My Birthday
Hey Everyone,
Sorry to have ignored my blog for so long…I don’t have internet access in my homestay, so I have been forced to cut back on my computer use drastically. The family that I am living with is great. It consists of a woman, her 13 year old daughter, and their cat! The mother runs her own massage therapy/nutritional advice shop. At least that is what I have gathered with my Spanish. She is originally from Argentina, but came to Spain thirty years ago to get away from the political unrest that was going on in Argentina at the time. The daughter is funny because she sings American songs all the time, but she doesn’t speak English well, so I wonder how much of them she actually comprehends. Most of the students in my program live with families also. It is a little hard because we all live in different parts of the city, but it is great because the families cook for us two meals a day. I have been trying all kinds of different food, and some really weird vegetables. They eat a ton of fruit here, which I love!
This weekend (and my birthday) was great. Two of my friends came to visit me, one who is studying in London, and one who is studying in Lyon. It was great to get to show them around Barcelona, and I realized how much of the city that I have learned to navigate. We went to see La Sagrada Familia, which is a gigantic cathedral that was designed in the beginning of the 20th century but still isn’t finished. It is the most unique looking building I have ever seen, there are four spires that stick up into the sky, and the entire surface of the building is covered in sculptures. It is so incredibly detailed, there are religious figures and scenes all over the walls, intermixed with carved plants, vines, and animals.
We also went to this little beach town about 20 minutes outside of Barcelona by train called Sitges on Saturday night. The town hosts a four day festival for carnival (basically Mardi Gras) and it seemed like everyone was there! It’s funny because instead of masks and beads that we would wear for Mardi Gras, everyone wears costumes—Halloween style. We met a bunch of smurfs and a group of cows… It was really fun to people watch and explore the town. And it was nice to have friends from home with me on my birthday, it made it feel more like it actually was my birthday, rather than just another day.
I am taking five classes while I’m here. Spanish, which is fun because my class only has 12 people in it. So instead of lectures, most days the class is more based on conversation. Art History of Spain, which so far has been more history than art but is pretty fascinating. People have been in Spain for a very long time, and it is interesting to see how their customs have transferred through the years. Then I am taking and international marketing class, and international management class, and an international strategy class. They are all pretty interesting so far, it is nice to see a different perspective of business, and to realize that companies other than General Mills and Target actually exist. lol. It is fun because my three business classes are all with the other people in my program, it is like being back in high school where you know everyone in your classes.
I will make sure to write again soon!
Kelsey