11. Christmas lights

So, the Christmas lights are now officially up in Barcelona, and it is starting to feel like December, minus the fact I am yet to wear gloves or a hat. Due to my accustomization to the warmth here, I am now scared that when I return to good old Manchester, I will not want to leave the house because it's so cold, especially as I am already known to be an old lady when it comes to the cold.


Upon arriving back from Paris, I can say the past two weeks have been hectic, and I can feel it getting worse. University, and not just any university, but one that gives you 3 days as a revision period for exams, is taking over my life. So I have now started revision, 5 lovely exams, all in Spanish, subjects ranging from the economic history of Spain to advertising to foundations of translation. But anyway, in between panicking for these exams I have managed to venture into the goings on in Barcelona once again, slightly more cultural this week.

It has been one of my best friends birthday, so we have been out for meals, coffee and obviously a night out in Barcelona. I am now getting used to getting the metro back at 6am and it being full of people, like it is a normal occurrence. That is one thing Barcelona will never be, quiet. I can't complain as it is what makes the city what it is.

I have also been to the exhibition of the World Press Photo 2013 at the Centre Cultural Contemporánea de Barcelona, which was amazing, and has made me want to see even more exhibitions. Although I feel like art and culture just surrounds you in Barcelona, no matter where you are in the city and it is such an amazing atmosphere. I am also starting to gain a collections of  'views of Barcelona' and on Sunday I went to one place which tops them all up to now, The Bunkers. I have been twice now, once at night and once in the day, and the view is phenomenal at both times in the day. I will definitely be returning here, it is a great spot to just relax with friends and take in the stunning view of Barcelona.

It is not long until I am back in Manchester for Christmas, so I want to make the most of a Catalan Christmas. Bon Nadal.


Here are some of the photos:

10. Paris, Aren't You Lovely

I am now officially twenty-two and since that change, I have been really busy, but one thing in particular stood out, Paris. Need I say more.
Paris is known as a cultural city full of love, croissants, snails and lots of berets. I must say I definitely felt it all, whether it was the couple kissing in front of the Eiffel Tower for more than twenty minutes, or the never-ending patisseries or  the endless extravagant buildings, I felt it. All I can say is that it was amazing. I went to visit my friend who studies on my course at my home university, and thanks to her I got to see a lot of sights in a short space of time, without getting lost once, which is a first for me. I also had a lovely reunion with other friends of my course, and it was nice to hear about all our experiences abroad. I think I also managed to learn some French, but with my horrific French accent, I doubt anyone would understand me.
I also had the chance to see the Eiffel tower light up at night, what a spectacle, alongside visiting the Sacre Coere and a place called the Artist Quarter,which was definitely my favourite.
Along the way, I also found time to try some French delicacies, you know the typical ones, snails, frogs legs and a crème brûlée, all very tasty. Basically, Paris is a wonderful European city and I am glad I had the chance to walk the streets, especially now Christmas is round the corner, and there are lights and decorations up everywhere. hopefully, in the future, if I have more than a weekend free, I would love to explore the city more, but this time with a French dictionary by my side.

9. Birthday Blues

La Barceloneta

I have had two weeks full of mayhem, a hospital visit and a birthday to remember.
I haven't wrote on here for a bit, as I have been bombarded by university work, it is fair to say, sometimes being an Erasmus student is not an easy life. Spain may be a very laid back country but the teachers sure can be strict.

Anyway, to start with my recent happenings. I have learnt that knives are sharp. I was cutting bread with my friend and managed to slice my finger, luckily only the top of the skin, and although it doesn't sound like much, it was very painful. I knew that I was clumsy, but not that clumsy. Anyway, I now know where the local hospital is and have realised I have some lovely friends who all accompanied me there! now onto more happier stories, I watched the derby game, between Barcelona and Madrid, in a local bar. What fun that was. It was such an amazing atmosphere and I would love to go to an actual game at the stadium. Although being in a bar with endless cocktails and being able to order some food at any time was a pretty good atmosphere for me.


Monserrat

I have also managed to get around in the past few weeks, I visited Montserrat, which is only an hour away from Barcelona and it is basically a little town in the mountains, nothing like I have ever seen before, that was for sure. It was such a beautiful view from up there. we got a cable car up and for ten euros return it wasn't really that bad. then once your up there, it is a little town, it was full of cafes, shops, markets and a lovely cathedral. me and my friend also attempted to climb up the mountain, however on our way up a gentleman was kind enough to tell us that there was 789 steps to go, so on that note, we headed back down!




Monserrat

It has also been Halloween, although it isn't celebrated here as much as it is in the uk, but I wouldn't say that was a bad thing. although it was a fail of a night out as it was impossible to get in anywhere and even if you did, all the places were jam packed with people, and no one likes not being able to get to the bar. however, my Halloween got better as I went to a friend of a friends for a Halloween themed quiz, the host was Mexican and very very organised. If I could choose anyone to be a quizmaster on television, it would be him. he whapped out various rounds, for instance, guess the Halloween songs, photos of celebrities changed into Halloween monsters, hanging caldrens from the ceiling, and he also said the whole quiz in Spanish and English, what a legend. My team didn't win, but we came home with a goody bag, amazing.

Inside La Sagrada Familia

However, the best part of my week, was Thursday the 7th November, when my boyfriend came to visit. We have had a weekend full of eating, being tourists and me attempting to teach him Spanish. Firstly, I managed to show him around all the main tourist places, like Las Ramblas, La boquieria and La barceloneta, but i'm not complaining as in each place we tried to taste a different form of cuisine, or atleast a typical Spanish dish!
It was my 22nd birthday whilst he was over here, so we filled the weekend with many outings  and places i had never seen! My two favourite places, La Sagrada Familia and Camp Nou.
As a birthday treat, we went to visit the Sagrada Familia, and seen as I live right next to it, I felt like I should go inside. Everyday I see millions of people queuing up outside, so I wanted to know what all the fuss was about. Although, inside of the queue, we bought tickets online and walked straight in. It was out of this world, I can't believe I had never been inside it before now. it is definitely a must see in Barcelona and a great token in the city. we also went to Camp Nou for a tour, and who knew Barcelona Fc have like a million trophies. It was actually really fun though, we got to see the pitch and the museum was so interactive, I could have been there for hours.

La Barceloneta

As for my birthday, it was amazing, it was so nice to receive cards, videos and presents from my family. It was also nice to do something different and experience my birthday abroad and all I can say, is Barcelona gave me a lovely birthday, especially the salsa club me and my friends went to.


In regards to my next post.. I am visiting Paris for my friends birthday. I am looking forward to experiencing a bit of the French life, and seeing the comparison between two major cities.

Au revoir for now!

8. Lost in translation

A month in a University with extraordinary rules, endless ventures of tourism and some amazing cava.

Firstly, I can't even comprehend the fact I have been here for a month and a half, time has flown by. However I feel like my language  of Spanish has improved, with a bit of Catalan, French and German thrown in there.
I have learnt a lot in the past month about rules and regulations here. Mainly that you can leave a lecture when you want for the loo but if you are five minutes late, there is no entering the class, or all hell breaks lose. Also, I have been bombarded by work, I am yet to have a day where I have completed everything.

I have also realized that concepts can get quickly lost in translation, and part of becoming fluent in a language is experiencing the awkward moments. The word 'awkward' also does not exist in Spanish and I am yet to find anything sufficient to put across my feeling of these moments, so I just stand there looking at the floor.
 For example, I was at my aunties the other day and when I was leaving they said '¿Tienes su movile?´ which i translate to do you have your aunties mobile, in which I responded, no ofcourse I don't I just have my own in my bag. In the end I realised they meant did I have her number in my phone.
And then an example with someone from my own country. I told my friend I was going to a tandem, and she instantly assumed I meant I was riding on a tandem bike, instead of a tandem exchange where people converse in different languages. Therefore, confusion can occur in your maternal language as well as your foreign language.


Also to update my tourism diary, I am happy to say, I am starting to feel like a citizen here, although I still love exploring new places.
The other weekend me and my friends travelled to Zaragoza, which is about four hours away from Barcelona. We went when 'La fiesta del Pilar' was happening; the busiest weekend of the year. However, it made it that much better, we ate churros, watched many spectacles and explore the beautiful city.
I have now also seen the amazing Magical fountains of Monjuic, what a spectacle! I was actually shocked at how grand it is, and how I could stand there for an hour watching water and lights. But it was simply amazing.

 I have also ventured around town, into La Boqueria, where I want to buy every kind of fruit, meat and fish, don't go there when you are hungry as you will end up buying everything, just like I did.


The highlight of my week was 'La champaneria' A little place near la Barcenoleta where you get can a glass of cava for one euro and an array of tapas, without breaking the bank. Also to top it all off, you have a bit  of that pure Spanish culture as there are no seats, so everyone stands round the bar, drinking and munching away, what a great ambience.


"Barcelona is a very old city in which you can feel the weight of history; it is haunted by history. You cannot walk around it without perceiving it" -Carlos Ruiz Zafron

7. Spanish name issues

The title of this blog is self-explanatory.

Basically, I have come to realise that there are many good and also bad points to having a Basque/Catalan/Spanish name!

1) Every time a teacher reads my first name (Aidoia) in the register they then ask, oh your name is Basque, are you from the Basque country?

2) A good point is when someone reads my name, especially the Catalans, they love that I have a Catalan surname (Puig, which is even in many street names!). They all light up, which makes me feel really special.But then they start speaking Catalan to me, and then they are extremely disappointed when the only Catalan word I know is goodbye. Very awkward. Especially for instance the other day when I was the only foreigner in a class full of locals. I had no idea what anyone was saying, and I spent most of the class confused and then the teacher asked me a question, I responded, everyone laughed, and that was that. No one realised I was foreign, and now they definitely all think I'm stupid.

3) Then, there are the people that are like, why does an English girl have a Spanish name? and the people who are like, oh you must be fluent in Spanish if your dad is Spanish? I then have to respond with the same response as always.. "No, I learnt Spanish in education, just like everyone else"

4) However, may favourite point of my Spanish name, is that over here, every one pronounces it correctly, unlike in the UK, where everyone pulls a funny face and I say "just call me doya".

For the first time in my life, I'm known as Aidoia and not Doya, it is a strange feeling.

6. Keep Calm and Speak Catalan

Keep calm and speak Catalan, that is what I saw on a guys t-shirt over the weekend!
(I will definitely give him a ten for effort)

As everyone knows, the region of Cataluña is striving for independence and for their language of Catalan to be spoken throughout. But what about those who only speak Castilian?

Well, when I first came to Barcelona, I knew that people spoke Catalan and so on, however not to this extent. The street signs, menus and even the whole of my university website is in Catalan. But if you have ever studied French and Spanish, then I would like to say it is a mixture of both, however that doesn't make it easy. I attended a class of basic Catalan, as I thought it would be a good idea to learn some, yet the first thing the teacher says is 'if you can't speak Catalan then you shouldn't be in this class'.. great. Although, I am lucky as many of my friends have classes in Catalan, and I struggle enough to understand fully classes in Castilian, yet in a language I have never studied!

On the other hand, I do understand slightly why the region wants independence. For example, just from me living here for a month I have realised that every street I walk down, it is full of tourists. Tourists taking photos left right and centre, tourists standing in the street, and tourists blocking the metro stops. I know I can't really say much as I am a foreigner here too, but I can now see a bit why the Catalans want their city back.


Anyway, onto less controversial subjects... over the weekend I went to the beautiful town of Sitges with my friends, two French girls, which is good as I am forced to speak Spanish with them. The town is only an hour away from Barcelona on the train, and we managed to get an apartment for quite cheap, so off we went. In recent years, Sitges has been known for it's homosexual culture, and it is definitely apparent. By day, the stunning beach and endless shops are full of people and by night the small city transforms into a colourful array of fiestas, with dancers, drag queens and a vibe like no other, all mainly situated down the street that is sin street.

It was a lovely weekend, but then it was back to reality and my first week at university, the next blog will reveal all. 
 
 
 

5. Fiestas and what not

It has been nearly a week since I last wrote on here, but its been a week full of fiestas, 'people towers' as my dad calls them, a goodbye, a hell of a lot of walking, and a bit of university in there as well.

The highlight of my week has defiantly been seeing 'los castells' as part of the la fiesta de la Mercé, which was a four day long fiesta, amazing. Me and friends ventured into the centre of Barcelona with a map and a slight idea of where to go. However, the map was not needed as it was a fiesta and in Spain you just follow the millions of people heading in one direction and the rest falls into place. Although, we somehow got caught up in a protest but then  not long after we swiftly got to where the castells were happening. We were squashed, pushed, shoved and trampled on, but at least we got great photographs! After this we headed to Monjuic which is situated on the other side of town, pretty much in the mountains. There were some great views from up there to add to my Barcelona view collection. However I can't describe how much I have walked since I've been here, I'm all up for exercise but my feet literally swell at night. There is nothing but hills, stairs and more hills. So, if I don't have calves of steel after this year, I will be disappointed.

This week I also endured my first bit of Barcelona nightlife, which only pretty much starts a 2am and last all night long. Luckily on a Saturday night the metro runs all night, so that deems the cheapest and quickest transport home. There are so many places to choose from, bars, clubs, and salsa, but a lot of places are quite touristy so hopefully as time goes by I will learn the more local bars. Drinks are defiantly more expensive here in bars and clubs, therefore I have opted for a 3 euro carton of sangria and tinto de verano the past few nights! Not only this, but me and my friends experiences a Spanish fiesta. One of our neighbours posted an invitation underneath our door about someone's birthday and we thought, why not, let's go and say hi. So we did, however everyone was just a little older than us, and very very drunk, however we managed to get by with our Castilian but there were a few awkward moments, so not long after we ate some cake and left.

Anyway, The slightly not so fun bit of my week was saying goodbye to my dad, as he has been here for two weeks helping me attempt to become a citizen and so on, with many ups and downs. But I feel like I have accomplished a fair bit in 2 weeks. When I think about it, it is weird how I am living in the place my dad was born and via versa, but I have realised a lot has changed in Barcelona since he lived here, some things are better and some worse. I feel like I have only explored a tenth of this city... it is just so huge.

Also to show I am not just on the beach all day, I have now officially started university, well at 8:30am this morning, in a class of 'The economic history of contemporary Spain'. It was a very interesting subject however it took me an hour to realise I hadn't written anything down because I was too busy concentrating on listening to what the teacher was saying, not too mention the fact he has a slight German/Spanish accent. I doubt I'd even understand this subject in English and here I am studying it in Spanish at the crack of dawn, I hope I can grasp listening intently to Spanish for 2 hours next time. However, I am yet to change my subjects that I want to drop, and choose the ones I want to add, so a week of classes I dislike it is.
I have also realised that attempting to use the printers in a foreign university isn't fun, especially when the instructions are in Catalan. I had just bought printer credits on my 'printer card' when I accidently clicked the photocopy button (it did not say fotocopia on it) and even though there was nothing to photocopy, the machine went ahead and photocopied nothing, 20 times and used all 2 euros of my credits, whilst the person behind me just huffed and puffed because I was taking so long. Next stop: buy a catalan phrase book.

Finally, I may be travelling outside of Barcelona this weekend, so I shall keep this updated. However, I won't be travelling without a tissue, seen as I have the worst cold ever, even though it is 27 degrees here in the day. So for now, a 'colacoa' and a few donuts to make me feel better.

4.Olives vs Doya

This week so far has been hectic to say the least, however I have learnt something I feel is valuable through a fight with an olive jar, the one in the photo.
Firstly, either I must be the weakest person on earth or these olive jars are made of steel and only Arnold Schwarzenegger can open them.
I spent a whole 30 minutes trying to open them, with a tea towel, resting on the side, by this time I was very hungry and that's not fun for anyone.
Basically it was olives-1 doya-0.
My flatmate came home later on and got a bottle opener out of the draw next to me and pinged it open. What a life lesson.



Anyway, besides this dramatic episode, I have now moved into my flat! and I am yet to get used to walking past the Sagada Familia everyday, but when I see huge queues all around it at 8.30am, I think maybe in the next year I should venture inside!
Although I love most aspects of my flat, everything is gas and I'm scared of burning my hand off so I bought a 'special' lighter and we have no kettle or microwave. So I'm now making a good old brew by heating water in a pan, I feel like I'm in the 1500's (I didn't study history so I can't say if that is actually fact). But minus all this, The fact I can step out onto a balcony and I have a bed that would fit four of me in, I can cope.

 

                                            A snazzy photo of my balcony and the main one.



I also now have a national identity card, hooray! But it wasn't that simple, I have spent most of today on a metro link, going back and fourth to collect documents but all is well as some 'Vinto Tinto' will go down nicely now. I feel like I am getting more accustom to speaking castellan and pretending like I'm a native, whilst also learning some Catalan, as most street signs and now even restaurant menus are in Catalan. Each day I am leaning something new, whether it be a new word, phrase or even a life lesson in regards to olives, but It is all a new experience and I am definitely falling in love with Barcelona. A day in the life of a foreign student.

Tomorrow? The beach. Finally.

 

3.From Manchester to Barcelona

Day 6: the Catalan word for teeth is Dents and the word for timetable is Calendari

Firstly, it has been nearly a week of living in Barcelona, I luckily now have a flat, an orthodontist, a Spanish mobile number and a university timetable, no thanks to my Spanish Castilian language skills though.

My flat hunting started on easypiso.com at least a month ago, but I have seen flats which looked like cabins I stayed in at PGL and flats which are made for dwarfs and I am not shy to say I am quite small, but not that small. But luckily, somehow I stumbled upon a gem, and now I have a flat with a terrace balcony and my own little cheeky balcony, along with a 2 minute walk away from La sagrada familia! Jackpot, although I don't move in till Monday, so hopefully everything will go to plan and i'm able to carry two suitcases on the metrolink, which seem to have a million escalators!

Then, I managed to book an appointment at a local orthodontist for my top brace, and everyone speaks Catalan, which is nothing like Spanish so I just kept saying the word dents and hoped for the best, and apparently I have an appointment next week, so I assume that's a good thing.

I also now have a Spanish phone number, hooray! but my English holiday phone could not be unlocked because it was too old, peculiar. but I managed to buy the exact same old phone in the shop to put a Spanish sim in, even weirder. But anyway, I am now able to give out my number, without explaining that its an English number and everyone pulling a face because they don't want to pay international fees!

To add to this very long blog entry, I start la Universidad de Pompeo Fabra next week, however the whole website is in Catalan and therefore I got slightly confused when choosing my classes, so I have ended up with subjects like geography and the economic history of Spain, which are all far from my comfort zone of media, arts and languages. So, the first thing on my agenda is to attempt to change them, yet I am yet to find my timetable, even though the word calendari is everywhere, I still have no timetable. So, I can't even currently go to the classes to change them.

That about sums up my week, not including the endless Cacaolats I have drank (Spanish hot chocolate), hours learning the underground and trips to a few tourist spots like Parc Guell, as everyone needs a bit of Gaudi architecture in their life!

Here are a few standard tourist pictures I've took..

Parc Guell                                                                     La sagrada familia, my new home.

And a view of
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2. Being invisible

Well, I have only been here for two full days yet I definitely now know what it feels like to be a foreigner.
Luckily, I am staying with my auntie in Valle de Hebron until I find a flat and it is only 20 minutes from the centre of Barcelona, however this is where my luck ends.
I have learnt that I am invisible, as without an NIE (a certificate number for residency) I can't open a bank account, get an internet dongle or buy a phone, I don't exist. Basically, it is hard to get by without this number and appointments fill up quickly to get it and mine isn't until two weeks time, fantastic, I will just have to live in the shadows.

Not only this, but there was no point in me bringing anything with me as nothing works across a border, I need my phone unlocking, my internet dongle broke and also my laptop has changed everything to Spanish, which may seem like a good thing but when your trying to find a bus route, it can become stressful, especially when I haven't read or spoke Spanish since June. I definitely should have dedicated more research to these problems instead of watching every season of CSI.

I have also experienced many types of weather within an hour today: scorching sun, crazy wind and a tropical storm which resulted in my running up a hill home soaked through and I had only had a shower and washed my hair an hour before, typical.

Apart from my minor 'first world problems', just walking around this amazing city makes me realise why I chose it for my year abroad, it is nothing but eventful and it is full of many amazing things I am yet to explore, I now feel like a year isn't enough.

I have no photos yet as there was no time between running in a storm, eating menu del dia and having a siesta but I will start as of tomorrow.

1.Third year abroad

First question? why is my blog called a Spanglish monkey, well I'm half English, half Spanish and I love monkeys, a good enough reason for me.
Now to the point:Third year abroad.

Everyone has heard the term before but this isn't no 'gap yah' or a time to 'find' myself. It is part of my university degree and in one day I move to Barcelona for a year, how scary. Especially after I have endured a summer of lounging around, eating more than I can chew and basically enjoying the home comforts, its time to experience something different, a life of paella.

Well, I am currently studying Spanish and Latin American studies alongside Media, culture and communications at Newcastle university, what a mouthful... and as part of my degree I have the luxury to work and study abroad for a year, so get me to Barcelona, I am finally all packed.

I wanted to go to a city full of diverse culture, exquisite cuisine, and an atmosphere like no other... and there was one place in my mind that stood out from all the rest obviously: Barcelona.
It is a place of Catalan independence, an awesome football team and ultimately a way of life I want to experience! no turning back now.

Alongside all those amazing things, it is my fathers birth place and therefore I feel it is part of my heritage, but a part that I am yet to explore and this is the perfect opportunity. Hopefully I will adjust to life abroad, my Spanish will be up to scratch and the Catalan barrier won't be an issue but ill see.

So, I have started this blog in order to document my journey, the ups and downs, not only for my own memory, i'm a goldfish.. but also for my friends and family to share a bit of my exciting experience, as i'm known to not have the best survival skills, so lets see. Currently I have nowhere to live, but that's a minor issue, what is important is the weather and the way to the beach.
Joking. I need a flat pronto.

From the Toon of Newcastle to La plaza de Catalunya.