Random International Update (24.2.14)

There are a lot of highlights from the past week or so. Two Fridays ago I taught little Jùlia card games during English "class". The Saturday after I spent the afternoon on the beach with a book (still in jeans and a flannel, but it was really nice out nonetheless) and then played 11v11 soccer, topping  the night off with a steak from our favorite neighborhood cheap and awesome steak place. Sunday my team won our 7v7 mini-tournament in the rainy, cold night. Monday I did my part of our group presentation on a Spanish movie called Vacas. Highlight of that highlight was me mistaking ciclismo for ciclos de la vida. I was trying to say something along the lines of "the cycles of life" but instead I said ciclismo, and ciclismo means recreational bicycling. Moving on to last Tuesday, I watched the City - Barcelona Champions League soccer match in a bar // restaurant. We were surrounded by what we thought were Catalan and/or Barcelona fans. But they were very old and very pessimistic and critical and did not seem the least bit enthused about Barcelona's 0-2 victory against arguably the strongest English soccer team! Wednesday was a display of prime before-exam studying: I woke up at 6:00 AM, studied for a few hours, made eggs, studied more, and took an exam at 1:00 PM. It went very well! I felt very comfortable writing in Spanish - since I am not in a Spanish language class, I don't have as many opportunities to write formally for grades. Tragically Arsenal lost to Bayern Munich, the defending Champions League Champions. Champions Champions Champions. Champions. Anyways. Thursday morn I went for a run with Jacob, a Canadian chap on my floor. It was a lovely run, but the following day I learned Jacob had taken a turn for the worse - i.e. he done got a cold - after the run, and perhaps partly because of the run itself. Anywho. The real highlight I have saved for last.

My first trip of the semester was a ski trip to Andorra with about 50 students in the Melon District residency. I say ski trip, but I mean snowy-mountain trip, because I, in fact, snowboarded. Took the first few hours and a refresher class for me to find my snowboarding legs (primarily my right calf muscles... hot damn they were a-burnin'!) By the end of Saturday I was on to the green hills. Sunday I started off on blue, and felt very comfortable by the end of the day. But I did not dare to do red. Elisa, Eduardo, and I made the ~40 minute series of cable cars // lifts to the other side of the mountain on Sunday. The weather was sunny and the views astounding. What a stunning trip. I might have to go snowboarding more often; it's really cool. 

Melted cheese x Chicken x Salad

Cable car up from the parking lot // bus

The first side of the mountain (Saturday)

Eduardo, me, and Bill - the snowboard crew

Eduardo and Elisa. Note the view behind us - the closer parts are the other hills we took a big cable car to get to on Sunday

Most satisfying burger I have had in Europe. Ain't nothing on Five Guys // Steak 'n Shake // In-N-Out, but still pretty darn good (yes, they put eggs on their burgers - it isn't that bad, actually)

The Boston College crew: Dale, me, and Addison. Those two guys are great, and together we all make up 75% of the Boston College presence in Barcelona. And yes, they are matching on purpose.

Random International Update (13.2.14)

Oh, it's February two weeks into February?

I have been getting back into my running routine. I've joined a gym, and made a few nice morning runs. There are a few big hills in Barcleona. Sometimes I stay away from them, but other times I have found the views of the sunrise over the Mediterranean far worth the burn. My friend Carlos is a phenomenal cook, he has shown me caramelized sugar // brie crackers, patates braves, and tortilla de patata. I have successfully become a regular client at a few places: 1) Carrot Cafe: right around the corner; we love the cubano sandwich, it's delicious. Jordi, the waiter, criticizes us whenever we go without bringing female friends 2) Bar Santa Fe: right near school, usually Mariaelena and I get coffee before class there. Ruben, the owner // dad, is from Brazil 3) Ryan's Bar: is an Irish Pub that the two other BC guys go to a lot, the Irish bartenders are really cool. 4) La Malandrina: the best steak place in town, plus amazing bowls of melted cheese (yes, bowls of melted cheese) 5) "Cafeteria Bar Restaurant Italian Food" is the name, I think. It doesn't matter. It's a family from Napoli, and they make amazing pizzas. One waiter was born in West Ham, London, and likes to practice his English. 

Speaking of La Malandrina, two weeks ago we had a Dudes' Steak Night. One of the best nights so far, in terms of laughs, stories, company, food, and drink. Props to Addison for the idea. Speaking of Addison, the next day (Thursday) we had dinner at his old host mother's house up closer to the mountain. I had about five enormous soft tacos, it was great. The next morning, I started my volunteering with Amics de la gent gran, or "Friends of the Elderly" in English. I spend two hours a week with Victoria, a 92-year-old lady who is really cool. The idea of the organization is to provide the human side of social services that governments cannot, such as simple things like company. It is inspirational to see how well Victoria is doing at her age. We have gone for some (short) walks around her neighborhood, and we talk about all sorts of things - how Barcelona was when she first moved there, what her family is doing, what her past week was like, etc. 

Catalan class is going really well. Two Fridays ago, we did a class trip to the nearby Mercat de Santa Catarina to practice our communication skills. I got to talk to a lovely older couple about what they liked about the market, and then also their favorite part of Barcelona. Also practiced food vocabulary. Just yesterday (well, Tuesday) I had my first midterm in Catalan, and it went really well. 

Sadly my friend Angelo (with whom I went to Peniche, Portugal to surf) left for Chile to finish his studies, or start work. I forget which. The joke of his sending-off night was "sense tu, el meu hort és mort", which is basically a really cheesy line from a Catalan song. The song builds the metaphor of various fruits and vegetables as representing the guy's love for his lady. The direct translation of the line is "without you, my vegetable garden is dead". Beyond romantic, I know. 

Been playing consistent soccer, both 11v11 and 7v7. On Saturdays I play 11v11, and Sundays 7v7. Last Sunday I got a black eye from hitting heads with another guy going for a header. That has been a fun one to explain to classmates // teachers // people I've just met. "No, no, no. I got this playing soccer. Futbol. Not a fight. I did not fight anyone."

I've gotten quite good at cooking pasta. I use random tomato sauces (Bolognese? Napolitano? What is the difference? All the jars are red and saucy) but add some spicy sausage, cheese, and garlic. Yum. I have also developed a taste for red wine! Add that to the list that includes coffee, and I'm almost a stereotypical adult! 

The nice thing about Europe, from a soccer fan's perspective, is that the matches air at convenient times. Usually 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM. I finish class, text a few guys, and we go grab a beer and watch a Barcelona game, a Chelsea - Manchester City game, or an Arsenal - Manchester United game. 

The key to never doing laundry is having stashes of clean undergarments. Moving on...

I was going to go to sleep early last Wednesday, but then I saw a link to the Bill Nye vs. Ken Ham debate about creationism as a valid explanation for life as we know it today. What fascinating stuff! I was actually more interested in the creationist viewpoint, because, well, I already am familiar with the science-y stuff. The main argument for creationism was that we cannot confide in scientific data that is not hands-on, physically-seen, or experimentally observed with our own eyes. In astronomy I was always a little puzzled by that fact: all the data astronomers use to discover things about the universe (besides a few spacecraft in our solarsystem) is just a variance in the wavelength and intensity of photons that hit the telescope. Photons. Variance in photos is what our knowledge of the unexplored universe comes from. So I understood the point Ken Ham was making. But come on, folks. You ain't gone make me believe that death did not exist anywhere in the whole world before Adam and Eve sinned. Preposterous. 

Last Friday the 7th the BC crew and Teresa did a tour of Freixenet, a local (but internationally known) cava company (cava is more or less champagne, but the grapes come from here in Catalunya). The tour was very interesting. For example, we learned that the size of the modern wine bottle (750mL) was the average breath of the bottle-makers, back when they had to blow the hot, molten glass to make the shapes themselves. 

Bre and her sister, Sashell, visited Barcelona last weekend; it was a blast. As always. Stevie, who worked at camp last summer, also made the trip down from Girona (to get to Girona, follow the coast up towards France). We all had yummy food, lots of laughs, and overall another great weekend in Barcelona! I think we may have convinced Bre to come back for one last weekend before her whirlwind tour of Europe ends in March. 

The last few days I have been a little sick. Thanks to NyQuil, I have not been that sick. But overall, Barcelona is still the bomb. I haven't been able to do everything I planned to this semester, such as reading a lot, running every day, or finding cool cafes to read books in. But I'm getting there. A few big weights off my chest have been 1) figuring out housing for next year at Boston College (drum roll....... rooming with Pat again! I'm pretty excited about that. You don't meet all-around great people like Pat every day.) 2) figuring out my internship in Barcelona next semester; it looks to be with Barcelona Ecologia, an urban planning sort of firm. Looks fascinating. 3) Senior thesis: this video is why I'm excited about my internship and why I have ideas for a thesis of some sorts.

We reserved the big table for lunch. Carrot Life.

Freixenet

To the mines.

Sunrise from the bunkers.

Llums de Eulàlia, also known as the awesome street light festival

I hope the video works.

Random International Update (26.1.14)

16 January 

Random international updates are random for a reason. We apologize for any delays. Anywho, I believe I left off mid-Bre visit, which ended great! We all went out to some bars on Thursday night, and then a club called Sutton. There was some variety of a spin the bottle // dance contest of which I partook. Needless to say (the most irritating of introductory phrases) it was difficult to believe that Friday was, well, Friday when I got up. 

Awesome week!

17 January

I managed to arise at 11:00 AM to get brunch with Bre and her friend from the hostel, and then guide Bre to the train to Girona where Stevie and his family live (all three of us worked at camp last summer). I think she had a good time. Well, she and her sister are coming back in early February (which I'm told is a few weeks away... what?) so surely she did. I grabbed a short nap, and then had lunch with Tanja at the fabled Bar Lobo, a Flautt family favorite. Ain't nothing like some tapas. After lunch we got some school supplies. We also stopped at a store called Viena (spelled with one 'n') because, well, Tanja is from Austria. How could she not. I got a journal. Writing in the journal makes remembering things for blog updates much more thorough and reflective, so it bodes well for whoever reads this. I'm never quite sure who that is, though. Oh, and I also got =Impulse buy= Settlers of Catan in Spanish. It is an award winning board game from Germany. The Boston clan have taken a liking to Catan. It is always a good time. Recommended prerequisites include intro to macroeconomics, intro to political science, and international relations. We take games seriously and losses personally. Despite the warnings, Mariaelena, an Italian girl in my Catalan class whom we all met a few weeks ago, came over to our residency and hung out with us whilst we played. Pretty sure we terrified her, but she still likes us, so it's all good. This is Friday night, by the way. Friday afternoon, we actually had a cooking class with some other Americans from various parts of the USA, mostly San Diego, but spreading to Berkeley and Georgia. Robert is from Georgia. He and I belted out the Krusty Krab Pizza song. God knows why, but it happened. New things I learned: cutting artichokes is not as easy as the professional chef makes it look. Also, heaps of onions invariably makes ones eyes tear (in the liquid sense, not the fabric sense). 

Pause. I had the strangest feeling on Friday night. It was "I wish I wouldn't laugh so much". Prolonged laughter is in fact quite physically demanding. And my body, specifically my chest cavity and abdominal muscles, were telling me to stop. Please stop laughing. We are tired. Stop it! I could not think of a better problem to have. It was really strange to feel this way.

Onwards. I met some Tennesse folks, strangely enough. One from Clarksville who plays(ed) soccer in some D-III school in East Tennessee, and another from Galatin or someplace like that. They were only staying ten days or so in Barcelona. Their program hits a bunch of cities in Europe for about ten days each, and has (I think) an intensive culture class in each city as well. I couldn't make out everything well through the thick layers of southern accents. I jest. My timeline is a little jumbled. I blame my former self for poor journal entry technique. After cooking class, and after meeting Tennessee people, and after playing the board game, a few of us went to Otto Zutz, a club just to the left of the neighborhood of Gràcia. I saw some of my teammates from the past weekend, and we celebrated our victory. 

Me, Dale, and Addison cooking

This is Settlers of Catan

18 January

Saturday came around, and Sam (whom we met at Bo de B, a restaurant in Barri Gotic. Really cool. Studied at UPF undergrad, now she is working for a travel company in Barcelona) showed us La Xampanyeria. Cheap burgers and Cava. It was, not surprisingly, packed. We got back and played Catan (again). This will be a theme. I may stop mentioning it to save poor blog-readers the boredom. Anywho, we played, and then Dale and I tried to go to the Gym, but lo and behold, the gym closes at 8:00 PM on Saturdays. So we tried to buy new boxers instead (obviously). Ok I'll explain. Neither of us wanted to do laundry, so we decided to buy more boxers and procrastinate this lau(n)d(r)able task for another day. But no. We procrastinated procrastination. Instead we went back and split a pizza at the Melon Cafe. Sigh. Not our proudest moment. Later that night, we all went over to Ovella Negra for pool and cerveza. It was a chill night. We got back around 2:30 AM, and decided to cook hotdogs and bacon, and play Catan.

19 January

Sunday morning (read: afternoon) Dale and I pooled our boxers and socks and hence did a batch of the purely necessary clothing (spoiler: next Friday morning I actually bought more boxers). In between cycles we got Carrot Cafe. Oh wait. No we didn't. We walked over, it was closed (NOOO). Instead we went back and split a pizza at the Melon Cafe. Not our proudest moment. After lunch, Dale, Addison, Alex, and I played soccer with the other residents. Always a good time. After playing, we tried to watch the Chelsea - Manchester United game, but couldn't find a place nearby that showed it. So instead, we just headed back to our rooms and washed up. I was going to have another soccer game, but since it was raining, that got cancelled. Which was nice; I was tired. Thus began the cooking adventure. I spilled eggs, over-defrosted frozen chicken breast, let the pasta-water boil over the sides of the pot, and overall made a great meal. Yes, we played Catan afterwards. Dale and I had a nice talk // music session late into the night while I finished washing the dishes. 

Parmesan chicken, pasta, glazed carrots, vino, and juice. I'm getting better at cooking.

20 January

7:00 AM alarms are always ambitious. I can usually tell the night before if I will have the willpower to wake up. I woke up at 12:15 PM and strolled to class after a light breakfast at home. Between classes I went to the gym. After my second class, Andre arrived from his whirlwind tour of Europe with his other Brazilian friends. He, I, and about 15 other people went to dinner at Cien Montaditos for cheap, good sandwiches. 0.50€ each. So good. Took a while to accumulate enough tables together for everyone to sit down, but whatever. It worked. After dinner, Andre and I went to his friends' apartment and hung out before going to Apolo for Andre's last night out in Barcelona. We got a table and everything there. It was a blast. Great music. Think remixes of Two Door Cinema Club, The Strokes, and Capital Cities. Really cool. Somehow we made it back to Melon around 6:00 AM, and I still got to sleep for about 8 hours before my Catalan class.

This is why I am slowly learning Portuguese. I somehow always hang out with Brazilians.

Andre // Apolo

21 January

Didn't even set and alarm, because my class was at 3:00 PM, and who sleeps until 3:00 PM? Not me. No sir. Internal clock is too fine tuned. Got lunch with Dale, and after I went to get coffee with Mari before class. Catalan! What a cool class. By far my favorite, and also by far the least necessary, according to Boston College transcripts. But hey. When in Rome. Later that night, I ate leftovers (horray for tupperware) and listened to Jacob, a Canadian on my floor, play songs like this one. Andre at this time was really exhausted, jet lagged, etc. He slept from about 11:00 PM to noon the next day.

22 January

Andre's last day. 7:00 AM alarm again. Watching the sunrise was a bold idea. Andre was really tired. I had a class trip at 1:00 PM, we saw the Roman ruins in the old Gothic neighborhood and went on a tour of the museum there. When I got back to Melon, Andre was awake and packed. We got lunch at Carrot Cafe, and then went to the Font de Canaletes on La Rambla. They say that if you drink from this fountain, you will return to Barcelona someday. After the short trip, we went back to Melon, got Andre's suitcases, and said goodbye. So sad to see him go, but at least no one else is leaving for a while. This semester is missing a lot of awesome people from the last one, but I already like this semester so much more. After class (ended at 7:00 PM) I went and saw 12 Years a Slave, but in Spanish, with one of my good friends from last semester, Carolina. Powerful movie, even in Spanish. I really enjoyed it. I think it is up for some awards.

23 January

Got up a made pancakes! Only had strawberry syrup though. Second Catalan class happened shortly afterwards. We have learned that the hardest part is proper pronunciation. Afterwards I had econ class, and after that I went to the gym. But I stopped and got Julia, Guillem, and Sergi some small Christmas gifts. I teach them English. Julia is 6, and actually learns. Guillem and Sergi are twins, 4 years old, and crazy. I am their gymnasium. So much random climbing happens. But that happened the next day, Friday. I did lunges in the gym for the first time in a while. I am still sore, and it is now Sunday. I had dinner at home, and hung out with everyone on my floor. Another concert with Jacob, and it turns out there is an American girl who can sing really well. Natalia and I just watched as we ate and enjoyed the free entertainment. A crew of people went to Ovella Negra for some drinks, but I was tired from the gym and class, so I turned in early. 

24 January

Finally approaching the present. So this was Friday morning. I don't have class on Friday, but I went to bed early, so I had some time to kill before 6:00 PM, when I had to go to the family's house where I teach English. I got up at 7:20 AM and did a test run (pun intended) of my new, super-light Asics down to the beach to watch the sunrise. It was beautiful even though it was a bit cloudy. After breakfast I went shopping at Glòries, a shopping mall nearby. Afterwards I got lunch in Gràcia at The Avenue Bar. It was great, as was the company. Thanks to Markos, a guy from Nebraska, and friends with Sam, also working for the European travel company, for the recommendation. After lunch, I went to Carrot Cafe with Dale, where we exchanged tales from the last few nights and days. He got lunch. I got cheesecake, I had already eaten. At night, it was Lizeth's birthday dinner (she lives in Melon too, and was here last semester, currently studying for a masters degree). We tried to go to La Rosa Negra (a good Mexican restaurant, Lizeth is Mexican) but it was too long a wait (for 11 people!) so we went to La República instead. Got some empanadas. The spicy beef ones are great.

Sunrise on the Mediterranean.

The "Stolen Goods" market. Or flea market. Call it what you want.

25 January

Team AMERica (pronounced uh-MUR-ih-kuh) had a volleyball/basketball/soccer tournament with some other residents at a local gym from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. It was a lot of fun, but it made me pretty tired for my game later that afternoon. I played central defense, so it wasn't that bad. The game started at 6:00 PM, and it was my first 11v11 game in about a year. It was also my first 90 minute 11v11 game, since I usually play 40 minute halves. Now that I think about it, maybe they were 40 minute halves. It just felt longer. The other team was pretty good. But we messed up. We missed a penalty in the first few minutes (would have been 1-0), and I headed a shot off the crossbar late in the game (would have been 1-1). We ended up losing 0-2. Granted, they were the better team. After a quick shower back home, I headed out to Gràcia to meet Dale, Addison, Bridget, and Mari for the Foguerons de Sa Pobla, a Mallorcan festival with bonfires, fireworks, dancing, music, fireworks, sausages, beer, and fireworks. The five of us had a nice night watching the festivities and then sitting outside and enjoying some patatas bravas and cervezas. The waiter at the restaurant was kinda slow, so Addison gave me a euro to run into the supermarket nearby and buy some potato chips while we waited. That was funny. Also, when the waiter was trying to walk back inside, I did one of those "which way are you walking?" stutter-steps with him. But we both moved the same way about three times. It was wild. I tried to make a joke by saying "Haha, it's like we're dancing!" and he just gave me a funny look and walked inside. That was the funny story of the night. The funny expression of the night was even better though. Instead of saying something like "He's not all there" or "He's a little off his rocker", we found the phrase "He's a few shards of pottery short of a full anthropological theory" to be far superior. So expect that to pop up every once in a while. 

She's a witch! Burn her!

Human castles. Called castells in Catalan.

Mid-fireworks

26 January

Today. The present. Bridget, Mari, a friend from Bridget's Spanish class, and I went to get coffee and then to mass at La Sagrada Família. It was in Spanish. What a great way to start the day. Also got to see Gaudi's tomb up close and personal. This afternoon I am napping, writing, reading, and resting my legs for a mini soccer tournament tonight with Ted and Alex. 

Random International Update (15.1.14)

I heard it got chilly across the pond last week. Here in Barcelona it... um... drizzled yesterday? Tough life, I know. I suppose I do wear a coat, but it's more of a culture thing to wear a coat when it's chilly. Cold tolerance is not impressively high in Mediterranean countries. 

But enough about the weather. That was more of a warm-up blogging exercise. The last ten days have been the culmination of two years of overloading classes and then four months learning the ins and outs of Barcelona. Yes, there are many places yet to go, and of course my class on Barcelona's history and culture will indubitably add to the experience. But having spent a semester here already is such an advantage. Culture shocks and navigating a new city must by themselves have taken up more than half of my mental capacities for the first few months, at least. A necessary learning, but nonetheless a hindrance to more interesting things in life here. The last ten days I have had the pleasure of showing the new arrivals around, taking them to my favorite restaurants, bars, and clubs. I have also played an enormous amount of soccer, which was great up until Monday night when I caught a cold and got crippling blisters on my big toes (enthralling, I know). Digital injuries aside, 'twas a good time, because playing soccer here is harder than I had thought it would be. 

Last Sunday was definitely the highlight. I played in a tournament for three hours at a nearby turf field. There were six teams of eight players. We won our first two games 3-0 and 4-0, finishing top of our group. I played striker and scored four goals. They were nice goals too. I am a good target man, apparently. Probably because I am freakishly tall compared to most Europeans (yes, one guy called me Peter Crouch). I had never really played forward before. We went on to win our next two games, and in the final we scored at the last minute and celebrated like crazy. It was great. We might have won something, but I am not quite sure. We beat Pablo's team in the final. He organizes the games, and apparently his team hadn't lost in a while. Made some cool Italian friends, too. Can't wait to see them this coming weekend.

Since classes have started, but not quite officially started (we can still add/drop classes until Friday) everything is still relatively relaxed. I've gotten to cook more, read more, and meet new people almost every day. You can go to clubs every night in Barcelona. But I have pretty much outgrown those, unless I have the urge to dance or sufficient peer pressure or free entrance. So I like bars. I mean, they only stay open unitl 3:30 AM (I know what you're thinking. That's so early. Well, you're right). But at least conversations can be had. 

I've ordered some super-light and new Asics running shoes and signed up for a gym with some friends, so I am excited to once again become a physically active human (note: only I bought running shoes; the group activity was just referring to the gym membership). I also have planned the trips to Paris and Glasgow in early March. I am really looking forward to those trips. I'm doing those trips with Sam and we are going to see some friends from work last summer, as well as some BC friends in Paris. Speaking of summer work friends, Bre made a surprise landing in Spain on Saturday, and stayed with Stevie and his family up north in Girona. This week she is visiting Barcelona, which is fantastic. I'm showing her and the other new kids around, and having a great time.

The return of Messi from his injury. He casually scored two goals as a substitute. The four BC kids went to the game. The stadium wasn't packed, but it was still a cool experience. Messi is worshiped here.

I saw these two walk past me while I waited outside the soccer field for mi amigo Pablo to show up. I sneakily took a photo of them. 

This semester is turning out almost exactly the opposite as I expected. It is a rude awakening to have people drop out of your life whose company you take for granted. That was what happened in December. Most of the people I knew, left. The small BC community of 10 students was only going to be 4. I had changed rooms to a floor with mostly Spanish students. Most of my classes were full of American students. I just didn't have much ganas to do anything, I guess. It was cold out, and the nuclear family had just left, I don't know actually! Maybe it was just London's weather wearing off. The point is, the last ten days have been absolutely a hoot and a holler. People with senses of humor are the best part of life. 

Non sequitor song to end the post:

Bon Any Nou

Goals

1. Rome.

1a. AS Roma match

1b. Get a Michael Bradley jersey

1c. Re-read Angels and Demons by Dan Brown

2. Glasgow.

2a. See Alan (from work last summer) with Sam during his whirlwind tour of Europe

2b. Celtic match (I like Rangers though. More Americans.)

2c. See Frazer and Ryan from last semester in Barcelona

2d. The Head and the Heart concert (#1)

3. Paris (at least twice).

3a. Become Hemingway or Picasso 

3b. Paris Saint-Germain match

3c. Practice ma outa-RAgeous fa-REnch ahk-ccent

3d. The Head and the Heart concert (#2), visiting BC friends Miguel and Lorena, etc

4. Munich.

4a. FC Bayern match

4b. See whether my German friend's claim that Germans think Germany is best known for its bread holds any truth or not

4c. Don't mention the war

4d. Chocolate covered strawberries

5. Amsterdam.

5a. See my lab partner from last spring! He's from here

5b. Ajax match

5c. Ride a bicycle. They do this there

6. Be in Barcelona all of April, May, June.

7. Receive visitors such as Bill and Sue, Aunt Annie; transform into Tour-guide Will!

8. Learn as much Catalan as possible (taking two classes).

9. Learn as much Portuguese as possible (this is more on my own).

10. Expand vocabulary, hone grammar in Spanish.

11. Join the local gym.

11a. Start running a lot again

11b. Become less-tragically-not-flexible

12. Play more soccer (already got six games in the next two weeks!)

12a. Futbol sala (indoor, hard floor soccer)

13. Kindle.

13a. Continue reading the papers

13b. Maybe stop reading The Financial Times as every paper has a business section and no one has the time for all that

13c. Read for pleasure in cool cafes like a hipster, but not act that hipster

14. Sort out housing for next year via bothering friends at BC

15. Sort out something productive to do next summer via bothering BC's career offices

16. Brainstorm possible senior theses.

16a. Pick the best/most interesting and start sniffing around/reading some secondary sources

16b. Well, at least see if some of my ideas are feasible

16c. Well, at least have some ideas before summer starts

16d. Well, at least have some ideas before summer ends

16e. Well, at least decide which department you want to do a thesis in

16f. Well, great

17. Ignore beautiful photos of BC in the spring

17a. Laugh at sniffling students in blizzards

17b. Go to the beach as soon as it gets warm

As you can see, I have discovered the art of embedding links to youtube.

Random Update (16.12.13)

Around 4:30 PM this afternoon I turned in my last economics exam, and well I was really tired so I do not think I was actually that visibly excited but in my mind it was a nice relief to be done and done with everything school. Over the last week I've had two final papers, five exams, and in between I read One Hundred Years of Solitude for my literature class. In English. I had to read it quickly. Lots of studying. But now, my first trimester is over, and I only have a few days to hang out in Barcelona with friends before they all leave. Some have already left, and let me tell you, it is very strange. Allow me to briefly slip into cliché. It seems like we arrived yesterday. Time has flown. I don't quite believe all the photos I've taken when I scroll through my iPhone every once and again, because to have traveled so much and seen so much and met so many people seems to me as though it should almost take year. Such are the wonders of modern communication and travel. It is still hard to wrap my cabeza around the fact that (realistically) I won't be seeing most of these people again for a long time, if ever. Well, besides the folks who are staying in Barcelona for the rest of the year (or live here permanently). Those people I am very excited to see again after New Years. And it looks like I'll be visiting the two Scottish guys on my floor in early March, because The Head and The Heart are touring Europe briefly and are playing in Glasgow. And Paris. I'm going to Paris to see them too. Back to back weekends with my favorite band and great people! Something to help outweigh the more sad thoughts as the trimester ends. 

Museo nacional del Prado - Madrid

Everybody say, "Hola Velázquez!"

Yup, there I was.

Imagine Dragons concert! Bought the tickets for this in June. It felt so far away at the time, and for it to have come and passed already is rather strange. How is it December, again?

My friend Andre, from São Paulo, and I went around on bikes on Saturday afternoon. It was gorgeous outside. I borrowed my friend Pera's "Bicing" card, which is the public rental bike system in place here. Unfortunately, you need to be a permanent resident or have a Spanish bank account (or both?) to have a card of your own and use the service. Hence the borrowing. 

This is a good photo to end the year on, don't you think?

Centennial

I was not planning on writing an update tonight. I should be reading the rest of a medium-length Spanish novel called El reino de este mundo by Alejo Carpentier. But I could not resist. During the reading, I tried to think of a similar phrase in Spanish for "last resort" to write in a note bubble of the PDF file I was reading. Something weird happened though. I could only think of a Catalan version of the phrase, "l'ultima ressaca", which I knew from the title of a song a Catalan friend had recommended to me a few days earlier. On top of all this, I have acquired a almost-perfect ear for Portuguese after hanging out with Brazilians so often. During conversation I have to respond in English or Spanish, because I basically only know how to say "I'm hungry" (estou com fome) and "I understand everything you say, but I only know how to say what I am saying now" (Eu entiendo que você estás dizendo. Eu só sei falar o que estou dizendo). I am in a linguistic melting pot.

Happy 100th Hole to Heaven