Today was my first day of classes at UAB. My first class of the day wasn't until 1:40, but I woke up at 8:45 and decided I would get ready and go to campus early. There was a group leaving the Residencia at 10:20 so I decided to tag along with them so I would know how to get to campus. Because I left so early, I decided I would sit in the computer room and use the WIFI, make a shopping list for the mercado, and make a to-do list for myself. Several different groups of people filtered in and out throughout the day. But some of them were rather annoying. One guy managed to chomp on 3 or 4 mandarin oranges while watching a TV show online and laughing (rather loudly I might add) at whatever show he was watching.Needless to say, I was ready to get out of there by the time my first class started.
My first class of the day on Monday's and Wednesday's is Doing Business in Emerging Markets. The class is taught by a Romanian woman who has lived in Spain for 9 years. Today was primarily a review day and we talked about a lot of things I learned last semester in my business classes. The majority of the students in the class were Americans, but we had 5 or 6 Brazilians as well! I then had a little over an hour break before heading back to campus for my Spanish class (which is held for 1 hour and 40 minutes, Monday-Thursday). I placed into an intermediate level Spanish, but was nervous about how it would go. We didn't cover much in the class, but took a quiz to determine if we should move up, stay, or move down a level. I am still feeling a little rusty on the listening part and I feel like I have missed out on A LOT of vocabulary, but we will see what Marc Garcia says about it!
The world truly is small. One of my friends Felicia who came on the trip through AIFS is from Cleveland and I met a girl in my Spanish class is from Ashland, Ohio and attends Ashland University.
Tomorrow I have my first Spanish Culture and Civilization class, so that will definitely be interesting. The Culture and Civilization class is taught on the beautiful campus of Sant Pau to which I have to take the metro, definitely not my favorite. Dale had the same class today and seemed to enjoy it, so I'm hoping it goes well for me too!
Our AIFS group decided in London that we would try to do family dinner certain nights a week. Tonight was our second family dinner in Barcelona and Dale and I once again failed miserably at making dinner and socializing. Our rice didn't cook and the corn was okay. We are definitely going to make a trip to the market soon! Hopefully we will make it to a family dinner at some point this semester, but at the rate we are going we will make it to the last one.
More on tomorrow's first day of classes and our cooking adventures later!
xoxo
Kelcey
Monday, January 14, 2013
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Friends
After the event that occurred this afternoon, a small group
of us decided to go out to dinner and just have a good time. I have to say,
they are a wonderful group of girls! They decided to pay for my dinner and wine
and I could not be more thankful to be a part of their group! Having them around definitely made me feel better about what happened. It definitely
helped cheer me up and we had a wonderful time! The group finally got a chance to sit and talk about anything and everything. We went to a restaurant called
Milk in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona. We had gone to this restaurant the other night for our
welcome dinner in Barcelona. Wednesday night we only had tapas for dinner
(which were delicious), but tonight we were able to order from their full menu.
Everyone decided to eat some kind of burger or sandwich and they were awesome!
One of the toughest things about Europe is their inability
to split checks at dinner. Not only was it impossible for them to do in London,
but they haven’t been willing to work with us in Barcelona either. As a group
we always forget to mention it before we order. But we always make the best of
it! It is hard getting used to the small cultural differences, such as paying for WIFI, splitting checks, or the fact that almost everything is closed on Sundays.
Classes start tomorrow and the majority of us have classes on both of the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona satellite campuses, one in the Eixample district and the other in Sant Pau in an old hospital. Today (on the first rainy day we've had), we decided we would try to find our way to both campuses so we could be prepared for the week. We managed to get lost on the way to the Eixample campus, but only by a few blocks. I'm still not sure I could find my way on my own! The Sant Pau campus is accessible by metro, though, if I had the choice I would walk. The Sant Pau campus is absolutely beautiful so I took my camera along to take pictures, however, when we arrived the campus gates were closed (so no pictures were taken...major bummer). The Sant Pau campus is actually located in one of the buildings of the old hospital. But the architecture and colors are gorgeous!
Classes start tomorrow so hopefully I will get a chance to fill y'all in on my first day of Spanish classes (in which we are not allowed to yawn, drink water, eat, or get up and use the restroom)! For the rest of today I plan on doing nothing, except maybe laundry!
Stay tuned for more!
xoxo
Kelcey
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Karma
On the first day of orientation we were told that everyone should expect to be pick-pocketed during our time in Spain. Who was the first to be pick-pocketed? Yep, you guessed it, me.
When you think about pick-pockets, you think about shady looking men waiting in back alleyways or around the corner for you; or even as sad as it is, children. But these pick-pockets were two women. This afternoon was absolutely wonderful, but it started to take a turn when I rushed to get on the metro and no one else did. Turns out (me being blonde at heart) that it wasn't the right line and I was going no where near home. So I got off at the next stop and called them. Luckily they had realized what happened and got on the next metro to meet me and take it back to the original station. The next few minutes are pretty much a blur. I had noticed that two women came rushing up to the front of the metro car as we got on but hadn't thought much about it. I kept one hand on the hand rail and the other on top of my purse near the zippers like I always do. We only had to ride one stop so I moved to the door and when the metro stopped took both of my hands off of my purse to open the car door. As soon as I did that I realized what was happening, but took too long to process it. I knew for sure it had happened when we got off the metro and my bag had been unzipped. We got off and ran to try and find her but of course no such luck. We found a police officer and while I was trying to call my parents', I had someone call Inma (our Resident Director) to see what I needed to do. Luckily I had no credit or debit cards on me, and I only had a copy of my passport. Because I didn't have anything of "value" (needless to say I had 120 euros on me) like credit/debit cards or my passport I couldn't file a police report. We did describe the women to the police officer. I doubt I ever see them or my wallet again.
Now I have no form of ID, license or otherwise, but I guess things could have been a lot worse. I am a pretty strong believer in karma and hope that one day this even will come back around and bite her in the butt.
The first part of the day we went through Gothic Barcelona and the older parts. It was beautiful! But that was about the highlight of my day.
I think I deserve a few glasses of wine now...
Stay tuned for more adventures, or if today says anything, misadventures.
xoxo
Kelcey
When you think about pick-pockets, you think about shady looking men waiting in back alleyways or around the corner for you; or even as sad as it is, children. But these pick-pockets were two women. This afternoon was absolutely wonderful, but it started to take a turn when I rushed to get on the metro and no one else did. Turns out (me being blonde at heart) that it wasn't the right line and I was going no where near home. So I got off at the next stop and called them. Luckily they had realized what happened and got on the next metro to meet me and take it back to the original station. The next few minutes are pretty much a blur. I had noticed that two women came rushing up to the front of the metro car as we got on but hadn't thought much about it. I kept one hand on the hand rail and the other on top of my purse near the zippers like I always do. We only had to ride one stop so I moved to the door and when the metro stopped took both of my hands off of my purse to open the car door. As soon as I did that I realized what was happening, but took too long to process it. I knew for sure it had happened when we got off the metro and my bag had been unzipped. We got off and ran to try and find her but of course no such luck. We found a police officer and while I was trying to call my parents', I had someone call Inma (our Resident Director) to see what I needed to do. Luckily I had no credit or debit cards on me, and I only had a copy of my passport. Because I didn't have anything of "value" (needless to say I had 120 euros on me) like credit/debit cards or my passport I couldn't file a police report. We did describe the women to the police officer. I doubt I ever see them or my wallet again.
Now I have no form of ID, license or otherwise, but I guess things could have been a lot worse. I am a pretty strong believer in karma and hope that one day this even will come back around and bite her in the butt.
The first part of the day we went through Gothic Barcelona and the older parts. It was beautiful! But that was about the highlight of my day.
I think I deserve a few glasses of wine now...
Stay tuned for more adventures, or if today says anything, misadventures.
xoxo
Kelcey
Friday, January 11, 2013
La Sagrada Familia
Today the AIFS group went to visit La Sagrada Familia. La Sagrada Familia is a church designed by Antoni Gaudi and was started in 1882. They are still working on the structure today and will probably not finish it for another 13 years, maybe more. The original plans for the building were lost in a fire of Gaudi's workshop, but, along with the drawings, he made models of his buildings.The church is funded by donations and ticket sales.
Some background on La Familia Sagrada from our tour guide today includes: One entrance contains sculptures depicting Christ's crucifixion and the other entrance depicts His birth. There is another entrance to the building but it hasn't been completed yet. There are 52 pillars inside the church. There is one for each Sunday of the year. There are 12 pillars built up from the church for the 12 pillars in the Bible. The church is laid out so when seen from above it is in the shape of the cross. There is also a cross on top of the church which is symbolic for Christ and can bee seen as a cross from all directions. Antoni Gaudi's crypt is located in the basement of the church. They hold a service every now and then. The Pope visited last year to consecrate it.
After the tour was over, we took an elevator to the top and had some AWESOME views of the city and Mediterranean! We then had to trek down the tight spiral staircase to the first floor of the church. They only had a hand rail on the left side. So it isn't an understatement when I say the majority of us held on for dear life going down hundreds of stairs.
La Sagrada Familia is definitely a place I would love visit again in 13 years to see it completed!
After visiting the church I went and got my Spanish phone (woohoo!) and then did some shopping, although I only bought the necessities, I did try on a few things (I couldn't help myself).
The AIFS group then decided we wanted to do a "family" dinner. It sure was an experience getting ready for dinner. We showed up an hour late to empty tables...oops! Dale wanted to make an omelet and I had no clue what to eat. Dale browns her potatoes and puts Havarti on them and is attempting to crack her eggs when she realizes they are hard boiled. We then decided to do pasta and a salad for dinner. I was in charge of the sauce and the salad. After opening the salad, I nearly dropped the whole bag on the floor. But, we finally got our first homemade Barcelona dinner! We plan on having many more. Hopefully we will make it on time to the next one!
Classes start on Monday! Stay tuned for more adventures!
xoxo
Kelcey
P.S. Here are some picture from our tour today!
This picture is from one of the side entrances. It depicts Christ's crucifixion.
The church from across the street.
Another scene from the crucifixion.
The altar inside the church.
Some of the beautiful stained glass. Gaudi had designed a layout for the glass, but during the fire the plans got burned. They brought in a modern artist to recreate what they thought Gaudi would want it to look like.
The other side entrance depicting the birth of Christ.
Some of the city and the Mediterranean.
Some background on La Familia Sagrada from our tour guide today includes: One entrance contains sculptures depicting Christ's crucifixion and the other entrance depicts His birth. There is another entrance to the building but it hasn't been completed yet. There are 52 pillars inside the church. There is one for each Sunday of the year. There are 12 pillars built up from the church for the 12 pillars in the Bible. The church is laid out so when seen from above it is in the shape of the cross. There is also a cross on top of the church which is symbolic for Christ and can bee seen as a cross from all directions. Antoni Gaudi's crypt is located in the basement of the church. They hold a service every now and then. The Pope visited last year to consecrate it.
After the tour was over, we took an elevator to the top and had some AWESOME views of the city and Mediterranean! We then had to trek down the tight spiral staircase to the first floor of the church. They only had a hand rail on the left side. So it isn't an understatement when I say the majority of us held on for dear life going down hundreds of stairs.
La Sagrada Familia is definitely a place I would love visit again in 13 years to see it completed!
After visiting the church I went and got my Spanish phone (woohoo!) and then did some shopping, although I only bought the necessities, I did try on a few things (I couldn't help myself).
The AIFS group then decided we wanted to do a "family" dinner. It sure was an experience getting ready for dinner. We showed up an hour late to empty tables...oops! Dale wanted to make an omelet and I had no clue what to eat. Dale browns her potatoes and puts Havarti on them and is attempting to crack her eggs when she realizes they are hard boiled. We then decided to do pasta and a salad for dinner. I was in charge of the sauce and the salad. After opening the salad, I nearly dropped the whole bag on the floor. But, we finally got our first homemade Barcelona dinner! We plan on having many more. Hopefully we will make it on time to the next one!
Classes start on Monday! Stay tuned for more adventures!
xoxo
Kelcey
P.S. Here are some picture from our tour today!
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Culture Shock
No matter how many times you read about culture shock, hear about culture
shock, or sit through lectures on culture shock, you are never truly prepared
for culture shock. Culture shock is like getting hit in the face by a
brick.
I might not call what I'm feeling right now true culture shock, but more like homesickness. Yep, it only took 4 days. I’m not going to lie. I am having a hard time. I miss being able to see my family and speak to my family. I miss my dog. I miss my horse. I miss home. I knew when I embarked on this journey that it would be tough. No one said living in a foreign country for four months with a different language, food, and culture would be easy. But I never expected I would have this hard of a time. You really take for granted having good internet connection and even wifi. I was so looking forward to skyping with my mom later this afternoon, but as I was writing this blog entry, the internet decided to call it quits, again. It is so finicky that I'm not sure if the connection will last through a skype session.
I know in the long run this experience will make me so much stronger. But in the here and now it is tough. Very tough.
Today we are going to meet some of our professors and tour our other satellite campus. I will let you all know how that goes!
xoxo
Kelcey
I might not call what I'm feeling right now true culture shock, but more like homesickness. Yep, it only took 4 days. I’m not going to lie. I am having a hard time. I miss being able to see my family and speak to my family. I miss my dog. I miss my horse. I miss home. I knew when I embarked on this journey that it would be tough. No one said living in a foreign country for four months with a different language, food, and culture would be easy. But I never expected I would have this hard of a time. You really take for granted having good internet connection and even wifi. I was so looking forward to skyping with my mom later this afternoon, but as I was writing this blog entry, the internet decided to call it quits, again. It is so finicky that I'm not sure if the connection will last through a skype session.
I know in the long run this experience will make me so much stronger. But in the here and now it is tough. Very tough.
Today we are going to meet some of our professors and tour our other satellite campus. I will let you all know how that goes!
xoxo
Kelcey
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Hola from Bar-they-lona!
When in Rome do as the Romans do, right?
That has been the AIFS motto for the past week, not only in Spain, but also while we were in London. We have attempted to blend in (like that would ever happen) and act like we know what is going on, even if we had to ask for directions a few times. Everyone we have asked directions from has been SO helpful and willing to give their time.
In London I took the Tube (metro, subway, etc.) which was one of my first times riding anything like that in my adult life. Our group is pretty good at just walking around and finding wonderful places to eat. On Monday in London we took a tour of the city. Who knew London was over 600 sq. miles? The original part of London was built off the Thames and then it grew from there! We saw Westminster Abbey (from the outside. Dale and I were dying to go in but we ran out of time), Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, the London Bridge, and so many other beautiful places. A group of us decided to get off the bus early and do a tour of the Tower of London, which is where some of the first Royals lived. The Tower of London is pretty much a city within the city. 43 families still live within the towers walls today. We saw the crown jewels (EEEEKKKKKKK), including a 524 carat diamond, the torture chambers, the bedrooms, and many more cool things. Then our group continued to walk around London for the rest of the day which included stops at the Natural History Museum and the British National Museum where we saw mummies and the Rosetta Stone. We ended our night by going to a Sports Cafe to watch the Alabama game (there is an Alabama fan on the trip). The bouncer at the club checked IDs and Dale and another guy realized then that they had left them in their rooms back at the hotel (about a 30-45 minute trip one way on the Tube) so they proceeded to head back and grab them. She made it back to the bar in time for all the girls to leave and go back to the hotel...what a night out she had! The next day was spent on an airplane headed to Barcelona. The flight was wonderful, only an hour and forty minutes, and they served lunch! Customs was much easier to get through at the Spanish airport, they were a little more relaxed, a lot friendlier, and more willing to chat about what you were there for. The group then headed for the Residencia where the majority of us are staying. The rooms are nice; every room has its own bathroom and it is only one person per room with an adjoining kitchen. Dale and I are roommates/suitemates of course!
Tuesday was spent walking around some of Barcelona trying to learn where things are. There are so many markets right around the Residencia and all of the food is fresh. I'm pretty sure we know how to use the metro system now. Today we got a small tour of the AIFS Barcelona office and got to go to one of the UAB satellite campuses where some of our classes will be held. We had a welcome dinner tonight at a wonderful restaurant/bar called Milk located in an older section of the city. We had lots of tapas for dinner, including some salmon crackers, something with tuna, sliders, buffalo wings, hummus, and so much more! Tomorrow we get to visit the other satellite campus in Sant Pau which is a metro ride away from the Residencia. Friday will be spent doing a tour of La Sagrada Familia, so look out for pictures (either in the next post or on Facebook)!
The primary language in Barcelona is Catalan, which is a mix of French and Spanish (Barcelona is close to the French border). They tend to have a sort of lisp (if that is what you want to call it) when speaking. It isn't gracias, it's gra-the-as. It is a little hard to get used to and Dale and I are trying so hard to not speak English, but it's tough and will probably take a few weeks to get used to. As much as you try to prepare yourself for something experiences like this, you will never truly be ready.
I have to say the AIFS group is AWESOME!!! We all get along really well and everyone looks after one another. We are like our own little family! We have had a wonderful time getting to know each other and look forward to making many more memories together!
Stay tuned for pictures and more adventures!
xoxo
Kelcey
That has been the AIFS motto for the past week, not only in Spain, but also while we were in London. We have attempted to blend in (like that would ever happen) and act like we know what is going on, even if we had to ask for directions a few times. Everyone we have asked directions from has been SO helpful and willing to give their time.
In London I took the Tube (metro, subway, etc.) which was one of my first times riding anything like that in my adult life. Our group is pretty good at just walking around and finding wonderful places to eat. On Monday in London we took a tour of the city. Who knew London was over 600 sq. miles? The original part of London was built off the Thames and then it grew from there! We saw Westminster Abbey (from the outside. Dale and I were dying to go in but we ran out of time), Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, the London Bridge, and so many other beautiful places. A group of us decided to get off the bus early and do a tour of the Tower of London, which is where some of the first Royals lived. The Tower of London is pretty much a city within the city. 43 families still live within the towers walls today. We saw the crown jewels (EEEEKKKKKKK), including a 524 carat diamond, the torture chambers, the bedrooms, and many more cool things. Then our group continued to walk around London for the rest of the day which included stops at the Natural History Museum and the British National Museum where we saw mummies and the Rosetta Stone. We ended our night by going to a Sports Cafe to watch the Alabama game (there is an Alabama fan on the trip). The bouncer at the club checked IDs and Dale and another guy realized then that they had left them in their rooms back at the hotel (about a 30-45 minute trip one way on the Tube) so they proceeded to head back and grab them. She made it back to the bar in time for all the girls to leave and go back to the hotel...what a night out she had! The next day was spent on an airplane headed to Barcelona. The flight was wonderful, only an hour and forty minutes, and they served lunch! Customs was much easier to get through at the Spanish airport, they were a little more relaxed, a lot friendlier, and more willing to chat about what you were there for. The group then headed for the Residencia where the majority of us are staying. The rooms are nice; every room has its own bathroom and it is only one person per room with an adjoining kitchen. Dale and I are roommates/suitemates of course!
Tuesday was spent walking around some of Barcelona trying to learn where things are. There are so many markets right around the Residencia and all of the food is fresh. I'm pretty sure we know how to use the metro system now. Today we got a small tour of the AIFS Barcelona office and got to go to one of the UAB satellite campuses where some of our classes will be held. We had a welcome dinner tonight at a wonderful restaurant/bar called Milk located in an older section of the city. We had lots of tapas for dinner, including some salmon crackers, something with tuna, sliders, buffalo wings, hummus, and so much more! Tomorrow we get to visit the other satellite campus in Sant Pau which is a metro ride away from the Residencia. Friday will be spent doing a tour of La Sagrada Familia, so look out for pictures (either in the next post or on Facebook)!
The primary language in Barcelona is Catalan, which is a mix of French and Spanish (Barcelona is close to the French border). They tend to have a sort of lisp (if that is what you want to call it) when speaking. It isn't gracias, it's gra-the-as. It is a little hard to get used to and Dale and I are trying so hard to not speak English, but it's tough and will probably take a few weeks to get used to. As much as you try to prepare yourself for something experiences like this, you will never truly be ready.
I have to say the AIFS group is AWESOME!!! We all get along really well and everyone looks after one another. We are like our own little family! We have had a wonderful time getting to know each other and look forward to making many more memories together!
Stay tuned for pictures and more adventures!
xoxo
Kelcey
Sunday, January 6, 2013
The Day has Finally Come: London!
The flight from RDU to London was a bit interesting. Dale and I weren't seated together; she was row 20 and I was row 26. We make it to our respective seats and I find a swaddled baby laying in mine, yes, a baby. The father of the baby asks if his wife and daughter can take the row I'm supposed to be on so they can be seated together. Of course I say yes, because who likes splitting up a family? So I then move myself and my luggage 3 rows back to row 29, get my luggage in the overhead compartment and get settled, when my neighbor from row 26 (and her boyfriend) come walking up wanting to sit together. Again, I oblige because I'm a kind person. My next seat becomes row 25, and thus the end of my musical chairs! I have to say, the baby was very well behaved, along with the family's other 3 children. So, it didn't end badly, for me anyways...Dale on the other hand had a whole different situation, one best saved for another time!
London is cold and dreary, and it stays dark until 8ish. But the buildings are beautiful, even if a lot of them do look alike! A few of us decided to wander around before heading back to the hotel for a nap. We have a welcome party tonight at 6 and who knows what will happen after!
Stay tuned for more on the London adventures!
xoxo
Kelcey
London is cold and dreary, and it stays dark until 8ish. But the buildings are beautiful, even if a lot of them do look alike! A few of us decided to wander around before heading back to the hotel for a nap. We have a welcome party tonight at 6 and who knows what will happen after!
Stay tuned for more on the London adventures!
xoxo
Kelcey
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