Barcelona

Barcelona is super different from Madrid.

1. Very touristy.

2. Everyone speaks English to me, even if their English is worse than my Spanish, because they think I don't speak Spanish.

3. Less bureaucracy.

Thursday evening, took the AVE (high speed train) from Madrid to Barcelona. Checked into HelloBCN Hostel, and stayed with five girls who were studying in Bath, England. One was from Lexington, another from St. Mikes, and a third was from Gettysburg and knew Katherine Kreek and David Tekle. Small world, no?

First of all, I LOVE going on trips by myself. Every time I travel alone, I can do whatever I want, whenever I want. If something is lacking, I always end up finding cool people in the hostel to talk to or walk around with. Not that I don't like traveling with friends, but weekend trips always need to consist of so much in so little time, and sometimes other people can be pretty heavy baggage (definitely not always though), and really mess up my plans. Plans definitely including training.

Friday morning, I got up early, found a pool and swam, lifted, and walked around Barcelona for a long, long while. Apparently in Barcelona, women swim laps topless. This made me also want to swim laps topless, but I was already topless...funny how that works.

For lunch on Friday, I went to the local food market, called the Boqueria. First thing I bought was a glass of coconut puree. Recovery me a river. Other things I bought and ate:

Half kilo of strawberries
Good amount of Calamari (SO good)
Kiwi puree
Coconut and Pineapple puree
Coconut and Banana puree

The seafood part of the market was unreal. I wish I had the appetite of a bear (or two bears), and a nice kitchen to cook all of the fish I saw. This guy especially:



Of course after the Boqueria, I had to see Gaudi's houses, and the Sagrada Familia. Even for someone who is pretty sick of cathedrals, this is one of the coolest buildings I've ever seen:



Saturday morning, I went riding in the hills of Cataluña with a guy named Pau. He had a super friendly dog named Chicho, and a bunch of Arabs. I rode a Spanish horse name Xiarello:
He was pretty strong, and liked the throw his head in the air, but that wasn't a big deal. He knew where he was going and didn't buck, so that was good. Really quick turnover, but didn't go that fast. Nothing like Shorty...kind of weird to not have to worry about being killed for just "letting a horse go."



We passed a 900 year old Roman church as well, which was pretty sweet:



Saturday afternoon, I took a two hour commuter train back to Barcelona, and then a 90 minute train to Girona to see Esperanza Spalding:



She won the grammy for best new artist...no surprise there. She's honestly one of the best musicians performing today. I had always been cool with big band, but about a year ago I got into jazz here and there. I heard about Ms. Spalding on NPR, and...bought all of her albums. I listen to a ridiculous variety of music, and I can listen to all of her songs without wanting to switch it up. That's pretty uncommon for me.

Sunday morning, I found a covered longcourse pool and got some great kick sets in. My kick is really what I need to work on, and it's actually coming along. Flew back sunday evening after buying an overly european shirt.

On the way to the airport, I saw a sign on the side of the highway that said "Tiempo es Money." Someone from Madrid wouldn't understand this. Barcelona has so much foreign investment because of tourism that the dysfunctional Spanish mentality is partially swept under the rug. People in Cataluña seem to have been able to take the bowie knife out of their pocket and cut themselves our of their red-tape cocoons.

Paris/Normandy/Versailles, and a good amount of life commentary.

France is a nice place. Things to note:

French kids seem to really like scooters. Three-wheeled scooters too.

The food in Paris is amazing, even though it's ridiculous expensive. I ate way too many crepes and chocolate croissants. Literally, anywhere you go to eat will have good food...I guess that's why French food has been declared world heritage. Even simple baguette sandwiches are unreal...why can't food in the United States be like this? I guess we value our dollar more than our health.

Beggars: I'm done getting duped. Occasionally I would give a euro to the guy with one leg, or the woman who was really good at playing the violin, but if I were to give a euro to everyone who deserved it, I wouldn't have any money left. I guess I can still give up what I have to make other people happy, but I had two experiences that really put me off.

1: Deaf girl walks up to me outside the eiffel tower, and makes me write my name on some petition sheet, and sign so that I'll give her money. Was she really deaf? No idea. When I gave her two euros, she shook her head no, pointed to some text that said "min 10 euros," and wrote 10E in the "how much will you donate box" next to my name. I informed her that I was not going to give her 10 euros, and walked away.

2. Man from Senegal walks up to me outside Montmartre. He was good. I'm so peeved that I fell for this: he shakes my hand, asks where I'm from. Holds onto my hand, and ties a shitty bracelet around it, and asks for money. I gave him a euro when he asked for ten, and told him to buzz off.

Gretchen Powers has informed me that I talk to much about fashion here in this blog...it's what's apparent sometimes...it's what jumps out.

France is very old-money. They seem to dress well because they think highly of themselves, not because they want other people to think well of them. They're proud to be French, and it shows. I think I'm okay with this. Opposite of Madrid. A lot fewer high-heels. Very interesting.

Normandy:

Took the train to Bayeux from Saint Lazare. Bayeux is a great little town. It's where the Bayeux tapestry is kept. The aforementioned "tapestry" is a 224 ft. cloth depicting the Norman conquest of England.

Took a tour of Pointe du Hoc, where the rangers scaled the cliffs. The bomb craters were incredible...small I guess for today's standards, but interesting nonetheless.

This is the Pointe du Hoc Monument:
It represents a dagger sticking out of a German bunker:



Omaha beach was incredible...so long and flat. It just goes on forever.

The American Cemetery was breathtaking. 9,387 graves. Found this grave which was rather heavy:
Reminds me that had I been born 65 years ago, my name could have been on one of these crosses:



Before leaving the cemetery, got to see the flag being lowered. Really powerful stuff. Cried a few times throughout the visit. As much as I'm against the current attitude of the U.S. military, I'm extremely patriotic, and I love my country. I have the utmost respect for the 18 year old men that gave their lives for a cause across an ocean, just to make our world a better, freer place. Even with the state of corruption in our government from 2001-2009, being in Europe really makes me appreciate all that we stand for. I wish everyone could see the difference between real patriotism and blindly supporting the republican party because they like fighting wars that don't make any sort of sense.

Here's the "Spirit of the American Youth Rising from the Waves:" Probably my favorite part of the cemetery:



Normandy has pretty significant tides. It's at 49N latitude, which is roughly equivalent to Newfoundland, but the Gulf Stream warms it up.




Saturday night in the hostel, which was a lot nicer than the thursday night hostel, I met a woman named Lucinda from Argentina, who was working in Spain, and a guy named Alfredo from Peru, who was studying for his MBA is The Netherlands. Together, we headed to Versailles, and spoke Spanish the whole day in France. Even though I can communicate in French, I much prefer Spanish, perhaps because I'm better at it, but all things considered it just makes a lot more sense in the random mess of pure-logic that is my mind.

Versailles was pretty cool...the gardens were my favorite. Lucinda's camera took panoramic photos, and she let me steal her memory card for 30 seconds, because the camera that I have with me right now is pretty bad.



After Versailles, on the walk back to the train station, I stumbled upon a car show. Lotuses, Aston Martins, old Mustangs...all of the cars I would buy if I had a good amount of excess money. In all honesty, if I ever feel the need to buy a nice car that isn't useful at all, it's going to be a Lotus. I'll be that guy who drives an ancient volvo station wagon, has long ratty hair and wears cut off jeans, but has a Lotus in his garage. It'll come after a paid-off mortgage, a nice boat, a few dozen windsurfing sails, and a nice horse though. Spending a lot of money on things I really don't need/depreciating assets isn't something I'm into. Shoes aren't expensive ITLR, and they last a really long time if you rotate them often enough. I think I'm into things that either have zero resale value, or really good resale value. Food, food, shoes, stocks, land etc. even though I don't have any land. Generally people who throw money at things aren't happy with their riches, because there's something else missing in their life. I want to always be able to enjoy one week per year kayaking in Canada as opposed to a nice car. Even though the two aren't nearly comparable in price, the former is infinitely better. Okay, this is a HUGE tangent, but I'm going to keep going with it, because this is what this blog really is... In 25 years, my kid should never point to something extravagant that I spent money on in my youth, and say, "but you wasted money on this," in response to me saying that I couldn't spend money on something else that would better him/her, such as fencing camp, a better horse, COLLEGE, etc. Saving for the future is a good thing. All of this is in my mind right now, because so many people in Madrid live by the phrase, "Bread today, hunger tomorrow," meaning that they spend all of their salaries on stupid things, and just make it to the next month. I swear they all want to bounce their last check as they fall into their graves. The Nouveau Riche concept, and not thinking about the future is part of the reason we're in this economic crapshoot...it's why I put it down so often.

It's been a while...general update. Granada first.

So since London, a lot has happened. Granada, Paris, lots of Madrid, Barcelona, some Tenerife, and commentary on Spain are to come.

Granada:

3/25-3/27, IES took a trip to Granada. I hate being that guy, but I was the last one on the bus. Woke up at 7:27 for a 7:30 bus, ran out to Angel who gave me five minutes, packed everything, and sat down to keep sleeping on the bus. Amazingly, I didn't forget anything except my memory card, but I bought a cheap 16 Gig one when we got there. In Granada, got some good handstand pics, found a pool to go swimming at, visited the Alhambra, went to the arab baths...good stuff. At the Arab baths, everyone got massages with olive oil, which was pretty legit, but I couldn't get the damn oil off of my skin. It's not really a bad thing to have on your skin, but it's really...oily.

Granada is a much chiller city than Madrid. It's quite a bit smaller, and the people are nicer. The guy who sold me the memory card told me I spoke with a good accent.

It's too bad I'm writing this so after the fact...when I update the blog right afterwards it's always a ton better.

The United Kingdom, and why I like it.

So I hopped off the plane at Gatwick, and immediately felt oddly at home. Even in the airport, there was a vibe of "this is where I'm meant to be." At home, my friends poke fun at me for liking the United Kingdom, most likely for the reason that they don't understand my reasoning behind it.

With the exception of public transportation, Spain is a logistical nightmare. England is the opposite. Everything make perfect sense, and everything just...works. I think very logically, and England is conducive to this.
Example: All of the signs have reasons on them, instead of simple "no not do this" messages.
Example: Instead of "do not climb," there was a sign that said "Warning: Anti-climb paint." The former would make me think about climbing such a fence, and the latter would make me think "okay, not worth it." It just makes sense.

In Boston, I feel like most everyone from the policemen, to the professors, to the postmen, to the high level office bros has a personality. It kind of comes off as that "No shit sonny, how ah ya?" vibe, and it's anything but bland. Even if these Boston guys don't do anything but work, watch sports, and drink beer, it seems like they're always passionate about something, even if that something is just being from Massachusetts, or just not giving a damn (which are not mutually inclusive).

In the UK, there was definitely a similar vibe. Absolutely everyone I talked to, from the Underground workers whom I asked for directions to the students at LSE, spoke clearly and articulately. There were very few "likes," "ums," and other fluid yet unnecessary conversational fillers. A lot of Americans speak terribly...it's as if there's an obstruction between our brains and our mouths that scrambles what we want to say. In my Lit class last spring, I tallied the daily number of "likes." One class, it came out to well of 200. One girl had more than 75. At one point she had a triple "like." On the train to Luton airport, I talked with a construction worker/student about England, and it was like talking to a book. I'll call it "efficient conversation." I then spoke for a while to a girl from the U.S., and it was back to the word vomit.

In Spain, house and techno music are common. I hate house and techno music. Right up there with country, it lacks personality. In the U.S., we like party music. Lil Wayne, Ke$ha & Co. rap about getting plastered and being the best, when in fact they're really not saying anything interesting. Friday night, with Laura's friends, we went to the student center/bar at ULU. I heard Eminem, The Killers, Blink, and the Chili Peppers, and yet the best part was that everyone danced and sang to it all, so much more so than when the DJ (who was the man) played house music.

In Madrid, people are very concerned with their appearance. I've talked about this ad nauseam, but here's another extension on it: because there is a "way to dress," people are afraid to go outside the Spanish fashion bubble, and hence, every looks the same. Everyone also acts the same, because fitting in is paramount. I don't know how people deal with it.

For many of the UK youth, sticking out a bit is fitting in. Everyone dresses normally to an extent, or just do so when they want to play it safe, but there's so often something special about which wavelength everyone's individual vibe is broadcasting. I saw a girl with bright purple hair, a guy in a ninja turtle suit, and another girl with one side of her head shaved. The most striking thing is not what these people are wearing, or what they look like, but it's rather than they're pulling it off, and no one seems to care. This is what we call individuality, and if you know anything about me, you know I'm all about that. As Dr. Seuss said, "
Those who mind don't matter, and those to matter don't mind."

Tying this all into the real world, and not just rambling on with my social commentary, I'd go as far as to say that English and American Individuality breeds innovation, and the desire to challenge the norms, particularly if they don't make sense. We live in an ever-changing world (deep, I know), and if we don't keep up, we fall behind. Spain is super far behind on the social, logistical, and political fronts, and their economy demonstrates that.

For choosing to study abroad in Spain, it must seem like I put it down a lot. This is true, I do frequently complain about Spain, but in all sincerity, I love it a lot more than I dislike it. If you read all of my posts, you'll definitely find that I'm having an amazing time, and soaking in the rich Spanish culture. Green energy is huge here, the food is unreal, transport is almost German, the people are good hearted.

British wit is also a great thing...it's outspoken, yet tactful social commentary. I feel like Mick Jagger or the like could tell you that you have three weeks to live, and make you laugh at the same time. Again if you've spent time with me, you know I'm big on wit. Sometimes it gets the better of me when I continuously fire out entertaining remarks, and forget that I'm having a serious conversation, but in the end I'm okay with it.

I bought Union Jack Chuck Taylors this past weekend. Very little consumer surplus in regard to price, but nonetheless I'm pleased. More to come on London.

¿Feo, guapo, o humilde?

These are the pants I found at the Rastro (flea market). When I saw them, I couldn't control my excitement, bought them, and turned them into the ugliest pair of shorts I have ever owned. For this reason, they are amazing. The zebra belt and the dragon just make them so...bad.


So I was wearing them the other day with fivefingers (feel free to judge, it was awful). My friends Bea, Nisrin, and Genesis came over and asked me about my horrendous outfit. They proceed to tell me repeatedly that it was truly ugly, and that no girls would ever talk to me if I wore it out. I was going to the pool, so I didn't really mind. Most of the time, they see me in the dorms, in normal t shirts, and jeans, and even though they know me, they are Spanish, and had made ridiculous preconceptions about the way I view my image. Madrid is very nouveau riche, and dressing well is super important. Again, they repeated, "Harry, son feos. ¿por que los llevas?" "Harry, your outfit is ugly, what are you wearing?"

So when I went to dinner with the IES dean, I of course dressed appropriately. Nice polo blue button down, nice black jeans, leather belt, and sleek black dress shoes. I looked pretty dec.

When I got back to San Agustin, everyone was chilling in the lounge. Needless to say, they're not used to seeing me look more presentable than the average UVM student. I dressed up a little too much in high school, UVM isn't really conducive to polos and seersucker anyway, and all things considered, I'd much rather dress like a vagabond. I sat down to talk to Bea, Genesis, and Nisrin, without thinking anything of what I was wearing, and it turned out that they didn't know what to do about my attire. In stead of the repeated "feo" (ugly), it was "Harry, eres muy guapo." I told them that I'm not actually a scrub, and when dressing nicely is appropriate and necessary, it's a good thing. They understood. Nisrin told me that she had realized that I wasn't actually fashion-inept. She called me "humilde" (humble). What's up with that? I might be going too deep here, but it seems as though I helped them realize that anyone can dress well, but not anyone can be a nice guy.

I feel like I almost wear ugly clothing to force people to think "why the hell is he wearing that...why would anyone wear that...he can't be serious." Indeed, I am not serious. The world is too serious. Laughter is a great medicine (running is the best...sorry expresion), and a light heart is a great thing.

Dinner with IES Dean & Exams

Last night, about ten of us were invited to have dinner with Leeland, one of the IES deans, who was visiting from Chicago.

I skipped fencing for the night, which was difficult, but I figured it was a good opportunity to talk about the program. Leeland was generally interested in how every aspect of living in Madrid was, from the academics to the living situation. To be honest, I only had good things to say to him. My experience so far has been amazing, and last night I was told my the Spanish kids that I don't speak spanish with a clear American accent. From hanging out with Carlos, I've actually picked up a Canarian accent, which doesn't consist of pronouncing consonents. We'll see how that works out when I get back into classes in the U.S..

After either having the two options of either eating in the dining hall or paying for dinner, it was also nice to have to option of eating good food for free. I've taken a new liking for putting olive oil on my salads as opposed to salad dressing. It's good stuff, and is good for you.


Exams:
Last thursday I had my grammar exam. I feel like I´m really learning the finer points of the Spanish language, and my grades reflect that.

Yesterday was an Econ exam, which wasn't difficult at all, but only because I've read and reviewed everything he's given us. Same deal with my Latin American Literature exam today. Borges is a great guy.

Tomorrow is my Spanish Language usage for business exam, for which I'm 95% sure that I´m 100% prepared. Thursday is another Econ exam, for which I've read everything he's given us, and from speaking with everyone else in the class, I think I'll be fine.

So yes, to my wonderful parents, I am both getting good grades and getting a ton better at Spanish. The difference in spoken language competence between that of other IES students, who live in apartments, and my own, from living in the Colegio Mayor is all too apparent now. So even though I only have to get C's to get credit for the classes, I'm generally interested in everything I'm learning, so there's no plausible way it would come to that.

Street Performing

So when I was about five years old, my mother bought me a pair of devil sticks at L.L. Bean. Over 15 more years of occasionally picking them up and having some fun, I´ve gotten pretty good. In Puerta del Sol, an open pedestrian area about 2 miles from where I live, there are a good amount of street performers. Whenever I saw them, I would always think about how I could make a few dollars with the stupid things I know how to do. I decided to give it a whirl. I found a juggling shop, and bought a pair of sticks for 30€. These sticks aren´t just any pair of devil sticks...you can light the ends on fire with lighter fluid. So last saturday I went to the hardware store, bought some lighter fluid, and headed down to Sol. In 90 mins, I made 11€. The lighter fluid cost 7€, so I'm still at -26, but the sticks are a fixed cost, so I'm not too bummed. While I was juggling, and avoiding getting burned, up walks Carlos, and asks me what the hell I'm doing. To be honest, I didn't have a great answer, other than the fact that I was having a good amount of fun, and "making money" at the same time. I might give this another go on Church Street if I feel so inclined, but as of now, there are definitely much more important things in my life.

With the four euros, I went out to dinner at 100 Montaditos, which is a really great tapas bar. There, I met some English teachers from Indiana, and chatted it up with them for about an hour. Good times.