First Two Weeks in Barcelona!

         After almost two weeks of being here I feel like I finally have a minute to sit down and relax. Being in Barcelona has been amazing. The city is absolutely beautiful and I feel so lucky to be here for a whole semester! In my apartment it’s my two friends and then three other girls from Elon who I didn’t know before. The apartment is great! It is so big with awesome high ceilings. There are two doubles, two singles, and two bathrooms. It is about three blocks from school and two blocks from the gym! A lot of people in the program have to take cabs and metros to get to class, but all we have to do is walk a few blocks. It is great! The apartment also has a washer and dryer, but of course the dryer has been broken. The only problem is there is no AC and the first week it got pretty hot, but now we have a great breeze.

Little by little we are learning more and more about the city. We have mastered the metro and at first it was a little overwhelming, but now it is so easy and a great way to save money. We’ve been down to the beach a bunch, which is great, but all the topless women are a major culture shock. The women who shouldn’t be topless are the ones who are most often without their tops and it’s hard to not stare and giggle. Also on the beach there are little Asian women who give great massages for 5 Euros. It’s so great being in a city with a beach near. We’ve spent a bunch of days walking for hours getting lost and the other day we found where my parent’s hotel is which is really nice. They are about a ten to fifteen minute walk from my apartment so it’s really convenient. There are so many great little outdoor cafes it’s so fun to sit outside and people watch and eat tapas. The food in Spain isn’t that great, but in a way that’s a good thing so I’m not just eating all day. On a good note there are Burger Kings and McDonalds everywhere and our school is right next to a Starbucks! What more do you need? Hopefully, I’ll step a little more out of my comfort zone and try new foods while I’m here. The whole overall schedule is insane. We eat dinner here at 10 or 11 and then go out to clubs till 6 am. It is literally insane and so fun! It’s getting exhausting and every night seems to be a party night. I’m thankful that today is Sunday and I can just lay low and relax.

Classes are going well. I have three on Monday and Wednesday and two on Tuesday and Thursday. I’m taking one communications course, a media and politics in Spain course, architecture in Barcelona, and sports and culture in Spain class. All of my teachers are engaging and really nice. I especially like my Sports and culture class. The other day for my communications course our assignment was to take the metro a few stops out of the city and go to a café and sit alone. It was a little nerve wrecking and I ended up doing it with some friends, but it was still a good experience. My Spanish is awful, but little by little I am able to pick up words and phrases.

Next weekend we are going to the Pyrenees Mountains for an overnight trip and this is so unlike me, but I’m actually looking forward to go hiking. Don’t quote me on this because I doubt you’ll ever hear me say I actually want to go hiking. Then in two weekends’ I’m going to Oktoberfest! I just learned that it’s the 200^th anniversary so I’m sure it will be insane! I have also booked a trip to Dublin to visit my friend, Maggie, in the beginning of October. There are so many other places I want to go, it’s so overwhelming!

Anyway, that’s all I can think of for now. I’ll try and blog way more often because I feel like I still have a lot to say and I don’t want to leave anything out!