are some pictures I stole from the website, you get a feel for how visually beautiful some of the scenes were laid out:                                                                 Anyway, as though we didn´t have enough beautiful visual stimulation that night... Jenni and I finally saw the Font Magic tonight. Wow... it was beautiful... but you can´t help but have a laugh at how seriously some people take this "magic fountain:"  Read the biography of the "Magic Fountain" on their website... it asserts:  "When technology is used to serve nature and is harnessed by man´s imagination, there is only one possible outcome: MAGIC!!!  I mean, even the fact that you have a website dedicated to information about a "Magic Fountain" is worth a few laughs and ridicule from two culturally* insensitive American girls. I am working diligently this weekend... I don´t think that I´ve been this productive since leaving America... hahahaha. Seriously though, I have to go be more productive. *Profound quote from Jenni´s profe... "culture is a hard word to use, because it is used so much." Profound.

I'm getting excited about what's approaching:
4 Nov: Oasis concert
5 Nov: Figueres and Girona, Espana
11 Nov-14 Nov: London, England
17 Nov-21 Nov: Sevilla & Tarifa, Espana to Tangier, Merzouga, Todra Gorge, Fes, & Marrakesh, Morocco
23 Nov-27 Nov: Jesse & Marco visit
27 Nov: Football Match
1 Dec-6 Dec: Rome & Venice, Italy
17 Dec: Family arrives
20 Dec: Last day of classes
23 Dec-27 Dec: Frankfurt & Heidelburg, Germany
27 Dec-30 Dec: Paris, France
30 Dec: Los Angeles & Encinitas, United States :D

Whew, I kinda actually wish that I could stay longer here. I mean, I still have two months to get sick of it, but... I think I might move here. I'm not saying permanently, maybe just about as long as my parents were in New Zealand. Then again, I have a lot more traveling to do before I decide on the foreign land that will be my home until I cave in and return to the United States. Hahahaha, but seriously... good times here in Catalonia. Today my Catalan teacher broought us some muscatel and panellets that she made for All Saint's Day (sidenote: food and laying flowers on graves is the summation of traditional Catalonian celebration on our Halloween... it's very international-chic to go to a costume party... that made me laugh) and some muscatel. If you haven't heard of panellets, I will try to make some for you next time we see each other... they're these really yummy almond doughy treats. If you haven't heard of muscatel, I'd say you're a lucky person, because it's the most disgusting alcoholic beverage since anis... it's like distilled honey.

So, remember how I decided that my Catalan teacher hated me? Well, the class is enjoying their panellets and in the spirit of being cultured... we all suffer a shot of muscatel to be polite (mind you, it's 1pm which is 9am in Barcelona college student time) and are doing our group pronoun exercises when she comes up to me with that wretched bottle and starts pressuring me to drink more. I explain to her that I hadn't eaten today, and she chides me that muscatel is not that strong, and that I have barely had a taste. I keep on trying to politely refuse, and she acts hurt and says (loosely translated), "you don't the one product that Montserrat monks have worked diligently upon to preserve their culture?!" I felt so awkward... don't you hate it when your teachers start reminding you of frat boys?

Anyway, in my Spanish Media class, things were much better... I took a tour of La Vanguardia, it's the oldest newspaper in Catalunya (because it's right wing enough to survive Franco, but moderate enough to survive the anarchists... kinda like me?) I think I missed the elementary school field trip where you went to a newspaper factory, so it was my first time seeing all of the modern technology. It was actually extremely fascinating, especially with the tour in Spanish and all of the devices juxtaposed with antique presses that they had in their museum.

Best part? Look Ma! Free stuff!



Hahahahaha... the daily paper, their sports periodical (there are sports newspapers EVERYWHERE here... how do they sustain an entire daily publication on essentially ONE sport alone? I have no idea), a guide to natural parks of Catalunya, comprehensive maps of Catalunya, a spiffy folder (like all the cool Spanish kids have), and a pen! Oh, but that's not all! I'm holding a stamp the guy made for me, it's my name, and it was made on some oldschool printing press.

Just finished reading Las Bicicletas Son Para El Verano, sad play... but I suppose the Spanish Civil War isn't all that upbeat. I should end on an upbeat note huh? Uh... Eras-moos party is down the street at Baja again... woot! Yeah, so my lj is kinda dull.

Love,
Erin

PS: I'm eating lots of vegetables Mom. :*

Lex just left, it was a fabulous visit filled with beautiful beach chilling, a saltwater spa, delicious Basque tapas, Australians, and quality catching up time with a lovely lady in a beautiful city. Seriously, look at my pictures (www.elenespanola.myphotoalbum.com) and you will understand. Anywho, Peter got in for his research project this morning... we had an awkward dinner... and now I´m extremely tired, but at the beseeching of Tanya (and others... but I´m mostly concerned with Tanya) I am going to update this fun travel journal.

 

( I really don´t know what to say about what´s going on... so I´ll tell some anecdotes that happened a long time ago. )

Jo vaig ana Montserrat y vau mol bet. Vaig escoltar campanes de l'esglesia a Montserrat.

(I went to Montserrat and it was very good. I listened to bells of the church in Montserrat).

 

Hahahaha... those two sentences alone made my Catalan teacher hate me less, because apparently the monks of Montserrat saved the Catalan language during the Franco regime... they continued to speak it, though prohibited. Crazy nationalist monastary! Anyway, I uploaded some pictures about that fiesta visit, and it's more ornate churches and breathtaking vistas... hey, you know what they say:

When in Barcelona...

                                              ...do as the American tourists do.

They don't say that? Rats! I actually don't really know what that expression means.

 

Anyway... here's the famous Moreneta d'Montserrat ... the "Black Virgin," if you touch her orb (the only part not shielded with glass) on your religious pilgrimage... it blesses you. I think that people just touch her orb to be cool though:

Wanna see more?

Love,

Erin

PS: Lex is visiting me today... I give you permission to be jealous... NOW... ok go!

Three times today while taking the metro, I've nearly fallen onto the guy playing the accordion. I feel like such a jerk.

I think all I do is make travel plans nowadays, but regardless of the time it took, I think that travel agents will soon be obsolete.

Today, Giuseppe took me to the beach on the back of his Vespa, (the fact that I just wrote that sentence alone makes me smile) and we reviewed our travel plans to Italy... I'm sooo excited! Then, I played futbol with all of los chicos... hahahaha... it's like I was in Irvine, playing soccer on a Friday.

Now, tiempo para vestirse y bailar!

The torrential rains going all through Catalonia are making quite a disaster in Girona, and surrounding neighborhoods, but they are also making the waves HUGE. The front pages of the newspapers are saying <<La Tierra Nos Protesta>> essentially the earth is protesting the evil that is taking place everywhere, by placing disaster after disaster all over the world. It's interesting that the mainstream media here has no qualms with making that kind of a statement. I'm not sure how to react to the idea of "the earth protesting," but the waves that are breaking lately are quite a treat. There was nobody around the sea wall by the port this morning, so I sat there with a cafe con leche, watching the waves pound against the wall... and singing worship in English for the first time in awhile. It was beautiful.

Also, Kai Neiuvarrs visited me today!!! I know, random, but he's studying in Sweden... so he decided to come to Barc for the week he has off. He met me after class today, and then we went up to the top of La Sagrada Familia had some bocadillas, and then we rowed around the pond at my favorite park:

(I felt that a professional would better be able to capture how lovely Parc Ciutadella is... I noticed that there are turtles in the water today =)).

After we rowed, I ran into a lady from my church... she told me in Spanish that I should hold onto Kai, because he's a nice boy, and that was awkward. Now, we're going to leave for more of the Sitges film festival... I'm very excited that Film and Media major Kai will be there to enhance the experience! I can pretend for 1-3 minutes that I know something about film (thank you Jesse, but more B-Bau... happy birthday soon... don't listen to Sufian). Whew... I'm tired... too much dancing and hiking with too little sleep. I drank too much coffee this morning during my oral presentation on Sufism... my hand was shaking, so the Profe stopped me and told me not to be nervous... awkward. Also, my Catalan teacher hates me... she says I smile too much... I would have told her that she dresses like a Greenpeace gypsey too much... but that might taint my grade more than smiling.