Setas y Fútbol - 14

Watsup yall, hope everyone had a sedentary and supremely satisfying Thanksgiving, wherever you happened to celebrate it! For me, it was a different but also good experience to eat Thanksgiving dinner away from home for the first time in my life.. I figured since I wasn’t with my fam, I had to compensate by eating two dinners – one with my church home group and the other with the American students in my program! Everyone pitched in to make both meals a success, and we (the Americans) gave some of our international friends their first taste (haha) of a Thanksgiving celebration.

(If you’re not a soccer fan, feel free to skip the next paragraph!)

Ok before I go any further I have to say that I’m still in somewhat of a euphoric state after Barca’s 5-0 thrashing of Real Madrid last night.. (A Spanish newspaper said: Los goles caen en el Camp Nou como las hojas en otoño... or "The goals fall in Camp Nou (the Barca Stadium) like leaves in autumn...") For those who watched the game, you can appreciate just how bad of a drubbing the blaugrana gave los blancos – as Mr. Kitchens famously said back in AP European History, “it was a beautiful thing.” Tic i taca – a nickname for Barca’s trademark possession-heavy attacking style – was in top form, and there were times when I wanted to cry over the elegant efficiency of FCB’s passing triangles, one-touches, and gorgeous through balls (esp. Messi’s assist on Villa’s 2nd goal – incredible). Xavi's first goal was also unreal.. Extended highlights here. It really showed the difference between a tight team with great chemistry that's played together for years and a store-bought team that has little experience gelling. Barca hasn’t lost in the last five Clásicos, and it’s particularly noteworthy that they kept up their recent dominance in a game that many (if not most) favored Madrid in… It was José Mourinho’s first loss ever (he'd been unbeaten in 19 games!) as the Madrid coach, and payback for his former days as Inter's coach, when he knocked Barca out of the semis last year en route to the Champions League title. Ok, sorry to all the non-soccer fans, I’ll stop talking about the game now!


A short video of the post-game celebration going on at Las Ramblas, the heart of Barcelona..

(Resume reading from here on..)

We’ve hit up the fútbol part of the title, but – you may be wondering – what on earth are setas?? Well, they're actually literally ON the earth. I’ll give you some hints.. they're part of a family of organisms that: can be several tons in size, are important in gastronomy because we eat their reproductive organs, can eat/process dead things and by so doing help keep us alive, can kill you, and are found everywhere from forests to the dark recesses of the inner skin folds on your toe.. Give up? I’m talking, of course, about fungi. But more specifically, setas refers to mushrooms, or the reproductive parts of many fungi. This past weekend, my program went on a trip to Berga, a small city tucked in the foothills of the Pyrenees, right in the heart of prime mushroom-picking country.

Mushroom picking may sound weird to you, but it isn’t to Catalans.. Almost 2.5 million – or around 30% - of the roughly 7 million people in Catalunya go mushroom picking. Apparently it’s not only a neat way to pick your own food, but it’s also a widespread hobby because mushrooms are, for many people, a key way to connect with nature. From what I gather, mushrooms basically provide Catalans with an excuse to go wandering around hills, hiking trails, and streams that are pleasant in their own right.

Anyway, now that you have some background, our experience: I think it was the first time that most of us had gone shroom-hunting.. and it was actually kind of fun. We had a cool guide who taught us a lot.. About how mushrooms were originally used for their hallucinogenic properties and only later eaten, how only ~5 species of mushrooms are deadly, how many mushrooms release tiny seeds that disperse via air to make baby mushrooms (often asexually) all over the place.. and he even convinced me to rub a dusty, puke-colored fungal specimen on a cut I had on my knee. I don’t know how much it helped me heal, but at least I haven’t lost my leg yet! After seeing the mushrooms, we also got to visit a super-cool donkey farm/reserve for the endangered Catalan donkey. It was a really interesting, off-the-beaten path kind of excursion. Just being in the fresh (though smelly) country air was a great change from city life. And the farm had the cutest cats and dogs - the cat below, in particular, was adorable.




Catalan Donkeys!

The weekly collection of other odds & ends:

(1) I saw the new Harry Potter movie a few days ago, and really liked it – the scenery changes were cool, the plot moved along at a great pace, and Dobby the house-elf is boss. However, for the first time in my life, the movie projector stopped working in the middle of the show – twice! Only in Spain… (and no free snacks or movie tickets to compensate either!).

(2) In an attempt to celebrate the American tradition of a Thanksgiving Day pick-up football game (American version), I went to the huge Walmart-esque supermarket near where I lived to try to buy a cheap ball. When I asked where I could find a pelota para fútbol americano, the lady laughed at me and said that the enormous, two-level store didn’t sell them…

(3) Aaand finally, many Spaniards, including my Biostats professor, ask me why I'm not cold when they see me in shorts & a t-shirt in November (in my defense, it's almost always above 40 F).. Today the prof. asked me if I was the only one in the whole campus to be wearing pantalones cortos, and I told him that I thought I was the only one in the whole city to be so aptly dressed.

That's all for now; thanks for tuning in – only three weeks left..waaaa!

¡Raíces! - 13

So believe it or not, I’m down to just one more month in Barca, which is bizarre. I feel like I want to squeeze so much out of the last few weeks here but I also don’t want to go crazy trying to do everything.. But anyway, this last weekend rocked hard core so let’s get to it. First, some background -

As some of you know, I'm half-Hungarian (that's why I have those funny middle names!).. My dad was born in Budapest, and though he would only live in Hungary for two years before his family left the country (due to WWII), the Hungarian roots run deep and strong in his life and, by extension, in my own. I don't speak Hungarian (yet..!), but for much of my life I've heard from my dad about all things Hungary: his mini-lecture series has spanned water polo, politics, the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, Magyar origins, Hungarian-American relations, Nobel prizes, and myriad other topics. Largely thanks to my dad's loving communication, I've been able to grow up appreciating Hungary as a country with rich traditions, brilliant individuals, stalwart people, and well-deserved pride. While I lived in Hungary for a year as a three year-old, and later returned at the age of five, I don't have many clear recollections from those times.. So, this past weekend was almost like my first visit in some respects, and I was lucky to have my dad with me as a tour guide.

The first part of my stay was actually not in Budapest, but in a nearby town where my relatives live! Basically, I'm related to them through my paternal grandfather, and they're soooo cool.. The family, in a nutshell, is: the sweet, enthusiastic English teacher and supermom; the wise, thoughtful, friendly father; the warm, open, and outgoing eldest daughter, the theologian-in-training and photographer extraordinaire (son #1); the brilliant chemist, ballroom dancer, and Hungarian Roger Federer (son #2); the vivacious, multi-lingual & spunky younger daughter; and the little, adorable toddler who doubles as the star of the house! The whole family was very welcoming while I was with them and it was so nice to finally get to know all of them on a personal level..

A highlight of my stay with the rels was going to school on Friday. As I mentioned, the mother teaches English, and she kindly asked me to speak with her classes so that they could hear a real American accent (admittedly much less precise than UK English accents, which seems to be part of the reason that all of Europe learns English by following the British model). At any rate, it was tons of fun teaching the students "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and answering their questions about my life and America in general. In return, they taught me some Hungarian words! After teaching me how to say "I love you" (Szeretlek), they dutifully taught me one of the most important words in the Hungarian language: kocsma, or "pub." Other words I added to my humble vocabulary were sör (beer), gólya (stork), szakács (chef), család (family), köszönöm szépen (thank you very much), igen (yes), and nem (no).


The school!

After the school adventure, and with a freshly bolstered vocabulary that enabled me to lovingly purchase a family of storks from a chef while drinking a beer and finding directions to the nearest pub, I was able to relax with the Hungarian family for a few hours. While there, my dad discussed the wonders of the iPad, we watched a sea turtle "boil" video, we were amused by the toddler joyfully running around to avoid having her clothes put on properly, and - alas - we said goodbye to part of the family. The other part of the family took me to a really neat Christian prayer and singing session (the whole family are really solid Christians, which is awesome) and finally the mom and dad showed me some incredible nighttime views of Budapest. Man, with the lights framing the Danube, the Royal Palace rising majestically above the city on the Buda side, and the Parliament building standing proudly on the Pest side, the city was gorgeous! Looking at the view, it's almost too easy to forget the incredible sacrifice and bravery of the Hungarians that helped clear the road to the freedom that they, and Central/Eastern Europe at large, enjoy today. It was especially touching for me to hear from the mother about her father, who was - at my age, as a pre-medical student - a Freedom Fighter in '56. He was nearly executed (many were) as a result of his role in the Revolution, and was imprisoned for six years until the "magnanimous" government let him go, and only then because of his young age and a general amnesty.


Budapest's lights by night

On Saturday, we met some family friends who live in Budapest and we visited a beautiful church - the Mátyás-templom - that featured gorgeous, multi-colored tiles (called Zsolnay tiles) manufactured in Hungary. The Matthias Church (as it's called in English) was built in the 14th century and is a jewel in the heart of Buda's Castle District (basically the digs of the old Hungarian kings). The church afforded great day-time views of the Danube and several of the eight bridges that grace the city. At dinner with some of our friends, my dad was in fine form, and seemed to greatly enjoy the fluid Hungarian discourse that he so rarely experiences in western Maryland..


Some of the Zsolnay tiles


Hungarian Parliament

The last day of my trip (stick with me, almost done) I spent with my dad. It was great fun to stay with him on Margitsziget, a park-like island in the middle of the Danube where my family and I lived for a bit in 1994. For those who don't know, Hungary is home to the largest thermal water cave system in the world, which translates to naturally-heated, hot sulfur-water baths!! While I don't fancy the taste (many people are convinced that drinking sulfur water is great for one's health), I certainly loved lounging around the warm baths in our hotel.. (The faint rotten-egg smell of the sulfur doesn't bother you after too long!) It was cool being there and thinking how, as a three-year old, I had run around the place under the watchful eye of my mother. Margitsziget is also home to a world-class water polo & swimming training facility, complete with plaques acknowledging the many Hungarian Olympic gold medal winners - including the 1956 Olympic gold, home to the famous "Blood in the Water" match, which was set against the backdrop of the Hungarian Revolution against the Soviets. In addition to Margaret Island, we checked out the Vásárcsarnok (a popular market), the Corvinus University of Budapest, the Deák Téri Evangélikus Templom (the church where my dad was baptized), the Great Synagogue (the 2nd largest synagogue in the world), and the wonderful Vörösmarty Tér pre-holiday open-air market (which had AMAZING mulled wine). As we walked through the city, I was struck by the still-extant scars of '56, which were present in the form of bullet holes and obvious signs of combat on many buildings..


Some delicious hot wine

If you are still reading, you have my deep and sincere gratitude! Your prize? Some side notes that may be of interest:

1) Lufthansa ROCKS. After this weekend, it's got to be my favorite airline. I flew 4x with them (I had a connection flight each way) this weekend, but the many travel hours passed very pleasantly because Lufthansa had such great organization, such friendly staff, and such delightful perks. I was treated to food and drinks on every flight and was repeatedly offered extra food, had FREE coffee and tea at the Munich airport (no joke, they had free machines where you just pushed a button and got whatever you wanted), enjoyed free INTERNET at the airport, and in general experienced great overall service.. Viva Lufthansa & viva German competence.

2) I noticed that the word "super" transcends borders and languages. In Spain, it's very common to hear someone say, for example, fue super-bien (it was so good).. To my surprise, the same kind of usage is common in Hungary, where you can say "szuper" whatever. Interesting, no?

3) My study abroad program had another gastronomy session with Núria, our colorful and highly entertaining food experta.. We had a taste-testing of pineapple, cucumbers, and juice under different conditions, to see how we reacted to the same foods presented in different ways. I'm not sure how my tongue reacted to many of the treatments (e.g. blindfolded pineapple-eating vs. normal pineapple-eating) but I know for a fact that my heart and kidneys convulsed when I tried the salt-treated cucumbers! Núria put enough salt on the pepinos to kill a donkey.

4) Aaaaand finally, check out the new "God Corner" feature to the blog.. Enjoy!

Madrileño por 24 horas - 12

Well howdy and welcome to week 12! This past weekend was a bit of a whirlwind; as you may be able to deduce from the title, I went to Madrid for a 24 hour tour before dressing up to join the posh sector of Barcelona society for a Tchaikovsky concert at the Palau de la Música Catalana. Here's how it all went down:

Madrid - Along with my good buddy Alexis, I left Barcelona by bus at 11:00 pm Friday night.. We got to Madrid a little after 6am the following morning, and set about exploring the city. To tell the truth, there wasn't a whole lot to see in the cold, pre-dawn streets but soon things started to pick up, and after a delicious hot chocolate/churros/tortilla española breakfast we headed to the Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid's famous art museum and one of the most treasured collections of European art in the world. It was really cool because, in my early years of Spanish classes, we would always have these, like, Cultura de España sections that would often feature pictures of paintings by the Spanish greats. At the Prado I got to see the real deal versions of works I remember from so many years ago: Las Meninas (Velázquez), San Andrés y San Francisco (El Greco), Colossus (Goya), and an entire Rubens - a Flemish painter but still legit - collection were all on tap. As Alexis noted, many of the paintings take some background knowledge (which we lacked) to understand well, but it was nevertheless amazing to see these masterpieces up close.

After bouncing around great art for awhile, we checked out another of Madrid's famous attractions, El Parque del Buen Retiro (literally: Good Retreat Park). This gorgeous, huge, aptly named haven recalled memories of my first visit there in 2006, when my brother was studying abroad in Spain. The park boasts wide pathways, gads of flora, an impressive monument to King Alfonso XII rising over a calm pond, a beautiful Palacio de Cristal, and - enjoying it all - scores of runners, hundreds of happy dogs, and thousands of ambling visitors. Here's a pic w/ the pondside monument in the background:



Probably the coolest part of the Madrid trip was attending an Atlético Madrid (not to be confused w/ Madrid soccer giant Real Madrid.. no one likes them) soccer game in their home stadium, the Calderón.. We managed to get reasonably-priced tickets just 6 rows back from the pitch, affording us an incredible view of the first-half Atlético offensive action, which was in great display! Some background: Atlético's biggest star is Diego Forlán, a flashy Uruguayan striker who, you may remember, won the golden ball this past summer as the Most Outstanding player of the World Cup. Coming into this game, he hadn't scored for Atlético in 12 games.. Not trying to brag, but before the game I called that Forlán would score two goals in a breakout performance to get him back on track, and Diego didn't disappoint, notching 2 goals and an assist. The two first-half goals - the second of which was stunning, set up by a gorgeous chip from Forlán to Kun Agüero - were followed by a ridiculous curling shot by Forlán in the 70th. Almost better than the soccer was the atmosphere inside the stadium - it was nuts! There was one section that literally cheered the entire time (I'm convinced they get free tickets or something for doing that every game), and the whole place exploded after every good play and goal.. When Forlán scored, everyone chanted: "Ur-u-guay-o! Ur-u-guay-o!". Even though it wasn't Barca playing, just being in such a soccer-crazy environment was great. Really cool experience. Oh, and Atlético ended up winning, 3-0. Highlights here if you're interested (you can hear the fans' craziness in the video.. really it's worth watching).



After the game, my friend and I enjoyed a nice home-cooked meal prepared by a friend's host señora. Then we saw the Madrid night life, and I caught a 7 am bus back to Barca to wrap up the day in Madrid.. My overall impressions? I liked Madrid, but I'm really glad I chose to study abroad in Barca. Madrid is spacious, sort of peaceful, beautiful, and a bit serious, but it doesn't have the energy and vivacity that Barcelona does. Of course, I'm biased, but that's my takeaway.


Lunch at the oldest restaurant in the world - el Botín!

Other random news items: In my 1st session w/ my 2nd intercambio (to practice spanish remember), my new friend took me to a swanky private club in the heart of Barcelona.. It had a sweet library, a goldfish pond, and a nice little outside terrace - all within the heart of the city! Also, I was able to see a Tchaikovsky concert - Piano Concerto No. 1, Swan Lake & 1812 Overture performed by the Russian Symphony Orchestra - at the Palau de la Música Catalana (I talked about the Palau in my 9th update) yesterday, which was a really cool experience. Seeing the music hall in the day, on an hour-long tour, was one thing but hearing some of the best classical music in the world, played by a premier orchestra, was another thing altogether. The flying horses, elegant roses, peaceful muses, and Catalan flags that adorn the place seemed to revel in the live music.. The crowd was quite enthusiastic too; because people wouldn't stop clapping at the end, the conductor was forced to have his musicians play 3 encores! All in all, the concert was pricey but I'm glad I went.

And finally, many of you know that my brother also has a blog, called "The 52 Week Project." This week he wrote a sad but, I think, very important piece about World War II and the near-inconceivable loss of lives it engendered, particularly in China. If you haven't had enough of Kurz blogs, check it out: http://www.the52weekproject.com/ There's a strong possibility that you will find Steve's posts more interesting than mine ;)