El Comienzo - 1

Hey everybody! Welcome to the first of my update blogs about my time in Barcelona.. If you got a facebook message or an e-mail with a link to this page, it's either because you asked to be on the list or I volunteered you for it. If you're NOT on the list and want to be, please let me know, and if you ARE on the list and don't want to be, same deal. Don't feel awkward if you want to un-subscribe; I totes understand and won't be offended. My goal is to write a new update every week or so..

Alright, let's get cracking! I've been here in Barca since last Thursday and I'm loving it so far. The city is really beautiful - it's known for its plentiful plazas, varied barrios (or neighborhoods), abundant motos (mopeds), energetic night life, world-class fútbol, gorgeous architecture, vigorous pride, and local language (catalán). In case you're wondering about the latter two items, Barcelona is the center of a region of Spain called Cataluña, a semi-autonomous region that has a long history of regionalistic pride. More on this later.

My study abroad group is run by an organization called the Consortium for Advanced Studies in Barcelona (CASB). There are seven CASB-affiliated schools: Brown, Cornell, Harvard, Northwestern, Princeton, Stanford, and UChicago (although we also have 2 NYU students and 1 Amherst kid). There are roughly 55 students in the group, and I'm the sole representative from Princeton (talk about pressure!). Hah anyway, all of us are living in a recently-built residencia where we each have our own singles. It's a really nice, safe, and clean facility that mostly houses international students but has spaces for tourists as well.. The housing is centrally located, with convenient access to a lot of the big attractions around Barcelona, such as La Sagrada Familia, La Rambla, La Placa Catalunya, etc.

I've only been here for a few days, but I'm already loving it! There is a ton to see and do in the city, and right now we're just beginning our orientation that is acquainting us with both the city and the Universities where we'll soon be taking classes. The Spanish lifestyle is pretty different than that of America, in a few interesting ways:

First, Spaniards are definitely more laid-back than people in the U.S. The whole day's schedule is pushed back - "morning" lasts at least until 1 pm, the afternoon (including the famous siesta) can reasonably extend until 8 or 9, dinner is frequently at 10 or later, and going out can wrap up at 8 am. I went to a club called Razzmatazz (a discoteca) with some CASB kids the other night, and it was like TI State Night on steroids - Barcelona likes to party!

Also, it's almost expected that things will run later than they are scheduled, and a frequent response to almost any problem is no te preocupes, or "don't worry." For instance, when the director of our program was telling us about the policies of the Universities where we'll be studying, he told us that basically any hairy situation can be quickly remedied by going to the appropriate authority and giving an explanation of what went wrong - class change past the deadline? no te preocupes; no clue how to understand your professor? no te preocupes; need to move your final exam up a month? no te preocupes; cockroach in your vegetarian sandwich? nah, just kidding on that one.. definitely me preocuparía on that one.

Second, Spain (and particularly Barcelona) is crawling with pickpockets. Everybody I've talked to about security in the city has warned me not about violence or drug dealing, but about pickpocketing. The thieves here are good, and they're pro at what they do. Tourists, of course, are favorite targets, which is why it's never a good idea to carry your original passport, or put your bag under you chair when eating (even indoors - you'd be surprised!), or carry your cartera in your back pocket. So far so good, but I'm definitely going to be on guard!

Third, the soccer is much better. FC Barcelona is one of the best teams in the world, and I'm planning to go to a few games while I'm here. Soccer is so big that they sell FC Barca game tickets at the ATMs! The big rivalry is with Real Madrid, so it'll be interesting to see who wins La Liga this year. So far, Barca is 1-0-0, and Madrid is 0-0-1. HAH.

Fourth, it's totally normal for students to go to college for 5,6, heck 10 years! I talked to a woman today who is 27 and still in college. Unlike Americans, Spaniards don't get bent out of shape about failing a class; after all, they'll just take it 2, 3, or 4 more times and eventually pass! They're thrilled with a C (suficiente), and As are so rare that if you earn straight As, your next semester is free! Unfortunately for me, I have to pass all my classes to get credit, so I'm going to try not to fall into the Spanish mindset..

I could list more differences but this blog is getting mo' long so I'll try to wrap up. Let me finish with something I promised I'd write about - Cataluñian pride.. There is a long history to why Barcelona and Cataluña have so much fervor for their region. Basically, Cataluña is very old, and used to be (even more than now, relatively speaking) a major economic, political and social force in Europe. It still is, but its growth has been limited by natural montane, riverine, and marine barriers, while Madrid - the Spanish capital - has only continued to grow. Add a couple wars, some revolutions, and the current part-of-Spain-but-still-largely-self-ruling status, and you get a ton of regionalism. Competition is still very strong between Barca and Madrid, and often manifests itself not only in soccer, but also in elections and political battles. When my group was going on a tour of the city, I asked our guide if it was true (after qualifying my question) that Barcelona has an inferiority complex. She gave me a very detailed explanation in which she carefully explained how Barcelonians do not suffer from feelings of inferiority; rather, they have a SUPERIORITY complex about how great they are..

Draw your own conclusions, but for me - ¡Visca el Barca, y visca Catalunya!