Some updates...

Hola,
Just having a lazy Sunday afternoon and thought I’d add some of the weeks events.
Nothing exciting happened Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday after we returned from Dublin, just trying recoup from the weekends festivities.
Thursday, I had a class fieldtrip for Contemporary Spain. We met outside Jaume I metro stop and did a little walking tour of the Gothic quarter, the Generalitat and City Hall buildings and my professor also explained to us the location of the original Jewish quarter, which really doesn’t exist anymore- since the Inquisition in 1492.
Thursday night, I went out with Laurie and some of her Chicago friends to Sutton Club, it was such a nice atmosphere and a great dance floor!
Friday, I decided to Google a place to go for Shabbat and I found out about Bet Shalom, a “progressive Jewish community.” The first time I called, the office lady didn’t speak English so I waited and got a call back 20 minutes later and it was from the shul leader, who is not a rabbi but leads the services and runs the events. He’s originally from Chicago and moved to Barcelona 5 years ago, but just decided to start a new synagogue one year ago. Kim and I went to the service at 8pm. The service was led in Spanish, but we knew almost all of the Hebrew songs and prayers so it was easy to follow along. Then after the regular Kabbalat Shabbat, there was a Tu B’shvat seder and we had some really good fruits and nuts and Spanish wine! Nice, I like! We will definitely have to go back, and I also want to find the Chabad house in Barcelona.
Friday night, Kim and I met up with our friends at Chupitos- a shot bar- with probably over 200 different kinds of shots to choose from, and then we ended up at a place called Kahiki, a really cute Polynesian bar with funny tiki man mugs and super long straws that you sip your drink out of. There were about 12 of us just chillen. Today I woke up and took a stroll with Sarah through El Born, and we stopped at the Caterina market. Then decided to look for a tapas restaurant for lunch. We shared chicken with spicy sauce, pan and Spanish cheese, and some kind of potato kugel.
Saturday night we went out to Danzatoria, which was a disappointment just like the first time we went there. Too far away, a hassle to get to, but the actual club is beautiful.
Today is Sunday, I just got back from the Picasso Museum. A lot of the museums are free on the first Sunday of every month, so it was way crowded, but still nice to experience. We also stopped at the Santa Maria del Mar where church services were being held. This place is huge!
Tonight we are going to CocoBongo to watch the Superbowl, but I doubt I will stay until the game is actually over at 5am. It’s bittersweet, because this time last year I was celebrating The Pittsburgh Steelers winning the Superbowl! Fun memories….
I should probably start working on my International Business assignment- we have a lot of writing to do! I still don’t have my new check card and it’s getting really old when I keep mootching off my roommates for cash. Damn pickpockets.
A couple of things I want to mention, as far as the differences between Barcelona and Pittsburgh:
1. There are no drug stores that sell everything you need like an Eckerd or Walgreens, just Farmacias which just have drugs and then other little convenience stores which might or might not have what you are looking for. There are a lot of shops and stores that just sell stuff- like you have no idea what they have until you actually go in and look around. Their advertisement could read: “If you need stuff, we have stuff!”
2. Spanish people eat dinner really late, and a lot of restaurants don’t even open for dinner until around 8 or 9. The clubs don’t even get full until 1 or 2am.
3. Why are there so many schawarma and falafel places here? It’s like their version of fast food, but there are also McDonald’s and Burger Kings- weird.
4. My room is really small and I don’t have a tabletop or desk to put anything! Annoying..
5. Why don’t Europeans have clothes dryers?
6. Why don’t they put their milk and eggs in the fridge?
7. Going to the market and seeing pigs feet, ears, blubber, and huge legs hanging from the ceiling is disturbing- not appetizing.
8. I wish I could afford all the unique handmade jewelry I see in the stores- especially in the Born district, so trendy and fashionable! But it’s still fun to window shop.
9. Way too many people here smoke cigarettes. All my clothes smell, and there’s nothing I can do about it. When are Catalans going to realize the inhealthy effects this nasty habit has on their body? Gross.
10. They don’t get coffee to go, or any food to go like Americans do. They sit and sip espresso. If you ask for coffee they just give you a shot of espresso, you have to ask for café con leche or café Americano.
To be continued…

Barcelona, Spain