Odd October Observations

Goodness, I'm almost at the three month mark of being here and I am terribly behind on updating. School, midterms, life, traveling and an apparent lack of iron have made me quite tired the last month. But I'm on the mend, so I hope to continue updating until I'm all caught up.

Here are my "monthly musings" for October... enjoy and pardon any typos (in my defense, English is a tricky language)!

University Life

·         Expectations

They are never said. You have to figure them out as you go. I had a frustrated teacher finally say what he expected from the students nearly two months into the course. Try to clarify these things early on.

·         Why it’s so damn hard to study here

It’s hard to study in the same place you play tourist. I constantly feel like I’m on vacation and therefore I don’t want to study. Or I get to my piso from school and want to do everything but study. Examples of things to do at home: talk with roommates, watch “The Penguins of Madagascar” in Spanish on the Disney Channel, cook elaborate meals, develop nostalgia for California and write to everyone at home, watch the news, stalk sisters on Facebook, do laundry, attempt to learn Catalán by watching Barça games, check e-mail…

So yeah, it’s tricky business. I find I usually get more things done away from the computer on in the library. Which brings me to my next point…

·         The glories of the library

The library is definitely one of the treasures of the university. Being the book worm I am, I fell in love with it. It smells like old books and there are literally aisles with ancient tombs about to fall apart—naturally, these books are kept locked up, just taunting me as I study. While the organization of the library is a little odd and the filing system can be rather daunting, it is always nice to find a new corner of the library.

Also, people actually respect the holy silence of the library. At UCSB talking is totally fine on the ground floor and second floor, but in the UB library, it is so lovely and quiet, which definitely increases productivity levels. Especially since everyone else is working like a beast, scribbling notes and highlighting sentences. Inspiring, really.

The downside? Pretty much no library is open on the weekend and they are never, ever open on Sundays… which in California is the day when I really could use a library. Well, beggars can’t be chosers.

·         More on grades

The Spanish don’t really tend to care about their grades. I asked my roommate about it and he explained that it is just the typical Spanish approach to everything, a qué será, será (whatever will be, will be) way of life. If they are capable of passing the test, they’ll pass but there is no need to kill themselves studying for it.

“Besides, isn’t winging it more exciting?” roomie asked. No. No it isn’t.

·         Student Strike

As a student of the Universitat de Barcelona, I ought to be more educated on this matter, but honestly, it isn’t my matter. On the 17^th of November, there will be a student protest and leaders of this movement have encouraged us to not go to class. I believe students are striking about the increase in student fees (they don’t even really pay much, maybe a couple hundred euros—like Spain, many countries in Europe have free university education) and the threat of privatization. This is just what I’ve gathered from flyers and posters floating around.

Me? I would be going to class if my program had not advised that we take the day off. Why? Because I am paying easily a hundred times more than them to study. Furthermore, it’s not my place to participate in this strike.

I keep on having to remind myself—it’s not my place. I can’t judge: things aren’t better or worse, only different.

It just seems very radical to me. About 95 percent of the students, I believe, are handing this in a very mature fashion. They enter classrooms and politely inform students about meetings to better understand the problem. They hang up witty banners. They gather in the patios of the building, sit in circles, and have student lead discussions.

And then there are the jerks of the world. The people who protest for the sake of protesting, the people who build up a lot of anger and end up hurting their own movement. Students who inconsiderately barge into a classroom with masks covering their faces and cardboard guns, screaming at everyone to not come to class on the 17^th.

Yep, this happened. My teacher was quite displeased to say the least and while they yelled, he tried to calmly explain to the protesters that we were all Americans and were not involved (and not to be involved) in the matter. I could have maybe taken this student strike seriously and respected those involved had it not been for this event. What these protesters didn’t know was that seeing guns in a classroom hits a little too close to home for many Americans. (One word: Columbine.)

I have resigned myself to never fully understanding certain things here. Like I said before, I just have to remind myself: things aren’t necessarily better or worse, they are just different. And that’s why I am here: the world is wide and people can learn a lot from each other. As unpleasant as this experience was, I started talking to a Spaniard and learned more about the culture of protesting: they are really just making up for all the repression during Franco’s era a lot of people protest to join in with their friends. These are just observations, not judgments. Then again, politics are universally messy.

Food

·         Manners when eating out

Eating out with friends is always super fun, but there are some things to pay attention to as a foreigner. The times I’ve eaten out at nicer places occurred when I was invited by one person and only knew that person in a group of ten or twenty. It forced me to strike up conversations with other people and was great fun, but I learned a lot.

The easiest way to not commit a faux pas is to observe other people. At restaurants in Spain, bread costs money, so wait for one person to grab a loaf before you do. Same thing with wine: it’s always better to let someone else open up the bottle. Also, wait until everyone has their plate before you begin eating.

Having lovely three-course meals are a great way to relax and meet new people. So eat slowly, talk between bites, and enjoy!

·         Traditional Catalán food

I thought I had my taste of Catalán food, but apparently, I was mistaken. In fact, I have probably had very little Catalán food because it is a tradition that is really only maintained in the home rather than in restaurants… quite sad, considering I don’t have a Catalán mommy to cook for me. (I don’t have any mommy to cook for me… saaaaad!)

However, my darling teacher for “Barcelona in its socio-cultural context” filled us in on some traditional plates. (Nonetheless, I am still convinced that the potato is considered its own food group here.)

The most classical dish is pa amb tomàquet (in Spanish, pan con tomate, in English bread with tomato). It’s delicious and simple: some bread, a little olive oil, some salt, sometimes a bit of garlic, and some tomato mushed on top. Yummy!

The typical meats of Catalunya include butifarra (pork sausage) and jabalí (wild pig). They also will eat pretty much anything that comes from the sea and refer to each kind of mushrooms by their proper names. Very few dishes are fried and they instead use herbs and spices for flavor. Chestnuts (castañas) and sweet potatoes are also a typical holiday treat.

Out of everything, the Catalan sweets are the best and are always abundant on festivos (holidays). They are often served in conjunction with moscatell, a super sweet dessert wine. Some tasty treats include crema catalana (a sweet custard), buñuelos (balls of deep fried dough) for Holy Week, panellets (balls of marzipan covered in pine nuts, served exclusively in the last two weeks of October), and pastel de brazo de gitano (the very politically incorrect name for a jelly-roll cake). Yum!!!

People

·         Police station adventures

I have been taught to believe that when things turn sour, there are usually sweet people around to help you out. This was definitely the case when my friend’s purse got stolen while a group of us girls were having coffee and we all went with her to the police station. It was an unhappy situation, but with four of us to help the girl out, things probably went as smoothly as possible. To make things even better, all the people at the police station were super kind. I mean, robberies in Barcelona happen all the time and so you would think that the people dealing with this sort of thing on a daily basis would become rather apathetic, but everyone was so kind. The police officers talked to us about their daughters as paperwork was filled out, and every policeman to walk in the door exclaimed how bien acompañada (well accompanied) my friend was and how we were all such good friends to help her out. When everything was settled, they told us to stay safe and sent us on our way. It could have been a lot worse, but these kind people definitely made things easier.

·         Maturity

This is how I explained it to a Spanish friend: “If you’re twenty-something years old and still living with your family, you have issues. Stateside, you move away from home to go to college, go to work in another city, go to grad school in another city, and then end up somewhere else.” However, not leaving the bird’s nest is totally normal for the Catalans.

I mean, who wouldn’t want having their mommy and daddy around? I have been away from mine for so long that it seems like a great idea, but I know for a fact that living on my own, getting my own jobs, taking care of school matters on my own, and paying my living expenses has made me a more independent and mature person. That being said, a 20-year-old American can easily be as mature as a 25-year-old Spaniard.

When I say they aren’t as mature as I am, I don’t mean to say that they are immature. The Spanish in general are a lot more loosey-goosey than Amercians (see “Spanish Time”), so that may have something to do with it, but sometimes I feel much older when I’m with friends my age here. Then again, I most certainly have my immature moments. Like everything, it is just a matter of cultural differences.

·         Spanish Time

It is a super convenient phenomenon, but sometimes it really pisses me off. When a teacher says that their class goes from 11:30 to 1, what they really mean is that class is from 11:40 to 1:00. This is because the class before (from 10 to 11:30) really ends at 11:30 on the dot, so you are given a ten minute break. Terrific, considering I find myself always bustling around campus to pee and grab a bite to eat.

Then there’s the downside. You ask your friend to get coffee at 2. You arrive at your meeting spot and wait five minutes. Ten minutes. You get a text saying that they will be a little bit late. Alright. You wait five minutes. You wait ten minutes. You contemplate the meaning of life and make a mental checklist of all the other stuff you could be doing at that moment. You get a phone call.

“Where are you?”

“At Diagonal.”

“The metro?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I’m there too and I don’t see you.”
“That’s because there are about five million entrances to the Diagonal metro stop. Which one are you at?”

Indeed, no get together is complete without someone getting lost. So, coffee at 2 can mean anything from coffee at 2:15 to 3 pm. For Americans, this is the end of the world because we tend to be rather prickly about time. I know I am because I am busy and schedule time to see friends. However, the Spanish are definitely more relaxed about time so if you really are running on a schedule, ham it up so they show up at 2:10.

Style/fashion

·         Fanny packs are… in?

I don’t know if you can imagine my shock and horror to discover that fanny packs are rather cool. Not only are they cool according to the Catalán youth, but I think they look cool. Now, before I am harshly judged, these are no ordinary fanny packs: they are more like a mix between a money belt and a tool belt. Instead of looking dorky, it actually is kind of badass. Yep, I went there.

·         Sagging backpacks

Remember in middle school how it was really cool to wear your backpack so it bounced on your butt with every step you took? I am happy to announce that this movement has made it to Spain. Yay Amurrrica.

·         Converse are cool

I am so so glad I refused to leave my Converse in California because they are the coolest shoes in Spain. I have gotten so many compliments on my plain black and white Chucks. Converse are quite expensive in Spain and everyone was quite shocked when I said I got mine at the outlet for $30 (€21). For once, I get to be fashionably cool. Yep, rocking the leather jacket (also very cool in Spain, almost everyone has one) and my Converse. Woot!

·         Winter boots

Women have cute boots here. I have noticed that the over-the-knee boot is rather in this season. However, I like seeing little girls with their little boots on… so cute!

·         Tights and shorts

It may be cold, but tights cure everything here. It is not at all uncommon to see a girl wearing a skirt or shorts in the fall with tights underneath. However, one weird thing is that sometimes girls will wear nude tights under shorts. I think it’s weird, but shorts have just caught on in Spain this summer, so they are still making the transition over.

On a similar topic, one has to wear layers in Barcelona, just like in California. Why, you ask? Because the sky is bipolar. Once, it was raining so I went inside my piso to grab a raincoat and when I walked outside, it had stopped. Five minutes later, it was sunny. Well done, sky. Cue the slow clap.

·         The coat and scarf phenomenon

I don’t know how they do it, but I want to know their magic. All Europeans just know how to wear their coats and scarves. I just toss these items on, but they have an art and it is quite esthetically pleasing. Like I said, I want to know their magic.

Transportation

·         RyanAir

This is how I get around Europe. Cheap flights anywhere. Barcelona is essentially three hours maximum from any major European city, which is terrific. The only thing to be wary of is luggage. They are super strict on the size and weight of all bags and the fees for breaking these rules are horrifying. You must travel light—a backpack for the weekend and nothing more. However, the flights are always on time and you can book them even last minute for a decent price. Our grand discovery was finding out that the Spanish version of the site costs less money than the English version. Yay bilingualism!

·         Fold up bikes

Isn’t taking a bike on the metro/bus a pain? Have no fear! In Barcelona, I have seen people with fold-up bikes. It’s super cool, they end up about the size of a large backpack.

·         Metro ticket madness

Last monthly musing, I heralded the metro to the skies. This month, I am rather mad at it. You see, the metro is great until you start having trouble with your metro ticket because losing it is like losing a gift certificate. Losing a gift certificate is like losing cash, essentially. So, I’ve had rather bad luck with metro passes during October. First, I lost or got stolen my three month metro pass that I had only used for about a month along with my California driver’s license. Not cool. Then weeks later, the metro machine ate my damp metro pass (courtesy of the downpour that evening); and because it was 4 in the morning, there weren’t exactly people around to recover it. So now I have to hope that they find it in the machine and reimburse me.

Unfortunate. The people in the metro ticket office should know me by name by now.

Catalan Culture/History

·         Halloween and Día de los Muertos

Halloween is just starting to catch on in Spain. However, they celebrate it in a more innocent way, I think. My roommates informed me quite seriously that I couldn’t be an an 80s jazzercise dancer because that wasn’t scary and people had to dress in scary costumes for Halloween. Imagine their horror as I explained Halloween in Isla Vista.

But, my Halloween turned out to be super fun. It was my first time out on the town with both of my roommates (Abel and Jacobo… my boys) and it was hilarious. I played wingman most of the time and have become quite the bro—“Hombre, ella es guapa.” English: “Man, she’s hot.” However, at the end of the night I was still the princess and all my drinks were paid for. They are really too good to me.

The great thing about Halloween is that the next day is a festivo, so there’s no school and usually no work. November 1^st is Día de los Muertos and in Spain, this is the day when everyone goes to cemeteries and mourns the loss of their loved ones. In Mexico, it turns into a bit more of a celebration of life rather than mourning it. However, it is very traditional to indulge in panetells and moscatell on this day (see “Traditional Catalán food”).

·         Universal health care

I had my first experience with the universal health care system about two weeks back. My lips had been super cracked in the corners for weeks and chapstick had not helped. I mentioned it to a friend and she said her friend had that symptom and ended up discovering she was anemic. I hadn’t been eating that much meat and had been rather tired lately, so I figured going to the doctor wouldn’t hurt.

There is a clinic that the American students can go to for free, but we have to go to the emergency room, which means that our wait depends on when we get their and how urgent our health situation is. Having chapped lips and being tired doesn’t rank too high, obviously, so I ended up waiting awhile. I heard it would probably be a two, maybe three hour week, so I brought a school book.

Two hours rolled into three. Three hours rolled into four. Finally, I got called into a room to talk to a doctor. Over the next hour, a couple different nurses popped in and out. During the fifth hour, they finally took a blood sample and sent me back out to the waiting room. At this point, it was about 10 pm at night and I was tired, hungry, frustrated, and was uncommonly jealous of the girl in the waiting room who had her father with her. The doctors told me I had to wait an hour for the blood results, so I waited. When the results finally came, it did turn out I was low on iron, so they told me I needed to eat more meat and gave me a prescription for a cream to heal my lips before sending me on my way.

When I got home, I was almost too tired to eat, but shuffled into the kitchen to make some eggs. Jacobo, my new Galician roommate, came in and noticed the bandage on my arm and asked what happened. When I explained I had been to the doctor to see if I was anemic, he immediately went into doctor mode. After all, he is a nurse.

“Have you been dizzy lately? Is your menstruation cycle running normal?”
I just about died of mortification.
"Jacobo, you are my roommate, not my doctor.”
“But I can be both,” he insisted with a smile. (I know, freaking adorable.) “Can I look at your test results?” And I gave them with him and he sat with me and explained everything I needed to know. Like I said, these boys are too good to me.

However, the funniest comment was when I said I had been at the hospital for six freaking hours. Jacobo merely grinned and clapped me on the back.
“Welcome to Spanish health care!”

·         Elections

Elections in Spain are November 20^th, which is most fittingly the day that Franco died. Considering the man ran a horrible dictatorship and essentially put the country 40 years in the past while nearly destroying an entire generation, I think it’s totally okay that they celebrate a little democracy.

In the States, elections are horribly messy, lots of mud-slinging and campaigning in every single outlet of the media. While there is definitely news of the elections on TV here, it is nowhere near the amount in the States. This election is actually super important because it is anticipated that the conservative candidate will win, which could mean the end to a number of progressive laws, included the law that has legalized gay marriage in Spain. Needless to say, it should be really interesting to watch.

I guess I came to Spain in a really eventful year because I have been blessed to witness ETA (a País Vasco terrorist separatist group) declare the end of violence in their fight to give País Vasco, a region in Spain, independence from the rest of the country, and I also get to see the elections. I’ll let you know how they go!

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Obviously, I’m super behind in updating this blog because I’ve been really busy with school. I have had midterms the past few weeks and my iron deficiency makes me sleepy. But I’m eating more iron-filled foods and trying to rest up, so I’m making progress! I hope to update you all soon. Missing everyone so much! Besos!