Viva Barcelona!

Hola! I apologize it’s taken me forever to update the blog. Life caught me up in whirlwind and I don’t know where time’s gone.

Now without further ado, BARCELONA!

Day 1- La playa (beach)

It was literally two minutes away from our hotel. It was 74 degrees and absolutely beautiful. I couldn’t believe I was in a swimming suit in the middle of November. Nicole and I certainly enjoyed a day “a tomar el sol” (sun tanning). I was so excited to be on the beach in Spain that I decided to go running a little bit on the shore. Nicole told me she was just relaxing and when she opened her eyes, she was surprised to see me jogging and skipping down the beach front. I couldn’t help myself!

Day 2- Las turisticas (The tourists)

I’ve always wanted to do one of those hop on-hop off tourist buses, and I thought Barcelona would be the perfect chance. Beforehand, we went to a buffet called Fresc Co where I got to try paella and couscous. I asked the nice man for a piece of fish (un pescado, por favor) and he smiled and said, “Ah, Americana?” I said, “Si” as he took my plate. He was giving everyone else a small piece of fish off the grill, but he heaped mucho pescado on my plate and handed it back. He grabbed my hand and said, “You a beautiful girl. For you, big fish.” That’s when Barcelona won me over :)

The major attraction I wanted to see was La Sagrada Familia, which is a beautiful cathedral. It was never completed in Gaudi’s time, and it remains unfinished permanently. It was absolutely beautiful. I couldn’t believe how massive yet intricate it was.

I took this fotografia for Cole. It’s the FC Barcelona stadium! I bet it would be wild to watch a match there.

Another Gaudi masterpiece. I think I want a wavy exterior on my future home.

We also went to Park Guell, which has some beautiful architecture too with color tiles.

We finished off our tour with a quick stroll down La Rambla, the most famous street in Barca. I wasn’t intending on buying anything else besides the gift souvenirs I already got, but something caught my eye.

How could I resist? A euro fifty for gelato? It’s a no-brainer, especially when it looked that good.

Nicole and I decided to sample each other’s flavors.

Another perfect Spanish day. Coming home, we accidentally got on the wrong bus. I asked el conductor if he spoke English. He responded, “No.” Suddenly it was a test to see if I actually learned anything from those Spanish classes I took during my undergrad. Surprisingly enough, I remembered a lot more than I thought. It sure came in handy as he instructed me on how to take two more busses to get back on track. We found our way to the mall so Nicole could get some souvenir high heels and we headed back to the hotel. I finished off the day by watching some Spanish television. They have a channel completely dedicated to FC Barcelona. It was so fun to watch Messi highlights!

Day 3- La Playa (again)

When you’re staying close to the beach, you have to go as much as possible, right?!  It was little bit colder this day, so we didn’t swim. We had fun taking pictures of each other, though, and enjoying the beauty of the Mediterranean.

We had an early morning flight the next day, so we ended up staying up the whole night talking. So much fun, even if we were exhausted!

I had a blast suspending winter for a while and soaking in the Spanish rays. It’s crazy to think the next plane I get on will be taking me home to the states for Christmas! Where does time go?

Hasta la vista (baby)!

Con mucho amor,
Wendy

Proof that I go to class

Since many of my loved ones back home are questioning whether or not I'm actually attend school out here, I present you with today's blog post.

Yesterday we put on a live news broadcast for class.

My teacher assigned me the role of editor, which made me super nervous! He emphasized that if anything went wrong during the broadcast, it’s ultimately the editor’s fault. I had a co-editor, Patrick, which made me feel better because we could split the blame!

Patrick and I at our morning editorial meeting

Luckily, our group was able to pull it out in the end, despite several hiccups along the way.

When one of our stories fell through, I knew we needed to fill in the time at the end, so I suggested we do a weather bit.

Everyone else was off filming and editing, so I had to film the segment. I may have a future in meteorology…just kidding!

It was a truly amazing experience to see how our class really came together. Someone would scream, “I need a tripod!” and the next second, one would be flying across the room.

Fixing my earpiece, and apparently staring longingly at our logo

We knew we were going live at 4 p.m., and we stuck to that. Even though we had to drop two stories at the very end, we made our deadline.

I haven’t been that stressed in a while, but I feel like that stress really helped me push myself and push others around me.

If you want, you can check out our broadcast here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhrznEPM0lg&feature=youtu.be

My "weather girl" segment starts at minute 7.

Tonight I got to meet an Indian queen!

She spoke at the university’s International Scholarship Recipient Banquet. She was absolutely lovely. (She’s the one to my right.)

When I received the invitation, it cracked me up because they requested that all participants wear national costume.

I’m still trying to figure out what the United States’ national costume is…

Some helpful classmates suggested I be a cheerleader, a cowboy, or a pioneer.

I thought of being a handcart-pushing cowgirl with a mean high kick.

Regardless, I was impressed with the beautiful costumes of Kazakhstan, India, Spain, and many others.

Then my flatmate Gen and I had to take advantage of the gorgeous rain outside.

Isn’t she lovely?

 

So here it is. This is officially proof that I do go to class. Yes, I do more than just travelling. No really! Except at the end of next week when I go to Barcelona. Perhaps that undoes my entire argument…

Only 7 weeks until I’m back in my home country for Christmas. Maybe I can figure out the national costume while I’m there.

Love to all!