Enjoying Barcelona

My last trip of the semester was the weekend I spent in London. Since then, I have been enjoying Barcelona and trying to soak everything in before I go home. I have been trying to focus on saying "Yes" when I get an opportunity instead of using excuses like being tired or having homework. Since London, I have had a few beach days, gone on a few runs, gone out with friends several times, and spent time with my host family.

Wednesday. May 16, was my host father's Birthday party. Some of the pictures turned out a little blurry because seven-year-old children don't like to stay still for a long time, but we had a lot of fun. We ate pizza and cake and drank cava. I bought my host father a singing Birthday card, and the Nora and Marcal were obsessed with it. They kept opening and closing it and singing along. I think they enjoyed the card more than Cacho (my host father). Its awesome how kids can get so excited about something so small.

After dinner, I went out to La Oveja Negra with some friends. Then, Lauren Benne and I went to Temple Bar. After that, I went home and went to sleep so that I could make it to class the next day. I have been taking a Catalan class that one of the CIEE directors, Rafa, is teaching. Thursday we learned about the regions of Europe that speak the language. I learned that there is an Italian island called Alguer where they speak the language. I didn't realize that Catalan was so widely spoken. After Catalan, I went shopping with Lauren Benne, but I didn't buy anything that day. I was looking for a new purse because my zipper broke, but I didn't have enough time to find one that I was sure I wanted to buy. After shopping, I went to my Don Quijote class which I am still enjoying very much. My professor knows a lot, and it is interesting to listen to her talk. One of the funniest things that she has told us is that the Catalan police have their own falcons which go hunting for pigeons during the day and return to the police station at night. It's pretty bad ass. After class, I went home, talked to Jason, ate with my host family, and then went out to a club called Apolo where they were having 80s night. I really enjoyed dancing with friends.

Today, I went to tapas with Lauren Benne, Sam, and Sam's friends from home named Ian and Alex. I ordered a beer and split sausages, patatas bravas, and pan con tomate with my friends. Then, we went to a cafe to get churros since I still hadn't had churros y chocolate since being in Spain. After spending time with my friends, I went back to one of the stores that Lauren and I went to yesterday called Blanco to buy a purse. Then, I came back to the apartment and have just been hanging out ever since. This has been a really fun week in Barcelona and I can't wait to make the next two weeks the best yet.