Thursday, March 14, 2013

I have almost finished my first week of class. I have enjoyed it a lot, especially the students and the professors. There is one student from Russia, one from Switzerland, two from the United States and at least four others from Brazil. The students from Brazil seem to have no problem understanding Spanish, but they tend to mix it up with Portuguese when they speak. I would think that would be very hard to keep two similar languages separate. The Brazilians were very proud that the new Pope is from South America. At least three of the students work with travel arrangements and apparently see the need for communicating in Spanish in their jobs. I don't know if their jobs are paying for this or not. We only have one male in class (except for the instructor, Diego, in the morning class), the rest are all women.  I mentioned earlier, Pedro is a pilot for TAM. I don't know if he has extended time off or how it is that he has time to take this class. He told me that he flies to many Spanish speaking countries and wanted to speak it better for that reason.

One of the students from Brazil told me that she is going to take weekend trips while she studies in Barcelona. She is off to Paris this weekend and next weekend will take a bus to Madrid. She told me that this is the first time she has been out of Brazil and wants to take advantage of the opportunity to travel. I think she is very brave!

Anna, the afternoon instructor, asked me today if I was finding the class too easy. She said she noticed that I finished the work easily. While I do remember most of the tense we are working on, it is the speaking and listening that I is helping me the most. Diego drills us at the beginning of each class forcing each of us to speak and talk about what we did after class. Knowing I have to do this, I try to first, do something interesting and second, look up a few words so I can tell him what I did. I feel like I am making good progress.

After class today, I knew I had to make sure I can find the meeting place for the trip to Valencia on Saturday. The meeting place is the Arc de Triumf; the same place we met for a tour on Monday. Monday I got lost because the metro gave me a choice of two streets to exit on and I picked the wrong one. Today when I got off the metro, I took the other exit and the Arc de Triumf was right in front of me. I was probably right around the corner from it on Monday, but just walked off the wrong way (no map with me that day). Now I just have to figure out if the metro runs less frequently on weekends so that I know what time to leave home.

Then since I was near the old part of the town, I set off exploring. I walked down old narrow streets, first heading toward the port (down hill as Elaine would say) and then off to the right. I soon ran into Via Llaitana which was on the main route for the tourist bus so I immediately recognized it. I walked down to the cathedral and then started back up to Placa Catalunya. I felt like I was right at home, on the same streets that Lola and I walked so many times last week. I walked up Carrer Pelai  past our hotel. Soon I was on the Gran Via and on my way back to the apartment without any problem at all. I am sure I will still be able to get myself lost, but I felt good leaving the Placa Catalunya and not getting turned around. Maybe I will get lost in Valencia on Saturday!

The handyman from school knocked on the door twice tonight to do something in the entry way of the apartment. He showed me what I was doing wrong with the television while he was here, but it kind of surprised me to hear a knock and then have him walk in. I hope he is done for the night, because I am done for the night.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

It was cloudy when I got up today but I made it to school before the rain started. It is a 10 minute walk from my apartment to the school but that includes waiting for lights on some street corners, so it is quick. Class went pretty well. We are still talking about things in the past; in the first class we talked about vacations we took and in the second class we talked about when people take trips because they have to and we discussed milestones in our lives. We also had a listening exercise which consisted of 8 people from different Spanish speaking countries telling about moving to other countries to take other jobs. The first two times we listened we were supposed to determine where they came from and where they went. The next two times we were listening for how long they were in the new location and what they did for a job. I was really bad at it. They spoke so fast that I could hardly pick out anything. The other students seemed to have a much easier time. I wrote down all the information as it was revealed to me and then the last time I listened, I was able to hear all of the elements. So if I can just get Spanish speakers to repeat what they say five times, I will understand them! ;-)

By the time we had our mid-morning break, it was pouring rain. I think it let up a little before I headed for home, but it was still raining steadily. I carried my books in a bag and put it under my coat so they wouldn't get wet.  I was less worried about me. I know I should have brought an umbrella to Spain, but I also know I would hate carrying it around!

I have finished my homework and had some lunch so I will have to figure out the rest of the day with inside activities. Should I waste it reading a book, work on my sabbatical project, or do some more organizing of my stuff. I will let you know what I decided later.

The rain let up later, so I went out to the store. Diego gave me a hard time in class for not drinking wine with my meals, so I bought a small bottle of red, Dehesas Viejas, (I figured the viejas--"old" part was just for me) The label says 2011 but also joven so maybe it isn't quite ready yet! It has an intense taste and I like it ok, but I really have no idea if it is a good wine or a bad wine. Let's just say it was not the cheapest nor the most expensive wine on the shelf and let it go at that. I had hoped to have the television on tonight so I could listen to Spanish, but I am getting a no signal message so have spent the evening reading and watching podcasts. It is surprising how much time you can fill doing not much of anything! Tune in tomorrow for more of my exciting life in Spain! ;-)

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

I was told to expect colder weather today, but it was about the same. I arrived at school about ten minutes before class and when I got to the classroom, I was the only one there. The next person arrived just before 9:30 and the teacher and a couple of others arrived a few minutes later. At least three others arrived between 30-45 minutes late. I guess they must have attended some of the late night cultural activities! One student is new today because she overslept the day before. She is from Switzerland.

The first teacher, Diego, grills us unmercifully about what we did the day before because, after all, we are practicing the past tense. He breaks into little songs that he makes up about things people have done and it is just hilarious. He makes me laugh out loud. The afternoon teacher is very sharp; she is always tuned in to what is going on in the room (we can't get anything by her!)  and uses various interesting activities to get us all involved.

After class, I headed back to my apartment to get rid of my books and have some lunch. My plan for the afternoon was to head back to Las Arenas (the bullfight ring which is now a shopping center) to see the stores when they are open and to see if they are my kind of stores. I started at the bottom and worked my way up. The stores are high end and mostly appeal (IMHO) to the younger crowd. It surprised me that there is a supermarket in the lower level and I bought some hand lotion and hair conditioner there, items that I did not bring along. That is one drawback to living in an apartment. Some of the things we take for granted when staying in hotels are, of course, not provided. I was warned to bring my own towel and I have bought other things like paper towels, toilet paper, and laundry soap.

I wish my apartment came with some instructions. For example, I had to google instructions on settings for the washing machine and I could not figure out how to turn on the television. Doesn't that seem like an easy thing? I was talking to the young man at the school about it and he told me I had to turn on the cable box too. I tried to explain to him that I was not able to power on the television. I decided that I would figure it out and discovered that I needed to press the power button AND a button labeled program on the TV and, of course, power on the cable box. It was lucky that I figured this out because there was  a big futbol game on, playoffs of some sort, with Barcelona against Milan. The game started about 8:30pm and I confess that I did not really follow it. I could tell when something exciting happened because a man upstairs yelled loudly and I would hear fireworks from outside.  I went to bed before it ended and found out this morning that Barcelona had an "epic" comeback and won the game. I am sure there will be a lot of excitement for the next game.

Well, I did not mark my homework very well for tomorrow, so I am not sure what it is. If I don't have it done, I will just have to wing it. I feel like a real student!

Monday, March 11, 2013

I had my first day of school today (no, no one took a picture of me!). Before leaving my apartment, I managed to blow a fuse or circuit breaker with my hair dryer. Fortunately it was the last thing I was doing before leaving because I had no lights or anything anywhere in the apartment. I reported it at the school and it was fixed by the time I got home. However, I am not so sure it won't happen again tomorrow! I guess I will try a different outlet.

As we new students arrived at the school this morning, we were handed a placement test and directed to a room in which to take it. Over the next half hour, I would say about 20 people arrived. After we were well into the test, one of the instructors came in, greeted us, told us that the other instructors would arrive soon and that we would each be interviewed in Spanish. She also told us not to guess on the tests; "better to leave it blank if we did not know."  I wish I had know that sooner!

Pretty soon the instructors showed up and it got so loud in the room that I couldn't concentrate on the test, so I skipped a lot of questions. The interview wasn't much of anything. The instructor just asked my name, what I do, what I did last week, and how long I am staying. After she left, I looked at what she wrote on the back of my test and it said something like I couldn't use the past perfect tense and she recommended an intermediate level. And that is where I ended up. We were assigned to groups, picked up our books and joined classes already in progress. I am in the morning group that starts at 9:30 am and ends at 1:30 pm. We have two 2-hour classes with a 20 minute break at the halfway mark.

There are 9 or 10 students in my class, several from Brazil, and one other from the United States (New York). My first instructor is a young man (probably in his 20's) named Diego with a ring in his nose and (in my opinion) an excellent grasp of Spanish grammar and an engaging way of teaching. The afternoon class is taught by Anna, (a traditional looking woman probably in her 30's) who is also very engaging. During a speaking exercise with the student next to each student (mine was a young man named Pedro--I think he is also from Brazil) I discovered that he is a pilot for TAM airlines out of Brazil and that he frequently flies into Minneapolis. He discovered that I am a grandmother. As if he couldn't tell by looking at me!

I signed up for an after school walking tour with the subject of Modernism. We walked through some of the old parts of Barcelona (El Born) We saw the Palau de Musica Catalana, a concert hall designed in the modernist style by architect LLuis Domenech Montaner and built between 1905 and 1908. Our guide pointed out what the elements that we saw in each of buildings, namely, blood (a red or pink color on the building), roses, and San Jordi (St. George). Then we walked through the newer parts of Barcelona. I have forgotten some of the places he showed us, but he did get to El Batllo and La Pedrera by Gaudi.

The school encourages the after school activities. I will probably do more like the one I did today, but I don't think I will go on any of the bar tours. The person (Paulo) promoting the bar tours is a good looking, well built bouncer  type (probably to make sure everyone gets back in one piece) who was naming the  bars to visit--they were to meet in bars at midnight for about two hours. Ahh, to be young again!

They are offering a trip to Valencia on Saturday to see the "Fallas de Valencia." I am not exactly sure what fallas are, but I am going to see and find out. I will let you know on Sunday.

Well, I am exhausted from a day of speaking and listening to Spanish and from all the walking. I will do my homework in the morning and it's off to bed for me!

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Hello to all of my Minnesota friends who just set their clocks ahead. I checked to see if Spain also observes daylight savings time and it looks like it does but not until March 31. I hope someone lets me know when it happens. As it turns out, I inadvertently observed it this morning. When I arrived in Spain, I  set my phone (which I am using as an alarm clock) to Barcelona time, but neglected to change the time zone. So last night while I was sleeping, the phone set itself one hour ahead. I did not notice until I had showered and put my watch on. Doh!

I had planned my morning carefully. I wanted to attend Mass, pick up the key to my apartment, check out of the hostel and move to the apartment. I found a church about 3 blocks from the hostel and attended Mass at 8:30 am. (I was among 15 people there). The Hotel Indigo where I was to pick up the key, was a half a block off my route to return to the hostel, so I stopped there after Mass. I tried to ask all sorts of questions of the girl who gave me the key, but she did not know any answers. I asked her if anyone was already in the apartment or if there was a manager on site who could help if there were any problems and she did not know. As you will see later, there was one big question I should have asked her.

I decided to make two trips to the apartment just in case I did have some problem with the locks or whatever. (By the way, I have found Barcelona to be quite walk-able so I walk just about everywhere) I took my backpack and found the apartment with no problem. One of my two keys opened the front door to the building with just a little fumbling. The key ring I was given was only marked Roma 1 (the apartment is on Avinguida Roma) so that made sense. But did the 1 mean apartment 1? There was an apartment 1 right on first floor but the key did not fit. I decided to check names on the mailboxes and try the key in apartments that had no names on the mailbox. I won't tell you how many doors I tried, but on the 4th floor, my key fit in the door of apartment 3. And there is no one else here yet. Maybe no one is coming this week. I don't know. 

The apartment has 2 single rooms (I picked the one I liked best) and 1 double room  with 2 single beds and its own bathroom. There is a living room with two couches, a table and 4 chairs, some shelving and 2 TVs that I have not figured out how to turn on. There is also a kitchen with all appliances and another table with chairs and a laundry room.   You will notice that I have figured out the wi-fi! So even if I get 3 roommates, the place is quite spacious. Oh, I have a balcony too that overlooks Avinguida Roma and faces other apartments with balconies.

After I managed to actually find the apartment and get into it, I wrote a note in case  any roommates arrived while I was gone and then went back to the hostel to get my suitcase and check out. By noon, I was back (no sign of any roommates) and pulled most of my stuff out of my suitcase and backpack. I was hoping the medium sized grocery store I had seen yesterday would be open but no such luck. As Joan and Elaine warned me, a lot of stores are not open on Sundays. Little stores comparable to convenience stores are open, however, so I bought some juice, milk and sandwich fixings. Now I am more or less moved , resting after my two hikes and catching up on my email and blog.

After I rested a bit, I remembered that I am close to a bullfight ring that has been turned into a shopping center (Las Arenas) I decided there weren't enough steps on the pedometer yet, so I walked there--about 8 blocks, I think. The stores were closed, but the eating places were open and I was able to get up to the top and see a gorgeous view of the city. I have to go again because I did not take a camera. 

When I got back to the apartment, I still had no roommates, but then it dawned on me that only one bed in the apartment had been  made up by the cleaning people. I think it means I am the sole occupant this week. Since it was unlikely anyone would be arriving to interrupt me, I got busy dealing with my laundry (I had to google the washing machine model to get instructions on how to turn it on). There is no dryer, but there is a clothes line and clothes pins and I know how to use them! 

It is nice to have things unpacked and organized so I can find them again. Well, I have to be at the language school at 8:30 for a placement test so I am going to wind down and finish this post. 

(If you are wondering about my pedometer, I have one from the 10,000 steps program that I wear each day and write down the steps I take. Today was an all time high 23,002. )

Saturday, March 9, 2013

The night went pretty well in the hostel. I heard doors and other noises a couple of times but nothing too bad. I woke up early because it seemed to be getting light out. Later it seemed to be getting darker so I was expecting more rain but when I finally got outside, it was again bright and sunny.

I checked my mail when I woke up and found a message from Lola (written about 2 hours earlier at 11pm  Minnesota time) that said she was home again.She said the trip was mostly uneventful except that she got searched by security after she had gone through the checkpoint and had been waiting at the gate for a while. We are not sure what that was about. It felt funny to have seen her off at the airport in the morning, passed the whole day and slept the whole night and then have had a message from her sent two hours before I got up saying that she had just arrived home. Time travel!

I walked to my new neighborhood this morning and found a medium sized grocery store within a block of where I will be staying. That will be very handy. I spent most of the day outside walking around or sitting along the street people watching. It just feels so good not to be in the Midwest in March. One thing I would like to point out, however, is that I have not been lost since Lola left. When we were together, we got lost just about everyday. I think the reason is that I have been in a different part of the city and have stayed away from the main plaza with its radiating streets. I could not figure out which streets ran parallel or at right angles because, of course, they didn't.

So, to sum up, I did not accomplish much of anything today. I have been reading email, reading electronic books, listening to podcasts, listening to people speak Spanish/Catalan, and walking around. It will be nice to move into a more permanent place tomorrow and actually unpack my things and get into some sort of routine. 

Friday, March 8, 2013

Today was another bright and sunny day in Barcelona. We got up early, checked the flight status to make sure that JFK was not snowed in and that Lola's flight would depart on time. We boarded the Aerobus to the airport  and arrived before 9am. Delta was not busy and Lola was all checked in quickly and ready for security. I was sad to see her go since I will be on my own for the next five weeks, but at the same time it is an adventure for me.

To get back to Barcelona I took the shuttle to Terminal 2 and then the local train to Passeig de Gracia. I returned to the hotel and collapsed for an hour. (I guess the coffee wore off). I had five things on my agenda for the day: check out of the hotel, move into a hostel for two days, find the language school I will be attending next week, find the location where I will pick up the key for the apartment I will live in and find the apartment.

I checked out of my hotel and left my luggage with them until it would be time to check into the hostel. I had Google-mapped the location of the school. Walking directions were about 1.3 km and I believed I could do that fairly easily. I found the correct street and located the school without any problem at all. I was relieved because I had tried to see the school front on Google maps and it did NOT show up. I went inside to ask where I would go to pick up apartment keys on Sunday and I was allowed to go into the school to look around. There were several classrooms with classes in progress and a rooftop balcony for breaks--I didn't stay long. The location of the apartment was about 5 blocks away. I got a chance to see the neighborhood and see the front door of the building. It was a modern looking brick apartment house. Then I set off to find where I would be picking up the key. That location was about three blocks down from where I originally started out. Whew, that was a lot of walking--the pedometer read more than 19,000 steps for the day.

I feel confident now that I know where I need to go. I checked into my hostel which is about four blocks from where I pick up the key and (quite) a bit farther from the apartment I will be moving into on Sunday. This is my first experience with a hostel. I have a room with a double bed, a bed side table, a shelf, two hangers and a very large mirror.  (and only an overhead light) The bathroom is outside the door. I think it will be noisy, but I have ear plugs and I will only be here two days. The fast food restaurant, Pans & Company, that Lola and I discovered in Tarragona is right across the street from us. It is a great place to get one coffee and  a croissant (now that I will have to pay for it again).

I am all checked in and all goals accomplished for the day, so  I have been lying on my bed working on my blog since 5pm. Things have quieted down on the street and in the hostel although I think it will get noisy when people start coming in later. At least I assume everyone is out because there sure isn't anything to do in this hostel!