About Me

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Barcelona, Spain
Finding myself....

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Inspiration



What inspires you?! I got this bug in my head lately about inspiration in life and what makes us break the routine. Routines are good most of the time but as one person said not too long ago, we have to find ways to break them sometimes (sometimes more often).

Different things, people, actions, etc inspire me at this point in my life.

My friends inspire me. Those who are pursuing educational goals; those who are enjoying life to the fullest; those who are embarking on the hardest journey ever -- family and children; those who have stepped firmly on the ground and those who are flying up high.

My family inspires me. In a different way with its family routines and strange relationships; with its dedication; with its constant surprises and good and bad moments.

My students inspire me. The kids with their zest for learning and incredible energy; the teenagers with their amazing ideas and thinking; the adults with their daily life and experiences.


Traveling inspires me. Exploring new countries and cultures; getting lost in cities and wondering around discovering hidden treasures; getting immersed in new cultures and languages; taking pictures.


Volunteering inspires me. Donating your time and/or money to a cause you believe is worth saving; helping someone achieve a dream in their life; simply being there for someone who needs you.

Nature inspires me. Standing on the beach listening to the waves and just looking at the endless horizon in the sea; admiring an incredible view from a top in the mountain; simply enjoying nature's amazing creatures and creativity.


Ever day life inspires me. People strolling around; children being children; beautiful art on the street by an unknown artist; flowers blossomed at unusual places.

What insipres you? What makes you move on and live every day as if it is a brad a new day?! When was the last time you thought about it?! :) Ideas in my head..................

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Eat, Pray, Love in BCN

I have been slacking off a bit with the blogs -- be patient! Sometimes not too much happens; other times there is a lot but no time to write about it! One thing that I obviously can't do is -- make you guys comment....I know you are reading and as long as you are, I guess, that's enough :). Thanks to the regular folks who comment and thanks to all of you who read but do not bother writing a comment :).

Come, reza, ama Poster

So I finally saw "Eat, Pray, Love" in BCN in an OV (original version) movie theater. Asking what that is?! Well, in Spain the movies on the big screen are dubbed just like the ones on TV. Go figure. I guess people are not used to and completely against subtitles. So those like me, who do not speak Spanish and want to understand not just watch, have the option to go to the three (three!!!) original version theaters in BCN. There you can watch the movie in ENG and read the subtitles if you want -- what better way for a Spanish learning person?! :)

"Come, Reza, Ama" (Spanish translation) does a good job of portraying the main ideas of the book but as a devoted book lover, I recommend the book. Those who haven't read/seen it -- please do so! It is not a girls' only movie and I don't think there is a person out there who can't relate to some of the ideas mentioned in the book/movie. What also makes it genuine and thoughtful is the fact that it is a true story.

I read the book at a point in my life when it seemed like a life savior and I had many discussions with friends about the ideas  (dear, we drank some good wine over it!:). It was very interesting to re-visit the book (by watching the movie) again, almost 2 years later, and look at it with different eyes. It is still a wonderful piece of reality, life, finding oneself, looking for answers, being able to forgive and most importantly giving yourself an opportunity for more and better chances.

Thanks Liz for writing this wonderful book and giving people the strength to find themselves and learn how to be happy!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Mom


My mom is here! :) And brought me fall/winter stuff. I need it! Trust me, it's getting cold here.....Winter is coming again and another year almost over. Damn; it's going so fast!


Anyway, we are enjoying walks around the city, conversations, cosy nights in the apartment :). My brother continues to be the chef in the house even though my mom is beating him to some dishes he doesn't quite know yet. We had a lovely Saturday -- up in a cable car (awesome views of BCN) and then a nice uphill walk to Monjuic Castle. I visited that place one night back in August when somebody suggested we climb up there at midnight and have drinks at a cool bar. That was no walk! It was almost running for me (mind you, I still had heels), uphill, for 45 mins.....Didn't find the bar and of course the castle was closed. View -- too dark but still a great night!




Much less strenuous now and the castle was open. We could see the whole city and the weather was gorgeous! My bro knows how to prepare some amazing mushrooms and meat -- a treat after a whole day of walking.

            

Sunday was a day for a day trip to Montserrat -- mountain and monastery (ten centuries old) built in the rocks high up. After a Saturday night out and 4 hours of sleep, I was determined to get up at 8am on Sunday and catch the train (1 hour from BCN). My mom and I -- yes, my bro -- sleep is better than some monastery.....And it's better that he stayed! A hike in the mountain wouldn't have been good for him anyway.


What can I tell you?! The monastery is amazing, the views are breathtaking, and the hike -- well, 10km (one way), uphill to 1,230m in 1.5hrs -- not bad! :) Do not ask my legs how they feel. But it was worth it. Every part of it. The weather was great and we enjoyed ourselves tremendously.


One thing you might notice -- quality of pics is not very good. Reason? I took my camera and realized that the memory card was at home! Mad at myself, I decided to use the iPhone (at least something!) and see if it's worth the money. Verdict?! Anyone? I think they turned OK. Can always be better but come on -- enough perfectionism! :)

OK, enjoy the photos (even though they are from my iPhone...and not that great), have a wonderful week and check back soon!!!
PS Who is going to be the 21st follower?!?!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Miss you


So a dear friend had a birthday yesterday, another has one today (Oct 13)  (Mimi and Tanche -- Happy Birthday! :), a few more coming at the end of the week (Dobby) and next (Alex); others are having a baby now (thinking of you, Moncadas!) and so on. The list goes on. These moments especially (and not only) make me want to be there with all my friends and it sucks so freaking much to be away! I knew it'd suck but maybe didn't have a clear idea of how hard it'd be. 
    

This period now reminds of a time about 2 years ago when things didn't seem very rosy. It's a very different feeling now but it's worse in a way. BCN is a lot of fun, met some great new people, love the job and the life here. But this still doesn't minimize the feeling of losing my friends. Or, if not losing, at least the fact that I can't even talk to you regularly, see you, go for drinks, dinners, etc. 

 
It's days like this that make me want to get on a plane and come see you all! Trust me I'd do it if I had a little more money than the basic survival stuff....Not thinking about it much helps sometimes but there are other times when it just comes over me like a hurricane and I can't stop it...So especially in moments like these I want to tell you all (and this is the reason for this blog) how much I miss you!!!  


 I am committed to use all kinds of technology to stay in touch and as hard as it can be to communicate sporadically and over the internet, I plan to keep my connections with you.



I've always believed in a few but really good friends and think I have some that I can call exactly this. So to put an end to this sad but very true and open (a little too open for me...) blog I will just say that no matter where I am, I will think of you and stay in touch! Enjoy life!!!! :)


Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Salsa/Jazz/Clubbing

Heated salsa
So I told you about meetup".com in BCN. On Sunday night decided to go with a few people from the cava fest to a salsa place. Completely out of my comfort zone -- went by myself, knew just 1 person (from the day before), can't really dance salsa but the bottom line is that I had a great time! :) The place is Mojito Bar and the name is very misleading because the mojitos weren't good at all! I decided to have one and the price was outrageous (at least for my finances now). 

Anyway, the place didn't have many people at first but slowly started packing. I met a few new people and danced some salsa. Most of the people there either took salsa lessons or were teachers themselves so the crowd was pretty good st it.As the night progressed I got better and lost the feeling of "poor-guys-who-have-to-dance-with-a-beginner". :) As one guy said: "I'd rather dance with a beginner". It turned out he liked to teach people like me who barely have any idea of what's going on.....

Sorry for the bad picture but this is what iphone does....My great salsa teacher in DC should be very proud of my moves! (Tanche, was almost like Havana!) :):):)

Jamboree live jazz
Last night was a live jazz night which turned later into club dancing. Discovered this very cool and apparently very good jazz place in BCN which is literally 2 mins from my flat! They had a tribute night and there were all kinds of musicians jamming together. Was really cool! Met my American and British friends there and what a night it was. After the jazz was over it turned into a regular dancing night club and then we finished off at another very cool place located on the same plaza. It is an apartment-made-a-lounge (think 18th St Lounge but not so glamorous and big). It is a very cool place for people to finish the nights. Drinks, sit down, chat...Turned the night into a day again and was in bed at 4:30am....(pic is again iphone..)

Today is a national day for Spain and we are off. Love these holidays! We have one in November too and then December comes with many many days off....:):):). Going to see a movie now and hang out with some more people from another meetup.  As you can see I really can't get bored here and there are tons of things to see and do. Mom is coming tomorrow! :) With a whole suitcase full of my clothes, shoes and goodies! 

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Cava Festival

There is a big bottle of cava...
It's official -- Spain is the country of festivals! For the 2.5 months that I've been here I've seen more festivals than during my whole stay in the USA (and 9 years is not a short time). Every town and neighborhood has festivals. And they are not just 1 day -- at least 3, ideally a week.....:) You might think that I'm tired of crowds, festivities, drinking and eating but...NO! :) I'm a little afraid now that with winter approaching (we are not seeing fall here yet but...) there might not be fests...But will not worry about it yet and just leave it to the party people who I'm sure will come up with something.

So I've joined the local meetup website and have started meeting some more people in BCN (locals and internationals). Yesterday decided to go to a local town (45 mins by train) for a cava festival. Cava is sparkling wine but is different than champagne. Or it seems that way. Do not ever tell locals that cava is like champagne -- deadly sin! This town, San Sarduni d'Anoia, is the most famous and biggest producer of cava in Catalunya. And of course there is a cava festival! 


A tasting of cavas produced in the region, sampling of food and of course a nice glass for the memories :). We met some nice people, drank some cava, saw the queen of cava and basically spent the whole day there. Caught the last train at 10pm and got home exhausted. What better way to spend a Saturday?! It seems that the festivals and crowds in BCN are not enough and now we venture outside the city. On Tuesday, there is apparently a free tour and tastings in different cava cellars with a special cava train from BCN. Since Tuesday is a national holiday in Spain (there is one every month...) and we are not working here I might do another trip. Heard that some of the cellars actually have underground tunnels that go on for kilometers and you can have a nice tour.

Party people

A glass of cava and....a balloon :)
So Tuesday is still open and will see what happens. Weather has been great here so far! Still hot during the day so wearing tank tops and sandals :). Last night we had a big storm and was raining when I got up but maybe it will clear later so we can enjoy the Sunday outside. OK, off to eat some crepes (homemade!!!:) with chocolate!!!!! :)


End of night -- 1,2,3 glasses....


Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Two months and counting


Sagrada  Familia
Wow can't believe it's been a little over 2 months since I first set foot in BCN!!! Time has gone so quickly! And at the same time I feel like I've done so much, seen so much and feel almost at home. Well with the exception of speaking Spanish -- that is still not moving the way I want it to......

But other things are. Job, apartment, people..... :). Weekends have turned into party nights. Nothing new, right?! Well with the exception that here parties go on until the very early hours (4,5,6am).... My rooftop terrace has been a great venue and there is some tradition going on now. We plan to use it until the weather permits and I'm sure even in the winter it will still work. 

Another view
I have completely turned the night into day and half of the day into night. It's good that the teaching job so far allows for it.... Going to bed is no earlier than 2am and getting up is around noon. Completely BCN time....Breakfast around noon; lunch, if there is one, around 3-4; dinner is after 10pm. 

Today was my first test going on a bike around the neighborhood -- bicing as they call it around here. Basically is is the same idea that DC tried to implement except that here it is widely spread! Having a bicing card and using one of these bikes makes you more "local" and distinguishes you from the tourists :). Riding on the street was fun -- no falls and it was not so bad trying to maneuver around cars. Riding on the streets in my hood -- not so much fun! Tons of people and you have to watch out for them. No injuries but almost... Worst part is that the 2 closest stations to me had no free spots to return the bike so I ended up going to one that's further away and then had to walk 10 mins home. Not a bad experience though! 

EstaciĆ³ Bicing

I haven't mentioned an important event here last week which spurred some debate in my classes and it was very interesting to hear different opinions -- the strike. Last Wednesday what was supposed to be the labor unions strike against the government, cuts and unemployment turned out to be a different story in BCN. Demonstrators who, according to some local people I talked to, basically used it to vandalize the city and express their desire for independent Catalunya. Nothing bad with that but it felt like a war zone. Police everywhere, police cars on fire, trash bins on fire, trash everywhere, etc. It was quite interesting to hear the different opinions of my students (different ages).

 


The weather here is still hot during the day! You can even go to the beach. Nights get chilly but not too bad. And since this one week a while ago when it rained we haven't seen any rain at all! :) I'm stating to miss fall a little bit though. There are some trees here that change color but it's nothing like fall in DC (Shenandoah is my fav!). Anyway, will keep you posted soon on teaching experiences and classes! Miss u all!!!!!!!!!

Friday, October 1, 2010

Apartment and my bro

View from the apt
It's time I wrote about my apartment! The one that I found extremely hard and with lots of help. It is not done yet of course the way I want it to look but decorations are coming (some from my mom who will bring me stuff; some from IKEA -- gotta love that store :).

My rooftop terrace
        
My entrance

So the outside and inside (for that matter) walls are all white and those of you who have been to my apartment in DC know that there wasn't a single white wall left after an exhausting painting job :)! But for now I'm not painting anything here. I live on the 5th floor (sixth actually with the parter) and it is an attic. Have the whole rooftop terrace for myself and nobody else has a key (besides the nice old guy who is the "manager" of the building). That's where I use my clothes line (yes, no dryers here...) and have parties :). The idea is to decorate it nicely later and get a BBQ, chairs, etc. For now it's great to just sit there (on the only chair I have lol) and enjoy the sun. 

Walk in through the door -- kitchen on the left;
 straight my bedroom;
 right -- living room
Kitchen











It still looks very bare and not really "home" yet but once I start decorating it, it will look more like "my place". My mom is coming in 2 weeks and bringing me fall and winter clothes plus some of my things (which will remind me of the last 9 years..).

Bedroom
Living room




Bathroom -- first left from entrance

That's it. For those who want to come -- more than welcome! It's a little tight but how much room do you really need and how much time do you really spend at home?! My bro is here and occupying the living room :). So far so good (it's been one week). He cooks and makes sure I don't lose any weight......Learning to live together after sooo many years. A little challenging but hey, if we can't make it work then who can?! :) Now you have the complete tour of my place. Wait for updates as it starts to look better :):):):).