SEMESTER IN BARCELONA

BARCELONA – ELAINE ANDERSON

Hi, my name is Elaine Anderson (from New Jersey), and I am currently a junior at Susquehanna University (in Selinsgrove, PA), but am fortunate enough to get to spend my next semester in Barcelona! I have traveled all over, but never been to Europe before, so I am beyond excited to not only get to explore the beautiful city of Barcelona, but also other amazing cities in Europe!

            I am a Psychology major and a Health Care Studies and Spanish minor.  My plan for after college is to attend graduate school for Occupational Therapy.  I have been able to shadow some Occupational Therapists and love being able to work with and help other people.  In the summers I am a Manager at my town pool, I have worked there since the first summer I was able to work- starting as a lifeguard, then a swim instructor and have now worked my way up to Manager and just love it!

            Even though I could not be happier about getting to spend a semester in Barcelona (who wouldn’t??) I will definitely miss Susquehanna where I am a tour guide, a Research Assistant in the Psychology department, a student advisor, and a member of Sigma Kappa Sorority.  Susquehanna has grown to be my second home and I am sure Barcelona will quickly become my new home for the next four months as well (sorry mom!).  Even though there are many adventures ahead of me in Barcelona I will miss my family and friends, but am very excited to continue to meet new people, learn about the culture and take on every opportunity that comes my way!

December 24, 2012

It may sound cliché to say, but in the past 4 months studying abroad in Barcelona, I’ve learned more about myself than I have my entire life. I’ve become so much more independent and optimistic as well as stronger both mentally and physically. I come from a very materialistic community where people judge you based on what you’re wearing or how much money your parents make. I’ve always stayed away from those types of people and in the back of my head knew there had to be more to life than designer jeans and iPhones.

Studying abroad made me open my eyes to an entirely different world, literally. I learned so many traits I have like an eye for photography and people skills and navigation. I’ve learned that you become stronger by the chances you take and you learn from your mistakes. There’s beauty in everything and everyone and everyone has a story, so don’t judge someone based on a bad first impression; get to know them a little.

I will always call Barcelona home. It taught me to grow, go out of my comfort zone and learn about an entirely different culture. I have such a deep respect for Spaniards and they’re way of life. I wouldn’t take back this experience or change one thing I did while studying abroad. I thank GLS for giving students like me a chance to learn and grow in an unfamiliar setting for an extended period of time. I highly recommend going abroad, whether it is for an entire semester, or just a few weeks, to learn, grow, and see what else is outside your bubble. Who knows what the possibilities could be.

December 13, 2012

Tis the season to go skiing and snowboarding am I right? This past weekend my friends and I trekked to Andorra for a day of skiing and an adventure. And let me tell you, an adventure was exactly what we got.

Let me start by giving you a briefing of where exactly I was. Around 6am Sunday morning we took a 4 hour bus ride to Andorra. Situated between France and Spain, Andorra is set in the Pyrenees and has some of the best skiing around. The view was absolutely incredible; I have never skied in such a beautiful location before.

We got to the mountain around 11am and boarded a lift to the top of the Pyrenees Mountain. I chose skies as I am still a beginner, but my friends chose to snowboard and found it quite difficult to maneuver around the mountain.

It was so surreal looking up at the terrain and seeing breath taking snow topped mountains all around you, it made me miss home a bit because I wanted to share the experience with my family seeing as we used to go on ski trips when I was younger.

Our bus was around 5pm and it was getting close to 4 when I suggested we started heading down the mountain to find a taxi to the bus station which was about a 20 min car ride. We got down the mountain at around 4:30, and just our luck, no taxis in sight. I suggested we started walking down towards the bus station and look for taxis on our way down. About another 15 minutes pass, and still no taxi. I’ll admit I was freaking out a little because I knew if we missed this bus the next one was at 9pm and I had a final the next day I needed to study for. At around 4:41 right as I was giving up hope I hear a honk from behind me, and lucky enough it was a taxi, coming to pick us up. We made it to the bus station just on time and although the ride home was a grueling 6 hours due to traffic, the experience was definitely worth it, and is definitely going down in the books. 

December 3, 2012

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of The Year

It’s the most wonderful time of the year here in Barcelona, Spain! Christmas being my all time favorite season, I have already gone out and accustomed myself to the traditional Catalan Christmas Traditions and learned a few things that go on here. I’ll admit Christmas here is  pretty different than it is back home, I do miss seeing Rockafeller Center all lit up and helping my family set up and decorate the Christmas tree while listening to Christmas Pandora blasting through the house. But lucky for me, I found an alternate website here that
plays Christmas carols all day long. My roommates aren’t too thrilled about it.  But anyways, the past week I’ve learned a lot about Christmas time here in Barcelona. First of all, In Spain they generally consider December 8th to be the Feast of the Immaculate Conception to be when Christmas begins. This is the date when everyone
starts putting up the  Christmas decorations. Caga Tio also comes out on 08 December. It is a small log with a
smiley face, wearing the traditional red Catalan hat – the Barretina. The name Caga Tio means ‘Poo Log’. Every day between 08 December and Christmas Eve, children look after the Caga Tio. They cover him with a blanket to make sure that he is warm and they feed him Turron every evening. This is to ensure that he is nice and full so that he will poo out lots of treats on Christmas Eve. Which to me sounds a bit odd, but I have to respect a new and different culture.

Barcelona Christmas Markets

A similarity here is one of the best Christmas presents I could’ve asked for, an ice rink in the center of Plaza Catalunya! Every year my family and I go ice skating in Rockafeller Center, and I was a bit bummed as I knew I wouldn’t be able to do any skating while being abroad. One evening I was walking home from school and noticed a huge bubble in the center of Catalunya and walked over to have a look inside. I was beyond surprised and excited to tell my roommates so we could come back which we obviously  did the next day..

the ice rink

I look forward to seeing what other surprises Catalunya has in store for this Christmas season! BON NADAL!

November 26, 2012

It really is true what they say, we don’t realize what we have until it’s gone. Last weekend I took a three day trip to Morocco with two of my friends. We signed up for a surf lesson and rode some camels along the Taghazout beach front. It was paradise, as a tourist just visiting that is, but little did we know what Morocco had in store for us.
DO NOT DRINK THE WATER. Was what we were told by friends and family before trekking down to this unfamiliar continent.  What we weren’t given warning about was the 4am Morning Prayer that went on for about an hour every so often throughout the day, starting at sunrise til sunset. Although the first night was a bit rough, it was something we embraced and accepted as part of their culture. What I wasn’t ready to accept were the endless amounts of flies everywhere, whether it was on the 4 hour bus ride from Merikesh, the main city of Morocco to Taghazout, or in my bedroom, you couldn’t escape the flies.

On the bright side, how many people do you know that can say they went surfing in Morocco and ate lunch on the beach next to a camel? Africa has by far one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen. Our first night there I was lucky enough to catch this sunset.

Leaving Morocco was a bit of a horror story. Have you ever watched one of those scary movies where foreigners get stuck in some poverty stricken third world country with no place to stay and no way to communicate to their friends or family? That actually happened to me. For some awful reason, my airline going home to Barcelona from Morocco kicked me off the plane and never informed me of this until 3 hours before I had to board the plane. When the man behind the desk told me this, I nearly fainted. Not only was I not on the plane, but there was no possible way I could buy a seat on the plane, as it was completely full and the next flight out was in a day. My friends were all already past the security checkpoint and I had no one to help me. It was in that terrifying situation that I realized I couldn’t call mommy or daddy to get me out of this one. I had gotten myself here and needed to figure this out on my own. As I thought of ways to get on the plane my friend had wifi on her phone and told me to try and buy a flight online and see if they could let me on. Within a mater or minutes my name was on the register and I had talked and pleaded with every flight personel working in the airport to let me on the plane. The truth is, no one has to help you out in life, that’s why you can’t rely on anyone or anything but yourself. That’s what makes us stronger and I now see how much traveling can change so much about an individual just by personality skills, adapting to new environments, and figuring out how to get yourself out of sticky situations, like the one I got myself into. All in all, I killed everyone with kindness and pity for me, as I was going to be left in Africa alone, with no where to go and made it home just in time for a long siesta. Have an open mind wild traveling, be able to adapt in the snap of a finger, and most of all, just have fun and enjoy life as it comes to you. You never know what could happen.

November 13, 2012

Vaga General 2012.

From the time I arrived in Barcelona, every few days “metro strikes” will occur where the metro, bus and public transportation systems will be delayed for an extended period of time. That being said, it can be a bit challenging getting to school every morning with a fifteen minute delay on my metro. Tomorrow, November 14th there will be a National Strike in Barcelona consisting of social workers and social unions whose stores and shops will remain closed temporarily until the strike is over. Although I am only a local for another month, I wanted to learn more about the strike and get some inside scoop from a local neighbor. I asked him what the cause of the strike was and how serious this national strike will get. He told me the main reasons for the strike were aimed
towards the withdrawal of policies, laws and actions that encourage capital strike. For example, cutting their social and individuals rights, insecurity and exploitation of the working class and preventing a fair distribution of work, wealth and welfare. Hearing this was upsetting, empowering and in a way moving. It opened my eyes
and made me appreciate the life I have been privileged to have. Culture shock is found all over the world, no matter where you go. But this culture shock was definitely something I had not been expecting, and I can honestly say at first I saw it as more a setback to my experience here in Barcelona. But at the end of the day, you learn from the experiences and the chances you never take. I’m proud to be living in a country that isn’t afraid to stand up for what they know and believe is right. I may even partake in the riots tomorrow who knows what the day might bring me, besides another year older.

HI HA ALTERNATIVA! #14 VAGA GENERAL 2012

November 5, 2012

This past weekend, I took a two hour train ride to Madrid with fellow GLS students studying in Barcelona.  Madrid is the capital and largest city in Spain.  I immediately fell in love with the metropolitan lifestyle Madrid has to offer.  It is by far one of my favorite cities in all of Europe mostly because it reminds me of home in New York city.  As soon as we walked out of the train station we were greeted by these statue baby heads which definitely gave off an eerie feeling  but fit the season as it was a few days before Halloween.

Our first day we visited the Prado Museum.  It is the main Spanish national art museum located in central Madrid.  It features one of the world’s coolest collections of European art, from the 12th century to the early 19th century which we learned was based on the former Spanish Royal Collection.  It is situated on the stylish Paseo del Prado, a lovely part of Madrid with the Retiro park just a short walk away and right next to the Ritz Hotel, the Palance Hotel, the stock exchange and the Fountain of Neptune.  It has some great art collections from artists like Goya, El Greco, Velázquez and Hieronymous Bosch.  Following our trip to the museum we climbed on board a Madrid Hop on Hop off City Tour bus.  Such an original name!  In my opinion I believe bus tours are an easy and enjoyable way to get to know a city and all the significance of certain places.   With one ticket we were able to hop on and off the bus all day along the route of our choice while admiring the architectural and cultural magnificence of Madrid.

The bus offers a headphone audio system in 14 different languages which I thought was pretty unique.  We were also given a map of the city and discount checks for different shops and restaurants in the city.  Overall I had a blast and learned so much about Spain’s capital.  Although Madrid is very urban and Barcelona more rural and touristy, I truly enjoy both cities in their own unique ways.

October 24, 2012

Any visitor to Barcelona will have noticed the iconic Port cable car that cuts across the city’s skyline all the way to Montjuic. The names used locally for this cable car service are the Transbordador Aeri del Port or Port Cable Car. Easily visible from the port area, you travel in a cable car fit for twenty people up the mountain of Montjuic to see the beautiful castle and the stunning views from the top.

“Ok”, so you think to yourself, “I would like to take the cable car ride to experience the breathtaking arial views of the city, but I’m deathly afraid of heights.” You really do have only two options, do or don’t. I highly suggest taking the plunge and going for it, I promise after an intial heart-in-the-mouth moment, you will be rewarded for your bravery with some stunning views of Barcelona. The cable car provides an opportunity to see the entire city clearly, take in the bird’s eye views of the port and harbour as you glide along. It was also a great chance to get a quick glance at some of Barcelona’s great monuments such as the Sagrada Familia and the Toree Agbar, from above.

Once we arrived at the Torre de Miramar on Montjuic mountain, there were an array of statues in the gardens and gravel footpaths to walk around the space. There were numberous coin-operated telescopes at various points around the gardens which are watched over by the impressive and looming art deco building: Hotel Miramar. I even got a picture inside a tree surrounding the garden and convinced my mom that was our hostel.

Despite the frightening trek up Montjuic, on a sunny day, the cable ride is arguably the most stunning and exhilarating way to view Barcelona and links two of the city’s prime locations: Barceloneta Beach and Montjuic.

October 15, 2012

If you’ve ever been to Barcelona, Spain you’ve probably seen a decent amount of Antoni Gaudi’s work. In case you haven’t heard of him, Antoni Gaudi was a Spanish architect and is well known as the face of Catalan architecture. He was fond of nature, and work is often cited as being inspired by his love of natural design and modernism. His most famous work is the Sagrada Família in Barcelona.
(Park Güell was commissioned by Eusebi Güell who wanted to create a stylish park for Barcelona aristocracy.)

Antonio Gaudí Parc Güell
The park contains amazing stone structures (see below), stunning tiling and fascinating buildings. You can see from this picture the Gaudí dragon fountain that is at the entrance to Güell park. This dragon is adorned in beautiful coloured tiling and there is something rather hypnotic and magical about it.

Here you can see a walkway supported by twisting rock pillars that seem to be growing out of the ground like tree trunks. Although these are rather irregular in shape they do feel strangely natural too.

An unexpected twist during my visit to Park Guell was the filming of a music video for a Spanish band called Urban Lights which originated in Japan. My friends and I were asked to be used as extras in the music video “Beats in My Soul” and had an amazing time touring the park all day.

October 4, 2012

            You know that feeling you get after eating a big Thanksgiving meal, where your stomach literally can’t take in any more food and is at it’s maximum capacity putting you in a coma? That was the feeling my roommates and I felt after every meal this past weekend after visiting my friend Julie’s grandparents in Bologna, Italy. The flight from Barcelona to Italy was about an hour through RyanAir which I do not suggest to anyone for the staff is rude and almost wouldn’t let me bring my carry on onto the plane.

Italy is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. In the past I’ve visited the Amalfi Coast, San Giminiano, Tuscany, Rome, Venice and Florence, but Bologna was a new side of Italy I didn’t know existed. Not only was the food impeccable  everyone is so friendly and happy to help you. Here we are exploring the heart and center of Bologna where the “Twin Towers” stand, one is significantly taller than the other.

While my friends and I traveled to Bologna this past weekend, a majority of students studying abroad in Barcelona and all over Europe went to the infamous Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. What I’m slowly beginning to learn about being in a foreign country is how terrible I am at managing my finances and spending money on things that truly matter like food and water. I’ve gotten so much more of an appreciation for my life back at home and realize I’m still undergoing some of the culture shock. One of the biggest adjustments for me has been money. I came to Spain with euros and an American Express card which I eventually found out isn’t taken anywhere in Spain besides the closest Starbucks. Soccer is a huge sport here which I love to embrace. This Sunday there is a huge game FC Barcelona vs. Real Madrid. At home I am used to watching this games by simply turning on the TV and switching it to ESPN, but here most of these types of games are only shown at the closest restaurants or bars.

I hope by the end of this trip I make it to at least one FC Barcelona home match as soccer is one of my many passions in life and I am dying to see the stadium up close and personal. But until then, Caio!

September 24, 2012

Hello from Barcelona, Spain!

It’s been about a month living here in Barcelona, where do I begin!

The first huge adjustment besides the six hour time difference has been my commute to school and just getting around this wonderfully unique city. The monthly metro pass was definitely the way to go besides the minor set back last Monday September 17^thdue to a transportation strike which delayed the metros about 40 mins. Other than that, all the locals in Catalunya are more than welcoming and friendly towards me and my four roommates living in an apartment with other local Catalonians.

It’s a good thing I like lunch because here in Barcelona, lunch is served as the biggest meal of the day, followed by a siesta which is a short nap time around 6:00 pm, and dinner is normally served later than what I’m used to in United States. One of the main dishes here Paella, is by far my favorite part of living in Barcelona. I’ve slowly opened my taste buds up to new and different types of Spanish dishes.

Last week my friends and I traveled to Tossa de Mar, located on the Costa Brava about 103 kilometres north of Barcelona and 100 kilometres south of the French border. Unfortunately, poor planning on my part made the trip short but we hiked up the medieval castles surrounding the main beach. Swimming in the Mediterranean was an experience in itself; the water was crystal clear and felt so refreshing.

Another fun event that took place last weekend was the Independence day of Catalunya where the entire town came together wearing the Catalunyan colors and flags cheering down Las Ramblas in celebration of their attempted independence from the dominating Spanish government. As an aspiring photographer with a Studio Art minor, I have been keeping a photo blog to share with my blogs throughout my semester abroad in Barcelona, I can’t wait to share with you! Til next time!