Sorry its been so long!!  I have been thoroughly enjoying my time here in Spain, so much so that I have avoided spending time in my room whenever possible.  It's just too nice outside and there is simply too much to see and do!!!  I believe he last time I wrote mentioned Amsterdam, which had amazing museums and scenery, but was a little too touristy for me.  Although Barcelona is also VERY full of tourists, Amsterdam was almost like Las Vegas for Europe.  However, because it's Europe, it was much cooler.  The weekend after Amsterdam our entire program took a field trip to Navarra, one the the semi-independent regions of Spain.  The capital of Navarra is Pamplona, the city made famous for its annual Running  of the Bulls, which takes place in the summer. However, our journey included snow, cold, and lots of disorganization on the part of our program, who really must learn that taking 500 american college students on a three day field trip just isn't a good idea.   However, I survived, mostly by reading Ernest Hemingway (Pamplona was one of Hemingway's favorite cities) and losing myself in the past.  Pamplona was truly beautiful I just wish I had been there on my own instead of with 500 others.  Oh well :)

For the past couple of weeks I have been really enjoying getting to know the city and getting to know Erasmus students here ( Erasmus is the name of the study abroad program for European students)  They are a lot more fun to hang out with than people from my program.  I definitely have made a few close friends from my program for sure (most of which go to CC, and my roommate Karina) but other than that is has been an amazing learning experience to hang out with people from all over the continent!  I mean, I can chill with Americans at home whenever I want- but here- there is an amazing mix of cultures and backgrounds and languages which fascinates me in way nothing else really has before.  Plus, hanging out with Erasmus kids has given me a chance to learn about other European countries, especially if I am not going to have the chance to go there (and there many I won't be able to visit on this trip because there is so much to see!!!!!)  

This weekend I am off to Costa Brava, famous for the Dali Museum and its beaches.  We are also going into the very southern part of France though I am not sure as of yet everything we are going to see.  Hopefully I will be a little better from now on about writing on my blog because my next bout of adventure is about to begin.  Spring break is in less than two weeks and I'm off to Morocco, about which everyone keeps raving and telling me how different of a world it is.  I can't wait!!!

Sorry I haven't written in a while, there have just been so many fun things to do here all the time!!!  Two weekends ago my friends from CC studying in other parts of Europe hopped on over for a visit which was really really great!!!!  It was so much fun to see them and reminisce about good times from school and to create new good times here in Barca.  It was Karina's birthday that weekend so we had a grand fiesta for her and it turned into a pretty silly time.  This was followed by  a lovely day of lounging in the sun at the beach and then CARNAVAL!!!!!!!!  Carnaval is basically Mardi Gras for Europe but it has turned into so much more here!! It lasts from Thursday until Tuesday and there is a tiny town close to Barca called Sitges where Carnaval is famous!  It's basically mandatory to dress up, not unlike Halloween, and so we dressed up in our crazy costumes and ventured out into the night.  We weren't really sure what to expect but what it turned into dancing all night on the beach to a latin/techno/hip hop DJ.  It was quite the magical evening and I still am trying to believe that it actually happened!  You just don't dance on the beach all night in the US.  Somehow it just doesn't work out that way. I loved it!!!

This is a photo from Prague at the top of the clock tower!  Magical

This has been a fairly ridiculous week! I have had three classes canceled all due to different reasons, a class in which the professor lit incense and made us pretend we were in a church during the middle ages, and now I have a four day weekend!  Wow, my life continues to be a movie, with strange things constantly happening to me. For example yesterday I hugged in the metro by a random man who was walking through the metro hugging everyone.  how do you respond to that?  I am really not sure.  And On Sunday we went to this festival called Correfoc where all of these little kids, probably between the ages of 5 and 12 dress up like devils and hold what are the equivalent of the biggest sparklers I have ever seen, and run through the streets!  WHAT??!!?  Its a catalan festival celebrating the youth but it seems to me like a rather dangerous way to celebrate- fun, but slightly terrifying, especially when the little baby devils get to close to you :)  I am laughing out loud just thinking about it!!

This weekend my friends from CC are coming to visit BCN and I am super excited because I didn't really realize how great a group of friends I have until I left them all behind.  It is also Carnaval this weekend, which is basically a Mardi- Gras like festival before lent, but here it is like the biggest dress up party ever!!  And so I am off to find some crazy cheap costume to wear and reminisce about CC theme parties, which are seriously lacking in my life right now!!  Besos

So I have just returned from one of the most magical weekends of my life- PRAGUE!!!!  It was so so so much better than I ever could have hoped for and I really had no idea what to expect.  For three days, my life was like a movie and I couldn't believe all of the ridiculous, fun and amazing things we saw, ate, and experienced!  We left on Thursday afternoon, and after a week of feeling homesick for the first time I was ready to get out of Barcelona for a few days not to mention I was with great company!  I went with my roommate Karina, and friend from home, Lena. ( My friend from school flew with us as well but then stayed with a friend there so we didn't get to spend time with her once we got to Prague but that was fine because we can spend time with her here!) We arrived at night and discovered yet again a wonderful and cute hostel.  (That hostelbookers website sure does a good job of letting you know the good hostels to stay in) Once we were settled in our room, we met several cute argentinos who were also in our habitacion for the evening and so we all went out to explore the city together and practice our spanish!  It was really great because we spoke Spanish all night long which was really good for us and we were in the czech republic!  The next day, a little tired but happy we wandered around the city for quite a while, ate delicious bagels (which they do not have in Spain), went to the Mucha Museum, which was absolutely amazing and fell in love with all of his prints and paintings.  He was a famous Czech artist who designed many posters and prints for all sorts of things including plays, movies etc.  I would highly recommend to everyone looking him up online as his work is unbelievably intricate, delicate, and beautiful.  After an extended stay there, we went to the famous clock tower, which on the hour has quite the elaborate clock set up in which saints make a little procession out of doors in the clock and.  It was beautiful to watch as the sun set and then we proceeded to hike up to the top of the tower for a look around.  It was one of the most mystical, magical views I have ever seen.  As the sun set into the fog, everything turned an intense, glowing blue and as all the lights gradually came on the gothic spires rose out of the mist creating the most surreal landscape I have ever seen.  It was so foreign and so beautiful and I knew from that point on that I was going to have to come back one day.  

Once we were finally able to drag ourselves down from the clock tower, we ate some really delicious dinner (what we thought was czech turned out to be really good italian food) and then met up with one of Karina's friends who we spent part of the evening with before wandering the streets of Prague with some cute American boys studying in Budapest while eating chocolate and gummy bears.  It was a really beautiful, though slightly cold evening.  The next morning we enjoyed some free cereal given to us (by the Argentinians) czech coco puffs, and set off the find the famous gothic cathedral.  We crossed the famous Charles bridge (its super old and stuff :)) and wandered around the palace for a while before heading inside the cathedral to be greeted by enormous stained glass windows, and the craziest gothic and baroque architecture ever!!!! (It did take 600 years to build after all)  After awwing for quite some time we went to a cafe to enjoy some mulled wine before it back onto the streets to meet our hostel owners who were taking a group to this very euro sporting event called Crashed Ice, where hockey players basically race down a toboggan like ice course.  So we decided to go, and it was probably one of the most ridiculous things we have ever watched.  I don't know if I really understood the point but it was really funny, especially with Karina and Lena there laughing.   We had to stand on these pieces of wood nailed into astroturf on the side of a hill, I'm pretty sure that would have been illegal in the US but we are in Europe so its a little more lax here :).  

After Crashed Ice 2009, we decided to really try for traditional czech food, which is meaty but delicious and then went to the beer factory, where I witnessed the most hilarious dance party of my life!  We thought maybe what we were seeing was a gay guys birthday party, everyone was dancing up on each other and one guy had on a purple cowboy hat and red nurse dress over his clothes.  It was really great AND the best part is that is turned out to be a British bachelor party!?!!?  WHAT!!??!?!  We were obviously surprised, especially when about a dozen superheros showed up at the bar as well- and yes, it was another British bachelor party.  YAY for Central Europe!!  (No One wants to be considered part of eastern Europe, its like an insult) We were sad to leave and could have spent a lot more time there, there is so much to see and do! But I will just have to go back-  and  now I am off to do homework, what is this school or something??  :)

Our host mom calls my roommate and I Romeo and Juliet since we are basically always together!!  So of course in Granada we had to get our picture taken together!! A couple of times :)

This weekend I got to go to Granada!!!!  It was absolutely amazing!  It had such a different vibe than that of Barcelona, it was very chill and reminded me a lot of a Spanish version of Flagstaff or Colorado.  It was really nice.  We woke up really early in the morning on Friday, 4 am to be exact, to fly to the lovely pueblo itself and arrived at our hostel around 9.  Once there we realized that there was really no need to get there that early as no one in Granada wakes up before 10- literally no one.  The shops open around 10 or 11 ish.  It's really up to the owner who wakes up when they feel like it.  Its very laid back, which I was quite a fan of.  There was no guilt in sleeping in because there was nothing to do anyways- a perfect schedule for a college student I must say.  Everything closes again from 2-4 or 5 or whenever then reopens again later for however long.  The hours on the door really mean nothing.  It forces you to relax, which is a nice change of pace from the US.  Barcelona is a little bit like this but compared to Granada it is rushing around like a chicken with its head cut off.  

The weather was especially spectacular on Friday and we were hot for the first time since I have been here.  We had tickets to the Alhambra at 2 pm so we ended up napping on the roof of our hostel for a few hours in the glorious sunshine.  I don't know if there are many things that make me happier than a good dose of sunshine.  We probably had the best hostel we could have asked for, especially for my first hostel experience.  It was full of light, full of life and super nice!  There were warm showers, warm beds, warm breakfast every morning, and warm smiles around every corner.  It was in a really great location and if my dad weren't staying in a five star hotel when he goes I would recommend this place to him.  The Friday we were there they had a dinner party that was all you can eat paella and salad for only 4 euros!!!  It was absolutely delicious and we got to chill with fun argentinos, italianos, and ingleses.  

The Alhambra was spectacular- I don't know if words can do it justice, and I know that pictures can't but I will do my best.  This amazing fortress built on top of the hill was well worth the entry price and we were lucky enough to see it in the sun (it rained all day Saturday and Sunday).  Everything was intricately carved in Moorish designs and all of the fountains were breathtakingly beautiful.  What I wouldn't do for my own personal reflecting pool with the snow covered Sierra Nevada in the background.  Lush foliage surrounded the whole area and it smelled like early fall.  It was a moment I will surely never forget.  After a good three hour walk around the premises in the late afternoon glowing light, we decided it was time for nap number two and then dinner party at our hostel as I mentioned earlier.  While we were still recovering from our early arrival, we were able to partake in a few glasses of sangria at our hostel's bar and ended up talking about Argentina, school, and life with people who I felt for the first time in a while were worth talking to.   We went up to the roof and looked up at the Alhambra which was lit up and was glowing like the setting sun.  It was a magical evening.

We slept in (why not?) and woke up to cold and rain.  When we went down to breakfast, they were offering a free walking tour of the Albyzin, which is the old Arab quarter.  We had a wonderful guide who was around our age and had all of these hilarious and interesting things to tell us about the area.  And then of course we had to partake in the free tapas- which is waht Granada is famous for.  At any tapas bar in Granada, for any drink you buy, you get a free round of tapas.  Can you say cheap and delicious meal?  And so that is how we ate both lunch and dinner in an very inexpensive fashion.  After some delicious bites to eat, we found a very cheap flamenco show with live music and the Alhambra in the background which was both breathtaking and intense!  Then it was back to the hostel for drinks and good conversation, and then a little exploration of the city's nightlife.  No city in Spain goes to bed early, especially not on a Saturday night!  

Sunday it continued to pour and we wandered around kind of aimlessly for most of the day exploring the Arab shops and staring the intricately paved streets.  They were absolutely stunning.   We also took advantage of the magically delicious sweet tea at our hostel, absolutely free and available whenever we wanted.  We returned very late on Sunday night happy to be "home".  While it was an amazing weekend, it was nice to be back in our own beds without boys snoring in our ears :).  Now we have three days to recoup and do laundry before we are off to Prague!  So far we have only heard the best things but we are going to have to bundle up!  I can't wait!!!!!!!!

this is hard to see but it is in fact my reflection in the window with that strange mannequin behind the glass

Picasso Quotes

My 20th Century Painters profe is constantly spitting out quotes from Picasso.  I love them!  Here are a few of my favorites:

"It takes a long time to become young"

"Whenever there is something to steal, I steal it"

"It is better to copy others than to copy oneself"

"I do not search, I find"

"If inspiration comes to me, I want it to find me at work"

"It took me my whole life to paint as a child"

The wind has left us for the most part and the sun has returned.  I have started running consistently again and I love it!!  I think I have been away from it for long enough that I know that no matter what, running will always be a part of my life no matter how much I want to pretend I don't need it.  There is a beautiful running path right near my apartment and it is so convenient.  I have been running there every day along with an overwhelming large number of males.  Chicas running doesn't really seem to be a popular thing here, its more about smoking a lot and looking skinny.  Alas I am glad to be addicted to running instead of cigarettes.

My classes are going well and for the most part I am really enjoying them.  My 20th Century Painter profe is especially entertaining and I cannot help but feel inspired every time I leave his class.  He is so excited about the subject and so excited about learning!  It's infectious!

This weekend Karina and I are headed to Granada.  It is supposed to rain but I think we will have fun anyways.  We seem to be able to have fun no matter what the circumstances.  I am consistently grateful and amazed at how lucky I got in having such an awesome roommate.  You spend so much time with your roommates here that if I didn't have such a great one I think I would probably be rather lonely.  As it is we snuggle in each others beds and watch  movies, do homework, or talk to our host mom in Spanish.  It's great!!  I can't believe it has already been almost 3 weeks- it has flown by and we are starting to realize that 4 months is not actually as long as it seems.  I am trying to take advantage of every second possible.  

The wind is blowing at over 100km per hour here in Barcelona on this beautiful Saturday!  Its crazy, this morning at around 10, the door to the terrace slammed shut and the glass shattered!  We now are lacking a door :).  Our house mom says it is "muy original, muy moderno" (as you can guess in english that means very original, very modern)  and then just laughs hysterically.   The blinds were also bent in this process and they stick out at a funny ninety degree angle :).  It is a funny day because we wanted to go to Sagrada Familia and go up the elevator but there is no way that can happen now because of all this ridiculous wind!  There were palm trees blown over in the streets on the news and we are about to venture outside for ourselves and see what it is really like.  Our senora says it is never this windy here- strange weather this winter in BCN.  Oh well, we are off to make the most of another Saturday, hopefully at Casa Mila, a house built by the infamous Gaudi himself.  Adios  

I have officially finished my first full week of class!!  It was surprisingly easy- I think that might have something to do with the fact that the classes are so much shorter than I am used to and that I changed one of my classes so it doesn't start until the first week in February.  It is an art history class- in Spanish- yikes!!  But I think it will be good for me.  How else am I supposed to learn Spanish?  So, so far so good.  I think my classes will all be very interesting and I will have plenty of time to explore and wander, which I seem to be very good at these days.  

I had lunch with Kwin today because he is in Barcelona for work and got to see his lab and meet all of the people who work here.  They are all great and I went out to eat at a nice restaurant for the first time here which was delicious!  It was fun and funny to be with family in such a random place!  This afternoon after lunch I just wandered around and met up with my good friend Lena who is studying here for the year and we had a great time catching up.  I feel like I am finally getting a feel for the city which is a great feeling.  I definitely do not know where everything is but I am getting a more general idea.  This weekend should be really fun- no plans yet but there is always something exciting to do!!

I have now lived in Spain for approximately one week!!  I can't believe it- it seems like I am on permanent vacation, which I guess in reality is truly the case.  The city is magical, around every corner there is something new and wonderful to behold and there is just so much to do!  Since I have never lived in a big city before the sheer number of activities is really refreshing, and I actually can't wait to start classes tomorrow, just to have a little more structure in my life.  I am also ready to meet some more people in my program and i am hoping there are going to be some amazing people in some of my classes.  So far I have been very lucky in that I have an absolutely wonderful roommate but it has been hard to find other people here who really want to learn Spanish, learn about the culture, and really explore.  By slowly and surely I am finding more wonderful people and I am hoping the trend will continue.  I have now met all the people here in Barcelona who also go to CC and they are all great!  I can't wait to get to know them better- one of them is in my Spanish class!  

We went to the beach yesterday and though it wasn't warm enough to do anything but sit on a bench in the sun and read, it was so nice to be outside warming our faces and watching the sailboats go by.  Today, one of my good friends from home came back to Barcelona (she is studying abroad here for the year) and we got to see her and her cute apartment and explore her neighborhood, called Borne.  It is a great place and I am excited to go back there and check out all the local spots as the semester goes on.  I am glad to have a friend from home here to spend time with because I think there will be times when I need to reflect on home and on CC and now I have people here from both places. YAY!!!!  I'm off to bed now since I have to get up early for my first full day of class but I am going to attempt to post some pictures and a video of my apartment.  Whether is works or not is yet to be seen .  Adios de Barcelona! 

I have arrived in Spain!!  I cannot believe that I am actually going to live here for the next four months.  Barcelona is a beautiful city, full of crazy art and architecture, a mixture of new and old, and full of people!!  I had my first spanish class today, it was beginner two, and it was really too easy for me so I switched into Intermediate Intensive which means I have class for three hours, three times per week.  I am really excited to learn so that I can actually speak the language.  

I live with a host family- really only a host mom but she is absolutely wonderful.  She is super nice and very helpful and she has been hosting students for 19 years so she has really got the system down.  I have two roommates and we share and apartment upstairs while our host mom sleeps downstairs with a French exchange student and a young Spanish guy who works in Barcelona.  We all eat dinner together which is really fun because we are really forced to speak Spanish and practice the language all the time!  I am about 15 minutes away from school on the metro, which has a stop right next to our apartment, and school is right downtown.  It is really nice and has all the amenities we could ever need including, a computer lab, printers, doctors, etc.  

This week is just Spanish class and getting to know our classmates, but next week "real school" begins.  Hopefully I will do some serious exploring this week and weekend so I can get to know the city better!!  Besos