Another week as a "Spaniard"

(Arc de Triomf)

(Casa Mila a.k.a. La Pedrera - Gaudí)

(Chimneys and ventilation shafts at Casa Mila)

(We took a cooking class at Cook and Taste: learned to make a Gazpacho like drink, Bread with garlic and tomato, paella, and Crema Catalan)

It's nearly the end of another week. Time has been passing by very quickly and I'll be home before I know it. It's strange to be living in another country with a culture that is so different than our own. I mean there are certain things that are common to people around the world like the importance of family and friends, but it's the smaller things in life that you don't notice until they change or cease to exist.
Now that I've been here for over two weeks, I'm really starting to take in the city for what it really is. I appreciated it and observed it during the beginning of my trip but saw it from a very superficial point of view. It was a city with cool architecture, mountains, a beach, a public transportation system, and busy people everywhere. But any city could have these characteristics...
I've had the chance to take in the city and attempt to immerse myself in the culture. There are certain moments when it becomes especially evident that I'm in a completely different culture. For example when I'm on the metro by myself I really stop and look at the people. I observe their clothes, their style, their mannerisms, the way they communicate with others, the way they look at me if I look particularly American that day, etc.
The Spanish people tend to put a lot of emphasis on style and fashion (whether it is good or not) so tourists stand out against their unique style. You don't find very open and friendly people out on the street - no one here would ever just strike up a conversation on the metro with a stranger (something that I find different than in the U.S.). And generally, the Spaniards are very soft spoken in public places - definitely UNLIKE the Americans. People are much more closed off and aloof here - but my teacher Pep said that people are friendlier in other parts of Spain, like Madrid. I've noticed that the people here have very distinct attitudes. The youth are rebels and the Catalan people are Nationalists.
I'm really interested in learning more about the Catalan culture. Nearly everyone in Cataluña (the region of Spain in which Barcelona is located) speaks both Catalan and Castellano (Spanish). However, on the streets they generally speak Catalan. There is such a sense of pride in their culture and such a great effort put into keeping the language alive. The interesting thing is, no other place in the world speaks Catalan outside of this specific region - not even in other parts of Spain. Apparently if a Catalan goes to Madrid and speaks his native language instead of Castellano - he may face discrimination and even cause tension with the Spaniards in Madrid. It's such an intriguing concept to me that Spain is very divided in certain respects but like the U.S. is clumped together as one nation or country.
If I had gone to study in Salamanca, Madrid, or Granada, I'd be having a completely different conversation. And if I studied at Salamanca or Granada, I'd have a much better chance at becoming fluent in Spanish. The problem here is that, besides looking like a tourist, if you start speaking in Castellano they already know you aren't from the area because you don't speak Catalan. Then once they notice that you're Spanish is not the best, they start speaking to you in broken English. That's the thing about studying in a big city; it's really common for the people to learn English. Had I studied in Salamanca, I'd be forced to struggle through the language to communicate with the locals because very few of them know English. Don't get me wrong, I do not regret my decision to study in Barcelona, I love it, but I'm just sharing my observations.

Today in my SP400 class, we did our weekly "noticias" discussion. Every Thursday every one has to pick an article out of one of Barcelona's newspapers and summarize it. We then have to present it to the class and describe why we picked it and our take on the issue. This is my favorite part of the class because we learn about the current issues in Spain and Cataluña. Furthermore, it helps you understand the culture ideologies, politics, issues, concerns, etc. Our teacher Pep is very knowledgeable and adds his Spaniard opinions to the conversations and debates. It's fascinating to hear what he has to say as a young man living the real Barcelona lifestyle.
Today we talked about how life changed in the city before and after the Olympics. I brought up the subject because my article was about how Madrid is now a candidate for the 2016 Olympics along with Chicago. He told us that the city changed dramatically as a consequence of the games - and for the worse at that. Pep said that the city was better before the massive influx of tourism and attention to the city. He claimed that the city was a prettier place and the quality of life was better. Another thing he said added to the downfall of the city was the switch from pesetas to the euro. There is a girl from Greece in my class and she completely backed up everything he said. The cost of living has skyrocketed since the Olympics and the change to the Euro. You used to be able to get a cup of coffee for 0'66 pesetas (0'66 pesetas = 1 Euro) and immediately after the switch it cost 1 Euro. But none of the salaries were raised and rental prices stayed the same so the raised cost of living was not covered.
A newly graduated student makes only 750-1000 Euros a month while the most affordable housing available in the city costs 800 Euro. Therefore, it's not uncommon for Spaniards to live with their parents until their mid-30s when they have enough money to support themselves. Imagine that Matt!
The prices for groceries, gas, electricity, and water have skyrocketed in the past couple years - up to 40/50% but the raise in salaries has only been 4.5% in the past year. These are the kind of things that I don't realize back home. I knew that the U.S.'s prices were raising, but it seems like Spain is in an even worse position than us. In Barcelona, 18-20% of the people are below the poverty line. That's crazy but no wonder....So I don't know that Spain will ever be my home in the future - no worries, Dad.

But anyways...now that I've blabbed out all my little fun facts and depressing news about the Spanish lifestyle...they do know how to do one thing! Haha...Party! They still have that one over us. Last Tuesday night, 5 of us got pulled into an empty bar and offered a free round of drinks. When we refused they said okay a free round and then 2 for 1...so 3 drinks for only 4 Euro. We agreed, but when we were done the bouncer didn't want us to leave. We said we'd only stay if we got more free drinks. He seemed unsure until I asked what if we brought a bunch more friends to the bar...he seemed unsure. I went down the street and got like 10-15 more of our friends and came back with all of them. We got the bar to give us all another free round and then the 2 for 1 deal again. The place got packed and it was a ton of fun. Then we went to a club called Shoko and danced until we couldn't dance any longer. Haha.

Just thought I should end my blog on a happy note...so there it is. More party stories...

Oh yeah, also I went to Casa Mila this week. It's one of the famous Gaudí buildings that I wrote my research paper on. I was absolutely fascinated. I actually think Dad might find it more interesting and less disturbing in real life. It's just so incredibly unique. The roof is composed of stairs going up and down everywhere creating a wavy terrain and the soldier/guard-like chimneys and ventilation shafts are just amazing. You really need to go see them someday. Dad, you'd have to appreciate the craftsmanship in his buildings and attention to detail evvverywhere. One day I'll get you into one of these buildings...and you WILL like it. Haha.

Alright, that's all for now. This is a long entry. I need to go study and then go get ready to go out. I love you all lots and miss seeing you everyday. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. :)

Love,
DD