Fast Forward: La Huelga, Spanish Halloween, and Spanish Thanksgiving

Oh my gosh! I am so sorry that is has been so long!

Another short update on my life: I'm working 5 days a week now, first in the mornings and afternoons as an English teacher and then at night I'm with my family. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I have rugby practice, with games on Saturdays and Sundays. On Saturdays I also have Gaelic Football, which is proving to be MUCH more difficult than I had originally thought. I'm slowly getting better, but I'm proving to be much better(and COMFORTABLE) on the rugby pitch. Busy busy.

Catalan Rugby Socks

So what's been happening in Barcelona since you've last heard from me? Well, alot actually. Apart from the normal day to day life of running around the city, life here doesn't ever seem to take a moment, except on some sleepy Sunday mornings...if you make it out before everyone else does. That's my favorite part of the week, the quiet that falls over a city that never seems to slow down or sleep. You become incredibly aware of the city itself, not just the people or whatever is going on. It will always amaze me how much of a mess we create.

Catalan Men's Rugby Game

One of the biggest events was La Huelga. It was a nation wide strike, so people were encouraged to not go to work. These strikes are a vicious cycle, and frankly, I disagree with the way Spain and Catalunya handles it. Every couple weeks, the bus and metro will stop running, leaving hundreds of people unable to take public transportation other than taxis or walking. For me and many others who can't afford to drive(or in some cases, take a taxi) we are forced to call in and not work. I haven't called in to say I'm not coming yet, but I do have to let my students know that I will be late. The people here just carry on, there's nothing much else to do. But the strikes really don't affect the people who are making the rules or the pay. Those people get to take private cars. So in reality, it's the normal people who suffer.

La Huelga was no exception. Many businesses shut down. But unlike the other strike days, the city was out en masse. Everyone was walking everywhere, though there was few taxis to be found. At Passeig de Gracia, which I have to walk near to get to work most days, there was slowly brewing a storm. I went by there very early in the morning, where police and protesters were starting to gather. This is where it got bad for me. A police officer stopped me and asked me to show my ID. Here, that is perfectly legal and you can get arrested for refusing to show an ID. I gave him my driver's license since I don't carry my passport around. Unfortunately for me, he didn't believe it was a real ID(our entire conversation was in Spanish), so I got to sit on the ground with my hands behind my head while he conferred with other cops. I was eventually let go, but it was a pretty unpleasant experience.

Manifestacion

On my way home, the protests were in full swing. Yelling, waving flags, cannons going off(I think they were cannons...). I went home and stayed there. Nothing was making me go out! I later found out that many stores got looted and at the Arc De Triumph, there was some shooting by the police(rubber bullets) and things got pretty bad. Luckily I don't live in that area, so I avoided any real violence.

Halloween treats for the girls

Ironically, Halloween wasn't too far after this. Here, they don't really celebrate Halloween, but I wanted to because it was my favorite holiday. The weekend before, I went to a party at a bar to celebrate. I had a good time meeting new people and catching up with old friends. I went in a group with the Joker, Beauty(from Beauty and the Beast), a cowgirl, the Phantom of the Opera, a child killer(not my favorite costume idea...) and a guy in a cape. I dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood this year. I wanted to be Captain America, but there wasn't a costume that would have fit a woman, only a little boy. Plus, the Little Red costume covered everything...in the front. The back...had something to be desired. But hey, what do you expect from a woman's Halloween costume?

Little Red Riding Hood

On the actual day of Halloween, a friend of mine and I went to another party, which was a lot of fun, if not a little too crazy for us. She handed out candy to people, which got funnier the longer the night went on. We met some interesting people!

Thanksgiving here was pretty nonexistent, but I got to talk to my family, which was nice. It made me miss home! But...I still have my passport, so I'm still going to teach and travel!

La Mercè: Goodbye Summer!

Another festival here in Barcelona! This time, it is to celebrate the end of summer. Similar to Sant Joan, where we celebrated the beginning of summer and the saint of the same name(or the summer solstice), La Mercè is the festival to celebrate the end of summer and the Mare de Déu de la Mercè or the Virgin of Grace. She is the patron saint of the Barcelona district.

Historically, the festival has been celebrated since 1678 to give thanks to the Virgin after they prayed to her to rid them of locusts. It has been an official holiday since 1871 and takes place for the entire weekend of September 24th. So, we had La Diada and then the next weekend, a three day weekend of
La Mercè. In 1902, many of the most popular aspects of the festival were introduced. These were the gegants i capgrossos or giants(similar to those in Pamplona), the first Castell competition, and the Sardana which at the time was becoming very popular(it is now considered the official dance of Catalunya).

Los Gigantes

Catalan King and Queen

So what did I do? Inevitably I ran into the problem of having too many things I wanted to see and didn't get to see. Since the Sardana and Castells are relatively easy to see here, I didn't see them. I did LOOK for a Castell but I always got there during the breaks or they were done.

My first night I met up with some friends and we walked around just seeing what was going on. There was a concert but it wasn't music we terribly enjoyed. So off I went to Sagrada Familia to meet another friend. We happened to meet up right at the same time the most amazing light show started. It was a surprise for sure! I was happy to just stand and watch it, since I got lost and had to run around the entire cathedral before I was able to find my friend. It was on the Nativity Facade side, and it was really centered around nature. I think Gaudi would have been proud of it.

Sagrada Familia at Night

The next day was pretty hectic for me. Class, Practice, THEN some La Mercè fun. My friend and I wandered around El Born and found several really nice places though everything was mostly closed because of the holiday weekend. We went to the Arc de Triomf, which is very similar to the French Arc Du Triomphe where there was a wine tasting. We got a wine glass and got to try a lot of different wines and had a great time! Another friend came and joined us and we ended up going back to the Sagrada Familia for the light show again. This time it was really, really crazy. We couldn't move, the crowd was so huge. People were pushing and shoving, I got my legs rammed over and over again by a lady with a baby carriage. I turned around and yelled at her because seriously? Who brings an infant into this kind of crowd? The baby wasn't even in the carriage. And it HURT. Ramming it into me wasn't going to make me move, or anyone else in front of me. My friend got an elbow to the back multiple times and had a pretty large bruise there the next day. Our other friend had to leave, it freaked her out too much. We ended up seeking refuge in a KFC, which was absolutely chaotic. It was terrible. The show was worth it though. It was just as beautiful the night before.

The next day we went back to the wine tasting and had a snack of chocolate crackers, cheese, and a bottle of red wine. Another group near us shared their cava, or sparkling wine with us as well. Overall, the weekend was really relaxing, and a great way to end the summer.

Wine Tasting at the Arc de Triomf

Though I don't think Barcelona got the message because it's still warm enough to go to the beach.

Where Did September Go?

Wow, I can't believe its already October. I'm not really sure what happened to September, but there you go.

Lots has been happening, and since the girls started school, my life got crazy busy. I will continue to update, I have several posts in drafts that need to be finished.

But a quick update: I am still living with my family. A is currently in South America for 3 weeks on business so its been just myself, E and the girls at home. I got a job working for a company, they contract me out to different houses and I go there and teach. I only have 2 jobs with them now, but I also have one private student. So, not much work. It's incredibly difficult to find work here without working papers, but that's the reality for most Americans. I'm working on getting them, but there are a lot of hoops to jump through.

I also have been finding new friends. Many of them are in a much older age range than I am, but I find that it's been better for me. Like in college there is a lot pressure to drink and party, which is something I can't do because of my job. It's easier to find people who enjoy a glass of wine, tapas, and chatting over getting wild all night.

And lastly, I've been enjoying a little more of what Barcelona has to offer. I like to watch the football(FCB) games with my host father or with friends, and enjoy the odd festivals that happen around her. For example, last weekend was a Renaissance Fair. Catalan Renaissance is interesting, to say the least. I also have joined a Gaelic Football team, which has a mixture of Irishwomen/men and Catalans. I'm one of 2 Americans, which is cool.

And my favorite activity, I joined a Catalan Rugby Team. When I first came here I thought there wasn't any teams for women, but there turns out to be a school for rugby here. it's geared mostly towards young boys and men but there is a women's team. There used to be two but since there wasn't enough women to play on both teams, they've combined to form one super women's rugby team. The language barrier has been interesting but I've been enjoying playing with a new team and new women. The language is different but the game is the same. I'm the only American.

La Diada Nacional de Catalunya

So I know I don't usually update more than once a week, but today is a special day here in the area I live in: Catalunya! In honor of this, I thought I'd post some facts about Catalunya(Catalonia in English).

Today is the day that commemorates when Catalan troops surrendered to Felipe V(the recognized king of Spain) in 1714. Though Catalunya is a part of Spain, it is very independent from it, much like Basque Country in the north of Spain. I compare it to Basque Country because both areas of Spain have a very distinct sense of pride in their region, and a language that is different from that of the rest of Spain. Catalunya is governed by the Generalitat de Catalunya, which has been around since Medieval times. It has been abolished and reinstated twice. The second time is notable because it was abolished by the Franco dictatorship. Catalunya is also defined as a "nationality" of Spain, it is one of three areas(the others being Basque Country and Galicia) to hold this definition in the Spanish constitution. This gives it the right to autonomy, though it is always first under the rule of Spain. Since 1979, Spain has increased Catalunya's automony, the Generalitat holds jurisdiction in the areas of culture, environment, communications, transportation, commerce, public safety and local government. Spain shares jurisdiction over education, healthcare, and the justice system. Now, and especially on La Diada, there are groups of Catalans who believe that Catalunya should be independent. On September 11 in particular, there are many demonstrations held.

Below is the flag that those in support of an independent Catalunya fly. It's pretty common here, I've seen it about as much as I have seen the regular flag(I talk about it below). It bears a striking resemblence to the Cuban flag. It was designed in 1904 and was briefly used during Catalunya's independence in 1931. The flag itself is called L'Estelada. 

L'Estelada

Catalunya is the most Northwestern area of Spain, it stretches along Andorra and France(separated by the Pyrenees Mountains), and along the Mediterranean Sea. It is comprised of four provinces: Barelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona(can you guess which one I live in?). Barcelona is the capital of the region. The name Catalunya is theorized to be from the word "Land of Castles" or "castlà".

The language of Catalunya, or "català", is a Romance based language. I've mentioned before how difficult it is to learn, and I'm still serious about that. It sounds a little like French and Spanish. Linguists have traced it back to the Middle Ages. Unlike Basque, where nobody is really sure where it came from, Catalan has distinct origins. It is one of the official languages of Catalunya, and the only language of Andorra, which borders the region. During the Franco Dictatorship, Catalan was banned, and only Spanish was allowed. Once the dictatorship had fallen, Catalan came back strongly(I highly doubt anyone actually really followed the ban). Everything here is in Catalan, with a few exceptions for things in English and Spanish. Schools are taught in Catalan as well.

One very very famous Catalan? Salvador Dali.
  
The flag used today is called Senyera, which is roughly translated into "signal flag" from Catalan. It is one of the oldest flags in Europe. You can see where(obviously) L'Estelada derives from this flag.

Senyera, the official flag of Catalunya

The legend behind it is one of my favorite stories to tell people. Though I had originally heard it without any historical fact from A, I went online and did a little research. The legend originates in the 1300s, but is set in the 800s. Two kings were fighting to keep their kingdoms from the Moors, Wildred I the Hairy and King Charles the Bald. Wilfred I(who I have found was a count not a king), was wounded during battle. As he lay dying, the other king came to his side. Wildred I lamented that there was not flag for Catalunya. He begged King Charles the Bald to create a flag, as his dying wish. King Charles the Bald took his golden shield(or a piece of cloth depending on the version) and with the dying king's blood, drew his hand down the shield. This is why there are four red stripes, one for each bloodied finger.

I don't know how true it is, but it's rather romantic isn't it?

Mistakes We Make Learning English

My first post in September!

For those following to see what my life is like here, it's been pretty relaxed, not anything special since my trip. The girls start school next week, so we have been hanging out at home. I've also been on the job hunt for a second job and had some job interviews but that's another post.

Today's post focuses on the mistakes(the funniest ones) that I have experienced thus far.

Moment #1: The difference between Beer, Bear, and Beard
This happened when I had been here for about 2 weeks, I may have mentioned it in my post about Port Adventura. I was standing in the line for a ride with A and JC, A's brother in law. JC had never spoken English with someone who spoke it as a first language, so he was having difficulty understanding "my accent". This was my first experience with someone calling the way I speak an accent, having lived on the West Coast my whole life, I never thought that I was the one with an accent.

Anyway, JC had been asking a number of questions of how to say certain words, what the difference between the words and the funniest one was this(it has become a bit of a joke): What is the difference between beer, bear, and beard. Now the way he said the words, it all sounded the same. So, I used hand motions and put stress on the parts of the words that make them different. You can see them below, and the captions represent the part of the word I stressed.

bEER

bEAR

beaRD

We still make jokes about it, and I have since made a tongue twister with the words to help them practice, and to give to JC the next it we see him. I also added the word "Bird" as per the request of A and E.

"The bearded bear drank beer with a bird". Say that five times fast!

Moment #2: Misunderstanding one word changes the meaning.

Recently, I've been looking at a pharmacy for a certain kind of medication I take. Since it doesn't exist in the same brand, I had to go and ask. On my way out, I let A know where I was going and what I needed to get. He looked generally concerned.

Turns out he misheard me and thought I had said "I'm pregnant and need to go the pharmacy." He later told me his first thought was "Who's gonna tell Lisa's Mom?"

It was funny, if not a little embarrassing. But on the bright side, I found exactly what I needed! And it is much cheaper here than in the States. My Spanish was a little wonky, but the lady knew what I needed by the package I handed her.

Moment #3: Mixing Up Words

One of the things I do is help set the table for dinner every night. One evening, we were doing business as usual and A asked me to go get the "Kidnappers". What he meant was the "napkins". I explained to him what a "kidnapper" is in English. 

Mixing up words is actually pretty common for people learning English, and the "nap" is in both sentences, with the a vowel being the same for both words. This is probably the second most common error that gets made when using conversational English. The first is pronunciation.  

 

5 Major Culture Shock Moments

Now that I've been living here for 3 months, I can confidently say that I have adjusted to life here almost completely. There will always be things that confuse me. For example, just today, I learned that the word "magnum" means not only an ice cream brand, but a type of bottle of wine. "Magnum" means something large. This differs from the U.S. by the sole fact that "Magnum" is a very specific, well known condom brand. And, as my Mom as told me, a gun brand. That is all. I only associated it with the condom brand.

So what are 5 things(not including the one from today) that really shocked me?

5. Everything is smaller.
Seriously. Everything. The buildings aren't as tall, the cars aren't SUV or Hummer type cars. Even food portions and Spanish people are smaller than in the U.S. There aren't as many fat people here. My room is tiny, it would be considered a closet at home(it is the perfect size for me).  There aren't any Walmarts or Costcos. The cloth sizes are smaller. I wear a LARGE or an X-LARGE now. The skinny jeans don't fit at. All. Despite all this, I love that things are smaller. But it took a lot to get used to.

4. Children. Are. Everywhere. 

This one was hard for me at first. I'm not used to children just being everywhere, all the time. I'd go to a bar, and there'd be kids. Kids at fancy restaurants. Kids running you over with their soccer ball as you sit in the park. But no matter what, kids here are incredibly well behaved. Though I've seen a ton of kids in places I never thought I would, they were always quiet and polite. 

3. Dryers don't exist. And laundry takes FOREVER.

This one was tricky for me. Laundry is surprisingly complex here. My normal routine in the US- Separate by color, delicacy, and water temperature. Pop into the washing machine for 30 minutes and add detergent before starting. Pop into dryer for 60 minutes. Fold and put away. 

 My routine for Spain? Separate by color, delicacy, and water temperature. Pop into washing machine and add detergent, water softener, and fabric softener. Wait for 45 minutes-1 hr. 35 minutes.  Remove from washer and hang outside to dry. Pray it doesn't rain. Fold and put away when dry. It's an all day activity!

2. Milk and eggs don't need to be refrigerated. 

This one actually really freaked me out when I first saw E put milk in the cupboard. The same happened when I went to the market and the eggs were on a regular shelf next to the baked goods. I'm not sure what is so different that it doesn't need to be refrigerated and it still squicks me out when I see the eggs at the market and the milk in the cupboard. 

1. Racism doesn't exist.   

This one isn't particularly clear, so let me clarify. Racism DOES exist here, but it takes a different form that what I'm used to at home. Everyone here pretty much looks the same. The only exception is tourist, the expatriates who live and work here, and the immigrants. Let me be clear about my situation and an immigrant: I have no intention of staying. They do. 

 It is abundantly clear that Spanish people, for the most part, don't like immigrants. They are not called xxxxx-spanish as we do in the US. They are "foreigners" or "extranjeros". They are not considered Spanish. They probably never will be. But Spanish people don't go out of their way to show their distaste. They just don't like them. 

Then there is the question of just plain "ignorance" or what I view as such. My first experience was when one of my girls began to slant her eyes at me. Now, I wasn't particularly offended; she's young and hasn't experienced many Asian people. But when I explained to her why we don't do that, she looked at me and said "Why not? That's what they look like." I had no answer. She had a point. 

My next experience was watching a home video that the family had made. Now, these videos were hilarious and completely in jest. Then we got to the gospel one. Where they all wore afros and had painted black makeup on their face. 

I was appalled. Partly because I was raised that this was NOT OKAY. But yet again, "that's just what they look like". I have seen very few black people here. 

Well, there you have it. Five things that majorly shocked me. Some of them are funny, and some not so much.

  

Recap Of My Trip

Finally back from my holiday! And boy do I still wish I was where it was cooler...I'm melting here in the flat. I think I'm drinking water as fast as I'm sweating it out.

So my brother came two weeks ago to visit me in Barcelona. For 2 days, we swept through Barcelona, seeing as much of the city(that would interest him) as we could. It was pretty exhausting, but we made it through the sticky Spanish heat.

We then jetted off to Vienna, Austria. Where we stuffed ourselves silly with pastries, and I enjoyed the music scene. We went to the Haus der Musik, the Naschtmarket(my brother loved this), and the graves of many famous Austrian composers including Strauss, Beethoven and Schubert. We also went to the Astronomical Clock(or their version of it) to watch a parade of famous people. Things were a bit expensive, but not terrible compared to Barcelona. While I liked the city, it seemed stuck in the 1700's, probably because of the huge influence that Mozart had over the city. There wasn't a whole lot of night life. Unless you count the strip clubs that we had no interest in.

After a relatively short(5 hours) bus trip to Prague, Czech Republic we got in in the evening and hit the ground running. We got a great free tour from the hostel and walked around the city, and also went on another free ghost and legends tour. Prague was a great city, cheap(not on the Euro system), friendly people and absolutely beautiful. We were able to do so much because it was so affordable and we even could afford to do a Pub Crawl with a company. Our hostel could not have been friendlier or more helpful. It was our favorite city by far.

Then came the huge bus trip. A 15 hour bus ride to Amsterdam. Which, was really quite nice. The bus company that we used was really good, it was comfortable, there was entertainment and complimentary drinks. As my brother put it: "It was an airplane that didn't fly". Amsterdam itself was a bit of a letdown. The food was bad and expensive. The museums had no student discount for my brother and were horribly expensive. The Rijksmuseum was mostly closed for renovation, and only select works were on display. We did enjoy the Anne Frank house a lot though. But we quickly ran out of things to do. All the things we had planned to do took only half of the full day we had. There wasn't any nightlife either. Other than the red light district, which I had no interest in going to with my baby brother, and my baby brother had no interest in going to period.

Overall, the trip with my brother was great! And he then took a plane home and I went on the Ediburgh, Schotland.

And oh how I loved it! The Fringe, the biggest comedy festival in the world, was going on. So I went to a number of shows including Anthony Rapp's Without You. Oh and I met him! Pretty embarrassing experience, but now I know how I am when I see a celebrity...I did go to the Castle and managed to cram in seeing other sites. I met some pretty awesome people too, including an Olympic participant from France.

From there, I took the train back to London, England. Here, I met more awesome people, met back with the people I had met in Edinburgh and went to shows and the London Eye. I saw Rock of Ages(my first time) and Les Miserables(second time). Les Miserables had Sierra Boggess, who I had seen before in The Little Mermaid. She was amazing!

I'm now home and exhausted. Tonight A and the girls will come home and we will go to the FCB v. RM game tonight at Camp Nou.