Today is the mark of my second week here! I am starting to feel more comfortable being in a strange city. I can get around good on the metro, bus, or walking. I can communicate sufficiently well (and I think I’m getting better at Spanish), and I am feeling really good about the little apartment I live in. For those of you who don’t know, I live will two other people. One girl who is in my program is from Milton, Wisconsin. I love that she is from Wisconsin because we are able to talk about Wisconsin a lot because I spent a summer there with my grandparents. I am also living with Danny who is a student from Gonzaga and who I have known for a while. They are excellent living companions and we have tons of fun exploring the city together or sitting down at night and drinking wine and playing cards.

So far my exploring has been relatively limited because we were apartment searching, which took over a week. One good thing about that search though is that I came to know the different sections of Barcelona better and how to travel around on the metro. However, I have done some sightseeing. Last weekend we went to La Sagrada Familia which is a very famous church-- the most visited sight in Spain in fact--that was started by Antoni Gaudí. Gaudí is a very famous architect who contributed many of the famous building and bridges and other structures here in Barcelona. He started working on La Sagrada Familia in 1884. There are three planned themes throughout the structure: the Nativity, the Passion and the Glory. They are now working on the Glory. Work is still being done on the structure following Gaudí’s original plans. Apparently, when it is done it will have room for 13,000 people. For me, this building was impressive. You can see from the pictures that it is a massive building. It also is meant to look like it is melting. It was very fun getting to see such a creative and unique building, and that they are still working on! We didn’t go inside because the cost is 6-10 Euros, which is a little expensive now. Hopefully, before my trip ends, I can go inside though and see the inside, which I’m sure is as amazing as the outside.



After this we wondered down to La Barceloneta. This is a section of Barcelona that is right on the water. It is also very touristy, which was new for me because the parts of town that I have been frequenting are not like this. I could tell it was very touristy because more the Spanish people in restaurants spoke really good English, and it was much more expensive. But it was still very fun and the water was beautiful! We walked along the board walk and marina snapping a few pictures, and then around two went and had a meal. It was delicious! I had mussels, wine, and lasagna. However, their lasagna is completely different from what I was expecting, but it was so good! There is also a beach right there that I will probably be spending some time at when the weather gets warmer, but maybe not because it will be packed with tourists. I’m sure I will be going back though



During the week I am going to school from 4:30 to 8:30. I am in a Spanish Intensive where we are reading articles of Spanish business and working on vocabulary and conversation in Spanish. We are also each doing a presentation on the different autonomous states of Spain. I will be doing mine on Andalucía, which is the southernmost part of Spain. It is very interesting getting to learn more about the culture, geography, and economy of Spain.

I’m still working on arriving at a normal eating and sleeping schedule here. So far, I try and wake up by 9:30 (I know! So late!). I grab a bit of breakfast, and then work on my emails, homework, grocery shopping, and other activities. Around 2 or 3 I try and eat a big lunch. This meal seems to be the largest meal of the day in Spain and is during siesta. So from 2-4 about, most of the shops are closed. At 3:30 I jump on the bus (probably will start walking when the weather gets a little better) and head to school. School starts at 4:40 and we get a half hour break around 6 where I have un café con leche and eat and apple and bar that I bring. Then class gets out and usually we go straight home. On Fridays it might become a tradition for my classmates and I to go out for tapas (appetizers) and alcohol. So after I arrive home, I have another little meal and play cards, read, or do homework. I try and go to bed between 1 and 2.



Our apartment is in a pretty amazing part of town. We are literally kiddy corner from Camp Nou, which is the Futból (soccer) stadium for the FC Barcelona team (Barca to the locals). There was a game last Saturday and my neighborhood’s usually quiet streets were transformed into crowds of people packed in the bars and restaurants getting cheap food and drink before they entered the stadium. Then, five minutes before the game, the streets and bars were completely empty! We went to a bar just around the corner and enjoyed some of our, so far, favorite tapas: potatas bravas (fried wedges of potatoes with a garlicky aioli sauce on it), calamari, and croquets. Plus the local popular beer called Estrella Damm. We chatted and enjoyed the game, and the bar ended up being pretty full. It was a very nice evening!