Te lo agradezco por todo

Wow, so much has happened this past week! To make it easier on y'all I shall seguir with the same format as before :)

> I moved! Yes, I didn't really express that much discontent with my homestay in my previous posts, and it wasn't that I was that unhappy or anything, it's just that something better became available, so I took it. It actually is just a huge, huge blessing and I am so thankful to God for His faithfulness because I have no doubt that this was only possible because of Him. My two friends who I go to church with here actually had a single room open in their homestay. A girl was going to move there before, but then she decided not to. So I decided to move because I'd rather live with friends. It was tough telling Nury, but I think she understood. It just kinda stinks because I think my other roommates were planning on moving as well... but oh well. I am so much happier here because it is closer to the metro, there are more things around this area, and I actually know other people who live closeby!

First dinner with my roommates, Alexis (left) and Katie =D

But anyway, my new hostmom is a real hoot. Her name is Begonia, and yes her house does smell like flowers. When I first met her, she immediately reminded me of an older version of Julie Andrews in the role of Mary Poppins. She likes to speak Spanglish to us, and make sure that we completely understand her so she repeats the different things that she needs to tell us multiple times in both languages. She is also very hospitable and, if you have been on gtalk, you will have already known from my gtalk status that she keeps buying us this delicious Chocolate ice cream and my roommates and I cannot stop eating it. She also has a nice assortment of nuts (of the hazel, almond, and walnut sort) which I enjoy placing into the pint of chocolate ice cream and eating together (no more almond hunting in my Starbucks Coffee Almond Fudge, for those of you who know about my previous self-destructive quests... hahaa) Another example of Begonia's extreme hospitality is that a couple days ago, my roommate, Katie, told her that my parents may be coming to visit me during my Spring break here in April. Yesterday, she told me that she would like to invite them over for dinner and then proceeded to ask me if I knew whether they would prefer red or white wine?
Basically, she is precious, and I am sure that I will have many other stories to share about her.
One more story: the other night I entered one of my laughing fits at the dining table, and Begonia actually hit me playfully and said "No te ries!" (Don't laugh!) but in a kind of reprimanding way which I understand of someone like her who may not have ever been exposed to someone who is as easily amused as I am.

> I started classes! Speaking of being easily amused, which is a true statement in and of itself, either it's because of that characteristic of mine, or that I just happened to pick the classes with highly amusing professors, but I have something to say about most of them! Two of my professors have repeatedly scolded themselves in the third person during class (i.e. "Ay, Rosa! Por que lo hiciste!" or "Toni, por favor! No gritas!") My Spanish professor, Rosa, is highly amusing and has already simulated two fiestas during our class, including this morning when we did a round of speed-dating in a class of 9 girls and 1 boy. Then there is my professor, Toni, who I have for two classes back to back at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona--one is "Politics, War and Economy: History of Globalization" and "Barcelona: City-Planning and Architecture." This would probably be a bad situation save for the fact that he is a dynamic professor who is teaching me two completely subjects, aka he is incredibly intelligent. I have not felt one bit of doubt about his expertise in either subject. He also reminds me of the genie from Aladdin, NO JOKE. He has a very hearty laugh and that line-beard-cut thing that outlines his jaw (I know there is a term for it but, lo siento, I am not American-cultured enough to know it.) He also enjoys sprinkling bilingual explicits into his vocabulary quite often. Also, he only says "vale" to further prove my point from my previous post. And then, there is my Art History professor who I have also made mention of in my gtalk status if you've been keeping track (because that seems to be a trend for people who have me on their gtalk lists. Apparently sometimes I provide amusement through the things that I express on my statuses...) He is the professor who is a Spanish-accented, highly-sensitive George Clooney, I kid you not. We shall see how I fare in this class, which is actually really, really interesting, not just because of the professor. It's "Iberian Peninsula: Cultures and Religions Through the Arts" and focuses on Islamic art, which is something that I've just never learned about and it's so interesting because it focuses on the social contexts and meanings that can be interpreted through arts. It's very soulful. And it is being presented to me through an excellent medium ;-)

> So city. Some of you may know Kathryn McCaleb, but something that she has made note of many times before is with regard to the embodiment of "being city." And although her definition differs slightly from the topic on which I am about to write, it goes along with the same theme. Since I've gotten here, I've just realized how much of a city-dweller I am, and how it is an identity that I've never really taken ownership of in the past. I lived in Hong Kong until I was 7, moved to Boston (which, in comparison, is really a town. But my theory is only further proven because I really am not too much of a Bostonian...), go to school in NYC, and now am studying in Barcelona. I've been able to make so many comparisons especially between Barcelona and Hong Kong. It is fascinating how similar, yet completely different, the two cities are. I guess that is a large reason why I am excited for my Urbanism and Architecture class in which we will be discussing the characteristics of a city. There have been so many times in the past two weeks when I have told other people "Wow, this feels like Hong Kong." Like the train system: here, just like in Hong Kong, they have two companies who operate the underground system, so there are two different types of Metros, one of which is a little more like a railway train than a subway train. Then the two neighborhoods that I've lived in have felt like Hong Kong to me as well, specifically the two neighborhoods that my maternal and paternal grandparents live in. Tibidabo, which is where I live now, reminds me of Ho Man Tin, which is where my grandma lives. And Les Corts, which is where I lived before, reminds me of Sha Tin, which is where my grandpa lives. But then I've also been able to compare this city to New York. For example, there is this district here called Gracia, which definitely reminds me of Brooklyn. It's a hipper area where many hip locals hang out and there are little bars on small streets. And, just like how Brooklyn did not used to be a part of New York City, Gracia did not used to be part of Barcelona until it got annexed by the city a little while back. So the people there are more likely to participate in protests and be more politically active.

> ¡"Amigos" con subtitulos en Español! Last night, my roommates and I watched the Friends DVDs that I stole from Sarah Kupferberg and made it an educational experience by putting on the Spanish subtitles. I thought y'all might enjoy some of the excellent vocabulario that I gained from the night (this is from the episode when Chandler and Monica watch Phoebe's sister's birthing video)
¡Diablos! -- Damn!
Pornografía fea! -- worst porn ever!
Hambriente -- ballsy (to be)
Coquetarse -- to hit on
Now you are all well-equipped to come visit me in Barcelona!

> More sappy Spanish songs: On the flight here, I listened to the music offerings of Continental Airlines. Of course, I looked at what Latin music there was, and one that I found was the Luis Fonsi's album. When we were eating dinner last night, I ventured into the kitchen to turn on the radio for some mood music and went against the current to search for the radio station that actually played Spanish music! And whaddaya know, Luis Fonsi came on. So because I'm not sure if there is anyone else in your life as obsessed with cheesy Spanish pop music, I am eager to fulfill my responsibilities as your friend who does and provide you with the link to his cheesy music video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PG7k9fSYDvA. Enjoy! jajaa :)

> Photos: In response to your demand, and because I want to share with y'all anyway, I will be uploading some photos soon onto my Picasa site. And then also will eventually be doing some facebook album-creating.

**Sorry this was so long. It was quite rambling, I apologize!!!

Part of me wishes that all of you understood Spanish so that I could write this blog en español, or that it would somehow magically translate into English after I wrote it in Spanish... :)

There are just so many little things that I'm learning and picking up each day. I can't imagine how much more I'll be learning because it's only been a little more than a week! There have definitely been ups and downs since my arrival, which I know are normal to any situation that requires an adjustment of habits, mindset, language. But I guess at some times, the normal stresses of the beginning of a school semester with figuring out classes and my schedule are only exacerbated by the other stresses of being in a completely new place!

I actually listed some things that I wanted to share with y'all in my notebook yesterday, so here goes my attempt at organizational writing:

>> vale (pronounced vah-leh): so one of the first things I noticed once I got here was that people always said vale, and almost never said "okay" (muy Americano) and would only occasionally say "bueno" (más de latinoamerica). From the first day that I got here, I vowed that I would be able to say it instead of my reflexive "okay" by the time that I left Spain. I didn't know that it would take such little time for me to change my reflexive responses so quickly because already I say vale all the time! Now it's when I have to say okay in English contexts that I feel a little weird. There is also an Alejandro Sanz (extremely sexy Spanish singer) song that I looove with a part in which he sings "¡VALE!" so almost every time that I say/hear vale, I think of Alejandro Sanz, which is not too shabby of an assocation, I think! I first heard his song No Es Lo Mismo in Max Cafe (which, btw, in my opinion is the best cafe in the Columbia area by far on 121st and Amsterdam that serves the most AMAZING french toast. go eat it. please. it comes with strawberries and powdered sugar. do it in remembrance of me!)

>> lengua y cultura: so there are a few things about language and culture that I have experienced since I've gotten here. One thing is that when I've gone out, people are generally confused by me. And by that, I mean that they don't know if I speak Spanish, if I speak Chinese, Japanese, if I speak English... I am only further more extraño because I also enjoy dancing like a Latina. I am just a generic foreigner with whom the locals don't really know exactly what to do. Also, I came to Spain expecting to pick up some new tunes and jams that I unfortuantely cannot create a radio station for on Pandora nor download off of Ruckus because I am using a Spanish IP address, but I've really only heard American music in English! I guess there are just as many Womanizers and people who need to be put into Rehab here in Spain as there are in good ol' American Britney-Rihanna land. Although actually, yesterday, when I was sitting in the Spanish version of a Cosi cafe, I heard Samantha Mumba (don't wanna love you if you don't love me... remember??) for the first time in probably 7 years, so that was muy interesante. Just shows how much the American music dominates the world--so typical of anything American, sigh.

>> la comida: this is probably the part you are dying to know about: WHAT IS THE FOOD LIKE?? (actually, I think that's one of the first things that Sara Del Fierro asked me on gtalk, haha =D) well I can tell you that so far, I have been very, very pleased with the food that my señora, Nury, cooks (more about her later!) Last night we had homemade fried calamari (I'm just going to assume that it was from the Meditteranean.) And before we've had tortillas de patatas that are kinda like a mix between latkes and quiche (no idea if that's how you spell it) without the cheese. Apparently we will be having paella on Sunday night, which I am very excited about because I think I only tried a bit of Janelle's when we were in Puerto Rico (if only they had some mofongo here! I will have to see haha) Anyway, I think that is one of my favorite parts about this homestay business--that I get to experience real Spanish homecooked cuisine.

>> la iglesia: What a blessing it was to go to church last Sunday. Karen had connected me with her friends, Jesús and Dianne, before I came to Barcelona, so I got in touch with them and went to their church, El Lokal, where I got to worship, pray, and hear a sermon all en español! We actually sang a few songs I knew in English, like Majesty (Delirious) and The Time Has Come (Hillsong), so that was exciting. I am excited for what else God will be showing me during my time here. This upcoming week Jesús and Dianne are giving a presentation about the arts ministry that they do here, so I think I will be going back to see that. There are a few other churches that have English-speaking congregations that I might check out just to make those contacts. But I would love to go to a Spanish-speaking church because I think that's going to be one of my main points of connection with local people in Barcelona.

>> Nury: I found out a few days ago that my host mom used to be a model! And today, when I came back home to eat some lunch, she showed me some of her pictures of when she modeled back in the 70s. It was so crazy/interesting! She used to be blond, and now her hair is a darkened, colored auburn. She told me that she used to model for Loreal Paris, Pierre Cardin... it was really cool to see all her old photos! She's also told me that after her modeling career, she owned a bunch of fashion stores in Costa Brava, and that she lived in Africa for 10 years of her childhood. Something really tragic that has happened is that recently, her daughter's boyfriend was killed in a car accident, so that's been really, really hard. I met her daughter on the first day that I was here, and she looked very depressed. It doesn't help that her father, Nury's ex-husband, had a heart attack a few years back. I've been praying for her, though, and ask you all to keep her in your prayers, too.

I shall write more next time--I am planning on being a tourist this weekend for the first time and go to a bunch of the vital sightseeing points, which I am excited about!

con paz e amor

disorientation and confirmation

It's hard to believe that it's only been 36 hours since I first stepped off my plane and onto Spanish, European ground. They didn't park the plane at the gate and we had to step outside into the cold, cold weather and board a bus to the terminal. Ever since I was young, I don't know why but I always thought that was cooler than going straight up to the gate.

Conveniently, one of my housemates was on the same flight as me, so we got to travel to our homestay together. Apparently, it hasn't been this cold in this country for a long time. I thought it was strange that the first thing the taxi driver from the airport said to me was "Hace frío!¨ to which I responded, oh, no we're from New York, this is nothing. But one of the news stories I caught while we were settling into our apartment focused solely on the cold weather. They showed multiple Spaniards saying "It's cold!" so that's how I got the idea that this is an abnormal temperature.

Lucky for me, I had contacted our señora before coming, so I'm in the single room. I feel pretty bad for my 2 housemates, though. Not only do they share a room, but they essentially share a bed. There are 2 mattresses pushed together on one bed frame... they're gonna get pretty intimate! My room is a pretty decent size though, so I don't have too many complaints. I'm definitely looking forward to getting to know my señora, Nuri, better because I can actually talk with her. She does seem to treat us a little more like boarders than close family or something. She lives alone I'm pretty sure she's a widow.
Both of my other housemates are not too fluent. One of them doesn't understand or speak at all, so I end up being the interpreter, which I really don't mind at all. In fact, I kind of enjoy it because I think it will help strengthen my language skills.

I still can't fully believe that I'm in Barcelona. I feel like I've barely touched the city, and I have a very loose grasp on the directions of the city. But from what I've seen and experienced so far, I've been able to reconfirm my love for the Spanish language. Today, we had this pretty pointless orientation that introduced all the program rules and norms, but because I placed into the Advanced track, the whole thing was in Spanish, which made it so much more enjoyable. Even though the staff lady was talking about housing and common sense things like not going out alone and watching out for pickpocketers, just because she was speaking in Spanish made me pay so much more attention and not feel as bored.
And walking around the city, hearing everyone speaking in Spanish (never without a strong, authentic Spanish lis(th)p!) just makes me so happy.
It's really interesting because the majority of the students on this program are learning Spanish for the first time or have limited Spanish skills. So it kinda makes me feel a little more confident in my skills, even though I am well aware that I am far from fluent. Also, it makes me feel like I have pretty distinct goals from many others. Whereas others' primary goals may have been to leave tiny campuses in the middle of nowhere, I left Barnard in New York City just because I needed to have an indepedent experience, to leave the competitve, pressure-filled environment at Columbia and just experience something new and unfamiliar without those familiar tensions.

Part of me feels like maybe I should just try to dive right into the city, but the other part of me that is winning just feels like taking it easy, knowing that getting used to this city obviously will take some time, and that it's okay that I don't know everything right now. I just have to keep reminding myself that I only got here yesterday, so it's impossible to expect myself to be adjusted enough to understand everything around me. It's incredible to think that eventually I'll be able to maneuver my way though the city on my own. Or, at least, that is the goal.

After orientation today, I ventured with a few others into the areas surrounding our academic center. It's really nice that we're located at a pretty central location, so there are tons of shops and eateries and people all over the place. I just loved looking at all the architecture around me. It's so amazing that one moment you're surrounded by all these old, rustic buildings, and then around the next corner you're faced with the Museum of Contemporary Art in this vast white, modern-looking building. One of my friends said, "That's the beauty of Spain."

I love just observing the people around me, knowing that I am a visitor in another country, another culture, and just so excited about all the things that I am going to experience.

I apologize for the scattered nature of this entry. Please forgive me, I'm still getting a bit oriented to this :)

PS- I'll take better pictures soon, I promise. But I'll post a picture in case you were really curious about my living space...