First Impressions

¡Saludos desde Barcelona!
Well, I'm finally here, and it's hard to believe. It's been an interesting journey. I'm still trying to figure out a balance between writing too much and not leaving out anything important, so forgive me if I bore you with details! I left Nashville yesterday (it seems like so much longer than that!) around 1:00. The flight to DC was fine, if uneventful. It was nice to get on a slightly bigger plane for the transatlantic flight to Frankfurt. I was sitting with a lady heading to Turkey and a nice gentleman from Copenhagen who reminded me of Daniel Craig in appearance, so that was fun. I tried to get some sleep, unsuccessfully, but it didn't bother me that much. Probably the highlight of the journey was the Frankfurt airport, where I stepped out of the "transfer tunnel" that I had to walk through to get to my next terminal and was very nearly run over by an airport official weaving through the terminal on a bike! Apparently that's the cool way to get around in the Frankfurt airport - I also saw a couple of officials cruising around on the tarmac on bicycles. Good for them, I say!

I got into Barcelona on time, but was very unhappy to discover that my baggage did not. So, after waiting around by the baggage claim and then in line at the lost and found office, I finally left El Prat airport in a mixture of frustration, exhaustion, and excitement to actually be there, carrying only my messenger bag and U of C tote. I got a taxi and made it easily into the city to my hotel, for which I was very grateful. However, I couldn't rest quite yet, because I had given the baggage claim people at the airport the number and address of the Residència Onix, where I'll be moving on Sunday, since I don't have a cellphone here yet. So, after a quick shower, I made my way over to the Residència and explained the situation. I imagine it must have been kind of strange - me explaining in nervous Spanish that I'm going to be living there starting on Sunday, but my lost bags might get there before me, and could you please hold them for me? - but the guy at the desk was really nice and helpful. He reassured me that it happened all the time, and even invited me to check out the building, which I did, briefly. It's pretty cool; I'm excited to be living there.

Once that was taken care of, I went back to the hotel to let myself rest. I napped for about an hour and a half, then headed out to explore. I really like walking around here, especially on the wide avenues shaded by huge sycamore trees. I guess the name, L'Eixample, which means "The Widening," is fitting! I walked down the Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes to the main building of the Universitat de Barcelona, one of the schools I will be attending. It was so beautiful. I wandered through courtyards lined with arcades of old columns, many with quiet fountains in the middle of them. A few families - I would assume they were professors with their children - were enjoying the garden as I walked through it. A group of slightly mangy but cute cats eyed me from behind one of the benches. I hope I get to take a class there - it was such a tranquil place in the middle of the bustle of the city. I was getting hungry by then, so I picked a fun-looking tapas place. It was probably overpriced, since it was on the corner of the Gran Via and the Rambla de Catalunya, but I liked being able to sit outside and watch everyone go by. The best part was that I ordered and spoke to my waiter only in Catalan! It was a small but exciting triumph, especially since there were other people speaking English sitting next to me.

I think hearing and seeing Catalan all around me is both the most exciting and surreal part of being here right now. It still kind of amazes me that I can sit here in my hotel room and watch TV3, the Catalan public TV station, or hear people on the street use the same phrases in everyday life that up until now have only existed in the context of class for me. I'm still trying to get the hang of how Spanish and Catalan interact in the city. You definitely hear a lot of both - of course, you also hear a lot of English, German, and countless other languages. At some point, I'd like to get the chance to travel to a smaller town in Catalunya where it really is the primary or only language that people speak. But, even if not everyone speaks it here all the time, if you do speak it, people respond. I'm sure I'll keep learning more about the linguistic situation as I go.

I'm looking forward to the arrival of the other CASB kids tomorrow and things getting under way! Thanks for reading, and feel free to comment!
Fins desprès,
Sarah