Excursions

I’ve gone on a few excurstions to towns around Barcelona, including Vic, Espinelves and Premia de Mar. I went to a Medieval Faire in Vic, which is somewhat like the Renaissance Faires in the states. One key difference is that this faire was actually set in a city that dates back to medieval times. It was cool to walk around the narrow streets and see booths with crafts, dried spices, freshly baked bread, cured meats, cheeses and pastries. There were people dressed from medieval times, dance performances and even animals such as hawks, horses and camels. Like many cities in Spain, the original city was focused around a central cathedral. This central part has narrow streets and cobbled roads, with buildings becoming more modern moving outwards.

Espinelves is an even smaller town and due to its hilly, cobbled streets, it is impossible to drive in the central part of the city, making it a permanent pedestrian zone. Espinelves had a Christmas tree festival, with food, crafts and even trees for sale. However, in Catalunya rather than Christmas trees, families more traditionally had nativity scenes set up in their houses. Another unique tradition here is the Caga Tio. This is a log that can be decorated with a face and hat that sits in the living room during Christmas time. The children feed it and then on Christmas morning hit the log with sticks until it “poos” gifts. I’m not kidding. More recently families have begun setting up Christmas trees either in addition to or instead of the Caga Tio. Some families give presents on January 6th instead of December 25th. The 6th is the day of the three kings.

I also visited friends who live in Premia de Mar, a town along the coast, about 20 minutes from Barcelona by train. There are many towns along the coast, between the mountains and the beach, connected to Barcelona by train. These towns are surprisingly dense and it’s possible for practically anyone living in the town to walk to either the beach or the train station within 20 minutes. This provides an extremely walkable city with easy access to Barcelona without needing a car. While I did take the train to Premia we then took a car in order to drive into the mountains to go rock climbing! Although I’ve gone climbing in a gym, I’ve never gone on an actually mountain so it was really exciting to try it for the first time!

Mis Padres!

My parents came to visit last week! My mom hadn’t been to Barcelona for over 30 years! She said a lot had changed, especially the Sagrada Familia Catedral which is constantly under construction. Also, within that time the waterfront had been renovated and many neighborhoods in the central part of the city have been revived, largly as a result of the Olympic games in Barcelona in 1992. It was nice to show them a glimpse of my life here in Barcelona. I even cooked a Thanksgiving dinner while they were here and invited some of my friends. It was the first time I had ever prepared a dinner that large by myself. I bought the turkey down the street at a local butcher shop. It was fresh the day I bought it and even had some feathers on it still that the butcher had to trim! It had never been frozen or thawed. I was a little nervous about under or over cooking it, but it turned out well! I also made the regular fixings like stuffing, yams, mashed potatoes and gravy. My dad brought cranberries from the states because I haven’t been able to find them here. Also, they don’t sell canned pumpkin here, so I made pumpkin pie from scratch! Needless to say I spent the entire day in the kitchen but in the end it was all worth it. My friends were excited to try some traditional American holiday food, and my parents were happy to learn that I can cook.

Sustainable Transportation

Last weekend I went to a sustainable transportation conference focused on transportation in Spain and South America. Sustainable transportation is often described as “meeting or helping meet the mobility needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs” and typically focuses on ecological, social and economic factors. The conference focused on strategies and current projects to improve public transportation systems and walking and biking facilities in order to move people from cars to more sustainable modes of transportation. A focus for both Spain and South America was the need to reduce traffic congestion and motor vehicle emissions. The South American presentations also included information about the impact of transportation on economic development and safety. A high portion of the population in many South American countries can't afford cars and rely on other forms of transportation. However, these countries also often lack funds to provide high quality public transportation systems. There are a few success stories, such as the TransMilenio, a bus rapid transit system in Bogotá, Columbia and a bus rapid transit system in Curitiba, Brazil. These systems have been able to provide fast, reliable public transportation service to millions of residents and have provided a focus on pedestrian and biking spaces in the cities. However, in many cities without high quality public transportation, residents are switching to motorcycles or scooters. This has greatly increased the accident rate in many areas and also increases pollution. It is frustrating to see the need for more sustainable transportation systems and realize that funding is often a huge barrier. It was reassuring to meet other people focused on this issue and hopefully as problems such as rising fuel costs and global warming gain more attention, investments in sustainable transportation will increase.

GOBAMA!

I was able to vote using an overseas ballot that I sent off a few weeks ago. That was the first time I voted by mail instead of going to the polls. It was such a big election, of course I couldn't miss voting. The elections have actually been a common topic of conversation here. Most people here would be considered liberal by American standards. Everyone supports Obama, and I've even seen pro-Obama signs in store windows! Everyone (including me!) seemed happy and relieved that Obama won. I think more than that they are happy that Bush won't be president anymore and hopefully US-international relations will improve. Also, people were surprised (as was I)that there was actually a referendum to ban gay marriage in California. Personally I'm really disappointed that it passed. I guess we still have a ways to go to have universal acceptance and equality. Gays can legally marry here in Spain. As far as I know, Spain and the Netherlands are the only two countries in Europe that allow gay marriage. Also, I've talked to a few people about the proposition for better treatment of farm animals. This is still not a huge issue in Spain, although I think farm animals are treated better here in general. However, I think there is a growing trend among young progressive-types to buy organic/ecological foods. One of my roommates, for example, won't eat meat unless it is classified as ecological. Global warming is a common issue here, as it is across the world. But my friends here are surprised that some people in the US still don't believe global warming is really happening. Here it is typically accepted as a common fact. I've been happy to share my views on the elections and various issues with people here, and I hope I can help at least some people here realize that not all Americans are Bush-supporting, anti-gay conservatives. I'm very happy to see that many liberal, progressive ideas are accepted here and hope that those ideas will become more mainstream in the US as well!

Cadaquez

Jared came to visit! Having a visitor was a good excuse to see some sights that I haven't seen yet. We took a trip to Cadaquez, a small coastal town north of Barcelona. Dali had a house there where he spent many summers. The views in Cadaquez inspired many of his paintings. It was a relaxing trip, walking along the beach and eating great seafood.

Back in Barcelona we went to the going away party of my friend Ana. She's moving to Australia to work. She's the friend I've been hanging out with the most here, so I'm sad to see her go!

My roommates and coworkers never tire of teaching me Catalan traditions. One popular activity during the fall here is to go searching for setas (mushrooms). I still have yet to go, but my roommates went and brought back a good selection of setas. They were generous enough to share, and we all enjoyed a seta feast.

London!

I spent the weekend in London visiting my friend Jenny! It was almost relaxing to be able to effortlessly speak and understand what people were saying! It made me realize how much I have to think when I’m speaking Spanish. But I can’t complain because I definitely appriciate the opportunity to live in Spain and practice Spanish. With time I know speaking will come more easily. The weather was actually nice and sunny in London – a rare event. People seemed to be taking advantage of the nice weather, and the streets and parks were full of people enjoying the sun all weekend. My first night in London Jenny and I went salsa dancing! We danced with people from Colombia, India, Iran, Lebanon... I don´t think I danced with a single native English speaker the entire time, and I even spoke Spanish with the Colombian. It was lots of fun and I’ll definitely have to find some salsa clubs in Barcelona. Jenny and I spent a lot of time walking around the city – Portobello Market, the waterfront, the grounds at Kensington Palace. We had high tea near Kensington Palace, and dim sum in Chinatown. I was able to experience the train, metro and bus. My favorite was sitting in the front seat on the top level of the double decker buses! You feel like you own the road and the views from there are great. We visited the Tate Modern, and while Jenny was at work, I made a stop at the London Transport Museum, where I learned about the history of the London tube and other bits of transportation knowledge. I ended my trip with a visit to the Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment. Another Fulbright Fellow is doing research there, and he gave me a tour. I was even able to talk to the director Hank Dittmar. The Foundation focuses on sustainable planning and development, a field in which transportation plays an important role. Overall it was a lovely trip and I hope I have a chance to go back!

The Berkeley Connection

It’s nice seeing familiar faces far from home. My friends Ryan and Ray (from Berkeley) were traveling around France and Spain for their honeymoon! I was able to meet up with them in Barcelona one night for dinner. It was great to catch up and show them around my neighborhood a little. Also, Joan, my roommate in Berkeley from January-August, is from Barcelona. He came back to Barcelona in August and is about to move to Switzerland to start his PhD. Joan and Ana (who I also initially met in Berkeley) came over the other night for a dinner party. It was kind of strange seeing those familiar faces in a different setting. While in Berkeley we generally spoke in English, (I meant to practice Spanish more, but was usually lazy about it) here the entire conversation was in Spanish. Well, Joan is moving to Switzerland this weekend and Ana is moving to Australia later this month, so soon I won’t have any Berkeley connections left in Barcelona. However, there are plenty of new connections to be made!

Travessia al Port de Barcelona

As a farewell to San Francisco, I participated in a swimming event from Alcatraz to shore and then a run across Golden Gate Bridge and back. Upon arriving in Barcelona, I learned of a swimming event here in the port of Barcelona! It seemed like a perfect introduction to the city. There are a few differences between the San Francisco swim and the Barcelona swim... First of all, the Barcelona swim was free, whereas in SF I had to pay to subject myself to the open water. In San Francisco I had to pry myself out of bed at 5am to check in for the swim, while it was still dark outside, and waited for the ferry to take us out to the starting point while shivering in my wetsuit. I checked in for the Barcelona swim at a leisurly 9am and then hung out in the port, sitting in the sun, listening to music, wearing just a swim suit. The race was set to start at 11am, but ended up starting a little late, as is customary here, at 11:30am. In San Francisco I had to sign a waiver upon checking in, whereas in Barcelona I simply told them my name and they gave me my cap and number without even asking to see an id. Both events included a ferry ride to the starting point of the race. In San Francisco, the start was very organized, with 3 people jumping off the boat at a time, under the direction of event staff. In Barcelona, the whistle was blown and swimmers began jumping off the boat from every side, anywhere they could! In SF the water was cold with a 2mph current and plenty of waves, making it difficult to maintain a direct course. In Barcelona the water was warm and tranquil, with no current or waves. The Barcelona event was slightly longer at 3km versus 2.4km for Alcatraz (1.5 miles). In the end, both events were enjoyable yet challenging. Each seemed to have its own culture. On the ferry in Barcelona I met some of the local swimmers who told me about swim teams and swimming events in the area. The swim went well and I ended up getting 15^th place among the women (with a time of 51 minutes). Afterwards there was a party on the beach for all participants with free butifarra (traditional Catalan hotdog) and beer. It was an enjoyable event and exciting to see what swimming events are like in a different culture.

Home Sweet Home

I moved into my apartment on Sunday. I had been staying with my friend Ana and her parents, which was great. They took very good care of me and I felt like part of the family! However, it was nice to finally unpack my suitcases and move into a place of my own. I´m actually living in the same apartment I lived in last summer. It´s fantastic place. I have four roommates, all from Spain. There is a lot of open space including a large kitchen and plenty of room for dinner parties. We even have a piano. The move wasn´t difficult since I only have two suitcases, but I´m already accumulating more stuff! My second night in the apartment two friends came over, my friend Ana and another friend who is about to move to San Francisco. That night all of my roommates happened to be home too and we ended up having a dinner party with seven people! Those unplanned dinner parties are the best. We had homemade pumpkin soup, Spanish omlet, and pa amb tomaquet (bread with tomato)! The apartment is located right in the center of the city (near La Rambla), and it´s easy to walk to restaurants, bars, stores, plazas. There is a festival going on right now in Barcelona called La Mercé and many of the events are very close to where I live. It´s been easy to walk to concerts and other events. Nights can be a bit noisy, but it´s definitely worth it. I´m very happy with the place.

Work Life

I started working last week at CENIT, a transportation research center associated with Universitat Polytecnica de Canalunya (the technical university here). I worked there last summer too, so I somewhat knew what to expect coming in. Most of the people working there are PhD or Maters students from UPC. I recognized many faces from last summer, so it was nice to see people again! I´m slowly getting settled in the office, meeting new people and getting used to the daily routine. I´m working with the same professor I worked with last summer, who specializes in public transportation projects. I´m working on two projects right now. Last summer I helped develop a model to create an efficient bus network, and they have since updated the model. I am updated the paper, describing the new attributes to the model. The paper is in English, and being the only native English speaker in the office, I´m the ideal person for the job. My other project is applying a similar bus network efficiency model to the city of Barcelona. Right now there are many intercity bus routes that operate between nearby towns and Barcelona. We are going to recommend route changes to those routes that will hopefully improve the efficiency of the overall transit system. For me it´s really exciting to be able to actually apply some of these technical models to a real world situation. But it hasn´t been all work. Last Thursday night many of us from the office went out to a good-bye dinner for someone who is leaving CENIT. Afterwards we went out to a bar and ended up dancing until 3am (my professor included). Somehow everyone made it to work the next morning, but I definitely came in late! It´s a fun group in the office. I´m looking forward to getting to know everyone better. I´m also happy to have found some interesting projects and I hope I can be productive!

I´m Back!

After just about a year away, I´m finally back in Barcelona. Whereas last time I arrived knowing no one in the city, this time I arrived to find friends waiting to greet me! Three friends came to the airport to give me a warm welcome. I´ve been staying with my friend Ana and her parents while I look for an apartment. Staying with a family is the perfect way to start my stay here and get accustomed to the culture. They´ve been very welcoming and I´ve been able to speak Spanish everyday. I spent the first weekend hanging out and going to the beach. If I´m going to live in Barcelona, I need a tan! Then I took the new high speed AVE train to Madrid for some Fulbright Commission meetings. I met all of the other American Fulbrighters in Spain. Most of them are teaching English in Madrid and the rest are doing research in various parts of the country. There are about five of us here in Barcelona. The research topics range from music to immigration, biology, art, law, etc. I´m the lone engineer in the group! Well, at least I´m unique. It was interesting getting to know everyone and hearing their stories. I was also able to meet up with a few friends who live in Madrid and go out for tapas, of course! So far, so good!