Episode 6: Qué puedo decir...ESPAÑAAAA

After a long time not writing anything, simply because I didn't know what to write, I thought it was about time for a new story (probably one of the last)...I've extended my stay here with one more month so I have a little bit more then one left and I really really do not want to go back....

Most of my friends here already left and it's so sad to see how this place which has always been full of students is so empty now and being used as accommodation for tourists (which can be quite annoying).

But now let's talk about my experiences of the pas months;

As you all know, yesterday Spain won the world cup...even though my roomy Petra wasn't very happy with that it was very nice to witness this in Spain...I didn't think it would be a huge party because we are in ‘Catalonia' and almost all Catalans are against Spain, but there were people everywhere...all going crazy!

And now that my adventure is coming to an end I've been thinking of all the things I did and things I had to do for sure:

• Have a lot of fun! - DONE
• Learn Spanish! - HMM NOT REALLY PEOPLE THINK I SPEAK WEIRD BECAUSE OF MY ACCENT :S
• Go to a concert of Alejandro Sanz! - NO :(((( UNFORTUNATELY I WAS BUSY WITH OTHER THINGS AND COULDN'T MAKE TIME TO BUY A TICKET....AS STUPID AS I AM...
• Go to a football match of FC Barcelona! - YES!
• Travel through Spain! - KIND OF....PALMA DE MALLORCA /MADRID / TOLEDO / BILBAO / SITGES
• A visit to Italy! - SIII MORE THAN ONE....TURIN / ROME / FLORENCE / PISA
• Make a lot of pictures! - MORE THAN ENOUGH
• Write a thesis - WHICH IS ALMOST FINISHED WITH ALREADY 70+ PAGES AND ONLY MY CONCLUSION / RECOMMENDATIONS / ES LEFT
• and much much much more...Barcelona has been a great experience for me..I have learned a lot, met the greatest people, learned how to survive on my own, experienced how it feels to miss family and friends, started to appreciate things I didn't before, learned a lot from other cultures and much much much more...
• And also living together with someone, apart from your family, has been an instructive experience for me...there have been times that it all went very well and some times that it didn't...my roomy PETRA MEIJER, is kind of my opposite, quiet and never shared a room before :)) but we've managed to figure it all out.Therefore I would like to thank Petra for the good times that we have spend together! We have learned that the best way to solve problems in a house is COMMUNICATION! :)

And now I have to find a way to put all my stuff in 2 suitcases...which is never going to work...and there is sales everywhere like crazy and I'm dying to shop and shop and shop more....life is hard guys...life is hard.

Déu

Episode 5: 50/50

Hola amigos,

It's been a long time since I wrote something, the past weeks were really exhaustive. I have started with the surveys for my thesis, which is going well but takes a lot of time. For me now it also feels like someone is eating my time. There is a lot to do and time is so scarce. I really feel the clock ticking now, maybe because I have passed 50% of my stay here.

This month one of my best friends here Filip got ill, and had to return to Poland. He is in a hospital in Germany now, and we are still waiting for some good news...hope he gets better soon!

Yesterday was also a very strange day for me, I got robbed. At the metro, and like 5 minutes later the ones who stole my wallet came to bring it back to me. They didn't take anything...I don't understand what was the reason for them to give it back to me, really strange.

This month also I came to the conclusion that, it is really nice to go on an exchange or something like that, but when I think about the fact that I have to say goodbye to all these diamonds that I have met here I really get sad. The people I hang around with most, are like family for me, and most of them are from south America. I don't want to think about it, but one day it is going to happen that I will not see them every day anymore and that really makes me feel sad. But I know that the friendship I have with these people will last forever, no matter where they are from.

About my life in Barcelona, I love it (still). Really do not want to go back and hope deeply I can stay here. The weather also is so great, the past month it was like 20 degrees every day, no more rainy days, no more freezing days, just me and my flip flops : ) I heard that this week the sun was not shining in Holanda : )

Adios

Episode 4: Qué pasa?

Hola!

It's been a while since I wrote something, but I have been so busy the past month...if you ask me what I did...I don't know? Time just flies! I have just finished a month of Spanish courses, and I have to say that I am understanding my friends a little bit now with their conversations and I hope soon I will be able to speak more than just, hola, qué tal? Muy bien y blablabla. I already made a deal with some friends that from now on we're only going to speak Spanish, well they speak and I just keep looking like a fool, cause it's just f***ing quick and not understandable! Anyways think positive and positive will happen.

My Spanish courses started at 09.00 every day. I had to leave my house at 08.00! Which is a torture for me. Especially because at night I just can't sleep early. This because of all the fiestas I do not want to miss. My friends here are just great! I have a group of 10-15 people I hang out with a lot. During the week we meet at someone's apartment and in the weekend we go out or build a fiesta ourselves (like the vodka night, the whisky night, the Peruvian night, the Mexican night (Turkish night soon!) etc. etc.). My salsa course also started y me gustaaaaaaa mucho!

I'm also teaching a Mexican friend English. Don't ask me how we communicate cause he doesn't speak English and I don't speak Spanish :) But it's funny though.

I have also been to a football match of Barcelona-Valencia, and it was great, I have never seen something like this before, great atmosphere! Tomorrow I am going to Palma de Mallorca, but I am so tired, I just want to sleep, that's not the right spirit I think...

Oh and in between I have to write a thesis...YES, yes I have to, I will...soon, I think...but now I've got to continue packing...see you in the next episode!

Ciao y besos!

Episode 3: Living the good life

Hola!

Life in Barcelona keeps getting better everyday! Tomorrow my sister and friends are leaving and then I think real life is starting for me. First I have to clean their shit :P Then I think me and my roomy should set up some rules to keep the apartment viable! And then I have to start working on my thesis.

The day the girls arrived (Elif, Nazende & Seyda came to visit me for 4 days) was so funny that I will share this in detail, Naz & Sey almost got robbed by gypsies! We took the metro and it was very crowded all of a sudden we were surrounded by 3-4 gypsies, immediately told the girls to watch their bags and the moment I said that Seyda yelled ‘this women's hand is in my bag!' hehehe the moment Seyda yelled, Naz started yelling mine too! It was so weird! And thank God we noticed it before they took anything! But it went like this, this chica had her jacket over her hand (you can't see her hand) and in the meanwhile she tries to grab everything inside your bag, sneaky bastards.

This week we have almost seen all the must sees in Barcelona (the touristic parts). This city is so beautiful, I really love it! My mom is worrying that I won't come back anymore :) And living as an international student is really great! Everyday you meet new people and everyone is so kind. About the cuties, I realised that I spoke too early, my research is for sure not finished yet, but have to say latino's...ai ai ai. When I look to the right I see cutie number 1, when I look to the left I see cutie number 2,3,4,...,∞ damn too much my eyes can handle. Oh and I found a new hobby: taking jump pictures in museums! This is so much fun! I will recommend everyone to try it ;)

Next week we are going to Sitges for some carnival party together with other students from the campus! It's a town near Barcelona, not very touristic and we'll party like the locals do! Really looking forward to it. The Spanish course is starting the 22^nd (It's really frustrating to not know what people are talking about, especially when you think they are talking about you) and next week I will also subscribe for a salsa course, which will be given at the campus, starting the 23^rd of February. In the meanwhile I have to start writing a thesis...Yeah and I really have to stop shopping!

See you in the next episode! Besos!

Déu!

Episode 2: First week in Barcelona

Holaaa!

For months I have been dreaming about it and now I'm finally here! First impression WICKED!! First week GREAT!! The weather is so nice, the sun is shining I can't complain!

Our apartment is really cool and the campus is huge. There are restaurants, bars and there is a market. I even went to the gym already. The spinning class is not what I'm used to from David Lloyd but the pool is nice! The university is like Erasmus^8! The view from the campus is great, it's a very green area, perfect for pictures especially when the sun is shining :D From the campus to Barcelona city centre is 30 minutes with the train, during the week there is a train every 5 minutes, it's even better than the lijn 25 Schiebroek connection. Here at the campus we've met some people we're hanging out with, and there are regularly activities that are being organised for the international students so there's not much time to get bored actually :))

And about living with Petra, it's not that bad actually! Her day still starts way too early for me, but the music is not that bad (because she left most of it in NL). When we eat at home I'm cooking and she is doing the dishes. So I can't complain.

Some observations from the city:

• I have seen some must sees like the Sagrada Familia, Park Güell, Port Vell, Catedral, La Boqueria (all very nice) but there are still too many things on my list that I have not seen yet (like Montjuïc, Torre Agbar, Camp Nou, Barri Gotic and more)
• This is a shopping paradise! (Ramblas & surroundings LOVELY!)
• This store called ‘El Corte Inglés', it makes me crazy! I could spend weeks in that store!
• From what I've seen I think 6 out of 10 people have a piercing and almost all girls have a pony in their hair...I totally fit in this picture :D

In the first episode I told you I would do this little research...here are the results:

H1: Spanish cuties are cute!

• For sure! The cuties really are cute but there are also these Spanish guys, I can't describe it but something is just not right...

H2: Spanish food is delicious!

• I ate Paëlla and Tapas, very nice! And I'm not a very alcoholic person, but the sangria is good! Dimitrios suggested this bar called Ovella Negra, it's a really nice place to have a drink, most people who go there are students or locals, so a nice place to avoid tourists.

H3: I have way too much (unnecessary) luggage!

• No! Everything I brought is so necessary and shopping here is heaven so it will all be alright!

Oh by the way I booked tickets for Palma de Mallorca for the end of March! And I bought tickets for FC Barcelona - Valencia (14-3-2010)! I'm so excited this is going to be my first ‘real' match ever! On the 22^nd of February I'm starting with an intensive (20h pw) Spanish course, hope I will learn this language as quick as possible.

Next week my sister and friends are coming over, and there is carnival in Barcelona, already looking forward to it! Is going to be a lot of fun!

Déu and see you in the next episode!

BESO!

Episode 1: Leaving Rotterdam

Hola!

Welcome to the first episode! Tonight is my last night in Rotterdam! After being a student for 6 more months @ EUR, it's now time to leave (still as a student :S). My adventure starts tomorrow and I'm planning to stay 6 months. In this period I have to write my thesis, which will be about Bicing (public bikes in Barcelona).

I really wonder how Barcelona is going to surprise me.I found out that leaving home for a while is serious shit! The past month I have been worrying too much about how to survive on my own. My biggest problem was my luggage! I knew it would be crazy, so I decided to fly over with both my parents (think it would have been better if I left my mom home, she is drama^8). Anyways, I have too much stuff for a 40m2 room, which I have to share. Everyone tells me I have to make a selection, but that's just not working. For two weeks now I have been trying to reduce my suitcases into 2, and finally I end up with 4.

My second problem is the fact that I have to share my room with Petra. Since Petra is in my mailing list also I cannot say bad things about her :P but this music she is listening to, I refuse to hear any of that crap and her day starts way too early for me...yeah this is going to be fun for sure! My mom already warned me twice that I have to be nice to Petra, pffff as if I'm a bitch?!

My apartment is at the campus (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) and it takes about 30-40 min. with PT to get to the city. There is a pool, I can use all the facilities, there is a weekly cleaning service (yeah) and I even have a balcony. It's probably not as good as hotel mamma, I still have to cook and do the laundry and stuff, but I will manage, I hope.

Things I have to do for sure during my stay in BCN:

• Have a lot of fun!
• Learn Spanish!
• Go to a concert of Alejandro Sanz!
• Go to a football match of FC Barcelona!
• Travel through Spain!
• A visit to Italy!
• Make a lot of pictures!
• Write a thesis...

Like I said, I wonder how BCN is going to surprise me, I have no idea what to expect. One thing is for sure, and that is that I am going to miss my family and friends a lot! Can't wait to meet some in BCN! But I also look forward to meet new people (like Alejandro, Fernando, Juan, Jose etc.) :P

Oh and I'm planning to do this little research for next week, I have 3 hypotheses for now:

H1: Spanish cuties are cute!

H2: Spanish food is delicious!

H3: I have way too much (unnecessary) luggage!

I'll be testing these next week, let you know about the results in the next episode :)

Déu...(Bye in Catalan) for now!