Another week bits the dust!

This week was CRAZY to say the least, but I got a lot of sites of the city and outside Barcelona in!

Monday: Monday's biggest even twas the tour of the Gothic Quarter. Its the oldest part of the building and houses the Cathedral of the city. While I am not Catholic and the difference between Church and Cathedral doesn't mean much to me, it was still gorgeous. I took the tour in Spanish to try and work on my Spanish some more. I'm actually thinking of getting a Spanish minor now. I think it would be good in the pharmacy field in America. Anyways, I learned more about the history of the beautiful state of Catalonia, and the more I learn, the more I love it!

Tuesday: Tuesday morning, my sports class did a field study at the Olympic Museum. Not a bad place to have class! The stadium and games are really what launched Barcelona as one of Europe's destination cities, bring about a lot of metro changes to the city in just 6 years! It showed the world that Barcelona had recovered from Franco's dictatorship and also showed of the culture of Catalonia, which is very different from the rest of Spain. Anyways, the stadium is on a "mountain" and offers beautiful views away from the crazy city center. That afternoon. I went with a friend to get her tattoo. No mom and dad, I did not get one myself. 

Wednesday: I went with a girl from my school to the Arc de Triomf. I had no clue there was even an Arc until I watched the Bachelorette! Let me tell you: this Arc is beautiful! It was built in the 1800;s when the world fair was in Barcelona. It was way prettier than the one in Paris (in my personal opinion). It had so much color and detail to it. And it wasn't as crazy as the one in Paris. Next to arc was a giant park, Parc de Ciutedella. This is really a hidden gem of Barcelona. I had never heard about it from anyone in my program or other people in Barcelona. A lot of locals were just hanging out in this giant park full of art and a giant fountain. It has been one of my favorite things to see in Barcelona just because it wasn't crowded and crazy.

Thursday: Sort of an uneventful day. I had finals in the morning and I think I did really well, mostly because I was really interested in the topics of my classes. I packed for my weekend trip, but that was about the most exciting thing I did.  

Friday: VALENCIA! Wow I love that city. It took us about 4 hours on a bus to get there. The Spanish country side is beautiful. For those of you that have ever been, it reminds me of the hills in Idaho. When we got to the city we went to what I would say was the part I looked forward to the most, The City of Arts and Sciences. I did a report on this place in 10th grade and have always wanted to go ever since then. It did not disappoint! It was breathtaking. We saw an IMAX movie there too in the most famous of the buildings in the "City". I still can't believe I actually went. Our Hotel was right by one of the main plazas. If you ever go to Valencia I would highly recommend our hotel, Hotel Venecia. It was nice to have AC in my room for a change. And a bigger bed. and COMFY pillows. and a big shower. Fom dinner, my friends and I found this little restaurant where the food and drinks were tasty and the waiter Julio was funny. We had a wonderful time eating on the street and relaxing. That night I explored on my own and found a place that sold me a delicious crep with nutella and strawberries. The perfect European dessert.
Saturday: In the morning, we took a guided tour around the beautiful, historic old town. For lunch, we had paella on the beach. Afterwards we relaxed and had free beach time. The beaches there were nicer than the ones here in Barcelona. The water was warmer, the sand was nicer, and the beaches weren't as crowded. Unfortunately, what was a great day took a wrong turn when I got swimmer's ear. You know all my ears of swimming I never had swimmers ear. Bad timing. But don't worry I fixed the problem. Went to the Pharmacy and I'm all better now. Pharmacists are great!!! That night I went with some new friends to a place called Miss Sushi. Cutests Sushi place ever! I had Pollo Ginger & California Rolls. For dinner, I had the most delicious thing ever: Banana and Nutella Sushi. Words will never be able to describe it's heavenlyness. 

Sunday: Today, we first went to Port Saplaya. If you are looking for a vacation home in Spain by the beach and want a boat, but want to be close-ish the city this is the place to do it. Bright colored homes right on the channel that connects to the beach. It was pretty.  Then we went to a Falles' museum, which is a museum of these figures that are important to a festival in Vallencia in March. To learn more about the festival click here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falles. Then we headed back to good old Barcelona. I've got my whole week planned out, so it should be another full good week!
For pictures from the week, go to https://www.facebook.com/jlpapke/media_set?set=a.10151712528382692.1073741831.602267691&type=3 for Valencia pictures or https://www.facebook.com/jlpapke/media_set?set=a.10151677471247692.1073741830.602267691&type=3 for all my pictures from Spain. 

End of First Full Week

What a ridiculously long, but great week it has been! Wednesday of course I started my day off with classes. I am really getting into my Sports in Spain class. The class is basically about why sports are so important to the Spanish society. I wish I could explain everything on here that we are learning in class. About why football is so important to the people of Spain. If you ever want to learn more, hit me up! My Spanish class is really good too. I feel like I am improving everyday. We will start a new subject in class and I will be like "Oh! I remember that!" It feels good to have a memory like that. 

After classes, I did a salsa class. It reminded me a lot of the Zumba class I took for UW last fall. I had forgotten how much I love to dance. I feel like the movements just come naturally to me. However, there was no mirror so I could not tell if I looked like a fool or not. I probably didn't look "sexy" like you should while dancing here, but I had a good time trying.

Thursday was America' s Birthday. I saw a ton of American flags here. After classes, my friends and I decided to celebrate by tanning on the beach. I did not burn either and let me tell you that is a big feat in itself. I was a little homesick not seeing the fireworks, but apparently my favorite  a capella band is doing a music festival at the beginning of August where there will be fireworks close to Denver. Sign me up!

Friday we saw the prettiest little city I have ever seen, Gerona. If you are looking for a small, quaint, romantic town, I would highly recommend it. It had the small street, calm local people, plants growing everywhere, good food, old cathedrals. Everything you would want in a small town. In the afternoon, we went to the Dali Museum in Figueras, Spain. The museum itself was designed by Dali and everything in it was made by him. I didn't really understand his work before I went because he is a surrealist, but now I really appreciate and enjoy his work. If you have never heard of him, look him up.  I also went out to the club that night for the first time. There isn't much to tell you about it. Picture a club and that's what it was like.

Saturday, my roommates left me. I am going to miss them a lot they were really cool people. Guess I'm going to have to go to Texas and visit them! That afternoon, I went roller skating around the beach with my friends. We saw the beautiful Christopher Columbus statue at the end of Las Ramblas, went to the mall, and took in some more sun rays. A very chilled laid back sort of day. That night, because my roommates had left, I had diner by myself with my host mom. Surprisingly, I was able to have a really good conversation in Spanish with her! Day made!

Sunday is the day of rest here and boy did I rest. I met my two new roommates. Both are from Brazil and both don't speak English, speak a little Spanish and a lot of Portuguese. It has been a different experience trying to adjust. I didn't want to waste my full day, so I decided to explorer my neighborhood where I live. I found out that I basically live in the foothills of town and at the top of the hills I have amazing views of the city. I would call my exploration a success.

This week I have a lot planned so stay tuned for more of my exciting adventures!

First Days of School!!!

Sorry for the delay in posts not much has been going on. I have started school and I love my classes. I am taking a sociology class called Sports in Society about what role sports play in peoples lives. Perfect for Jessica. I love it so so so much!!! My other class is spanish 2 and I am feeling so comfortable with my spanish right now. Life is good. A couple nights ago we went to an outdoor cinema, on the top of a mountain, projected on a castle!Think Film on the Rocks but better. We had a wonderful picnic of cheese, salami, fruits and veggies, bread, beer, vine, and sweets! Then we had an adventure walking down the mountain. Today, not much happened except I went to school and then went shopping. The sales here in July is like that of black Friday back home. I got some really cute stuff today. Now I am watching The Bachelorette while they are in Barcelona. It feels awesome. When something exciting happens, I promise I will write more about it!

Busy First Weekend

What a busy, long, exhausting first weekend in Barcelona! On Saturday, some kids from my group and I went to the beach, Barceloneta. We hung out there, relaxed swam, and drank really good beer. For lunch, I ate (more like destroyed) a chicken samosa. Its not that it was that good, I was just tired from my day at the beach. Afterwards, we headed over to my friends apartment to check it out. ON the way, we stumbled upon a mall where you could stand on the top floor and look out across the city. It was right in front of Plaza de Espanya, which is a beautiful round-about. To get down, we got onto a pretty glass elevator right in front to the Plaza. On the way to the apartment, we also went into a little shop that sold fruits and veggies. I got a Roma tomato and a peach for just 50 euro cents! Its amazing how cheap fruit is here. That night I came home and had dinner meatballs and salad. I had planned on not going out, but I got a hold of my roommate of one day and we ended up going to an Irish Pub. My first bar experience! It was awesome to say the least. First off, I got to spend time with an awesome person aka Leah the roommate and company. Second, I got bought my drink so I didn't spend a dime. Third, that drink was not nasty beer, but instead good apple cider. And lastly, there were men there with Irish accents. Need I say more? The trouble came when I learn that half the underground was closed. I did not realize this fact until I was halfway home. Instead of taking a taxi like a normal city girl, I pulled out an old fashion paper map and found my way back with no problems!

Today started off on the right note because I finally found tea here! Most people here drink coffee. I tried it! I went to Dunkin' Donuts and got a Cafe con Leche and I hated it! So this morning I was quite content to drink a pot of English Breakfast and Pan con Tomate y queso (I'm addicted to this snack). After, the friends and I went to Park Guell, one of the prettiest things I have every seen. The tile work and architecture are breathe taking and the views of the city are unparalleled. Words can't really describe it to be honest. ON the way to the metro, I bought and FC Barcelona jersey, number 4 because its my lucky number. Afterwards we caught the metro over to La Sagrada Familia, another breathtaking piece of Gaudi work. While we didn't go inside, we plan on going back when it isn't as busy. For lunch, we went to a random shop and I had the traditional Tortilla Espanolya which is basically a quiche with potatoes and onions. Yummy. Oh and a side of pan con tomate of course. Oh and Sangria too! I came back and was able to Skype with my dad for the first time! YEAH! For dinner, we had a delicious vegetarian lasagna. It was so so so good!

{Barceloneta}

{Park Guell}

{Park Guell}

{La Sagrada Familia}

{Newest Addition to my Closet}

{Precious English Breakfast Tea}

Second is the Best!

Today was great. I started off the morning with a bowl of cereal provided by my host mom. She is such a nice person and my Spanish has gotten a lot better, even though its only my first full day here. My group then had more cultural orientation, followed by a trip to La Barceloneta, which is the local beach. We first saw the beautiful harbor. Then we went to an awesome market. Every district has its own market here with fresh fruits and meats (think Pikes Place Market in Seattle). I got some  delicious fresh tomatoes. We then walked down the boardwalk and met the other American group that is here. The directors treated us to lunch where we had a ton of seafood, particularly Paella and lemon sorbet slushy things for dessert. Then we were able to do our own thing so a small group from my group walked down the beach. This was my favorite part of the day because we don't have a beach in Colorado or Wyoming obviously. Then we went and got a nice cold local beer in a very small local bar. Afterwards, we went and saw the beautiful University of Barcelona. It was so pretty! The architecture is phenomenal there! I came back after that and relaxed before having dinner made by my host mom which was more fish with yogurt for dessert. I debated going out or staying in for the night, but after a failed attempt to go out, I ended up exploring a bit and what do you know I stumbled upon Camp Nou (FC Barcalona's Stadium). It looked really pretty at night and I absolutely can't wait to see it during the day. 

{El Merdaco de Barceloneta}

{Paella}

{Universitat de Barcelona}

{My favorite thing I ate today: Bread with Tomatoes}

{The Beach}

First Day Wrap Up

I am officially worn out! I got lost trying to find the school, lucky me. But I really like the college and the director is awesome. And i found out this is such a small world too. One of the girls here is friends with someone I work with. And one of the guys here played soccer with two of my residents. It made me realize that this world isn't so scary after all. After Orientation, the interns took us on a tour of the town center which is absolutely beautiful! I had Gelato for dinner, Nutella flavored of course! And then I got lost trying to find the metro stop that I needed to take to get home. And when I got back to my apartment, I met my roommate who is really awesome. Too bad she is leaving on Sunday :( Overall, it has been a long, long day and I am exhausted. I promise my next posts will be longer. I am just too tired to write now.

{First Sight of Spain}

{My room}

{Plaza be Catalunya}

{Nutella Gelato}

Todo, We Aren't in Wyoming Anymore!

Holy Wow! I am so overwhelmed right now. I feel like a fish out of water. I have never lived in a big city at all. Everyone here drives super fast and the buildings are taller than the dorms in Laramie. I'm trying to relax and stay calm. My flights were okay though I didn't sleep at all. This afternoon I have orientation and I have to try and figure out how to use the metro. I think whats really freaking me out right now is that my Spanish SUCKS! My host mom is super nice, but she only speaks Spanish and she showed me around using Spanish and I have no clue what most of what she said was.... Guess I will have to figure it out as I go.... Wish me even more luck than before!