The first day

First full day in Barcelona.

I don’t know where to begin. So let’s begin with home.

Home is shared with a family of four: Mom, Dad, and twin girls. I hadn’t expected the twins; I had thought it was just a couple.

Here they are:

Now y’all know how I feel about kids. But these are so cute. So sweet hahah. How can I not like them. When I got home today, they gave me a hug before I could even get to my room. They’re a little crazy too, which I love. I played a song on my phone and they immediately started moving. We’re going to get along just fine, I think. Also, they speak three languages: Spanish, Catalan (local dialect), and French. Amazing!!! So we talk in Spanish. Super fun.

Here’s where I’m staying:

It’s weird. I’ve never ever lived in another house. Ever. Never had to tiptoe around, unsure of how things work, not wanting to offend anyone or be a burden. It’s another world. At least for me. It’s quite humbling, if you ask me. It’s easy to take for granted having a comfortable space. But I don’t mind. It’s just another segment of life. I’ll just learn to walk lighter, use the sink gentler (it’s embarrassing to leave more water on the mirror than after the girls use it haha), and eat nondiscriminately (not a word).

I unpacked everything and left it the way I like: mildly messy but organized enough haha. Let’s see how clean I can keep it.

Here’s the view from the window:

Nothing spectacular. Right below, behind the trees is a small dog park. Cute. Would have loved to throw Boba and Loca in there with the big dogs. It’s nice. I like the sound of cars and traffic outside. Makes me feel small and safe for some reason haha.

Here was my first paid meal:

Not going to lie, I ate this alone. If there’s one thing I overlooked about this whole program, it’s that everyone here is young, like young. Like pre-US drinking age lol. I met a few people here who are about 19/20 and they’re all about getting turnt up hahaha. Seriously, I don’t know how down I am for that lol. They reminded me of my high school era. I just can’t. Hahah. I’ll stop here. But I did meet this girl, Megan. She’s super sweet and we seem to have a lot in common. We both LOVE the beach (I think we may go in the water sometime…) and we want to explore EVERYTHING. Hahah. Nice. Good times to be had.

Here’s a pretty cool monument:

It’s quite massive. Amazing. It’s interesting how much value human beings put into things. Monuments in general serve no function except to look pretty and stand for something. And this one in particular doesn’t stand for anything, it’s purely for decoration for the World Fair in 1888. Regardless, I can’t help but be in awe that human beings created this. We are amazing.

Here’s one of my favorite places no matter where I go:

Yes.

This is an appropriate place to stop. It is indeed very humbling to be in a new place. Knowing the language is definitely a plus. I can tell the people here give me props for knowing how to communicate in their language. It’s really a beautiful thing I think. To meet them where they’re at, if that makes sense lol. My host dad only speaks to me in Spanish, which I appreciate. It can be intimidating at times but he’s patient and I remember I’m still learning.

To be honest, I can sort of understand why Americans aren’t everyone’s favorite. Watching the way we talk and walk and act toward the locals and even our program coordinators who live in Barcelona makes me cringe a little. It’s not a secret, Americans don’t give a shit about what others think. Our individualism and brazenness are commendable in certain aspects, but a downfall in others. Makes me watch my mouth and demeanor a little.

Some random things:

– I know I’m going to walking a gripppp. It’s pretty cool though, something I don’t get to do at home.

– I’ll have to buy a bus pass soon too to get to school and whatnot. Never had such a thing before! Hahah. Cool.

– I learned where and how to change my money! I’m pretty proud of myself, did it all by asking strangers haha. I have no dignity when it comes to talking to strangers lol. It’s foolishness too but it works for me.

– I’ve learned how amazing our bodies are. We relocate it across timezones and they just adjust to it. Of course there were moments when I wanted to drop everything and knock out but, I held onto consciousness. Good job, body.

– I am excited. Super hungry to explore and learn. Excited for classes (which start Monday!), excited for the food, getting lost, meeting locals, practicing Spanish, using the bus haha, spending time with the twins, going out, traveling around. Just excited. And happy.

Happy Friday!!! This life is absolutely insane.