Madeline Osman
Personal and professional blog of Madeline Osman
May 13, 2013 by admin

How to Tinder: for dummies.

What Exactly is Tinder?

I downloaded Tinder a few weekends into my time in Barcelona. What initially started as a game, because an area of intense fascination for me. This post is dedicating to figure out what makes Tinder tick.

I’ll let Tinder describe…

(Pictures from Tinder iTunes App Store page)

My Profile

My profile with images carefully crowd-sourced from my top likes and biggest ego boosts on Facebook

Automatic X’s

Tinder boys, this is my little piece of advice to you, based on field and personal research. Any of the following will most likely get an automatic X:

  • Baby in the picture. I don’t care who’s it is, don’t want to go down that road.
  • Under 21. Can’t bring ‘em to the bar? Not gonna happen.
  • Too hairy. I’m no Ke$ha in that don’t much like mustaches or beards (but am in other ways – world fame, sexy autotune voice, etc.).
  • Too bro. Hey bro, check out my tats, bro. Check out my abs, bro. Look, I’m drinking, BRO.
  • Every pictures is a group shot. Or there are only 2 pictures. I don’t know what you really look like! And I don’t want to have to figure it out.
  • Girl in the picture, OBVIOUSLY not his sister. Either a girlfriend or an ex-girlfriend: neither I would want to see in a boy seeking girl’s profile.

Automatic <3′s

On the other hand, there are some things a person can do with their profile to get an automatic <3.

  • Dog in at least one of your pictures. Aww, he’s so cute!
  • Muscles. I didn’t say they had to be honorable things. At the same time, leave something to the imagination.
  • Something funny. I love and appreciate a good sense of humor above most everything else.

Photo credit: http://www.dartbeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/photo-2.png

Unanswered Questions

Why dont they message me after they like me?

There are two sides to the story – On one hand, a girl likes to be treated traditionally and let the boy make the first move. But then there are the dudes that feel weird about doing it on Tinder. My advice? If you think someone’s hot – GROW A PAIR.

Why cant it ever be the hot one in the group shot?

Sometimes life just isn’t fair.

Is there a right way to use Tinder?

Some people use it because they’re bored, some people use it to make friends, some want to find a hookup buddy, and some even want to find a partner. What’s the right way to use Tinder, and is there even one? Is it weird to meet a person off the internet in person based on your mutual lust and not much more?

Tinder humor. Photo credti: http://kmcinterns.wordpress.com/2013/03/13/weird-social-media-apps-that-my-generation-is-obsessed-with/

Suggested Additional Features

  • Ability to sort by age. We all have our preferences.
  • Height display. Asking for weight is going too far, but height is hard to tell through a picture.
  • Stop being slow! Its no fun to give up on a person because their profile wont load.
  • Android users just wanna have fun. With so many people on Android powered devices, a huge chunk of people are underrepresented.

Tinder Gone Wrong

One of the people I’ve discussed Tinder with told me about a personal experience where he met up with a girl who was many pounds heavier than she claimed to be. He was a good sport and had a few drinks with her, but I would have left… If I can’t trust that you will show up at least physically as the person you have represented yourself as (albeit minus many Instagram filters), I can’t trust anything else you say.

Here’s some ground rules for a fun and safe Tinder meet up:

  • Meet in public. My number one rule. Don’t trust anyone from the Internet enough to meet for the first time at someone’s house.
  • Bring an amused friend. Be honest about who you’re meeting up with (and how you came to be in their acquaintance), and ask them to come along for the ride. Have some other people meet you if you want the option to ditch everyone with your new pal.
  • Check their Facebook. Add the person on Facebook before you meet them for the first time. Look at recent pictures. Do they have friends? Good. Probably not an axe murderer, and likely who they say they’ll be!
  • Be on the same page for what you want. Self-explanatory. You will likely discuss it before you make the effort to go out, but if not, make your wants known so that nobody is wasting each other’s time.

Photo Credit: http://universe.byu.edu/beta/tag/tinder/&docid=nGDRpQLAimLEZM

What other Tinder observations do you have?

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April 25, 2013 by admin

Week Fifteen: Ernest Hemingway, Botanic Gardens and Goodbyes

By the Olympic Stadium

I feel like I say this for every post, but it is absolutely unreal how little time I have left in Spain. Week 15 officially ended my last week of learning, because next week we just have finals. Things are getting real.

John in the Botanic Gardens

On Monday, I went with Christina and her friend Emily on a mission to eat at Bacoa, which is basically the best (foreign) burger place, ever. After a fruitless attempt, we discovered that Bacoa is closed Mondays and with defeat, walked to the next best alternative – Rosa Negra. Christina suggested that I get the Menu del Dia which was totally worth the money. Most places in Barcelona (and I’m guessing in other Spanish cities) have a pre-selected menu with options for each plate you get. In this case, Rosa Negra offered a starter, main plate with sides, drink, and dessert for 9 euro. Believe me when I say this is the ultimate deal. Its quite rare that I eat such a complete meal (especially for lunch), so allow me to recount how delicious it was… I got a salad with blocks of feta cheese and tortilla strips, chicken fajitas with rice and beans, a sizeable glass of white wine and some cheesecake. We hung out a little bit more, then Christina went to class and Emily to her hostel. Later that night, we went to Bar Marsella, a Absinthe bar frequented by Ernest Hemingway when he was still kicking. The bar tenders gave us a sizeable glass of absinthe, a small fork, a sugar cube, and a water bottle with a hole in the top. Basically, you set the sugar cube on the fork over the absinthe. You get the sugar cube wet with alcohol and light it on fire. After letting the sugar caramelize a bit, you put out the fire with the water and it drips into the drink. Mix it up and viola!… it still tastes gross. But that’s the proper way to do it. Hass and Tamir joined us and I ended up going back with them to Melon District (the student residencia/the hotel they were staying at) for a couple more drinks. I tried to sneak into Jessica’s room, but security is ever-vigilant. Melon District are quite overbearing with their overnight guest policies… going as far as coming up to our friends rooms to kick the non-residents out at 12am on the dot while pregaming before going out. Anyways, Jessica saved me and signed me in and we stayed up way too late watching a Millionaire Matchmaker marathon. God I love my trash TV.

The MNAC from behind

I took the metro back in the morning and joined my Catalan class for a walking tour in Gracia, my ‘hood. From the Fontana metro stop, I led the class to Casa Vicens, the Gaudi work I had discovered with my cousin and his girlfriend. After taking some Instagram worthy shots (as always), we headed to Carrer Verdi, where I showed everyone the many different international restaurants and shops Gracia has to offer. After the brief tour, Aina (our teacher) gave us a list of questions in Catalan that we had to find the answer to. We set out to find the different sites she listed and got some good Catalan speaking practice in. I’m starting to get confident about conjugating verbs and using vocabulary. We ended our scavenger hunt in Plaza del Sol and finally found Be My Bagel, which I had been absolutely dying to get to. You really don’t realize how much you miss typical American food until it becomes this hard to find. Just like brunch the week before, I hadn’t had this type of typically American breakfast food in literally months. So I got a breakfast bagel complete with scrambled eggs, sausage, cheese, and tomato and all I can say is… YUM. We met up with Aina and presented our answers, then called it a day. I went briefly home to change, then met Hass and Tamir at Barceloneta for a beach day. I got us a good deal on mojitos and opted for a henna tattoo. After that, we attracted all the people looking to sell their services and products… whoops. After relaxing for a bit, we went to the city center in search of tapas. Obviously that wasn’t difficult, but we held out for Taller de Tapas, an Argentinian joint, which Jessica commends as being “the best.” I got Patatas Bravas and shared their chorizo and they were every bit as good as Jessica said they would be. We went our separate ways so I could get a nap in (I have to do this every day that I go out) and eat dinner with Imma and Aly. Later on in the night, I met up with a large group because Berthold invited us to a house party. Before entering, we went to Ryan’s Pub to take a shot. I got a chance to use the new reasoning skills I’ve picked up from reading How to Win Friends and Influence People and convinced the bouncer to let us bring in our alcohol (because we had nowhere to put it)… score. I highly recommend that book for people who want to settle arguments in reasonable ways. Anyways, we went to the house party and it was a blast… until the police showed up. What happened was absolutely insane. They basically extorted us. They kept telling us that we were breaking some noise violation law (there is none) and that someone complained (they hosts had talked to the neighbors before and they were ok with it), and that we couldn’t leave without paying a 75 euro fine (its illegal to detain people for a house party…). They refused to show us a written ticket and we all had to bite the bullet and pay up. It was total crap. At that point, none of us really wanted to go out because we were so put off by the situation. We saw the cops split up our money as we were leaving…

¨The Thinkers¨ aka photo booth time at CaixaForum

Wednesday I wasn’t feeling super good, partially due to drinking the night before and also because my allergies had acted up overnight and I didn’t get a wink of sleep. So I didn’t make it to my Spanish class, and with some luck, Catalan class got cancelled and rescheduled. I spent some of the day making up for my lost sleep, but got up in time to get some cultural activities done with John. We walked through the Park in Montjuic and through the Botanic Gardens. Then we walked up towards the old Olympic Stadium and the crazy-looking Telefonica tower that looms in the distance no matter where you are in Barcelona. After some sightseeing, we went to Caixa Forum for the second time, but with more luck this time around. We saw two exhibits – one was a contemporary art exhibit and my favorite part was a wall of ribbons that had phrases on them expressing people’s wishes. We choose some that aligned with our own, in my case “I wish to speak and understand Spanish and Catalan” and tied them around our wrists in accordance with the sign. My understanding is that once it falls off my wrist, I will be completely fluent? The other exhibit was of photography representing famous works of art. My favorite part was a picture that showed the 3rd of March based on a painting by Goya after the events in the painting. John and I also went to the kid’s section and took photo booth pictures that actually turned out really cool. After Caixa Forum, we went to the mall and then to Burger King (sue me), and I went home to eat my real dinner with Imma and get ready. I got pressured into going to Razzmatazz for my favorite Spanish classmate Gabby’s birthday and we had a blast… maybe too much because I got approximately 2 hours of sleep that night.

Wall of wishes at CaixaForum

Thursday I begrudgingly woke up for an important presentation in my Internship class. The presentation was based off the big paper I wrote, which was critical of the different markets for home appliances in the United States and in Europe. The class seemed to drag on forever, but finally it was my turn and I did a good job. After taking Business Spanish last semester, presentations are no big deal. I went home after class to nap (hey, only 2 hours of sleep), then spent the rest of the day focused on getting things done. I completely rewrote my resume after getting advice from a career counselor at my school and of course my grammar-crazy mom (in this case, that turned out to be a good thing). We made plans to go to the bars in Plaza del Sol, but it didn’t work out because everyone was on a different wavelength. In retrospect, I needed a day off, so it turned out to be a good thing. 

Absinthe and judgement at Bar Marsella

Friday was my last Spanish class before our test. We played a review game and my team ended up winning, since most of our questions were vocabulary related, which is my one strength in Spanish. The other members on our team had a great proficiency for grammar, so we had that covered too. The material prize was some gummies, but the real prize was in being the supreme ganadores (winners)… no one else got close. Since I didn’t eat breakfast, I got some patatas fritas with a side of brava sauce (that’s my cheater method of getting patatas bravas), and brought them into class. My teacher didn’t say anything (you’re really not supposed to eat in class in Spain), so I happily munched away. Needless to say, the day started out quite well. After class, I headed to my internship for a few hours. Soon enough, it was time to head to the beach to meet up with Christina. We got a little bit of sun, but not too much, as many other kids in our program had (people say that you look “como una gamba” (like a shrimp) when you get too much sun). Hunger soon set in and we found our way to a ramen place frequented by our friends. Can´t beat cheap and filling ramen. At night, we went to Enfants, which we haven´t been to since the beginning of our program. It was surprisingly dead, but we had a good time just being together as our time is drawing to an end.

A cool fountain in Gracia

I let myself sleep in Saturday, but got up with enough time to do tourist things with Berthold and Christina. We all met at Plaza Catalunya and headed down, first for pintxos, then to the Erotic Museum! Pintxos are like mini tapas, served with a toothpick, but full of flavor. So we all got a few of those, and patatas bravas and chorizo to share. Yummmmm. We headed to the Erotic Museum next door which could have been awkward, but not with the people I came with. We checked out the history of sex throughout the ages in different mediums. It was cool. Plus we got a free drink included with our tickets! After the museum, Berthold had to drive home… to Germany. It was his last day in Barcelona, so it was hard to see him go. I know our paths will cross again in the future… he´s offered to host me and friends if we´re ever in Germany! At night, we all went to Razzmatazz and met up with some CIEE kids and had an awesome time. It was bittersweet to think that it would be the last Saturday we spend together in Barcelona…

Erotic Museum wall motif

Sunday was spent catching up on sleep, watching The Walking Dead (now I´m hooked), and studying for my Spanish test on Monday. And with that, I have one week left of school. My dad is coming next Thursday, we’re doing some travelling, and then I’m back in the United States. Time flies…

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April 14, 2013 by admin

Week Fourteen: Back to the old grind and friends in BCN

It was hard to start school after a week of relaxing, but I’m almost done and I might as well get as much knowledge out of Barcelona as I can.

CIEE's unofficial mascot

Luckily, we had Monday off to ease back into our lives. Apparently, instead of getting Good Friday off for Easter, Spain gives Monday off, and at some companies, Tuesday as well. I took that as a sign that I should relax… but not too much. I worked some more on my Internship class paper and just about finished it before hanging out with John for a little bit. He’d been mostly absent the past week (except for when I went to church with him), and I wanted to catch up with his Spanish travels.

Delicious cake at Pudding

Tuesday was a nice way to start classes again. I didn’t have anything but Catalan class and it was mostly review after a week off. After class, I went with Jessica to my favorite (aka cheap) Chinese place down the street from CIEE and ate rich for 3.50 euro. To assuage Jessica’s sweet tooth, we headed to Pudding, an adorably decorated cafe a little further down the street. My host mom had told me about it earlier, and Jessica and Christina tried it out and really enjoyed it. Jessica got tea and toast and I tried a tarta with fruit and cream. After hanging out with Jessica, I edited a video for Christina (we’re both applying for the CIEE Alumni Internship), then met up with some new friends to show them around Barcelona. We went to a bar to chat and met up with some other friends. Shortly after, we got hungry and tried a new burger place called Bacoa. Bacoa has specialty burgers that are as big as your head for as low as 5 euro… yum. Christina and I split one and fries. After eating, we hit up some more bars. First, Dow Jones, which I’d never been to before. The concept is like a stock market – drinks are priced according to how many people buy how many, and sometimes the stock market “crashes” and you can get an excellent deal… if you’re fast enough. After Dow Jones, we went to Chupitos where they have 100 different kinds of shots for 2 euro a piece. I tried one called the Green Goblin and another one called Apocalypse. They were both on fire and one had hot sauce in it… After trying out the bars, we headed to Apolo for Crappy Tuesdays. It wasn’t super full, but then we were there kind of early. Overall, a crazy and fun night.

The plaza by the Verdaguer metro stop

Wednesday was spent recovering from the night before (except going to Spanish and Catalan class) and also used to put the finishing touches on my paper.

A pretty park at the end of the red line of the metro

Thursday was the first day back at my internship after a long break. I had a nice chat with Paco, my favorite coworker, about our favorite subject – food. We are definitely kindred spirits. He gave me some excellent recommendations of where to go with my dad when he’s in town including some good seafood places in Barceloneta. Later in the day, I met up with Hass, a friend my best friend Nikky met in London who has become a friend of my own. I showed him around Barcelona a little bit and we made plans to go out the next day.

The Magic Fountain!

Friday was quite the interesting day, indeed. After Spanish class, my group decided to make plans to go to brunch because it is quite rare to get the “American standard” of breakfast in Spain. At my homestay, we have yogurt, cereal, toast… things like that, but we aren’t allowed to use the stove and my host mom doesn’t purchase anything too exotic (or flavorful) to eat in terms of breakfast food. Needless to say, I needed a change. We went to a place called Milk, ordered up some mimosas, and one of the greatest omlette/potato wedge combos I’ve ever had… but maybe the brunch lust has gotten to me. After brunch we were walking around and saw a spa with fish in tanks. Jessica and I had seen a place like this before at the mall, and she decided to take the plunge and get a fish pedicure. Basically, there are these little fishies that suck off the dead skin on your feet and make it smooth. They have no teeth and it honestly feels like dozens of mini-massages on your feet. It was weird at first but eventually we all got into it. Not a bad way to spend the morning. Afterwards, I went back to the residencia with Jessica to hang out for a bit, then headed home to get in a nap before the night. We all went out to Opium for one of the first times since being in Barcelona. We ended up seeing my German friend Berthold, which is crazy because neither of us ever go there. Overall, a great night.

Barcelona Roller Derby

Saturday was another interesting day. I woke up late and met Christina and her friend Emily, and we all went to the end of the red metro line to see our new friends participate in a Roller Derby. Apparently, the girls who were involved on Saturday were the “B” team – the younger, less experienced roller derbiers (I don’t know the proper conjugation of that word so I’m just going to make stuff up). It was a cool experience and it was fun to see how engaged people were… or drunk in some cases. After the Derby, we stopped for some snacks at a kebab stand and then I left to meet up with Hass and his friend at the Magic Fountain. It was a cool experience, and I would recommend it to anyone visiting Barcelona. Basically, there’s this huge fountain in Plaza Espana that has a water, light, and music show on the weekends (and maybe other days… not sure). I went home to eat with my host mom and then right back out again to Razzmatazz with my friends. We had a big group going because a lot of people’s friends were in town and also met up with some CIEE students when we got there.

Getting a fish pedicure

Sunday was a slow, recovery day after my crazy week. I went to the residencia to meet up with Jessica, Christina, and Emily and we got some homework done. I wrote up a cover letter for Spanish class and called it a day. I went back home to dine with Aly and Imma (its rare that we are all there at the same time), and we caught up on each other’s weeks. I’m so sad that my time here is drawing to a close and pretty soon I’m not going to see my new friends everyday. I don’t want to come back home just yet!

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April 8, 2013 by admin

Week Thirteen: Semana Santa!

Independencia graffiti

Week Thirteen for me was Semana Santa (Holy Week) and meant I finally got a break from school and my internship. I stayed in Barcelona due to some haphazard planning with a friend, which kind of bummed me out (so much of the world left to explore). However, during Semana Santa, I finalized plans to travel with my dad after the program and we decided to go to Sevilla for Feria (huge after-Easter festival in Southern Spain), Cordoba for a day trip, and then Rome for a couple of days. Needless to say, I’m significantly less bummed out.

Primos! (cousins)

My cousin T.J. came to Barcelona after a wedding in Paris, with his lovely girlfriend Amy. They took the train in and made their way to Imma’s flat, and we set out to do some Gracia tourist stuff. One thing I saved to do with them was to visit Casa Vicens, which is one of Gaudi’s earlier buildings, which is in Gracia close to the Fontana metro stop. You can’t go into the building (that I know of), but it was cool to see another Gaudi work and I’m glad I finally made it out there. After checking it out, we went shopping on Carrer Verdi, which is a street known for being very international both with food and boutiques. We went to a thrift store run by a fine Englisman named Jimmy. Jimmy cut me a deal on some scarves I found since I brought him some paying customers and told me that if I ever need any hashish, he’s got me covered. Thanks Jimmy. After shopping, on Verdi, we walked to one of the plazas in Gracia for tapas, stopping first at a Chinese store. It was funny to see Amy’s reaction – T.J. had similar stores when he studied abroad in Madrid, but they were a new concept to her. For those not in the know, the Chinese stores (the nationality of the people running them changes depending on the city) have everything you could ever want from every product category and everything is cheap. After the Chinese store, we had tapas and I tried fuet, a type of chorizo typical of Catalunya. After lunch, I took Amy and T.J. to Park Guell, all the way up to the top, so they could get one of the best views of Barcelona. They had to leave shortly after that for Zaragoza, but it was nice to see them if even for a day! Later that night, I went to see Spring Breakers with Berthold, Andy, and Christina at Cine Verdi (original language theater). It was among the top weirdest movies I’ve ever seen.

Casa Vicens - Gaudi building by the Fontana metro stop

I spent Tuesday with Jessica, spending what little remains of my money (don’t kill me, Mom). We started by looking for Rambla de Raval and Jessica mis-understood me, so we went in the wrong direction. It ended up being a good thing, because we got some snacks at El Bosque de las Fades, a fairytale bar and Barcelona tourist must-do. Afterwards, we found what I was looking for in Raval, souvineers for my friends and sister. After Raval, Jessica and I travelled to L’illa mall at the end of the green line because Jessica wanted to check out Primark. The mall is where most of my money got spent, but I got a lot of things I needed (and some I definitely didn’t). Earlier in the day, I had seen a bracelet I really wanted, but the price was not right. Later on, I found a jewelry making store and recreated it and made it my own. I also finally got shorts, which will come in handy as the weather gets better.

Crazy statue near Drassanes metro stop

I spent Wednesday with Jessica as well, this time going to the Gypsy market to shop. It was a bust of a day for clothes, but Jess and I got matching rings, I got another gift for my sister, and I got a Paella pan! After the market, we went to Carrefour (my favorite hypermarket) for some grocery shopping. I got the necessary supplies for egg-less sugar cookies (Jess is allergic) and Jess got the necessary supplies for homemade Macaroni and Cheese. We went to the Residencia to create our masterpieces and they turned out great. Ok, the Macaroni and Cheese was a little weird, but that’s because we accidentally chose a weird type of cheese to make the sauce with. Later in the night, I went to Razzmatazz with Lena and Margaret and we got in for free thanks to some good connections.

El Bosque de Las Fades fairytale bar

Thursday started as a lazy day, but ended as one of the craziest. I went to Razzmatazz again with Christina and her girlfriend, this time for a concert. Pendulum was doing a DJ set, and they are one of my favorite dubstep/electronica bands, so I had to go. At Razzmatazz, we met up with some kids who were in the Amsterdam study abroad program with Christina’s girlfriend. So random, but things like this happen all of the time. We ended up hanging out with them for the rest of the night, and I stayed with them once Christina and her girlfriend left. I later met some native Spaniards and spent the rest of the night with them and had a great time. Pendulum was amazing, by the way.

One of the coolest buildings I've ever seen

Friday was mostly spent recovering from Thursday night, and ended with me back out again (hey, its Semana Santa). I met up with Christina and her girlfriend again, this time trying to see the Magic Fountain. Of course, we messed up the times and were too late and will have to return, but the view from MNAC at night was spectacular, so not a total waste of time. We met up with one of their friends afterwards for drinks and I got an awesome deal – a glass of wine and burrito for 5 euro. Not bad.

MNAC at night

Saturday was another slow day (are you sensing a pattern, yet?), and was spent with yet more friends of Christina (we were pretty inseparable during break). This time, we went to Ryan’s Bar, which is known for having some cheap drinks and is a great pregame spot. We decided to check out the discotecas in Plaza Reial and ended up at Jamboree. We’ve been doing pretty well lately, getting in to places for free and not wasting our money on the cover. We met some cool girls outside at the fountain who are from America and teaching English in the area, some chatty native Spaniards, and then called it a night.

What is up with these trees?

Sunday I decided to be a good kid. I woke up early for Easter mass and met up with John who was finally back in town after travellijng around Spain, as well as his lovely family. We sat through mass in Catalan (and figured it out as best as we could), then went to Sandwich and Friends afterwards. After a little nap, I went back out again to Plaza Reial with Christina, John, Lena and Margaret and we had an interesting night with all the tourists in Plaza Reial.

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April 3, 2013 by admin

Week Twelve: Friends, Graffiti, and Karaoke

Week Twelve was a busy one for me with a friend in town (Jeff) and exams looming on my mind.

"I declare this space mine" found in Gracia

I had my internship on Monday where I spent a good chunk of my day before finding Jeff. We met at the Boqueria where we indulged in some fresh, delicious local food, then met another friend at a café. That night, we met up with a group of people at Ryan’s Bar, which had a lot of really good drink specials – we will be coming back. After Ryan’s Bar, we headed to Apolo for Nasty Mondays because it was unthinkable that Jeff could be in Barcelona without experiencing one of the craziest days and places to go out.

Jeff at the Catedral

Tuesday was a little bit rough after Nasty Mondays, but we both got up to go on a guided tour of the Museu d’Historia with my Catalan Class. Jeff had expressed an interest in going to the museum and we happened to be going, so it worked out well (especially because neither of us had to pay!). The tour was in Spanish, which was a little difficult for Jeff to understand (sorry buddy), but I did my best to translate the main points for him while taking it all in. The guide referred to our group as “chicas… y Jeff.” In Spanish, if there’s even one male, they default to “chicos,” the masculine form. However, our group was predominately girls and I think he was trying some form of being politically correct. After the tour and class, Jeff and I stuck around to explore a little bit. We had lunch in this delicious Chinese place close to CIEE with the best prices – 3.50 euro for my chicken and fried noodles, 7 euro for his menu del dia which included 3 plates (appetizer, rice, meat dish), a beverage, and dessert. I said goodbye to Jeff to go study while he explored the Picasso Museum.  We met up later to see another friend, then went back to Jeff’s place to watch a movie for my class – called Tapas. After Tapas, we went for tapas at a Portuguese place in Gracia. Jeff got a sausage/bread combo and I tried croquettas with beef. After tapas, I had to see Jeff off, because it was necessary to get some more studying done before my tests the next day.

My favorite graffiti work in Barcelona... near Urquinaona

Wednesday was one of the busiest days of Jeff’s trip and of my life (hah). I went to Spanish class and met up with him shortly after to show him more of Barcelona. We settled for bocadillos to eat in Parc de la Ciutadella near my school, ESCI. Jeff then went to the Museum of Chocolate (wish I could go so bad) before we headed back to CIEE. I dropped him off with Jessica, who said she would take him shopping, while I met with Carly and Julia to study some more for our Sales Management final. We quizzed each other on the way over, then settled in, ready for the test. It was hard. Everything was in Spanish and some sentances didn’t make complete sense when I read them in Spanish. The teacher wouldn’t allow the use of a Spanish/English dictionary, so we had to call him over frequently to verify words. Overall, I think I did a good job. The test let out at 5:15 and my next exam was at UPF at 5:30… a separate building in a different part of the city. I rushed to find a cab that would accept a credit card to take me (having no cash is no fun). The winner was a nice cab driver who was critical of Catalan culture but told me that my Spanish was very good… a nice little confidence boost before my test. I got to the test, unfortunately a little bit late, and sat down and gave it my best effort. Operations Management is no joke… especially in Spanish. I was allowed to use a dictionary for this test, but the teacher refused to clarify any questions for me. It was really quite stressful and I didn’t feel good when it was over… I just felt drained. I went home to get ready for dinner – Jeff was going to take me to a fancy Argentinian steak house. Going there, eating really well for the first time since Madrid, and letting myself enjoy my new free time after a marathon of studying turned my mood around. After dinner, we headed to Ovella Negra and saw some people in my program that we hung out with. My crew headed over shortly after, and we changed groups. I took Jeff to Razzmatazz (another un-missable nightlife spot in Barcelona), and we got in for free thanks to my ninja Facebook moves.

New graffiti near Urgel

Jeff left on Thursday. I saw him off, then headed to my internship. It was a really good day at work for me, because I had a lovely chat with one of my younger coworkers. She’s from Columbia – also a foreigner in the city, despite her native Spanish fluency. We talked about things we love about Barcelona, things we miss about our hometown, and things to do in the future. I got in some more Spanish practice with my favorite coworker, Paco, who’s always telling me about upcoming festivals and other Barcelona fine points. After my internship, I called it an early night, because I was pretty exhausted from the prior week, but not before supporting my gay friends at CIEE’s LGBT cocktail. We met a cool girl who was “one of those year long students,” and she took Christina and John out later that night.

Berthold in his element

Friday was an interesting day. Most people were noticeably absent from Spanish class, because they had already left for Semana Santa. The small class was kind of fun with the remaining people. After class, John and I decided to have a spontaneous day, because it was officially our first day of freedom from class. I went with him to get his hair cut (translated what he wanted in Spanish for his hair dresser), munched on some delicious Spanish pastries, and randomly ran into our favorite German friend, Berthold. He came with us and showed us some brand new street art near the Urgell metro stop, and more in another part of the city.  We went back to the residencia shortly after that to meet up with Christina, and we all decided to watch The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I loved the book and had downloaded the movie, just didn’t have a chance to watch it yet. I went home after that and had another relaxed night.

Some especially interesting graffiti

Saturday I ran for the first time since coming to Barcelona. I know that sounds bad, but consider the following:

  • I walk everywhere in this city and have worn out shoes and feet to prove it
  • When I go out, I dance until 5 am then have to walk to and from the night bus (usually not a short distance)

The point is, I’m not sedative. However, I don’t often engage in moderate to high intensity activity. But it felt good and I’m glad I did it. After running I met up with Christina and we worked on our videos we were making as part of our application to CIEE. We met at a crazy cafe on Carrer Verdi in my ‘hood (Gracia). The food was so/so and the Internet even worse, so I brought Christina back to my house. Now, I know we’re supposed to ask before we do that stuff, but I knew Imma (my host mom) would be home and my roommate had brought a friend over without asking before without a hitch. Imma was not so happy this time, but let me bring my friend in after a bit of a lecture. Oops. We worked in the kitchen and recharged our batteries, but it was too dark to continue filming. We split up for awhile but met up later that night to go out with friends of the girl we met on Thursday. They are all in roller derby and were super sweet and interesting to talk to. Plus we got to check out a new place off The Ramblas we hadn’t been to.

Sunday started with one set of plans, but ended up going another direction. Christina and I went with Jessica to one of her friends houses to make dumplings. They were so good and we filled up before we left. We later met Berthold, the German, at George Payne’s. I had convinced him to sing a duet with me for karaoke and we killed it. “American Boy” (Estelle feat. Kanya West) was the song. It was so funny. I did a solo with “Only Girl in the World” (Rihanna) afterwards and it was super hard to hit the high notes. Then Andy, Berthold’s American roommate did “Danza Kudoro” and he didn’t know half the words but he got the biggest cheer from the crowd. I really love doing karaoke night at GP’s.

Christopher Columbus Monument

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March 30, 2013 by admin

Week Eleven: Las Fallas in Valencia and a Barca Game

Valencian street art at its finest

The week leading up to my friend Jeff coming to visit, I took it easy and stayed home to study a lot. However, I took a short break for an Intercambio night sponsored through my school. It was an interesting night because it was the FC Barcelona vs Milan game. If Barca didn’t win, they would be out of whatever current playoff thing they were currently in (obviously I know a lot about soccer). As such, there was a very small turnout. The kids that came were kids that I quite like in the program and we all did our best to improve our Spanish while helping the one Spanish person that showed up improve her English. We drank all drank Claras (beer and lemonade), played pool (I literally didn’t even sink one ball), and watched Barca kill Milan and progress to the next round! So it definitely was a good alternative to studying.

The Perdrera - famous Gaudi apartment building

Friday came fast and I went to pick up Jeff from the airport. I literally had no idea what I was doing, so I was a little late (sorry Jeff). I finally got to him and I could tell he was relieved that I found him. I took him to Plaza Espana and we took his first metro ride to Rockafort (just a stop away), and Jeff checked into his Airbnb rental. I had a splitting headache and Jeff was a little jetlagged so we decided to take his first night easy. I took him to a tapas place where Jeff got to experience the amazing Spanish food that is Patatas Bravas. I gave him a little bit of a walking tour in the Urquinaona/Catalunya area. Then we called it a night… we had a big day ahead of us.

Valencian Arc

Saturday we took a bus to Valencia for Las Fallas! We both woke up early so I could show him around Barcelona a little bit more. I took him to the Boqueria (big open air fresh food market) where we got some delicious fresh fruit juice. We also walked to the Catedral because I couldn’t find it the night before (doy). We stopped at Passieg de Gracia so Jeff could check out Casa Mila and La Perdrera – two of Gaudi’s most famous Barcelona works (besides Sagrada Familia). Then, we headed in the direction of Barcelona Nord, the big bus station next to Arc de Triomf and got some delicious bocadillos on the way.

An interesting Falla

The bus ride was a little over 4 hours, so I decided to get some sleep in… it was about to be a very long night. We got to Valencia and slowly found our way around. The streets were crazy with drunk people, old people, and children – no one wanted to miss out on the celebration. “Las Fallas” refers to the incredibly detailed and beautiful paper mache statues that different neighborhoods in Valencia create, display, then burn down at the end of the festival. They looked like they were designed by Pixar; they were so intricate. We had fun stumbling across Las Fallas, little girls dressed up like princesses, and other cool Valencian monuments. Eventually we met up with Christina, Megan, Lauren, and Celeste (girls in my program) and watched a really cool light show at the top of one of the busiest streets. When the light show was over, we set ou to look for food. Unfortunately, our options were limited. A lot of things were closed, completely full, or just had bocadillos when what we needed was a filling meal. We eventually settled for a bar that was incredibly slow, turned out being more expensive than it was worth, and with crap food quality. Meh. We then headed to a bar for a drink and then one of the city centers for some fireworks. Shortly after, we started trekking towards the bus station for our 4am (!!) bus back. Jeff and I stopped at a restaurant that was still open and serving Paella – yes! Christina had missed her bus so I used my negotiation skills and got her on our (not full) bus. The trip home was rough – they added on an extra hour and then some, and stopped in extra places. By the time we got back to Barcelona I was ready to crash.

Castle-y monument in Valencia

After a nice nap, I eventually got up, got ready, and took Jeff to Park Guell. Park Guell is such a good tourist place to take people because its (1) beautiful, (2) free, (3) exercise, and (4) Gaudi. Jeff is a Graphic Design major and so he appreciates things like art and architecture – its different to take him then someone else. We had a good time, but had to hurry and get dinner before the Barca game we were going to! We stopped at a bar close to the stadium and split some delicious and cheap sangria and tapas. Soon we left for the stadium which was buzzing even though it was a minor game, versus Rayo Vallecano (from Madrid). The game itself was quite an experience. Our seats were high up, but we could clearly see what was going on. I don’t usually like soccer on TV, but when you have the ability to see the whole field and are in with the crowd, its a totally different story. Luckily, they used their A-team players and we got to see Messi in action.

FC Barcelona Stadium during the game versus Rayo Vallecano

It was definitely a crazy and very cultural week for me and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

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March 23, 2013 by admin

Week Ten: Soccer Stadiums, Madrid and Toledo!

March is here and there is no shortage of things to do in Barcelona.

Delicious jamon

On Monday, I went to my internship and was surprised with a feast fit for a king. Whirlpool had hit a certain sales target that they hadn’t in a few years, and everyone was in good spirits after snacking on Spanish delicacies catered by a local restaurant. The day was made even better when I made a trip to the mall (literally across the street from me) to give Primark a try. Primark is a British company known for its affordable basic clothing. I found some new colored skinny jeans, a flowy top to wear with leggings, some new socks and an envelope purse for 35 euro. After my shopping trip, I headed over to the residencia because a friend (not going to name any names…) needed some help. She decided to get a bunny while in Spain (she’s crazy), and the poor thing was sick. I went to the vet and did my best explaining what was wrong and helped my friend figure out her options.

Plaza Mayor

John’s friends were still in town and we showed them around Barcelona nightlife a bit. I was feeling a bit under the weather this week due to my still undiagnosed allergic reactions (blah), so I opted to go out for bars vs. discotecas. We found one near where they were staying (off Las Ramblas) and another in Gracia (right by me) and had a good time.

Palacio Real

On Friday, CIEE offered a paid-for tour of the FC Barcelona stadium. Apparently, its one of the most expensive museums in Barcelona, so I was not about to pass up the opportunity. I had fun learning about Barca, “mes de un club,” and seeing trophies, uniforms, and highlights from its history.

FC Barcelona stadium - "More than a club"

This weekend, our program took us on a trip to Madrid and Toledo. We met at Sants Station early Saturday morning and took Ave, the high speed train. Madrid is about 6 hours driving, but only 2.5 or so on Ave. Once there, we checked into our hotels – mine the Petite Palace Arenal – and set out for lunch. My group opted for a Mexican place with cheap tacos, delicious margaritas, and fresh guacamole. After lunch we took a walking tour around Madrid which included stops at Palacio Real, the Opera House, Plaza Mayor, and many other famous Madrid sites situated around the city center. We stopped to try a Madrid delicacy - jamon right off the pig. Some restaurants have a rating system based on the quality of the ham and the price can range from 9 euro a kilo to more than 150. We also had churros with hot chocolate and I thought they were way tastier than the ones we had in Barcelona. I’ll give you that, Madrid. After the walking tour, we went to the Museo del Prado, one of the finest art museums in the world, and were treated to another guided tour. Our guide explained many of the finer points of some of the masterpieces there. After the museum, Jessica and I went shopping for souvineers. For dinner, we found a tapas place that had many delicious looking foods to share and cheap beers. We all took a little bit of a break, then went on a haphazard search for a discoteca, Kapital, then decided against it when we couldn’t get in for cheaper than 20 euro. We ended the night with more churros con chocolate and a brief stint in a bar called The Dubliner.

Palacio Real - Crystal Palace

The next day was our day trip to Toledo. We piled in the bus bright and early after having the most delicious buffet breakfast at the hotel. A short 45 minutes later, we were there. We had another guided tour, but this one focused on the churches and synagogue. We saw el Greco’s masterpiece in the final church. The guided tour ended in the main plaza of Toledo. We veered off to find lunch and weren’t disappointed when we found a typical Spanish place to satisfy everyone’s tastes. I shared croquettas with Christina that were almost as big as my hand and a bocadillo (sandwich) made with bacon and cheese. We did a little shopping afterwards and got jewelry made of damasqueno – black and gold art handmade in Toledo. I finished my day in Toledo with a trip to a bakery that specialized in Marzipan (another one of Toledo’s specialties) and got myself a treat. We took the bus back and it dropped us off at the Reina Sofia, Madrid’s modern art museum. It was my second time there, but things had definitely changed since the last time I came. We had fun trying to figure out what was going in some of the crazier paintings. After the museum, we met with the group for dinner. CIEE took us to a delicious restaurant with different menu options. I got pasta, then curried chicken with chocolate mousse as a dessert. It really was a treat to have a delicious dinner that was already paid for. After dinner, I went out with John and Christina. We let ourselves get a little lost on the streets of Madrid and found a random bar to patronize.

Real Madrid stadium VIP seats

Monday was our last day in Madrid. Once again, I took advantage of the free buffet breakfast (taking a few things for lunch…). The day started with a bus tour of the outskirts of Madrid, to some places I hadn’t seen before. We stopped for pictures at the Madrid bullfighting ring and then for a tour of the Real Madrid stadium. We got to see their trophies, get on the field, and even in the locker room. After the tour, we went to Parque del Retiro for some lunch (I got Patatas Bravas to go with my hotel sandwich). It was a beautiful day. After the park, we headed for the train station, then home.

Toledo

Needless to say, this week was amazing, but tiring. I’m taking a couple days to get my things in order, because next week are ESCI and UPF finals (my operations management and sales management classes). Its hard to believe that those classes will soon be over, followed in a few weeks by my CIEE classes. I have roughly a month left in Barcelona and I’m not sure how to feel about it. One of my friends is also coming up to visit this, so I’ll be busy playing tour guide.

Bridge in Toledo

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March 13, 2013 by admin

Week Nine: El Clasico, Midterms, Intercambio, and Museums!

Some interesting promotional work by Nike at Arc de Triomf

Its hard to believe that my time in Barcelona is over halfway done. If anyone knows of a Spanish company in need of an enthusiastic American graduate, let me know…

Roman wall ruins hidden in Barcelona

I was pleasantly surprised by a lot of things this week. For example, Jessica made another delicious lunch/dinner (hamburgers!) and while we were shopping for groceries, I got my hands on a liter of white wine for 70 cents. Ok, I know what you’re thinking. “I bet that wine was gross!” And I will concur that it was not the finest wine, but when you want cheap alcohol, it will do. Another pleasant surprise was the Empanada stand down the street from where I get off the metro. My host mom told me about it and I decided to check it out. Everything was 1.80 euro and there were at least ten different flavors. I will definitely be back.

An interesting vending machine find

Perhaps my favorite pleasant surprise were how easy my midterms were. I think I over-studied for Catalan, because the format of the midterm was very straightforward and geared towards the beginning language learner. Spanish was a little bit harder, but not unachievable, which is surprising given my difficulty in the finer points of grammar. I got my grades back, and I did even better than I thought I would!

Parc Guell

I finally met with my intercambio partner on Monday, Andrea. We ate at the cafeteria at UPF and she showed me around the building, mainly the library, and also some of the surrounding stores at Ciutadella Vila Olimpica. We switched off between Spanish and English, sticking strictly to one at a time to begin with, then getting less formal as we continued. Andrea speaks near-perfect English and I speak broken Spanish, but its amazing how native Spaniards are the first to bring down their own abilities. In almost every encounter I’ve had with a Spaniard who is learning English, they tell me how bad they are, then blow me away with how perfect they actually are.

This week was an important one for Barcelona soccer. I went to one of the main touristy bars with a bunch of Americans in my program to watch El Clasico between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. The results were not great for Barcelona… we lost 3 to 1. Luckily I don’t care much for the results or happenings of sports… but it was fun to take in the energy of the game.

I went to the doctor this week to try and figure out my allergy problems but left with more questions than I came with. The doctor is convinced that I don’t have an allergic reaction… that my skin is just reactive in general. I have another appointment with him this week and hopefully an allergy test in two weeks to rule out all and any possibilities.

A large group of John’s friends were in town this weekend, and they went to Parc Guell. Since I hadn’t seen it in full daylight, I decided to tag along and was not disappointed. It was also fun to see how excited his friends were when we got there… Barcelona really is a beautiful place with so many cool things to do and see. Speaking of which, Gracia (and perhaps other neighborhoods in Barcelona) had a fiesta/parade for the kids, complete with horses and candy on Saturday. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Horses at the festival in my neighborhood

On Sunday, I got an early start to my day and decided that God help me, I would get into one of the free museums. I coaxed Jessica to come with me and we had a great time seeing the progression of Picasso from when he was very young to much older, in the Picasso Museum. I got some goodies for my friends in the giftshop and we checked out some of the restaurants in the area for a snack. We found an Argentinian restaurant with very fresh fruit juice. It was so good that I think I’ll be a repeat customer. Later that night, my German friend Berthold convinced me to come to George Payne’s for karaoke. Feeling like I hadn’t sufficiently humiliated myself in quite some time, I was obliged to go. I started my song with “This is for America!” and was the only person in the bar that night (at least while I was there) to sing a song from the 20′s… Stacey’s Mom. It was a hit, even if I couldn’t hit all of the notes.

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March 6, 2013 by admin

“Backpacking” Through Europe for the Weekend

My friend John and I have had spent the last week living out of our backpacks while checking some countries and cities off our list of places to see. My host mom’s jaw dropped when I told her that I lived out of just my backpack for up to four days at a time. I would consider myself to be a materialistic person prior to packing my whole life into two suitcases (one big, one small) and a backpack for the semester, but I have learned to adapt. Here are my tips and packing list so you can avoid carry-on fees and the additional discomfort of wheeling around your baggage.

What you wear

  • Comfy pair of pants
  • Multi-purpose shoes

Basically the idea here is that you’re making one thing work as two. Wear shoes that are comfortable for walking around the city you’re visiting, but generic and stylish enough to work as the shoes you wear to the discos. I’m a fan of leggings or pants with a similar material for travelling and sleeping. The fewer clothes you bring, the more room you have for other things and to bring things back.

  • Sweater
  • Coat

Depending on the weather, you’re going to want to bring warm shirts and a thick coat. Wear these heavy layers so that you have more room in your backpack. Bring a generic sweater that can work with multiple layers. If you bring tank tops and t shirts, you will reduce the wasted room in your backpack even more. Coats also double as additional storage; you can put extra small things in your pockets.

  • Purse
    • Camera
    • iPod
    • Phone
    • House Key
    • Metro Card
    • Wallet
    • Passport and boarding pass

I was lucky in that my recent flights weren’t strict about what counts as your carry-on bag. My only spillover was my purse that quite honestly could be smushed down and stored in my backpack, but was more useful to me slung across my shoulders. In my purse I stored the things I would need when I was back home again (metro card phone, and keys), and the things I needed on the flight (passport and boarding pass) and at my destination (wallet, iPod, and camera).  The iPod and phone are really up to you – I got around buying an international SIM card by using the wifi on my iPhone and good planning. The iPod served many purposes without wasting much room – for communication, entertainment, and planning.

What you pack

  • 2 multi-purpose pairs of pants
  • 2-3 shirts or layers
  • Underwear and socks

You can change the quantities based on how long your trip is – mine are based off of my four-day trips. You can make things last if you don’t get them dirty, and you can make multiple outfits based on your foundations. As previously mentioned, bring items that can work double-time.

  • Camera and iPod chargers
  • Converter
  • Hair dryer and straightener

These things are easy to forget about, but could potentially hurt the smoothness of your trip. If you’re relying on your iPod for directions or communication and it dies, you’re out of luck. If you wish to relay the beauty of the country you’re in to your family and your camera battery dies without a way to recharge it… you get the idea. Its best to create a list of what you need before you leave so you can double check and have peace of mind. As for the hairdryer and straightener, obviously it depends on how you do your hair (guys for example likely won’t require these tools) and it also depends on if your final destination has access to these things. If they do, there’s extra room you get in your backpack!

  • Toiletries
    • Shampoo and conditioner
    • Toothbrush and toothpaste
    • Bath gel or soap
    • Hair product
    • Makeup

Likewise, the toiletries you need will depend on your method of getting ready and the products available at your end destination. For example, if you’re staying at a hotel, you can take advantage of the included toiletries. If you’re staying with a friend, they likely won’t mind you using their stuff (but ask first). If no toiletries are available at your final destination, one person can bring them for multiple people and another person can share room in their backpack, perhaps for a hair dryer.

Additional tips

  • Leave some room for souvenirs!
  • Don’t be high maintenance – bring the least amount of makeup, hair product, and clothing as you can realistically get away with
  • Cheating – If you can’t fit everything in your backpack, put it in the pockets of your big coat
  • If you’re wearing it, it doesn’t count as another carry-on (RYANAIR)
Are there any packing tips I missed? Leave them in the comments!

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March 4, 2013 by admin

Week Eight: Adventures in Northern Germany!

The wonderful Freise family, our hosts in Germany

After getting back from Hungary, there were many things I had to take care of before heading off to Germany. I had broken the heel and treads (is that what they’re called?) off of one of my few pairs of shoes and wanted to get them repaired or replaced before travelling again. My host mom told me about a shop literally down the street from where we lived. For 25 euro, the friendly shopkeeper had my boots looking good as new, with only a day’s turnover. It’s not something I’ve ever done in the United States (I wouldn’t know where to go), but I was really happy with the experience. Besides errands, I spent time catching up with friends before leaving again. One night I headed over to the Residencia to make dinner with my friend Jessica. I brought the ingredients necessary to make baguette pizzas, and they did not disappoint. Jessica is a great chef, but also a practical person, and can make a feast out of anything. I also had to reschedule the days I came in to my Internship, because I usually work Mondays and Thursdays, but would be absent and out of the country for both. After a few brief and busy days in Barcelona, John and I were back on the road (or perhaps in the air is a better way of putting it).

Lubeck in Northern Germany, where Marzipan was invented

My parents made friends with a family in Germany when they went to Russia many years ago and adopted a child (in our case, my sister Darya). My parents told them I would be in Barcelona and was interested in seeing Germany, and they welcomed me with open arms. I offered the opportunity to anyone in my group of friends who was interested, and John took me up on it (which is good, because he is amazing at figuring out various public transportation systems).

The Ishtar Gate at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin

We took a slightly nicer flight than the one to Hungary, this time with Vueling, which essentially took the same amount of time. As per usual, I passed out on the way there and woke up in time to get off the plane. Jan, the father figure of the Freise family was there to pick us up, sign in hand so he’d be easy to recognize. John and I piled in his car and enjoyed our first trip on the Autobahn back to Lubeck – Jan didn’t disappoint with his driving that was slightly faster than we are used to. We were greeted with delicious pastries (much needed at the time), and then trekked out to explore Lubeck. Lubeck is in the North of Germany by the Baltic Sea, and about 45 minutes away from Hamburg. Lubeck is a town with many churches and is also notable as the birthplace of Marzipan. After a brief tour, Jan left us to explore. Shortly thereafter, we headed out to eat with Ute, the mother figure of the Freise family, who treated us to dinner at a local brewery. We shared a few pitchers of locally-brewed beer and I tried Weiner Schnitzel, which was delicious. Ute warned us that the beer was known to give psychotic dreams (essentially the beer version of Absinthe with an extended and unconscious release), and she was right – that night I dreamed that one of my best Barcelona friends was trying to karate chop me to death! Weird.

Curry Wurst and Hot Wine - yum!

John and I woke up early for a day trip to Berlin. We hopped aboard a bus and slept on and off for about four hours, which is when we finally made it. Ute packed us breakfast and lunch – it was a sweet and very appreciated gesture. Unfortunately, our trip to Berlin started off on the wrong foot – we didn’t understand the metro system and missed our walking tour. We quickly pulled it together after settling on going to the Pergamon museum and luckily finding a similar walking tour much close to our destination. We let ourselves enjoy the museum, which included many antiquities and reconstructions from the past, then headed over to the meeting spot for our tour. There we met three lovely girls on vacation and studying abroad in France. One girl lives in Wheaton – a town over from where I lived half my life. I can’t tell you how many “What a small world!” exchanges I’ve had since coming to Barcelona. We were led to the first stop on the tour and followed an English bloke who gave us an in-depth look at some of the main parts of Berlin including Checkpoint Charlie, the Berlin Wall, the Opera House, countless museums, Hitler’s Bunker, and more. We stopped in the middle for food and I tried Curry Wurst and hot wine – both amazingly delicious, in my book. After the tour we stuck around for some pictures than regrettably headed for the bus. The Freises’ made us some delicious pizza when we got back, then we crashed.

Both sides of the Berlin Wall

The next day we slept in a little bit later than usual and had a relaxed breakfast. We met Ute and Jan’s daughter Svenya, who is just a few years younger than me (and a little bit closer to John’s age). She would be taking us out that night, so it was nice to get to know her, beforehand! We were dropped off at the train station for an easy 40-minute train ride to the Hamburg city center. Once there, John and I relaxed, realizing that Hamburg would be easier to navigate and less hectic than Berlin. We did our own walking tour, aided by a particularly nifty app John downloaded. We saw many churches and went up the lift of one so that we could have an aerial view of the whole city. Eventually we stopped to eat and I got Weiner Schnitzel again – yum. After seeing some of the sites, we stopped at the Museum of Arts and Crafts where we took in many different exhibits, including Alexander McQueen, Pixar, Art Noveaux, and Design (in general). It was a relaxing and fun way to end the day. We took the train back home and were presented with the most delicious Mediterranean dinner with the Freises’. After dinner, we packed up our beer and headed over to Svenya’s friend’s house for party time with the Germans. We had fun talking to them and trying new German beers (6% alcohol content – yikes!). Eventually, it got late and we decided to call it quits, but not before learning a bunch of new German drinking games…

The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin

John and I had another lazy morning, than started to get our act together. After another delicious breakfast with the Freises, we were driven back to the airport by Jan and Svenya. Perhaps as an attest to the fact that everything is a cultural experience when you’re in another country, Svenya played us some typical German music: rap, dance, and rock. Before we knew it, we were there and had to say our goodbyes.

The Hamburg Rathaus

My first experience in Germany could not have gone better. We had the most hospitable hosts that really made us feel taken care of. My parents have yet to visit Lubeck, but I’m definitely pushing for it, now. I can only hope that we can return the favor if the family decides to visit the United States.

A Jewish Memorial in Berlin

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