May 27-April 3 2009 Holland


Nijmegen



Castle in Wijchen



cheeeeese






Nijmegen


Amsterdam


canals, Amsterdam


Amsterdam, red lights


Utrecht


With my two favorite teachers, Roser and Gemma


Hertogenbosch


relaxing in Hertogenbosch


Hertogenbosch

Collection of more random photography.. Enero - Febrero 2009



cerca port vell, barcelona


madrid


madrid


lebanese food


plaça catalunya


beach, la barceloneta


beach


sunrise, sarrià

So.
France.


Day one.






The Louvre.


Cathedral of Notre Dame.










Theo, Viktor, Tyler.




Reunited.

Okay, first apologies. Sorry It´s been so long since my last post. Things have been busy, and crazy and exciting, and it´s left little time for blogging. However, as I am now on winter break, there is a bit more time.
So Christmas in Barcelona.
Surreal is the only word I can think of to describe it.
Seriously, it doesn´t feel like the holidays at all. Just yesterday I was soaking up some sun in Parc Guell in a short sleeved t-shirt.
However, the city is strung out in pretty, white lights and the stores are packed with people, so I guess that´s pretty much the same.
Catalyuna, has it´s own set of holiday traditions which I have been slowly discovering over the past month. One, for instance, is the Caga Tió, a stump of a tree decorated with a face and blanket then ¨fed¨ over the course of the holidays, hit with a stick, in the hopes of expelling presents for all the children (picture below).
The next is that of the Cagener, or the mysterious pooping man.
Every year, the people of Catalyuna go all out to make nativity scenes. They go collecting sticks, leaves, moss, logs, etc in nearby woods to create realistic, earthy Nativity representations. However, after they´ve strategically placed all the biblical figures in their proper places, they inconspicuously add in another figure..one of a pooping man. Yeah..crazy Catalans, they think it´s hilarious.
So in my family for Christmas this year, we´re spending the day together opening gifts, being together, etc. To be honest, I´m not quite sure what exactly is going on...but that´s the story of my life this year.
Three days after Christmas, however, I´m taking off for France to visit my friends David and Tony for New Years.
Then back Barcelona to celebrate El Día de Los Reyes (Three kings day)....write more about this when I know what we´re doing for it.
School starts up on the 8th.
Okay...on to pictures!
Feliz Navidad, Feliz año nuevo!


La Pedrera (Gaudi)



At Parc Guell, round 2



Plaça Espanya






Futbol.



Montserrat


Montserrat.



Old bicycle...painted as an american flag






sunset spot.



Caga Tió

La Sagrada Familia



La Sagrada Familia



La Catedral



el piano

Some of my photography you may find interesting.
Click on images to make larger.



Cathedral with La Sagrada Familia in the background.


Parc Guell


Broken glass.



Gaudí













Jamie.


Me.

Strike.

Journal Entries:

6 de Octubre
Had my Catalán second language class today. The teacher is really good, but it´s a struggle to understand her since she speaks entirely in Catalán to us. New boy in the class. He´s straight up from China and speaks no Spanish, no English, no Catalán and doesn´t even know the Roman Alphabet. He just sits there and shakes his head. He´s really young too, like 12 or 13. Name is Wuan Ju and I´m trying to befriend him.

9 de Octubre
My favorite part about my bedroom is my window.

12 de Octubre
Celebrated my Grandmother´s Saint´s day today. Everyone in Spain is named after a Saint, thus giving each person two special days a year--their birthday and their Saint´s day.
Went out to a nice resturant with the entire family and started out with a table of appetizers: black and green olives, garlic and tomato bread, sauteed mushrooms, roasted peppers, mussles, octupus, potatoes and sausage. Then individual entrees of chicken, pork, veggies, etc and finally dessert, chocolate mousse with fresh whipped cream. So full.

15 de Octubre
Feels like a turning point! I began to joke in Spanish today.

17 de Octubre
Went to the Rocky Horror Picture Show with Montse last night. It was hilarious! Even in Spanish. I´ll have to go sometime when I´m back in the States.

21 de Octubre
Had a dream last night in which I spoke Spanish. The dream wasn´t IN Spanish, but I spoke Spanish IN my dream...there´s a difference. Nevertheless, it´s a good sign :)
No school tomorrow...there´s a strike. The students are protesting the government who wants to try to change our school from public to private. Spending the day with kids from my class in Plaça Catalyuna.

Rotary Students from the USA living in Barcelona 2008-2009

Festa Major de Sarriá

With my host sister Marta

Trivial...techno concert

Absintee voting ballot!!

Write more soon, promise!

A recent observation: The drivers of Barcelona have manuverability skills and depth perception that put all others I´ve seen to shame.

An unexpected friend: Made friends with a girl who calls herself Polly. She´s from Korea and moved here to Barcelona with her family so they could open a Korean resturant. She´s like me in the fact that she speaks zero Catalán and is trying to get by with Spanish. Turns out she speaks some Japanese, so we´ve been communicating with a mix of Span-nese.

An unrealistic desire: I´ve decided I want to own and drive a European Vespa. Red, please.

A pang of homesickness: Woke up on Saturday morning with a brief but strong craving for peanut butter.

A broadening of horizons: Skipped school today and went to Jewish temple with my friend Zoe in honor of Rash Hashanah. The women and men were seperated by floor, and the women observed the celebrating from an ariel view, while the men particpated in the singing, reading of the Torah and blowing of the ram´s horn.

A self discovery: Have developed an intense liking of green olives.