Hitchhiking at Montserrat

Yesterday was an adventure.  Anna and I decided to go to Montserrat, a famous mountain/monastery about 40 minutes north of where I live now.

We got off to a slightly rough start because Anna temporarily does not have a phone and we missed each other on the train initially, but all was well in the end and we found each other.  We then took the cable car up the mountain (it´s 7 euros one way or 10 euros for round trip, so not too bad).  It was a five minute ride, and very smooth... although if you are afraid of heights I would not recommend it.

We proceeded to walk around a nicely groomed village, with flowers and attractive architecture, and of course a good amount of tourists.  We found the monastery, but I do not have photographic evidence of its magnificence because you could not use your camera inside.  We also stood in line to see the Mare de Déu de Montserrat, aka the Black Virgin of Montserrat.  I´m not a particularly religious person so I do not know a whole lot about it, but it seemed to be a really big deal.

Below: I´m posing for a photo with the mountain behind me and the Monastery in front of me.  I thought the views were breathtaking.

After that, we grabbed dinner and decided to take a nice leisurely walk down the mountain. I heard there were trails back to the main train station and that it would take a solid hour an a half.  Instead of researching it ahead of time, I thought we would just follow the signs.  Thing is, there were no signs that pointed toward a train station.  So we took a random trail.  At first, our spirits were high!  The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, a cool breeze was keeping us energized.  But after about 45 minutes of trekking in no particular direction and noticing that the decline had suddenly become an incline, we started worrying that maybe this was not the route to the bottom. I tried using the GPS on my phone, and it only showed roads, not trails.  We asked a kind looking jogger (the only person we saw in the span of about an hour) for directions, and he said something in Catalan and pointed in 4 different directions.... so that unfortunately did not help.

At this point, we were worried that it might get dark before we could reach the bottom.  We did not want to fall off the mountain or be eaten by any exotic Spanish animals, so we back tracked, and mannnn was it steep going back.  I have been eating so much bread and olive oil and not really exercising, so the fact that I was gasping for air after that mini hike was a clear indication that I need to get back at it.

We went to the information desk, but it was closed.  In fact, the whole place had suddenly become a ghost town.  We just wanted to know how to get to the bottom, whether it was on foot, by bus, or any other means of transportation.  Finally, I saw a family wearing rock climbing gear approaching.  The last time I asked for directions in Spanish, it did not go well (the jogger on the mountain).  This time I screamed, ¨HABLAS INGLES!?!?¨to the girl.  She said no, but her dad spoke a little.  After a very confusing conversation in Spengalan (Spanish/English/Catalan), Anna and I realized he was offering us a ride to the train station.  My heart was racing.  On the one hand, I was thrilled to have a quick, effortless option to get down that massive mountain.  On the other hand, I had never in my life accepted a ride from a stranger.  I was nervous, but I figured since it was a family, I would go for it and put my trust in them.

It ended up going amazingly well!  The kids were so nice, asking us where we were from and trying to speak English with us.  They offered us cherries and walnuts, and when we arrived at the station they waited to make sure we got on the train.  It´s always a huge risk getting a ride from someone you don´t know, but I have to say that most of the people I have met in Spain have been really kind to me, and these people are no exception.  I will probably never see them again, but I hope they realized how much we appreciated them taking a few moments out of their day to help us out!

El Teatro, 100 Montaditos, Sugar, y Nit Bus

Yesterday the 6th graders put on a play at the local theater (by local I mean it was a one minute walk from the school). I expected something very casual, but it was so professional!  The costumes, the make up, the lighting, the music, the sound effects, the FOG MACHINE! And they were really into it, smiling big.  Even though it was, of course, entirely in Catalan, I found myself on the edge of my seat the entire time, brimming with pride as I watched my students act their hearts out.

Last night, I ventured into Barcelona for one last night of dancing with my ladies and our Colombian friends.  What can I say about last night? It doesn´t matter where you are in the world as long as you have people by your side who will make you laugh and have fun.

Here are my reviews of the places we visited last night:

*100 Montaditos (4/5 stars): A restaurant in the heart of Barcelona, right in Placa Catalunya. They have a menu consisting of.... you guessed it.... 100 mini sandwiches ranging from 1 to 2 euros.  Salads are about 3 euros, and drinks range from 1 to 3 euros.  Super cheap, definitely tasty.  My only criticism would be that they kind of skimp on the sandwich fillings (but who can complain at that price?) AND they forgot one of our sandwiches.  But we ordered a lot.

*Sugar (4/5 stars): A bar near Placa Reial.  Really tiny, but we got there just in time to grab seats and reasonably priced, tasty cocktails.  The music was... interesting.  Not bad, not the best.  No creepers, so that was a plus. We had a nice time there.  I would recommend it.

*BLVD Barcelona (3/5 stars): A nightclub on Las Ramblas. I have been there before.  There is decent music for dancing.... hip hop, pop, and house music.  It´s a lot of fun, and if you get on the guestlist, you get in for free and they give you a free drink.  That´s nice.  The bartenders are also nice.  They will hunt for toilet paper for you when the lavabos have run out.  The only thing is that it is so touristy.  I don´t think any locals go there.  Not that that is a problem, but I am just saying that you could easily step inside and think that you´re in the good old USA.

*Nit Bus (5/5 stars): Why yes, I am reviewing the autobus! I didn´t want to get a hostel, so I decided to catch the Nit Bus back to my town.  It comes only once a night, at exactly 3:07 am.  So you´d better be ready!  I was so relieved to have this option.  Hostels are a great option if you want to stay in the city, but if you want to get back home without paying an arm and a leg, this is great.  I only wish I had known about it sooner.  It was three euros, and less than thirty minutes after departing from Catalunya, I was back in my town.  The bus was clean, quick, and I didn´t spot any creepers. Win.

So if you are visiting Barcelona and need ideas for food, drinks, dancing, or transportation, I´ve got your back. ;)

Here vs. Home

For the last few weeks I have been obsessing about the end of the program.  One minute I am so happy that I will soon be seeing Atlanta friends and family, and the next I am fighting back tears because I will miss it here so so much.

Things I am going to miss:

*my students. Sometimes they drive me crazy but I might cry on the last day of school.
*My host family.  They have given me endless support and have really accepted me into their lives.
*Mis amigas, Katelyn, Kirsty, and Anna!  I will miss dancing with them to Uptown Funk, having travel buddies, getting into the most awkward situations, laughing until I cry, watching Barça matches, exploring Barcelona, discovering delicious restaurants, and being able to share this unique experience with them. Oh my madre mia, I am going to miss them
*being able to walk everywhere or take the train/bus/tram/metro.
*fresh bread every day. Fresh everything all the time. Sure they have a ton of food with preservatives here, but natural food is widely available and it isn´t outrageously expensive.
*hearing Spanish all the time. I want to say that I won´t get lazy when I go home, but being surrounded by the language makes it so much easier
*Tapas, sangria, spanish tortillas, paella, calçots with romanesco sauce, and pan con tomate
*The lifestyle.  Shops are closed on Sundays.  People actually spend a TON of time with their friends and family.  What a concept! ;)
*The super late sunset.  Barcelona is further north than Atlanta, so it doesn´t get dark until about 10:00 here.  Love it.
*So many beautiful beaches just a stone´s throw away.
*The architecture
*Watching futbol with people who actually care about futbol (okay well I have a few friends in the states who care, but I mean the whole city just goes CRAZY about it).
*Hilarious misunderstandings due to the language barrier.


Things I am looking forward to:
*seeing my loved ones back home.  I have MISSED them so much!
*Being healthy again (hopefully).  Currently I am suffering from yet another illness.  It won´t stop.
*Summer thunderstorms (weird I know but I kinda love Atlanta summer weather)
*Being back in my apartment with Zlati, and having a flexible schedule for my personal life.  I need to slow down for a bit after this.
*Familiarity: there´s no place like home, and the comfort you find there.
*Netflix
*No language barrier... Of course I love hearing Spanish all the time, but life is certainly easier when you can understand every word.
*Having weekends where I just chill or have people over.  Even though the lifestyle here is laid back, I haven´t been very relaxed because every day I try to do and see as much as humanly possible.
*The future.  No matter where I end up next year, I know that this experience has not only been a ton of fun, but it has opened a lot of doors for future jobs.  I am feeling a lot more confident about finding jobs in my field of interest now.  The future is bright!

Munich, Passau, Sitges, and MORE.

Activities as of late:

*I have been cheering on my host family as they lead their active lives, participating in 5Ks and padel tournaments. Yay for them! I have been trying to exercise but it has been pretty sporadic.

*A few weeks ago I explored Parc del Laberint d´Horta with Anna (free on Sundays!).  It was a really nice under the radar place that isn´t overrun with tourists.  We also ate Mexican food at Rosa Negra, and it was quite delicious.

*For a few days, the weather here was abnormal.  It became unusually hot (90F or 32.2C to be exact).  So that week I learned to appreciate having air conditioning in every building back in Georgia because the schools here do NOT have it.  I swear that week everyone was getting sick and in a bad mood because the school felt like a sauna.

*I helped the kids in P3 make candy and strawberry jam that they later sold to raise money for school supplies.  That was fun but also a little stressful.  Imagine watching twenty something three year olds brandishing knives as they clumsily attempt to cut strawberries into tiny pieces.  Thankfully no one was injured in the process!

*I explored the small beach town, Sitges, with Kirsty and Katelyn.  It´s a really cute town about an hour from my house.  I had to take a different train and almost missed it but I used my minimal Spanish skills to ask for directions.  Whew.  See silly ladies in Sitges below.

*We had a three day weekend last week, so I flew to Munich and took a train to Passau to visit my good friend Martin and his girlfriend, Chenxin.  Even though I was sick and the weather was pretty dismal, I had a great time exploring big and small towns, looking inside elaborately decprated churches, eating authentic home made Chinese food and having coversations about Brother Orange, and going to a ¨Cuban/German¨bar with decent cocktails and fantastic music.  I had one small challenge during that trip.  I was alone on the train back to Munich to catch my plane back home.... when the train broke down.  I went to the information desk to ask for help and the woman didn´t speak English.  The man who later sold me a sandwich spoke PERFECT English, and he sent me to the bus driver who gave me a few options.  Eventually I decided to just get back on the next train and hope for no more problems.  Then the next train randomly stopped and I thought Ökay, don´t panic.  You´ve got this.  Just ask someone what the heck is going on.¨ So I stood up and yelled to the whole train car full of silent passnegers, ¨DOES ANYONE HERE SPEAK ENGLISH!?¨And not a soul replied.  I whipped out my directions and shoved them in a friendly looking German man´s face.  He shook his head to indicate that I had, in fact, not missed my stop.  One minute later, he and his family started shouting at me in German to let me know that I needed to get off the train. So it goes to show you that no matter where you are in the world and no matter what challenges you are facing during your travels, you can find a way to communicate and get the help you need.  And MOST of the time people are happy to help the crazy lost American.



*In other news, everyone here is still sick.  It´s almost June.  Why are people still so sick?  I really don´t know.  Also, Barça won the kings cup last night.  I watched the match with the host fam.  Normally they dont watch futbol but it was a big match.  I heard many fireworks and drunken fans passing through the streets last night.

Now I only have three weeks of school left.  I can´t believe how quickly the time has passed.  I never expected to have SUCH strong emotions about the end of my time here, either.  One minute I am excited because I will get to do a little bit of travelling and see all of my loved ones back home.  The next minute I am crying because I don´t know when I will see all of my amigos in Barcelona again.  I have developed some amazing friendships here, and it will be hard not to see these people every day.  I am so used to seeing these people every single day.  Now I don´t know when I will see them again. I don´t know if I´ll ever see my students again.  It makes me so emotional to think about these things so I try to focus on th present, but I am not so good at that.  One thing is for sure though: I am SO grateful to have had this experience.  Either way, I will leave with wonderful memories.

Mystery fish, birthdays, dancing, and school

I have really put my heart and soul into my work at school lately.  Being a teacher is incredibly rewarding and frustrating at the same time.  I have moments where I see kids unfairly teasing one another that break my heart.  I have moments when no one is listening.  Moments when I've spent hours on a really awesome PowerPoint and follow up activity, and still no one remembers a single word I've said.  But then, there is that magical 30 minute segment when everyone in my small group pays attention, remembers everything participates enthusiastically, and tells me they had fun learning with me.  And then the next week I see PROGRESS, and my heart soars.

Otherwise, things have been pretty normal. It's starting to warm up here and the weather is just beautiful.  Hardly any rain, and it hovers between the high 50s and high 70s.  Lots of pollen too just like Atlanta.

Last weekend we had an extra day off.  It was my host dad's birthday  last week so on Friday we visited his friends in the countryside and spent the day eating portions of a giant mystery fish (kudos to the chef), potatoes, prawns (I am still not a fan of prawns... something about eating something that still has eyes), and birthday cake. We also drank large quantities of delicious cava.  I never get tired of cava!

I spent Saturday and Sunday in Barcelona with Katelyn and Leah.  We stayed in the HelloBCN Hostel in Poble Sec, a neighborhood in Barcelona.  I would definitely recommend the hostel.  It was cheap, very clean, and had nice amenities.  I also love that area.  It is pretty down to earth and more residential, but still has busy areas with tons of tapas restaurants and bars.  Saturday night we went dancing at Shoko, a beach club in Barceloneta.  We got in for free with the guest list and had a fantastic time.  The only part of the weekend that was slightly awkward was sharing our hostel room with a complete stranger.  I have never done that before and I'm not sure that I would care to do it again in the future.  It was definitely an awkward experience.

Now I am just counting down the days.  I have so many mixed emotions about the fact that school ends in a little over a month, and my time in Europe will end soon after that.  I have established a life here.  It will be hard to leave, but who knows?  I may try to come back. ;)  For now though, I intend to enjoy the time I do have here and I certainly look forward to seeing my loved ones back home as well.

Sant Jordi, Sangria, and Miro

Lately I've been in a whirl wind of lesson plans, Spanish classes, and the usual social plans.  My time here is going by so so quickly.

Here are some highlights as of late...

*We celebrated Sant Jordi on April 23rd, which is a holiday that is centered around a famous story about the patron saint of England (George), who slayed a dragon, saved the princess, and gave her a red rose before they got married.  On this day, girls give boys a book or a piece of poetry, and boys give girls a red rose.  Apparently this part of the tradition ONLY happens in Catalonia, so I am pretty lucky to have experienced it.  My host family very sweetly knocked on my door that morning with a red rose for me, which is one of many kind gestures they've offered to me.

*My friend, Kirsty, and I experienced the Joan Miro museum and had a TON of fun trying to figure out the meaning of his works of art. Turns out he was a pretty talented artist whose style evolved a lot over his lifetime.  I also enjoyed pieces by other contemporary artists, including an interactive piece that played a recording of people singing when you pressed a pedal AND a "mercury fountain."  After that we enjoyed some sangria and tapas.  Sangria is where it's at!

*A friend of mine in Atlanta passed away last week. It was a significant part of my week because even though she and I were not the best of friends, she was a kind and generous person who really inspired me.  I saw her every week at work.  And now she is gone.  I got a lot of support, though.... from people back home and here.  Even though the teachers and I don't talk a lot due to the language barrier, they were all hugging me, buying me hot chocolate, and asking me if I was okay. That really meant a lot.

*School is good.  Still learning how to be a teacher.... I am getting to know the kids and their personalities a lot better now so I am trying to cater to their specific needs.  Teaching is a big challenge but I really want to help the kids learn English so I am spending a lot of time outside of school and at lunch trying to think creatively and make lesson plans that will spark an interest in English. :)  It is hard work, but it is totally worth it is you are making a difference in even one person's education.

Spring Break and More...

It is getting more and more difficult to update my blog, partly because as I age my memory gets worse and I forget to.... but also because life in Spain is not all siestas and afternoon coffees.  I've become very busy!

But I'd like to do a quick recap of spring break, which was last week and the most rejuvenating and awesome experience ever.  For five days, mi amiga, Katelyn, and I travelled through France, Monaco, and Italy.  It was bliss.

Day one:
We awoke at the crack of dawn to catch the earliest (and cheapest flight). THe flight was short, and we arrived in sunny Nice in the late morning.  After checking into the AMAZING Victoria House Hostel, we grabbed an expensive lunch at Bistrot de l'Opera.  My omelette was 10 euros. It was good, though. Then we walked to the top of Parc de la Colline du Chanteau.  What gorgeous views it had!  There were panoramic views of Nice, waterfalls, gardens, parks, trails, and a very interesting Jewish cemetery.  I would highly recommend this place, and it is easy to get to.  That night, we hung out with the international travellers in the hostel and played a game of jenga.

Day two:
Katelyn and I took the bus to Monaco.  I do not regret going because I can check another country off of my list, but I have to say that the atmosphere is a little uncomfortable there.  Everyone is just so filthy rich!  And you have to be rich to live there because everything is so expensive.  But we had a nice walk through the city and got to see the Monte Carlo casino.  That night, we partied with more hostel friends at Wayne's Bar in Nice.  There was live music, beer and wine, and table dancing. What more could you want?

Day three:
Speculoos and Ferrero Rocher ice cream.  Relaxing on the rocky beach. Flower market and a strange old French man who asked us for a rendez vous  after we told him we didn't want to buy his paintings. Dinner from the supermarket to save money, and then a night on the beach with hostel friends.  It was a day to relax.

Day four:
Katelyn, our new friend Patrick, and I boarded a rickety old train to Italia! She and I were headed to Ventimiglia, and he was transferring to another train from that station.  Ventimiglia was quiet, beautiful, inexpensive, and there were like zero tourists... which is probably why people were staring at us.  We had nocciola and panna cotta gelato, pasta, and wine.... then headed back for a night of frisbee on the beach with the hostel crowd.

Day five:
We took a walk by the harbour and just took our time strolling around.  We enjoyed croque monsieurs and crepes, said good bye to our new friends at the hostel, and were on our way.

It was wonderful to see three new cities, explore different areas, get a lot of walking in, eat a ton, and just relax.  It was also great to laugh a lot and be silly.  I always have had a great time bonding with the people in my town, but with the language barrier, joking around is not the same.  Katelyn and I were absolutely ridiculous together, and I look forward to our future adventures.

Other things I have done recently:
*I went on a day trip to Lloret De Mar with the host family for Easter.  It was wonderful and gorgeous.
*I witnessed an interesting Easter procession that included people dressed in robes and hats that resembled the KKK but apparently this tradition started well before the KKK even existed.  Too bad it will always be associated with that.
*I went on a tour of the Simon Coll Chocolate Factory and ate chocolate filled with cava (a type of alcohol).
*I went to a festival in my town today with my host family.  We ate tapas, shopped at the booths, and watched performances on the street.  A great weekend.

This week will be busy, but I'll post again soon for my two loyal readers. ;)