Compendio of the weekend

EL WEEKEND SALVA VIDAS!!! VIRGEN SANTAAA!!

This past weekend was by far the best... not only did we go to see impressive Roman ruins but I also BOUGHT MY BOOOOOTS!!! FINALLY!

Viernes 19 enero: Pretty good day from the very beginning, starting from 9 AM. We finally got internet installed in our apartment by none other than a fellow 'New Worlder', an Argentinian who by the way even gave me a code in order to make international calls for cheaper... 2 CENTIMAS A MINUTE... take that guys (as in men)... it was either the power of being a girl or the fact of him feeling sorry for us... ;)
Turista Style! During the afternoon we went (minus Billy [he didn't get lost this time], Felipe and Tom) 1). to the Old City Museum in which we saw the biggest underground Roman excavation in the world (ironically bigger than those in Italy).

2). We walked along PART of the biggest commercial (as in shopping) avenue in the city, Passeig de Gracia (which is conveniently near Gran Via), 3). and visited Casa Batllo by Antoni Gaudi.



Mission Semi-Impossible! Later on in the day arose the debate over the next step in our (as in Monica and I) own 'Barcelonian' cultural immersion: getting our hair done. After finally finishing 101 calls to and from Italy, I finally got the nerve to go over to the salon and go on with our mission which turned out to be one radical new hair do (mine) and an awesome result from many translations (Monica's).


La Oveja Negra (The Black Sheep). Dinner was an adventure by itself. Just heading to the place was an experience... thank God our teacher knew the way :). Dinner came included with it's own 7 bread rolls (which Meghan ate by herself before she left on her H.O.T. date ;)), delicious tapas.... and Monica's cuddlefish (A TYPE OF SQUID). The ending for a couple of us was at the fabulous bar La Oveja Negra which came with funky smells, huuuge beer pitchers and an immense herd of not very discrete men. Enough said!






Sabado 20 enero: This stupendous day was spent half of it sleeping and the rest taking pictures of two of our plazas for the first phase of our project. On the way back, I BOUGHT MY BOOTS; two jackets for only 40 EUROS, and some pastries. My translating services were offered once again to my friend James Bishop who was in desperate need to buy a phone; we had some type of sausage and peppers for dinner, aaaaand I stayed home while the rest went out.

Domingo 21 enero: The apartment if full of laundry (literally), that's the first thing I see when I get up every morning. We developed this 'ghetto' mechanism to dry our clothes and decided to locate it between the dinning and living area, right underneath the heater... our parents would be so proud (its a cord tied from the entry of the space all the way to the window at the end).

Billy and I got up (as in I woke him up) in order to go and document our last plaza, Plaza de la Palmera de Sant Marti, all the way at the other end of the city. It was very nice to see the environment in that space... crowded with families just 'hanging' out in the playgrounds, little kids running around, and old people sitting down and simply talking the hours away. It is a place worth going when one just wants to get away, take a break from 'stuff'.
We ended up getting off at the Sagrada Familia metro stop for mere curiosity, not knowing that right when you walk up to street level, the church would be standing right behind you.
We simply admired it and decided to have lunch in the rambla-type square we were on... and that's what we did... just sat down, relaxed and ate... very complex indeed.

Nuevo lenguaje, nueva casa, QUE HAY???

Ok, so this is the first official entry on the so called blog/journal for this trip. So far it has been a very long two weeks, almost too much to write within one entry.
Aaaaas always, please pardon my spelling and probable made-up words... lately not even I can understand half of what I say.

Well, these have been two weeks in which everything has happened. Two weeks of COMPLETE transition from one culture to another that is not only a bit similar to mine but also has totally differing customs. We all have undergone every feeling imaginable and existent during this 'short' lapse of time, we're near the 'Be-hind' of the world (as mi abuelo says [pardoning my 'french']), in relation to the location of that which we call home. The only thing left for me to do is to imagine that I am speaking to my best friend about all I've done in just 5 minutes in order to have the ability to synthesize aaaaall of this information in a couple of words.

Bueno, han sido dos semanas en las que de todo ha pasado. Dos semanas de TOTAL transicion de una cultura a otra un poco similar a la mia de la misma manera que con costumbres totalmente ajenas. Todos hemos experimentado toda emocion habida y por haber durante este tramo, estamos cerca del culo del mundo, perdonando mi lenguaje, comparado con la localizacion de aquello que llamamos casita. Lo unico que me queda por hacer es imaginarme que estoy hablando con mi mejor amigo sobre lo que he hecho por solo 5 minutos para poder tener la habilidad de sintetizar tooooooooda esta informacion en par de palabras.

First of all, Barcelona is a city that simply fascinates me. As well as any other city in the world it has it's good and bad areas within. It is a place that while in the process of getting to know it you realize how profound its people and history are; a complexity that when you encounter it, it turns you into an addict and does not give you a chance to breathe. New discoveries don't end. Every day you find a small new spot in which you not only spend half of your camera's memory on but you also get submerged in it. How poetic!

Primero que nada, Barcelona es una ciudad que honestamente me fascina, obvio tiene sus buenas y malas areas como toda ciudad. Es un lugar que a medida que lo conoces te das cuenta cuan profunda es la gente y su historia; una complejidad que al momento de conocerla te vuelve adicto y no te da una oportunidad para calmar. Los nuevos descubrimientos no cesan; cada dia hallas un nuevo pequeno rincon en donde no solo gastas rollo y medio de la camara sino que te sumerges en el. Que poetica!

This is not a city in which every corner is of 'picturesque' quality, it is a city with interesting corners that would leave you speechless and not always in a good way. You might not believe it but I have seen all (at least for now) from kids defecating in the streets (La Rambla to be more exact), to God knows how many prostitues (Lolas [AT NOON!!!]), drag queens and I don't know what else. Setting those details aside, there is to mention the high and amazing variety of architectural heritage that this city holds (from Roman graves and gates to projects done by world-wide known architects). I went to the famous 'Parada de Reyes', the day in which btw, I only received ONE gift (that's what I get for not preparing the meal for the cammels [grass within a shoe box]). I walked through the city... oh, and I ate the best paella I've ever had in my life. Bocadillos, Spanish omelletes and cortado, RULE!

Esta no es solo una ciudad en donde todo es pintoresco, es una ciudad con esquinas que te dejaran boquiabierto y no siempre de buena manera. Aunque no lo creas, he visto desde ninos pequenos defecando en La Rambla, para mas no decir, hasta sabe Dios cuantas prostitutas (A MEDIO DIA!!!), drag queens y no se que mas. Presencie la gran parada de Reyes, el dia para el que btw, simplemente recibi UN solo regalo (... eso me pasa por no poner la caja llena de grama); camine por la ciudad.... oh, y me comi la mejor paella de mi vida. Bocadillos, tortilla espanola y cortado, rule!

School already started... in other words, few hours of sleep... benefit: what would be better than having your sketching class in the Gothic city very early in the morning and to sit down in a cafe, drinking a cortado (Spanish 'espresso'-size coffe with milk) and taking my time drawing a cathedral. THIS IS LIFE!

Ya comenzaron las clases.. en otras palabras, pocas horas de sueno... beneficio: que mejor que tener la clase de bocetos en el barrio gotico temprano en la manana, y sentarme en un cafe, beberme un cortado y tomarme mi tiempo dibujando una catedral. ESTO ES VIDA!

Giving an end to this synopsis, I say good bye with a simple Adeu and a besote to those that are miles away, my family, my dear friends, and mio Bello ;)