Winter Cheer

God I love this weather. This morning I woke up before my alarm clock, so I got up, put on my new winter marshmallow jacket, and left for class a half hour early simply to wander the streets on this cold, dark Tuesday. All bundled up, with not much more than my forehead visible above my giant jacket that engulfs me, I slowly meandered around the neighborhood, glimpsing into shop windows that had not yet opened, and catching whiffs of the sweet smells wafting from the bakery air vents onto the street. After class, around 11am, I wandered back out, and after buying some new headphones for just 2 euro I passed by a sweet, warm and welcoming cafe a few blocks down from my apartment. I felt my pocket and counted out my change: 1 euro 83 cents. Just enough. Still with all of my school materials, I sat down, ordered a cafe Americano and a baguette, and sat reading my Anthropology book La Semejanza del Mundo while listening to Simon and Garfunkel with my newly purchased headphones.
My apartment has no heating, so each room has individual space heaters, except for mine. So, the girls who own the apartment told me to go out and buy one and take it off of the rent. I was so excited by this news! Its only November and I have been wearing boots and mittens inside for the past 3 weeks or so. Yesterday I went out and bought one, and now my room is so warm and cozy, there is nothing more I need.
Last night was "El Clasico" the twice-a-year futbol game between the biggest rival teams: FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. Well last night Barça destroyed their opposition! 5-0!! Several of my friends went to a popular sports bar down by the Barcelonetta beach to watch the game with the crazy fans, but unfortunately I had a presentation in my Anthropology class, and had to miss out. Well, incase I wasn't sure how the game had ended up, it was obvious once class got out the entire city was celebrating! There were fireworks, cheering, singing, honking and chanting. That is one of the things that goes along with living on the main street in the center of the city, with a balcony directly facing all the action. Horns honked until 2 or 3 in the morning, fans marched the streets chanting Barça, Barça, Barça!!!! And random passerby's felt the need to ring my buildings doorbell repeatedly, for what I don't know. Anyways I was sad I hadn't been out celebrating with the rest of Barcelona, but my presentation was the biggest project of the semester and my first priority.
So about my presentation! I was really nervous, because I had to chose a topic relating to both Urban Anthro, and Anthro of Gender, and then form a 45 minute PowerPoint presentation to present in front of the entire class of Catalan students. My topic was female immigrants who come to Barcelona looking for work, what jobs are generally available to them, and how there exists a hierarchy among incoming workers based on the country that they come from, and the prejudice that Spain holds towards specific ethnic groups as a result of the relatively short history of immigration, and how these stereotypical ideas pigeon-hole them into very limited work opportunities (breathe.) Last night I presented, and although there were some bumps, like when I would trip on my words or get twisted in a confusing mess of verb tenses, I would say that it was a successful presentation, and my classmates made me feel at ease. At the end they applauded, and the professor and a few of the older students gave me very encouraging comments. I walked away feeling confident with my work, and proud that I had overcome the first hurdle of speaking for 45 minutes in Spanish to a class-full of native speakers.
Since I haven't posted in a while, I have some catching up to do.
Two Wednesdays ago, when I had my regular meeting with the Catalan girls for our Language Exchange, we decided to have a dinner party! They all met at my house at 7pm, with their edible contribution of traditional Catalan in tow. Mireia brought ingredients to make pa amb tomaquet (bread with tomato--you literally cit up a baguette, rub a slice of tomato on it to get it nice and soggy, they add some olive oil and a pinch of salt--the easiest and most common tapa here in Barcelona) and Crema Catalana (Catalunya's version of creme brulee--much better in my opinion). Carla brought traditional Catalan wine and several versions of Catalan sausage and cured ham. And Desiree brought queso fresco--a white, wet cheese resembling mozerella di buffalo, but slightly different. And I--well, I made a green salad, and put out a bowl of oranges. (It was the day before Paris and I had no extra money, time to cook something fancier, nor did I want any leftovers) Anyways we had a fantastic time! They literally stayed until a quarter to midnight, the time just flew by. We talked about everything from the California stereotype, to public education and healthcare in America, to Catalunya independence and the upcoming presidential candidates. It was so great to get an inside look on a culture that often creates such strong boundaries with the foreigner on the basis of their unique struggle for cultural recognition and preservation that seems to constantly encounter new opposition. This weekly intercambio has deeply enriched my experience here, and has converted me into an informed resident and removed my label as a   temporary visitor.
Here are some pictures from our evening:

All of our lovely contributions: I know what you're thinking, that salad DOES look ravishing!

Pa amb tomaquet--because the Catalans know how to make soggy bread into a national dish

Carla opening up our traditional Catalan wine

Buen provecho!

Next on the list of catch-up: Thanksgiving!
I really missed you all on Thanksgiving. It is tough to be away from the ones you love on such a family-centric day. But, I was happily in the company of my Barcelona family, the great friends that I have made on my stay here. Our program hosted a fancy Thanksgiving dinner at the Hotel Espanya right off of La Rambla (according to my history professor--the 2nd oldest hotel in Barcelona). Everyone dressed up so nicely, girls curled their hair, guys wore suits, I wore--a long sleeve shirt under a sundress--I guess we didn't all come prepared. The tables were set up beautifully. Three long tables with white table-clothes and MULTIPLE items of silverware! It was so exciting to be in such a shwanky spot. They immediately started filling up the wine glasses with our pick or red or white, and all of the students very quickly began to loosen up and get louder and louder and LOUDER. But it was so much fun all sitting together and chatting while we curiously poked at our deep-fried entree, not resembling anything Mom makes...
The turkey was delicious, the sweet potatoes sweet. All in all it was a very nice Thanksgiving. Although I don't think Spain has got a good handle on the concept yet. Thanksgiving dinner, starting at 9pm. The first course at 10:30pm. The turkey around 11pm. Um hello?? How are you supposed to eat a feast fit for a king and then not have the chance to digest before immediately hitting the sack? It's fair to say every one of us was in a food coma, and it wasn't until the middle of the next day that we could even begin to fathom the idea of another meal.

Thanksgiving feastin'

Claire, Tamar and I waiting patiently for our 10pm Thanksgiving dinner

I want all of you, my loyal readers, to know how grateful I am for you. I am grateful for my incredible family and their love and support--I can feel it stronger than ever from 6,000 miles away. Mom and Dad--I wouldn't be here living this incredible life right now if it wasn't for you both, and I am forever grateful for this opportunity, it means the world to me. And I am so grateful for all of my friends--old and new, who have made every moment ten times more enjoyable. I love you all, and a Happy belated Thanksgiving!
After that past Thursday, I was beginning to get in over my head with school work, so the next few days were exclusively dedicated to getting caught up. And, now I am feeling much more relieved as I have one presentation behind me, and almost all of my reading completed. However, everyone needs a study break, and that's exactly what we had on Saturday when Alyssa, Joanna, and Rachel came over for a cooking day. You see, pumpkin is quite the crucial ingredient in autumn cooking, as I am sure all of you will agree, but Spain doesn't seem to have come to their senses in this matter. What I mean is--there is no dang pumpkin in a can!! No where! What do they think, pumpkins just grow up from the ground? No! They come in lovely, pre-mashed form sitting on the grocery shelf ready to be put directly into my pre-made pie-crust, duh! Well, Alyssa, on her walk home from school, had discovered a delightful little store called "A Taste of Home" which had thankfully jumped on the canned-pumpkin bandwagon, so she bought a couple cans, and we all had an afternoon of cooking pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread. Okay, so we had the pumpkin, but almost everything else we had to improvise for. No ready-made crusts at the store, and no graham crackers. Alyssa and I looked around the grocery store and after narrowing down the candidates for our crust to corn-flake cereal or croutons, we chose croutons, and headed back to my apartment. I would like to say that this turned out to be a pleasant surprise of gustatory delight--but no. It tasted just like you would expect a box full of soggy croutons to taste like. Oh, plus the little kicker--they were sour dough. So, once the pie was out of the oven and we cautiously raised our fork-fulls to our mouths, the result was: the most I can say is that we didn't get sick, and that's enough for me.  Here is a picture of our creation: (hey, at least it's orange, right?)

Please ignore the floating weenies...

The pumpkin pie was another story, but with unfortunately the same ending. Everything seemed to be going alright, and at each step I kept saying "The batter looks just like Mom's!", then, "The batter TASTES just like Mom's!" then, once it came out of the over "Oh my gosh, it even LOOKS like Mom's!"....then came the tastes test. It was steaming hot and looked like it belonged in a bakery window (out of mouths reach I mean...) but once I cut it open my proud smile and anxious excitement came to a screeching halt. It looked like a raw pumpkin inside. So I took a bite, and we all exchanged critique: starting from "Tastes quite eggy", "Needs a bit more sugar" and by the third bite it had evolved to "Tastes like crap!" and "Where is the garbage again?" So, our pumpkin cooking wasn't so successful, but at least we had fun!

Scrumdiddlyuptious!

That's okay, I don't need any help in the kitchen...
:)

This weekend, well Thursday morning, I am heading out to Berlin with 6 friends to visit the dozens of Christmas markets that cover the city this time of year. We plan to visit the main sites, see the Berlin Wall, East Side Museum, Check-point Charlie, etc., and try some yummy German food while doing our best to escape, or at least ignore the 20 degree weather and chilling snow. I can't wait :)

Un Grand Voyage à Paris

A musician drawing a crowd on the street

Catherine, Rachel and I left Barcelona on Thursday after class. It was rough anxiously waiting through the last hour and a half of Literature, with my packed bag sitting at my feet ready to go. We took the train to the airport, and then, after an easy trip through security and non-E.U. ticket-stamp lines, we were ready to go. We shared a pain au chocolate and a mini bottle of rosé in the airport terminal, just to start off our Parisian adventure right. The trip was really easy! Ryanair (budget airline that flies all though Europe--our roundtrip airfare was 24 euro) is quite the money-grubbing little company though, I suppose to re-claim some of that cash that isn't being spent on our tickets. What I mean is, there are hidden fees everywhere! You don't get your stamp before the gate--fee; your bag is slightly larger than permitted--fee; you have to check a bad but didn't pre-check it online--fee; your name is spelled wrong on your ticket--fee. You get the picture...but it doesn't stop there! As soon as you get on the plane, instead of the standard safety checks and on-board welcome, the flight attendants make their rounds for the entire duration of the flight selling everything from calenders, to pre-paid cell phones, to electronic cigarettes, to lotto tickets! It was certainly an interesting flight, but comfortable and uneventful and got us there on time, which is what matters.

The view down the coast of Barcelona as we head for Paris

Being a budget airline, we got flown into the middle of nowhere--Beauvais to be exact. I don't know if you can call it an airport, one room with 3 doors leading to the tarmac where you climb up the airplane steps to get onboard. 

We got there after dark, and easily found our 15 euro shuttle bus to take us the hour and a half to Paris. Once in the city, we found the closest metro stop, and headed to our hostel, Montclair. The hostel was an extremely pleasant surprise! It was in a really cute neighborhood close to Monmantre,  one block from the metro stop. When you walk in, there were dozens of kids our age playing foosball, making dinner in the kitchen, reading, on the computer, and just hanging out. The front desk gave us our sheets and we went up to our room. We had a private 3-bed, room with our own bathroom--almost unheard of in a hostel, especially for what we paid! 

I called top-bunk!

We settled in, and then decided to explore the neighborhood a bit. We were nowhere near the city center, and where we were was pretty sleepy, but we found a few cute cafes and sat down for a drink before going to bed early for a full next day of exploring. We woke up early and took the metro to the Champs-de-Elysee area. We got off and before finding the main shopping avenue, we found a cute area of Christmas vendors selling lots of trinkets and sweets and a beautiful park filled with towering trees and their colored leaves drifting down in the breeze. 

Loving the fall colors

Getting so excited for Christmas!

We walked the length of the Elysee and checked out the Arc de Triumf. We were so close to the Eiffle Tower, and could see it in the distance, so we headed there next. The fog was gradually lifting all morning, and by the time we got to the base of the tower, it had cleared enough that we could just barely see the tip of the monument. 

Our first glimpse of the Eiffel Tour from a distance

Getting closer...

Token Shot.

We sat down on a bench to admire the view and a group of adorable little kids walked past us, each holding on to the t-shirt or dress of the child infront of them so that they didn't get lost. Then the teachers let them free and they ran in circles for a good thirty minutes playing tag and making farting noises with their mouths, I was thoroughly entertained.

After deciding to make our way over to the Louvre (I had been before and was hesitant to go again, simply because it was kind of expensive, and there is so much in Paris to see--but it was getting dark, freezing cold, and none of us had cell-phones so it would have been too hard to meet up afterwards) we passed by a few bridges before crossing the Seine and I was determined to find the statue that gave the electrical shock which turned my Dad into burnt toast on that really stormy day. Well I found it! 

Walkway littered with fallen leaves

Look familiar?

This one's for you Dad...

I got a lot of stares for this one...

We continued on to the museum, and stopped by the big beautiful garden in the Tuileries

where a giant fountain provides a lovely spot to sit and take a break

 

Happy as a clam

A man sitting next to me was enjoying himself as his winged friends happily picked the birdseed from his fingers. In efforts to be polite, I looked at him and pointed to my camera as to  ask if I might snap a photo. He waved his hand to say yes, and after I took this picture and he looked up, gave me a giant toothless smile, and said "Merci, cinq euro sil vous plait" and then gave a hearty laugh and continued to toss the seeds. 

The Louvre of course is beautiful, but after a long day of exploring, and arriving there at about 4 pm, the last thing I wanted to do was pensively admire and analyze ancient works of art. So, Catherine and I walked around the museum, pointing out which portraits of fat, hairy, ugly royalty we thought were cute---they all lost by the way---and sitting on a bench in a room full of dusty wall tapestries giggling out the window at people walking below us. 9.50 euro well spent! 

Inside the Louvre...some albino chick?

All the hype for the Mona Lisa...for those of you who haven't seen it in person, it's the little tiny thing behind the glass case on that far wall.

I'm sorry, I just don't get it...

That night we walked around our neighborhood again and found a cute restaurant before heading to a quaint little locals bar on a hill for a glass of chardonnay while watching to friends and acquaintances greet one another.

The next morning we headed to the Moulin Rouge area. Of course we had to take the typical tourist shot of the dance hall, even though it is the most underwhelming sight to behold if you are any fan of the movie. 

But we kept walking through the neighborhood and found the Saturday street market. We slowly traipsed through the rows and rows of potent cheeses and aromatic flower stands, past the booths of crocheted hats and hand-made jewelry until we found ourselves in a  completely new neighborhood several streets down. 

Here, we found even more markets! I bought a knit sweater and hat, and Rachel found a leather jacket for 10 euro, and as we continued down the endless cobblestone streets of clothing vendors and men and women selling warm baked goods from carts, we found ourselves taking a much-needed rest in a small, whole-in-the-wall Thai restaurant for lunch. I would like to tell you in was delicious, but frankly it was horrible...who would of thought France wouldn't be the best spot for authentic Thai food? Well, it wasn't a complete waste, because I got to watch Rachel barrel through an entire plate of frog's legs covered in sweet-and-sour sauce. To quote the girl: "tastes like chicken!"

We wandered through the surrounding area for a while and as we made our way up to the beautiful Sacra Coeur, we passed through some really cute neighborhoods, with apartment buildings that look out over the city...I can only imagine! (....oh wait!)

The cemetery of Monmantre

When we made it to the Sacra Coeur, it was great because I went up the backside, not the stairs to get there, and you get to see such a quaint, beautiful area with old painted buildings, and artists with their painting displays (don't mind the hundreds of tourists jammed into these "quaint" 10-ft across streets elbowing you, stepping on your feet, and accidentally singeing you with their lit cigarettes). Anyways, once we got to the top, the view was breathtaking! It was the clearest day we had since since arriving, and we could see all across Paris.

Cute cafe on our way up the hill

Un crepe au nutella sil vous plait?

There was a man who sung just like Bob Marley singing (guess what?) on the steps, and everyone gathered to hear him with the beautiful backdrop.

That night, Saturday, we wanted to see what the nightlife in Paris was like. So, we looked online at the Hostel, and chose what was listed as the Number 1 dance club in the city. We got ready and took the metro across town to the spot (which was actually a docked boat out on the Seine that was all lit-up!), only to find a live rock band playing all night. It was cool to stand and bob our heads for a few minutes, but we knew there had to be something better, so I asked a group of teenagers sitting on the steps where the best place to go is, and they gave us a metro stop where they said there are lots of fun spots. Well, we get to the next metro stop about 30 minutes later, and find a really huge, fancy club with a huge line out the door because it doesn't even open for another hour. It was obviously really popular, and would have been really fun, but the man at the door said cover charge is 20 euro and then it started to rain: a clear sign from the heavens that Meghan needs to be saving her money. So what do we do? Go to a jazz club down the street, order hot-cocao, and then head home to play foosball and hang out before going to bed early-ish so that we could have one more full day of Paris sights. Good night in my opinion.

The next morning we woke up to a drizzly, chilly day and made our way to the Notre Dame. It was beautiful, and being a Sunday morning, we were lucky enough to watch mass as we walked through the cathedral. We heard the most beautiful two singers who had solos among the choir. It was such an amazing experience to watch service in the Notre Dame!

After, we walked through the little park/courtyard, and then found a sweet little cafe for a break from the cold and ordered some coffee and warm sandwiches. After, we wandered, just like every time I step foot outside, and found the Jewish neighborhood filled with great bookstores, art galleries, and falafel houses that seemed to be the most popular lunch spot in all of Paris!

The smells were incredible as we walked through the streets, and we stopped at a Patisserie for some yummy pastries, and ate them at we stood in a crowded doorway and watched people pass. The afternoon was flawless, and we finished it up by walking down below on the walkway by the Seine, right on the water. We walked all down the river singing the Beatles' "Michelle" and taking a gazillion photos of everything that caught our eye. We came back to our Hostel right as it got dark, and for the third night in a row, we bought a baguette and Boursin for dinner and enjoyed it in our room. 

This morning we woke at 5:30 to get to the bus stop, and had an easy and on-time trip back home. The weather here is much more conducive to outdoor exploration and general wandering, and I look forward to the coming weekend spent here in my city. Thanksgiving in 3 days will be spent with my program in a rented Hotel on La Rambla with enough turkey, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie to feed 50! Then, in 10 days a group of 7 of us are headed to Berlin for 5 more days, and I will once again be home to California in less than a month. I have having so much fun here that time is fleeting, but I am soaking up every second!