Third Times a Charm: Still Loving It

Hola!

I apologize for my lack of blog posts, we have just been so busy lately! This will be a big one so feel free to scroll! We are finally in the full swing of things. Our classes are all in session and homework and tests are lingering over our heads like school back home. I heard that the program we signed up for was pretty hard compared to the other study abroad programs but part of me was hoping that they were being dramatic. Needless to say, they weren't..

I feel like I have done so much since I last posted! We went on a study journey to Tarragona a couple weeks back. It is a city about an hour and a half outside Barcelona in Catalunya. It is know for their Roman ruins, beach and castels. Castel building is a sport from Catalunya where people build human towers in the streets. We were forced to give it a try and I must say I am not a fan of people invading my personal bubble that much. However, it was a lot of fun getting to know some more people in our program and taking in the scenery. The last day we stopped at a traditional Spanish restaurant where we were given bibs, served a delicious meal and forced to drink wine from this strange genie bottle looking shooter.

Following our study journey was my birthday week! I finally turned 21 and got celebrate in Barcelona with some great friends. My wonderful friend/roomie Niki made my birthday extra special by decorating my room with balloons and streamers like we do on the sorority floor. On my birthday eve we went to a bar called Pipermints and my friends and I got a humongous glass of sangria with giant straws to share. The next day we went to a Mexican dinner to celebrate mine and my friend Becca's birthday as well. It was awesome and I was so full! That night we went to a club and had a ball. I am so grateful for everyone that made my day special home and abroad!

  

After an exciting birthday week we were back to being students and tourists! We have seen a lot of great things recently. Last week we went to an FCB game... for five minutes. It was down pouring and we were not dressed properly so obviously we went in to get some pictures and decided to go to another one later in the season. 

This weekend our two friends came to visit! It was a lot of fun and great to see them and hear about their study abroad experiences in Italy. On Sunday a few of my friends and I went to Catholic mass here. Although we had a hard time understanding everything it was pretty similar to church back home and we felt good that we went. After that we went and saw Mt. Tibidabo which is a mountain close to my home stay. Although you can climb it, that would take three hours so we opted to take the tramcar up. When we got to the top we were breath-taken by the view. You could see every corner of Barcelona. Also on top was a beautiful cathedral, restaurants, and amusement park. It is definitely somewhere I'd like to go again! Maybe I will hike it next time. 

To conclude, I have to share my cooking class experience with you! It was such a great time and great food as well! It was held in a man's home with about 11 other kids in my program. The house was beautiful, and the kitchen was something out of a magazine. We were given cervezas, aprons and put to work right away. Alex and I got the hardest jobs by far. We had to mince and chop the fish, cook the meatballs, and take the skin off of the cooked vegetables. It was really fun though and when we finally sat down we couldn't wait to enjoy the food. For the first course we had a piece of toast with tomato paste, olive oil, eggplant, peppers and goat cheese. Then the main dish was surf and turf meatballs in a stew with a fish and vegetable tomato broth. We also had sweet potato mashed potatoes. For dessert we had Catalan cream which was a cinnamon, orange flavored pudding. Everything was so delicious, we made a few friends and we had many laughs along the way! Who knows maybe I will stick with it?

Sorry for the length, I promise to post more frequently! Thanks for following and stay tuned! I am going to Prague this weekend. Feeling more and more blessed for this opportunity every time I post! Have a great day!

Week 1: We're Here!

   It's officially been almost a week in my new home of Barcelona and I must admit that I am falling more in love with this city everyday. The first few days were the hardest, trying to get used to living in our home stay and navigating the metro system but we are certainly getting a handle on this whole abroad thing. The only things that aren't absolutely perfect is one, how expensive everything is here and two, our food at our home stay. I guess we were expecting gourmet Spanish cuisine but we will survive and my stomach might even shrink!
  We try and spend everyday on the go and are trying to see as much of the city as possible. We have taken a bus tour all around the city, seen Sagrada Familia, Las Ramblas, Park Guell, the fütbol stadium, Port Vell, and the list goes on. At night we have been exploring some of the more popular bars and clubs in Barcelona. All very fun, but they don't even go out until very late here so an evening nap is always essential. I have so much to share I could go on for pages so I will let my pictures do most of the talking!

The above picture and the two below are from Gaudí 's Park Guell. It is a beautiful garden complex with all different architecture. We spent the bulk of Sunday exploring this park. It is very beautiful and was a great day to explore!

The following pictures were taken on our bus tour around Barcelona! They are all works of the famous Antoni Gaudí. The most magnificent one is the Sagrada Familia. Gaudí devoted his entire life to it and it is still a work in progress. He claims, his client, God, has all of the time in the world. 

Today after class we walked down Las Ramblas, a street with all different types of food, produce, restaurants, and shops. We sat down for typical Spanish lunch. I had Las Patatas Bravas and vino and my friends had fajitas with sangria. After lunch we walked all the way down to Port Velle and explored the harbor. It was beautiful and we were all so excited to see water!

This weekend we are off to Tarragona for the weekend with our program and we just booked our trip to Prague for the first weekend in February! Keep posted and I promise to post some more very soon! Thanks for following!

-Jenn

Hola,

Now that I have settled into my new home of Barcelona, I can finally start my blog! Fourty-eight hours ago I was on my way to the airport, excited but nervous to embark on my semester abroad in Barcelona. After reluctantly saying good-bye to my parents and waiting in a few airport lines, five of my best friends and myself boarded our plane to London. As a side note I must say that this was one of my best flying experiences I've had in a long time. There were comfortable seats, entertainment, and two meals! Not to mention that everyone was much more polite than American airlines as we also saw in the Heathrow and Barcelona airports as well. After a short layover in Heathrow, London (their accents are awesome..) we were on the last leg of this trip and once again off to our final destination, Barcelona.

We landed in sunny skies and moderately warm weather, for a few seconds I forgot how sleep deprived I was but then came time to carry our suitcases. Niki and myself said bye to our friends and hopped in a cab to our homestay. We buzzed the apartment and could already tell that this was going to be a struggle, our señora didn't speak any English. The apartment is very nice and our room is pretty big with a desk and most importantly, wifi. After putting down our stuff we first and foremost, showered then followed our señora around the city as she showed us around, how to use the metro, and how to get to our school. We returned and at 9pm we had our dinner, which for me is going to be the biggest adjustment because at home a 6pm dinner is pushing it.

Nonetheless, we had a successful day and both decided that we were way too tired to go out so we hit our pillows hard. The very next morning (today), we woke up after our much needed 13 hour sleep  and went to orientations all day. In between the two we sat in an outdoor café in the middle of the city and drank some much needed Sangria all while planning our first night out. It has been a very long 48 hours and it is certainly going to take some adjustment, living in this brand new city. However it is absolutely beautiful and I can already tell that it is going to be a great semester!

Stay tuned for more stories and adventures to come!

Hasta Luego!