Week 3 and 4 (Barcelona and Sitjes)

2/26

Hola guapos, I am sick at home today with the nastiest sore throat I've ever had, but what better time to update my loyal blog followers. This last week was very hectic, but all-in-all probably the best week so far. Carnival, new friends and hangovers have been the name of the game and I'm here for it.

The annual carnival, made famous by Brazil, carried on by Sitges, Spain. An absolutely amazing experience. Some of my (suprise, suprise) new Romanian friends invited to me join them on a spontaneous trip out to Sitjes on a Tuesday night, and I'm so glad I didn't miss it. We spent the evening dancing on porta potties, watching someone give birth on a parade float, and drunkenly running around the beautiful coastal city with flashing mouse ears on our heads. The parade went through the night but I couldn't help feeling bad for the locals, if I were them I would be circling this date on my yearly calender and getting as far away as possible. What's worse than loud drunk locals, shouting and cheering throughout the night in the middle of the week. One pair of tourists took the brunt of the locals frustration when an elderly woman dropped a bucket of water on them. I would say it serves them right, but they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The best part of my experience in Spain so far has been teaching my new roommates about the english language and learning more about the many different cultures of Eastern,

Southern and Northern Europe. In school we learn all about Germany, France and England but our classes seem to skip over the best European countries. On Thursday, FC Barcelona played in the European semi finals against Manchester United. I used the opportunity to visit a Southern Bar and made friends with all sorts of foreigners. From Sweeds, to Norweigns to Dutch, it was amazing to learn their viewpoints and their backstories. After the bar we went to Wolf and somehow my American friend, Jack, and I snuck in without paying the entrance fee. The clubs have really been ramping up during the last few weeks, and I'm sure Wolf was the best club I've been to so far.

The rest of the weekend was fairly calm. I developed a cough from all the nicotine smoke I inhaled at the clubs, which is likely what led to my sore throat. On Saturday we did go to a tiki bar which was very fun. I met mostly American's from all over the U.S. I honestly think bars are the way to go, it's much easier to meet people and you don't need to pay and arm and a leg for entrance or for drinks. The hangover the next day was brutal though, and I couldn't go to the gym or grab food from the supermarket because everything in Barcelona closes on Sundays. I thought I would love this, but it really just makes me feel lazy and bored.

Last night in the midst of my anger at the fact that I couldn't sleep due to my painful sore throat, I looked outside my upper Barcelona flat and saw ice coming off the rails. I checked the weather app and it showed snow in the forecast. Now, I don't know Barcelona weather very well, but I'm sure that this meditteranean city doesn't catch many white flakes. It's as if the entirety of the Northern hemisphere got caught in a snow storm, even San Francisco.

3/5

I haven't been able to blog much this week because what started as a sore throat has transformed into a nasty flu. I don't want to get into the specifics but I've been dealing with a fever, night sweats, a severe sore throat, etc. Antibiotics have kind of saved me from too much pressure or pain but no where close to numbing it entirely.

I missed class throughout the week which was a give-in, but it's weird to see how hesitant Spanish teachers are to give you extra help or keep you from falling behind. I've reached out numerous times to all my teachers about the best ways to stay on track and only one or two have sent back a very blunt response, "please ask your international counselor". I guess this is something I have to get used to with the Spanish collegiate school system.

Jeffery and Rafa's mazia has served as a healing sanctuary. Relieving some of the big city pressure has been really helpful. The goats, horses and dogs are providing much needed animal therapy and I feel like my sickness is subsiding because of this. Hot tea, lots of medication and cough syrup have been my best friends through this endeavor and while there is still no end in sight for this sickness, I've been able to enjoy myself just fine during my time here.

I missed Rafa's yoga class this morning which I was pretty bummed about. I know it would have loosened up some of the tension in my body but I know it's best to get as much rest as possible when I can. It's Sunday and it's my last few hours here before I head back to Barcelona for the school week. If pain and uncomfortability doesn't subside by Tuesday I'll be forced to visit a clinica.