Vale vale vale.

I'm pretty sick of some of this European style stuff they have over here, just little random things that are ubiquitous here. Doorknobs don't turn the way you want them to, assuming that it's even a regular doorknob which it probably isn't. You actually have to push the door open instead of pull it. The main door that you see first and has nice friendly green letters over it is actually the emergency exit-only one that sets off an alarm and makes you look like an asshole when you use it. A lot of problems with doors. The keys all look like they were taken from Harry Potter movies. The cabinets all open different ways, and don't stay open unless you hold them up, so anything in there that requires two hands might as well just be forgotten about. Chairs that should in no way ever have been bolted down are actually bolted down, so you can't move your chair at McDonald's.

On a lighter note I really do enjoy how colorful my wallet looks when I have more than a couple euros in there. The paper bills start don't start until 5, so if you wanna carry around a couple bucks you're gonna have a lot of annoying coins banging around in your pocket, making you sound like a decked-out-in-chains Motley Crue fan heading to the next concert. The bills also get bigger as they increase in value, so American wallets aren't really designed to handle anything over a 20 euro bill. But people throw around 50's and 100's like they're nothing. Especially at the casino...

Spanish people are just emotional, and loud. Even now I'm sitting in Starbucks (for the wifi, you guys—since we still don't have any) and some woman just started crying about something. I'm really not even kidding, I have no idea why she is but she is. But now she's leaving so whatever. But if you're somewhere near a group of Spanish people and they're talking about their day or telling a story, it's like what they're saying is the funniest and most interesting thing they've heard in their life, and they really don't care who hears them audibly reacting to it. Our Spanish teacher tried telling us that they believe they need to show emotion/interest like that by constantly interjecting with oohs and aahs and screams otherwise it'd be rude. Well they also believe it's rude to give you your check at a restaurant anything less than 30 minutes after you finished eating, so we should really trust their judgment about what's rude or not.

As much as you try to hide it or blend in, everyone here knows you're American. If it wasn't you're generally confused and out-of-place facial expression you had on while walking, or the language you were using, then it almost definitely was the North Face jacket and sweatpants you're wearing that gave it away. Sweatpants for some reason just don't really exist over here, even though they seem way more practical than the tight leather jeans or bright green pants you're more likely to find on guys. Sarcasm also doesn't exist over here. People say sarcasm is a humor that's really only popular in USA, and I'm starting to see how true that is, being in a very very international school. All the kids here can speak english, but they don't get my pessimistic, fuck-you-Tom-Fee sort of sense of humor. Personally I think their sense of humor is really cheesy and childish, and sarcasm is just a little too uncomfortable for them to handle. Everyone here is just too sensitive and doesn't like it when an American is toying with them or isn't being straightforward; it's a stigma here to be American because they already have this negative perception about how you act.

I've heard so many people try to tell me how every American is like the Jersey Shore show, which is why so many people hate us before even meeting us. I'm starting to understand this stance they take against Americans, and some of it can be justified. Granted they get most of their information on us from television shows and it's just blatantly false, some of their views on us are sadly true. We're ignorant, most of us expect to only have to know English and not give a shit about other languages, we're vain as a group of people and can tend to be megalomaniacs, we're naïve to a lot of the world outside of us, are much more concerned/obsessed with material things and celebrities than issues that matter (do I sound too euro yet?). We were talking about the increase in CO2 gas emissions one day in class and some kid from Switzerland literally laughed out loud and told me he was in disbelief when I agreed with another student that said it was due to man. As an American, I'm not supposed to care about the environment because apparently no one from America does. I told him to choke on some CO2 but this is just how we're viewed.

Obviously this isn't true for everyone, and I'm not trying to sound like a Euro-hippie, but a lot of it I believe can be true. Not that I really give a shit.. Listen I don't really care what they think of us, I've never met creepier, more socially unaware people in the world than European guys over here. Absolutely shameless, disgusting dudes in the clubs, in bars, that will stop at nothing to try and get with girls. They don't even try to talk to them, they just immediately jump to the physical aspect of meeting someone. Grabbing them by the arms aggressively, literally following girls around places for a night, or just constantly trying to rub up on them or get a hug, because who doesn't like a good hug?. Their ages can range anywhere from 18 to 45 years old in the club, but they just never learn. A girl from here told me that you're not supposed to give any American guy a compliment, because they take advantage of it and take it too far. Maybe. I think that's far more true for any Spanish dude, who by the way probably does look a lot like Vinny or Ronnie from Jersey Shore despite how they say they don't like those shows, because they will do far worse things than any of us would.

By the way, in case anyone was curious, there is currently no snow here.  It's a little bit like the south in that when they have more than an inch of snow, which happens once every 5 years or so, the city shuts down and everyone loses their minds.  No one knows how to drive, walk, or live when there's any sort of precipitation on the ground.  Hopefully Massachusetts is enjoying the nice weather tho.  Adios, but here are a few pictures for anyone interested:

In the Plaza de Cataluna, a 5 minute walk from our apartment

The Sangrada Familia, another Gaudi massive work, and is still under construction today.. Some lazy people

It is pretty big tho

And again 

Some street, or calle

Feel like I'm traveling back in time

Church

Another Church

Shout out to Dad Haddad, I know he loves his Coronita's (top right)

People feed seagulls here

Part of the coast

Hablas ingles?

If you see a tv on around here, it's guaranteed to be a game of soccer. Literally nothing else, except maybe some weird handball game that no grown man should ever aspire to play professionally. You have to argue and then deal with dirty looks from the die-hard soccer fans if you want anything else on el television-o in restaurants/bars. They're all die-hards too. Every bar is full and closes the doors early (just like Cantab?) the night of a good Barcelona game, and everyone has a new best friend by the end of the night if they win. It's like a bar in Boston during a Patriots-Giants Superbowl rematch, which is still happening right? Probably one of the bigger cultural differences is the role of tipping; in America you're viewed as stingy for anything less than 10% in a restaurant, while here if you get a bill for 148 euros you can pay an extra 2 to round it off, but that's it. It's the lifestyle around here- no one really does more than they need to so you only pay them what it says. Guess that's why the waitresses at Sandwich & Friends (yes, they have both) really liked us after giving a 4$ tip on a 18$ bill. That place has really been special to us because of all the diverse Bruno Mars songs they play..

Everyone and everything seems to move a little slower over here, and people just seem to be happier.  A lot of people don't start their day until the sun rises, around 8 or 9 am right now.  Even the homeless people have a faint smile, but I think that's because they usually own a dog. I really don't know why they'd waste their steady income on uno perro (keep up with the Spanish, you guys--if you get that reference, then you are my friend). No one ever seems worried or pissed off, and why would they since they're in this city. It's always clean and surrounded with ridiculously unique and famous buildings. Gaudi is a pretty important bro around here, he just wasn't really a fan of right angles:

I still don't understand why every Spanish person on tv, from soccer commentator to commercial host, sounds exactly the same. Every single guy sounds like a Juan, and every girl is probably a Maria. Same deep voice, little emotion unless he's saying the word GOOOOOOOOOOOOAAALLLLL, and still way too fast for me to understand.  I really wish people spoke normal Spanish around here and not catalan, it doesn't really make sense to me to have different dialects in the same country.  Our school director/tour guide/catalan master tried to explain to us it sort of gives them pride in being where they're from.  I guess it's rare to have someone move from one region of Spain to another for a long period of time.

For those interested in the adult beverages, there are really 2 main types of beer here, San Miguel and Estrella.  Both are pretty heavy, but their taste sort of changes from bar to bar.  We've become pretty big fans of getting this 5 liter bottle thing at bars, great way to make amigos.
If anyone wants some context as to where are apartment is, it's about a 15 minute walk and 5 euro cab ride from the beach, where all the nicer clubs are and where the casino is, where I have had no success.  We're in the south-middle of the city, and within walking distance of any train or metro station to go anywhere, and about 20 mins from the airport.

Lastly for now, I booked a trip to Interlaken Switzerland for the first weekend of February.  I couldn't really think of a better way to spend my 21st  then to skydive over the Swiss Alps.  More pictures will be coming soon.  That's all I got for now, adios.

Welcome to Barcelona

The flights here were easy, and relatively short. Got to sleep on both of them, and was generally encouraged when every flight attendant was still speaking English fluently. Made it through the airport and customs with ease, even though I was patted down both times despite not setting off the metal alarm.. Do I look like a dangerous guy? Must be the beard I was working on growing out.

My bedroom consists of a bed (two twin beds pushed together) in the corner of a small, simple room with white walls and a lime green chair. I can hear the family next to my wall speaking Spanish as if there was a window open between us. I have a porch door in my room as well, but it only leads out to a 5x5 cemented open-air space that if you walk out onto and look up, you'll be able to see our fellow apartment-goers drying their shirts, underwear, and whatever else. For a second I thought it was going to smell nice out there, but it doesn't. Our apartment is probably cleaner than the usual status of my house at 249 Foster, but calling it clean would be a stretch. These white walls haven't been re-painted in a while.

The city itself is beautiful and pretty clean, or what little amounts I've been exposed to so far. Our apartment is secluded on a small, unknown street that is only recognizable to taxi drivers after mentioning a few landmarks close by. They refuse to speak English too, and I haven't really found a driver that likes my American/BC not-so-charming charm. But they can talk forever about the city and why it's better than places like Boston and New York. One of my taxi driver's main reasoning for that was because of some huge mall in the middle of Barcelona that used to be a bull-fighting ring. It looks like an Americanized Colliseum from the outside. There are some shops around here that you can recognize immediately as American, and I'm not just talking about the Burger Kings and Starbucks, but most of them are unique to Spain/Europe.

Everything is more expensive, and every single store has a big sign on the front that translates into Sale! Apparently something is always on sale, but I have yet to find that item. Being in a city, the shopping is a little weird and compact. Nearby we have a “mall” that has everything from a grocery store & supermarket on the first floor (where you have to pay 1 euro for a cart and.05 euros for a grocery bag that you have to fill yourself) to a place to buy Gucci sunglasses on the 5th or a toaster oven on the 9^th floor. And in case they missed anything, there's a 'Sex Shop' right across the street to handle any other stuff.

All the shops start up later in the morning and close around early evening, unless it's a bank. Apparently the banks around here are typically open for about 4-5 hours, which can be a stretch for those workers who need a little more ciesta in their daily life. It's very convenient for us as we need to open up a Spanish bank account at some point in order to properly pay for our apartment and get wifi, which would be nice. The city is shut down on Sunday. Streets are relatively empty, all the shops are closed, with only a few restaurants being open. They take the Day of Rest thing pretty seriously, and who wouldn't after a whole 28-hour work week?

The people here seem pretty nice, especially at night. The city is alive at night (are those song lyrics?) with more people then you'll ever see during the day. The people here are not American at all.. they refuse to cross the street until the little electrical sign switches from a red hand to a green guy walking. I guess it's a little more dangerous because there are a lot of people on mopeds or scooters driving pretty recklessly.

Everyone seems smaller here, skinnier and shorter. Constantly smoking cigarettes, too. Is it a law here that you have to try a cigarette by age 13? Maybe smoking cigs makes them feel cooler for wearing a scarf and tight black jeans. I guess that's style in Europe. The outfits are strange, usually very tight and dark colors, a lot of unnecessary hats and gloves The younger kids all seem to be going through a skaterboarder/gangster/rebel phase of bright, flashy colors combined with copious amounts of hair gel. You won't find a young kid not wearing flashy Nikes.

The bar scene here is ridiculous, but it was too much to ask for them to try and put on the Pats game around 4 am. Fuck off Tebow. I swear some of the local folk in there are about 16 years old, but they know how to order drinks better than I do. Everything is pretty close together, so taxis are cheap and walking is the easiest way to get around, especially when the temperature in January is low 60s. Everything in the bars are over the top and expensive, so drink up before. That's all I got for now kids, I'm getting sick of sitting in a library for Wifi access. Hopefully that will change soon. Adios for now.