My first month in Barcelona! October 20, 2009

I arrived in Barcelona one month ago, time is flying by! I can finally call Barcelona home, I’ve settled into my flat, started school, found a job teaching English and I’ve meet some amazing people. Just to quickly summarize my first month here, below lists the top 10 highlights of my time here so far:

1. Going to my first Barca game!

2. Riding bikes though the streets of Amsterdam and admiring the gorgeous canals throughout the city.

3. Experiencing my first Merce and the all culture Barcelona has to offer.

4. Dipping my foot into the Mediterranean Sea for the first time.

5. Starting school at EADA and attending the opening ceremony at the Palacio de la Música Catalan.

6. Walking though the gorgeous streets of Barcelona and admiring all the breathtaking architecture.

7. Relaxing at el parque de la Ciutadella and people watching.

8. Meeting my EADA classmates from all over the world and getting to know them while learning about their cultures.

9. Trying new foods and being creative with my cooking (BTW - I found peanut butter last week, such a relief)!

10. Making new friends and enjoying the Barcelona nightlife.

Being exposed to so many different cultures and exploring Barcelona has definitely been a learning experience. I honestly learn something new everyday, here are a few of my favorite fun facts:

• Nudity is legal in Barcelona, people can walk around naked if they want to, but luckily, it’s very uncommon and not that many people do it.
• In Spain, when people say “tio/tia” it doesn’t mean aunt/uncle, it’s their word for dude, homie, etc.
• Pan con tomate was invented during the war because the soldiers  only had stale bread so they rubbed the tomato on the bread to make it moist. It’s still made the same way and is a popular tapa.
• Some of my favorite new words/phrases are: “guay” – so awesome/cool, “pijo” – posh, vale – okay or yes, “no pasa nada” – don’t worry about it, “me mola” – I really like this, “majo” – good person.
• When you order coffee or lunch at a cafe, you don’t have to pay right away – you enjoy your drink/meal first then pay (people are really trusting).
• When you ask for a tortilla, you get a tortilla Espanola.

Miss and love you all!

My first fútbol game… Visca Barça!!!! October 1, 2009

Going to my first Barça game has definitely been the highlight of my time here so far. I didn’t understand how important fútbol is to Barcelona until I experienced it first hand and saw the pride fans have for their team. This isn’t just a game for Barça fans… it’s who they are.

Here are a few cool facts/things that I learned while attending my first fútbol game:

• The team is referred to as just Barça.
• The have a huge jumbo screen by the score bored, but close ups aren’t shown during the game because they’re afraid fans would go crazy in the stands if they saw every call up close.
• The Camp Nou stadium is so big, there are three different metro stops to get there.
• Kids are recognized for their talent at a young age and recruited to attend a fútbol school where all they do is train to be the next Barça star. For this reason, universities don’t have organized sports teams.
• Unlike the U.S., Barca fans don’t eat during the game.  They devote 100 percent of their attention to the game since they don’t want to miss move. They only eat during halftime, that’s when everyone busts out their bocadillos (sandwiches).
• All the local Catalunya cities have charter busses that are dedicated to just to taking fans to the games (we went to a Tuesday game and the stands were packed).
• The Barça fútbol team has been around sine 1899!

Visca Barça y Gracias Miquel!

Barça Pride

Cant Del Barca . The Barcelona Song

Tot el camp . A clamor rises
és un clam . from the pitch

som la gent blau-grana . We’re the blue and claret people
tant se val d´on venim, . Makes no difference where we hail from

si del sud o del nord, . Whether it’s from the south or the north
ara estem d´acord, . Now we all agree

estem d´acord . we all agree,
una bandera ens agermana: . One flag unites us in brotherhood

blau-grana al vent, . Blue and claret flowing in the wind
un crit valent, . One valiant cry

tenim un nom, . We’ve got a name
el sap tothom: . that everyone knows:

Barça! Barça! Baaarça!