WEEKEND

I must say, I had a pretty Spanish weekend this past week. Ok, probably not really, but I felt cool at least, so I will share it with you guys (forgive me if this is hastily written, I should be studying right now).

Friday night was very relaxed - I met up with a couple of friends in Moncloa, which is a big student area because it's near one of Madrid biggest universities, the Complutense, and we went to this famous kebab place. There's nothing like 3 euro dinner. Then we headed over to Malasaña, which is a neighborhood that has pretty popular night life. We went into a few different bars and ended up settling in this really cute place with little comfy couches. We hung out for a while and talked a lot about the protests that are going on in Madrid right now. Most of you have probably heard about them, but I'll give you a little synopsis.

The protest started in response to the elections that happened last Sunday, which were for mayors and Presidents of the Autonomous Communities (basically governors) in most places in Spain. The protest was started mostly by youth leaders who are fed up with the absurd 45% unemployment rate among people under 35. Yeah, it's pretty nuts. I mean normal unemployment is 21%, which is bad enough as it is, but it's over double that for the young people. So they just decided to protest, without really giving any particular demands or reasons, other than being fed up with the "system." The police said that they were going to make them stop before the weekend, because there's a law about protesting going on during elections because it might intimidatingly influence voter behavior, but the protest has continued and is still going on even now that the election is over. I'll revisit this later.

So we discussed that and headed home pretty early. I had papers to work on the next day and some other stuff that I wanted to do.

SATURDAY. Woke up, worked on papers. Bleh. It was a really nice day out, so I decided to get my butt outside and actually do something, and I ended up actually going inside the Palacio Real, which up to that point I had only seen from the outside. The inside was, of course, very impressive. It was similar to the other palaces I have seen at Aranjuez and El Escorial, but it's still used for a lot of official things so it's unique in that respect.

After that, I went to meet up with some friends for dinner in Sol. MISTAKE. Despite the fact that I was completely aware of the protests that were going on, it didn't occur to me to realize that going to the center of the protests might cause a problem. The plaza was so packed, you could barely move. There were people EVERYWHERE - protesters and spectators alike. It was actually pretty interesting to see though. The more I saw, however, the move it solidified my opinion that it's pretty much just a directionless, pointless effort. The crowds were full of signs sayings things like "It's not the crisis, it's the system" or "We want reform" and "Revolución no es botellon (meaning revolution isn't drinking in the streets, even though that was clearly what was happening). It was just really hard to take seriously. I talked to my host dad about it later, and he literally said "they are just young people who have nothing better to do because they aren't in school and they don't have jobs. They are hippies" I loled. Granted he certainly has a conservatively biased perspective, but I kind of agree with him. I get that the economy sucks, but there's nothing that sitting in the streets complaining about it is going to help. The federal government can't do anything because they have no money, and it's the youth that helped put the socialist party in power in the first place. And what do they think now, re-voting the conservative party in is going to bring on revolution? Kind of counter-intuitive, but that's what has happened anyway. Oh well. Spain's got a lot of problems to sort out.

ANYWAY, back to my weekend. So after pushing my way through the protesters, I stopped and ate dinner with some friends, and we headed over to the Thyssen museum. There was a special gallery opening of the Heroine's Exhibit - female artists and art depicting women through the ages. It was cool. The Thyssen is probably my favorite out of the 3 famous Madrid museums.

SUNDAY. Went to my first bull-fight. The season just officially started here after San Isidro last weekend. My friend and I got some pretty cheap tickets and had decent seating, and the weather was perfect - warm, but not too sunny. Bull-fights, as controversial as they are, are a major part of Spanish tradition and so it was something that I really wanted to do, and I have to say that I actually really enjoyed it. As a cultural experience at least. I can totally understand the controversy and why some people are opposed, but I thought it was really interesting. The crowd was actually composed of mostly Spanish people, not tourists, and they were SO into it. It really is like a sporting event, but an art form at the same time. They judge and comment on the matadors based up on their technique and style. I was pretty oblivious, and don't know the difference between what's good and bad, but listening to the commentary was interesting. We also had one bull get rejected because the crowd didn't like him - that was funny. They send in 8-10 other bulls with bells around their necks to herd him out of the pen. The crowd loved it. We also saw two matadors get gored and trampled, which I guess isn't very common. Fortunately, they were both okay, but it definitely freaked me out. I'm glad I'm not sqeamish, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to watch the whole thing. Despite the violence of it all, I'm glad that I got to experience it first hand.

So that was my weekend. Now I'm back to studying for finals booo. I'm almost finished though! I'll put some pictures of the various activities discussed.

Also, I'll put a few of the Noche de Fuego for San Isidro that I went to last weekend. San Isidro is the holiday for the patron Saint of Madrid, so there's a bunch of events that go along with it, including but not limited to putting giant iron structures on the river to be lit on fire.

One more thing - if you haven't seen the pictures of the baby pandas from the zoo - GO LOOK ON FACEBOOK! Cutest things ever.

Noche de Fuego


Real safe


FIRE FIRE FIRE


Palacio


I'd live there.


Puerta del Sol, packed with protestors


Very specific demands


Lol


Plaza de Toros de las Ventas


Opening Procession


Rejected


Up close and personal

A Few Obervations

I AM FINALLY FINISHED WITH THE UAM! I'm not sure if everyone can fully appreciate that fact as much as I can, but it really is a liberating feeling. Words cannot express the joy I felt to finally leave the place that has basically been the bane of my semester abroad. My exams went about as well as I could've hoped (I'm trying not to drive myself nuts worrying about grades), so for now I am just enjoying the happiness of never having to go back to that horrible place. Dramatic ranting will end now.

So, I have been thoroughly enjoying soaking up my last week in Madrid. The weather has been perfect (minus a little bit of rain), so I am taking this opportunity to take BU for all they are worth, as they reimburse all cultural activities. Movies and museums, all day, everyday. It's a little surreal that I am leaving in just 3 days. I haven't even begun the horrendous task that will be packing all of my junk. Yikes. It's amazing how much stuff a person can accumulate over just 5 months!

As my semester is winding down, I'd like to take this opportunity to make a few observations about the cultural differences that I've noticed. When I chose to come to Spain, I never thought that it would be as different as I've discovered it to be. It's amazing what kind of differences an ocean can establish.

1. Got milk?
No. That's the answer. Yes, there is milk in my homestay, but guess what - IT'S NOT PASTEURIZED. They buy it in bulk and just keep it in a cabinet, unrefrigerated so that you can just pull out another carton whenever you need it. Sooo weird. Also, the concept of skim or low-fat milk, does not exist. It's all just whole milk and all they really use it for is coffee or cooking. I tried to explain the concept of having a glass of milk with dinner, and they thought it was weird. They also bought some America style chocolate-chip cookies (special just for me!) and I told them that we always eat our chocolate-chip cookies with a glass of milk. Blank stares. I don't know where they're getting their calcium from...

2. Personal Space
Does not exist. Eh ok, maybe a little, but there is a MUCH different perception of when you're invading someone's area. Even in a crowded metro, where it's expected that you're going to have to touch people you don't want to, it's much worse here than it is in the states. And it's not because it's more crowded. People just don't hesitate to grab you and move you if you're in their way. Really. They'll just grab your arm and pull, or touch your waist so you move. I am really not a fan. Maybe I'm just an uptight American but YOU ARE IN MY BUBBLE! There's also the whole cheek-kissing thing. I've found that even in professional environments, people almost always go for the cheek kisses instead of the handshake. If I had a euro for every time I went for a hand-shake when the person I was meeting went for the cheek-kiss...well I'd have enough money to not care how awkward it is.

3. Forwardness
Is much more acceptable. People don't really hesitate to ask you questions that are completely taboo in the U.S. Anything from money, to your romantic life, to politics is fair game. I once had two french girls who I HAD JUST MET ask me how much I paid to live in my apartment. Now I know that may not seem like such a big deal, but in the U.S. you just DON'T ask that. People don't discuss money. Instead, we do subtle things to imply that we probably have more money than you do, but we don't come right out and say it. A friend of mine also had her señora tell her verbatim (well, verbatim translated), "You look like a prostitute in that skirt. Like a woman who walks around with her boobs and vagina hanging out looking for a man." I cannot make this stuff up. And I saw this outfit, and it was not in any way shape or form prostitute like. The point is, people don't really have much sensitivity about asking personal questions or making personal comments. My host parents also asked me how much money my parents make, and classmates who I was barely acquainted with asked how much my school cost and how much my parents helped me financially. Europeans also aren't hesitant to bring up hot-button political issues like gun control and the war in Iraq. Whenever people ask me about the middle east in particular, I just say, "Dude, I was 13 when that stuff happened. It wasn't my idea," or something to that effect. It's totally normal to ask people who they voted for, which you also DON'T DO IN THE U.S. On a similar note...

4. Political Correctness
Also doesn't exist. And I don't just mean about bringing up controversial political issues or voting patterns. I mean, it's acceptable to saw outright racist and/or discriminatory things about whoever you feel like dissing in the moment. I am not exaggerating. Any store that is owned by an Asian person (which there are A LOT of), is referred to as a "chino." This is the Spanish word to describe a Chinese person. So, to put this in the persepctive of English for you, this would be like me describing a grocery store owned by a person of ANY ASIAN DENOMINATION as "Oh, I'm going to the Chinese to pick up some bread." Yep. They're the same way with other ethnic and cultural groups. Anyone from the Middle East or North Africa is an Arab. Latin Americans are all Mexicans. The French are stinky cheese men. You get the picture. Obviously, this goes hand and hand with #3, with them basically just not giving a damn about who they offend.

To be honest, I think that we Americans could learn a lesson from it. While I have been many a time taken aback by the directness of some Europeans I have encountered, I never realized how prudish American really were until I came here. We are SO sensitive about so many silly things. And I pride myself on being one of the sarcastic, oftentimes politically-incorrect people, and it's still too much for me. I know this is kind of a cop-out, but I think a lot of it comes from our Puritanical roots and the influence of religion on society. I know most people have the perception of Spain as a super Catholic country, but it's really not anymore since Franco died. And even people who are Catholic still realize that there is a very strict absence of relgion from politics, and they prefer it that way. You'd never see a Spanish (or any European) politician saying "God bless x country" at the end of a speech, but in the U.S. it's basically expected, despite the fact that there is a growing number of non-Christians in the American electorate. I think it's very interesting. Anyway the point is, I really do think that we could learn some lessons from the directness of European cultures. I'd like to settle somewhere in the middle though, as I prefer to not have my politics/religion/WHATEVER PART OF MY LIFE THAT IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS out there on the chopping board for all to discuss.

5. Bread and Ham
Are everywhere. There's not really much explanation here, other than the fact that they eat bread and ham all the time. Bread with every meal. Don't ask me how they stay thin (actually, that will be explained in #6). More types of ham/sausage than you could ever imagine. Chorizo, sobresada, jamon serrano, murcillo, multiple other types of jamon iberico, salame, panceta, just to name a few. I am frequently served mini-sausages wrapped in bacon. That is not a joke. Whoever thought that the Spanish diet was so healthy was clearly mistaken. Most of the food is fresher though - I will give them that. And these aren't the only harmful things that are putting into their bodies in excess...

6. Alcohol and Smoking
Are out of control. Obviously, it's common knowledge that Europeans smoke much more than Americans, but it still shocked me when I got here. To see people my age smoking like chimneys outside of every major building is so strange. My host brother abruptly gets up after every meal to go have a cigarette - he can't not smoke after he eats - it's that bad. They just banned indoor smoking less than a year ago here. I know that there are plenty of people in my generation who smoke in the U.S., but there are far fewer of us, probably because growing up we are bombarded with information about how horrible it is and we don't want to get cancer! Cancer is no fun. So I don't understand how SO many people still smoke when they know how bad it is. I guess maybe it helps keep them skinny with all that sausage and bread they are eating.

The alcohol thing is also pretty nuts. The Spaniards love their booze. Although the legal drinking age is 18, most people start drinking much younger. Although it's not quite the same as the American college "party until you are too drunk to move" culture, they are definitely big partiers. "Botelloning" or drinking in the streets is a favorite past time of the Spanish youth (presumably because they all still live with their parents, see #9), and cops do very little to discourage this behavior, despite it being illegal. The policy on marijuana is also much more relaxed, just FYI.

7. PDA
Also out of control. You can't go to a restaurant, bar, or even on the metro without seeing people all over each other. And I don't mean just touchy-feely all over each other, I mean literally making out, sitting on top of each other all over. It's nauseating. I'm ok with a little bit of PDA but they really take it to the next level. I guess it's probably also a function of #9.

8. Work Ethic
So I'm not trying to insult an entire nation here by saying that Spaniards are lazy. Except they kind of are. This claim is supported by facts. In the pre-crisis world (I use this data, because the post-crisis world worker-productivity data is skewed by unemployement) Spain had the 7th worst worker producitivty, measured by GDP Purchasing Power Standards, of the 17 eurozone countries. Ok, so maybe that doesn't sound too bad. Until you consider this: the countries that were doing worse than Spain were Estonia, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Portugal and Slovakia. Way to go Spain. Those are some real fighters you've beat out (btw, the U.S. has the higher produtivity than all countries in the Eurozone - winning). Spain has about 75% the productivity of the U.S. This isn't the only bad part. During the crisis, in which real wages and benefits dropped in nearly every developed country, Spain's labor costs actually went up by 2.6% in 2009. Yep. Once again, I cannot make this stuff up.

So, like any good free-market capitalist, I'm going to go ahead and blame this on Socialism. Seriously. There really does exist some kind of attitude here that's just like "Oh, don't worry, the government will take care of that." People have a much more relaxed attitude about everything, and don't seem to feel any sense of urgency about getting things done. This "tranquila" attitude isn't necessarily a bad thing in all aspects of life, but when it comes to trying to be competitive in the global market, it doesn't really work out so well. Another part of it is that the unions have so much power here. It's kind of a problem when you're dealing with the whole, low productivity teamed up with rising labor costs and absurdly high unemployment thing. Yeah, you guys should work on that.

Now don't get me wrong, the Spanish economy has done wonders for itself in the past couple decades. Productivity has risen, GDP has risen, the standard of living has risen, and the active population has risen. They've done a lot of good things, with the help of the EU. And I feel for them - persistent 20% unemployment must seriously suck. And their government is totally broke so they can't really do jack to help. So yeah, sucky situation all around, but I'm sorry I just can't really feel sorry for all you people who get university educations for free, live with your parents until your 30, are guaranteed a month of vacation (even in entry level positions), and get free healthcare. The sympathy is very limited. And sitting in a Plaza for weeks on end protesting is not going to help - it just makes you look even lazier.

Anyway, the point of that rant was just to say that we have much stronger work ethic in the states. And we expect a lot less from a government. I like this, but I also think that we could take a few lessons from the Spaniards and learn to relax a little. I remember when I first got here, I had a conversation with my host parents in the first week about how the Spanish motto is "Love, health, money and time to enjoy it" and they explained how to a Spanish person, your profession is a very small part of who you are. In the U.S., I feel like your profession is the dominant part of who you are. And we all get caught up in chasing the "American dream" and forget to slow down and enjoy the little things every now and then. Once again, it would be nice if we could find ourselves a happy medium between the 2 extremes.

9. Family values (a.k.a. living with your parents until you should already have kids of your own)
I mentioned this a little before, but a lot of Spanish people actually live with their parents until they get married, which sometimes doesn't happen until they are well into their 30s. Average marriage age has been on the rise since Franco croaked and women realized "Wait, what, we can do more with our lives the iron and have babies!?" (or at least that's how I picture the realization). So the Spaniards go to school for free and hang out with mommy and daddy until they decide to get a real job and grow up. Once again, don't get me wrong; I understand that a big part of this is family values. Even in American culture, it used to be much more common for multiple generations to live together in one house to build a system of support for everyone. I guess I just don't get it, because in the U.S. we pretty much get the hell out as soon as we turn 18. And I know that I am by no means "independent" from my parents (thanks for the $$$, Mommy and Daddy), but when it comes to day to day life, they're not really involved in my decisions anymore. I do my own laundry, take care of getting my own food, and maintain my own schedule. And that in no way means that I don't believe in family values. I love my family and I think that having a good relationship with them is very important. But I doubt that living with them well into my 20s as I am trying to become an independent adult would do much to help the relationship, if you know what I mean.

Anyway, the point is they mooch off their parents for as long as they possibly can, and because of that, I think that the Spanish youth as a whole are much less mature than the American youth (if you can imagine). They become totally dependent on their moms to prepare their food, do their laundry, nag them about studying - the works. I think that this contributes to the lack of the "go-getter" attitude that so many Americans possess. Or at least that's my theory. Although, I do think that it's good that they still continue to support such strong family values, which is something that has been kind of the decline in the states. I just don't understand why they have to live together and argue at every meal about money, politics, and school (yes, I live with this) to do it. Can't we just all get along (from separate houses)?


This list could really go on and on, but I'm going to cut it there. Those are the things that have seemed the most general and discernible to me.

So I know that most of this probably sounded like a tirade on why American culture is better than Spanish culture. And in my mind, it is. As I hopefully explained, I definitely see some of the merits in the differences that exist, and I think that we yankees could benefit from a few changes, but overall I much prefer the American attitude and lifestyle. I never realized how much I really loved it, or how many little things I took for granted before I came over here. I guess they were right when they said there's no place like home.

United We Stand: Reflections on the Death of Osama bin Laden from an American Abroad

I arrived back in Madrid at 6:30 am on Monday from Barcelona after a pretty miserable and sleepless overnight bus-ride. I trudged myself back up to my apartment, where my host family was still quietly sleeping. Despite my exhaustion, a few tasks were left before I could get into bed and sleep the day away (Monday was a Madrid holiday, 2 de mayo, in celebration of the day the Madrileños made Napoleon get the hell out of Spain). So, like any good Generation Y-er I booted up my computer and logged into facebook to catch up with I had missed among my American friends that weekend. As I perused my Sorority's formal pictures, reactions to Kate Middleton's dress (which was fabulous, by the way), and general college-weekend shenanigans, I noticed a few statuses pertaining to bin Laden that seemed kind of weird. In retrospect, this was only shortly after President Obama had announced his death, so it hadn't gone full-viral yet, and even the statuses I saw were very unclear - they almost seemed like jokes. Fortunately, I'm not completely dependent on facebook for news, so I decided to do my own investigation and figure out what the deal was.

It was true. President Obama had announced that a special operation had successfully located and killed Osama bin Laden. No Americans were injured and his body had already been buried at sea. I messaged my friend Levi, who is always up to date on the political happenings of the world, and he filled me in on all the details and the reactions that were occurring state-side. It just didn't seem real. We even discussed conspiracy theories, which I'm a big fan of, so inquire within if you want my take on that side of it (it does come at a rather politically convenient time). But more than anything, I wondered what this meant, and especially what kind of reaction I would get here in Madrid. Not really knowing how to feel, I settled down to sleep, and did so soundly until my host mom woke me up for lunch. I sat down at the table. Nothing. I didn't want to bring it up, because I generally avoid talking politics with foreigners for obvious reasons. Then finally, it came on the news. The report lasted about 2 minutes. My host-parents were surprised, and said that they hadn't heard because it was a Madrid holiday and there was no newspaper. We discussed briefly, and that was it. Very anti-climactic.

I spent the rest of the day, doing pretty much nothing; getting caught up on school work, unpacking, etc. I watched as the facebook statuses and excited emails from my friends rolled in. I saw the pictures go up of BU students marching on Boston Commons in celebration. I waited for something in Madrid. You would think that in a city where just 7 years ago, in 2004, a series of attacks on public transportation carried out by al-Qaeda followers killed nearly 200 people and injured at least 1800, there would be some kind of reaction to the death of the organization's leader. You would be wrong. His death passed very silently.

I remained in shock and awe. How do you react to the death of someone who has been the world's number one bad guy for as long as you can remember? How do you feel about the death of the man who was, at least indirectly, responsible for the single most significant political event of your childhood, which still continues to shape world politics today? Despite the sect of reactors who are now proclaiming that the celebration of death under any circumstance is wrong, I doubt that there are many Americans who can truly say that when they first heard the news that they didn't feel a sense of relief, pride, happiness, or some combination of the 3.

Personally, I just felt like the word should stop turning. Or its axis should tilt. Something earth-shattering should occur. But none of that happened. Time marches on and we continue our lives as if nothing has changed. And maybe it hasn't. In the brief conversation that I had with my host family about this issue, the consensus was that his death is mostly symbolic. Unfortunately, there are plenty more where he came from. I think that what's more important is our reaction to it. As for me, I think the primary emotion that it caused in me was homesickness. His death is something that hits very close to home, and I'm wishing that I could be on American soil to witness and participate in the emotionally charged reaction that is bound to be occurring.

In a broader sense, being abroad, especially when an event like this takes place, has certainly given me some new perspective on what it really means to be an American. I have faced a variety of reactions and attitudes towards my nationality, very few of which have resulted in an immediate negative opinion of me. Fortunately, I think that the majority of people are able to separate my person from my government, but that doesn't change the fact that the American government is certainly viewed in a negative light. Just this past weekend, I found myself in a hostel with 2 Brazilians, 2 Canadians and a Swede and the topic broached upon (as it so often does) the American perception. They all openly admitted that they "hate" America. When I pressed them for an explanation, most of them just started blankly and/or laughed awkwardly, until the Swede proffered "we just do." One of the Canadian girls provided a more feasible explanation of "it's just like how everybody hates the popular kid." The conversation then clumsily changed topics to how "How I Met Your Mother" is such a great show (it's American, just to throw that out there).

This is what drives me crazy. Ignorance. Americans get the bad reputation of being ignorant, but tell me this: how is an American who's never traveled thinking that America is fantastic any worse than a Brazilian who's never been there thinking that it's awful? People can spend their whole lives hating America, without ever meeting on American or stepping foot on American soil, and you can reason it however you want but above all things it is ignorant. Now when I say ignorant, I don't mean it in the derogatory sense like our society usually uses it. For me, ignorance is more of an inherent quality of human beings than a negative characteristic which is developed over time. We are born into houses, into families, and into towns, where we grow up and learn everything we know about the world, despite seeing only a very small cross section of it. And this is what's comfortable. We can travel as many places as we want, meet as many people, try as many weird foods and speak as many languages, but we are, first and foremost, a product of our homes. Wanting to cling to our original traditions and values is normal. And being afraid of what's different is normal too. Perhaps I speak too much from personal experience, as I have yet to find a place that has even come close to making me feel at home the way America, or even Arizona, or even Tucson does. But I do believe that people are comfortable with what we know, and why it certainly makes us ignorant at times, it absolutely does not make us bad. This truth is the root of so many of the world's problems, because we can't just accept it and let others live how they choose.

So we have our values and we believe in them, and sometimes it's hard for us to see it from another's perspective. To me, this does not even come close to outweighing all the good that America does in the world. We are a center of innovation and ingenuity. Some of the most significant, quality of life improving inventions/discoveries such as electricity, the automobile, industrial production of penicillin, the polio vaccine, and the personal computer were all brought to you by Americans. We are a center for entrepreneurship and a safe haven for intellectual property. We house the most successful and prestigious educational institutions in the world which people from all over want to attend. We are the birthplace of cultural icons in music, film, and television which provide inspiration and comic relief to people everywhere, everyday. Our government is the number one giver of foreign aid in sheer volume, not to mention that which comes from private charity organizations based in the U.S. We also are the largest givers of foreign direct investment (aka money which helps those in other countries start/maintain companies), giving approximately twice as much as France, which is the 2nd largest. Those are just a few of the positive things that come out of the United States.

Those who like to purport the opinion of the U.S. as a jerk will undermine the positive attributes I have listed by saying that we're also the worst polluters, quickest to use brute military force, and the most self-righteous and self-promoting country out there. And maybe those things are true. I'm certainly not trying to deny that the U.S. has made its fair share of mistakes. But, I have to say these attitudes of pursuing self-interest and imposition of one's beliefs aren't any less prevalent in other parts of the world - they're just more apparent in the U.S. because we're so powerful. China is making no more efforts than we are to curb carbon emissions, it has just only now become a problem because their economy hasn't had any steam (no pun intended) until the last few decades. Countries all over the Middle East are no less guilty of blood-shed for the sake of imposing their desired ways of life upon others. European powers are just as guilty of using their economic strength to persuade others in the EU to follow their lead. Maybe this is just the cynic in me, but people always want to look out for themselves. It's our natural instinct, and it's just the way it is. And we won’t stop protecting ourselves until everybody can agree to just live and let live. If the U.S. suddenly decided to stop exerting our power, they would hate us just the same, because people hate what they don't understand, and they hate people who have what they can't. I think that the most important thing that needs to be emphasized is acceptance, and when we can learn to accept one another regardless of race, religion, politics, or socio-economic status, then we'll be on our way to a more peaceful world. Everyone needs to stop acting like Americans are just a bunch of ignorant, capitalist, war hawks, because the truth is, we're just like everyone else - trying to make our way in the world, the only way we know how - but we lack understanding and acceptance of those who lead different lives, just like everybody else.

I know talk is cheap (or I guess text, in this case), and believe me I don't fancy myself an exception to this rule. I don't pretend to understand what it's like to grow up in a country without running water, electricity, or the knowledge that there will always be food on the table for the next meal. I don't pretend to understand being at the mercy of a society that feels it right to stone me for the slightest indiscretion. I don't pretend to understand what it would feel like to be deprived of the right to an education. What I do know, is that I will never stop being proud of a country that has given me more opportunities than most ever dream of. I will never stop being proud of a country that believes in the freedom to speak your mind, the freedom to be who you want to be, and the freedom to dream as big as you can. I will never stop being proud of a country that believes in freedom for all, no matter how misguided its attempts at proliferating it may be. I choose to believe in the good of the American people. I choose to believe that we do what we do because we want everyone to have it as good as us. I choose to believe that we believe in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all, regardless of race, creed or color.

As for the death of Osama bin Laden, who can really say what it means? I will not sit here and self-righteously claim that the celebration of any death is wrong. He was a murderer of thousands of innocent people, not only of his own race and religion, but those of all corners of the globe. If there were ever such a thing as a moral death, this was it. Unfortunately, I also recognize that this isn't the end of anything. Hatred runs deep, for all the reasons that I've already discussed and beyond. But there is no doubt that it is symbolic, and there are some things that I hope we, as Americans, can take out of this experience.

I hope that this will be a turning point and a catalyst for the United States to get out of the Middle East. As much as I believe in our values and message, it is not our battle to fight. I wish that we would support our desire for freedom with finances, guidance and diplomacy instead of force and that we would save the use of our military for when we truly might need protection. I hope that we may take the Arab Spring as an inspiration, and see that the people themselves are realizing what could be better and fighting for their own change. But they have to want it for themselves, and that goes to the very core of my message to live and let live, all the while believing that people can be good.

Now, regardless of whether or not I agree with President Obama's politics (hint: I usually don't), it's hard to deny that he is a brilliant speaker. I personally was very touched by the speech he gave when announcing bin Laden's death, and I would like to share one particular excerpt which affected me (when you read it, please put your politics aside and remember that it's not about supporting a particular party or politician, it's about supporting America):

"So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when our people have been killed. We will be relentless in defense of our citizens and our friends and allies. We will be true to the values that make us who we are. And on nights like this one, we can say to those families who have lost loved ones to al-Qaeda's terror: Justice has been done"

I believe in this message. I believe that we have the right to defend our values and protect what's ours, just as everyone else should. I believe that in this case, justice has been done. It may be unclear where we stand on the world front, or whether we should continue with our democracy-spreading crusades, but I personally feel no doubt as to our good intentions and the values the we hold dear in our hearts.

Right now, I wish with all my heart for the safety of everyone and that those who wish to avenge bin Laden's death do not find success. I hope that none of my family members, friends, fellow Americans, or fellow human beings have to suffer for his undoing. I hope for closure for the families who lost loved ones on September 11th. I hope that we can let Osama bin Laden be nothing more than a memory. I hope for unity. And above all, I am proud to be an American.

Barcelona: Another Side of Spain (or should I say Cataluña?)

Barcelona was one of my top destinations for this semester. I've always heard that's it's beautiful, and being so close, I of course had to go. Especially because of the rivalry between the 2 cities for being the greatest in Spain, I wanted to check it out for myself. I saved this trip until the end of the semester because I was hoping for good weather. This was a total fail. Although the weather ended up being better than what I expected (there was forecasted rain all weekend), it was certainly not beach weather. The idea of saving it for my last trip wasn't so great either, because by now, I am completely out of money. That being said, rather than flying my friend Kelly and I decided to take an overnight bus to save some cash. It was a long weekend in Madrid for the 2 de Mayo holiday, so flights were very expensive since so many people travel. The bus was only 60 euros, and we figured we would sleep on the way and it would be alright.

You can already see the flaws in my plans revealing themselves here.

No, I was not very successful in sleeping on the overnight bus thanks to the dude in front of me who decided it was okay to lean all the way back in his seat despite me asking him, very politely, in perfect Spanish, to move up a little bit, several times. Seriously, people don't understand the concept of being tall here! We arrived in Barcelona around 7 in the morning and like zombies, found our way to the hostel. The hostel was very clean and well-kept, but it also quickly became clear that it was that way because they were the most uptight hostel owners ever. I mean I appreciate the promotion of cleanliness and safety, but this is a backpacker's hostel we're talking about here. What college students traveling around Europe do you know who go to sleep at 11pm (the enforced lights-out and quiet hours of the hostel)? Nevertheless, it was in a pretty good location and it was clean so it was satisfactory.

Ok, so before I get into the dirty details of everything, let me give a little background on Barcelona. Barcelonians don't consider themselves Spaniards. I found the anti-Spanish sentiment to be much stronger here than in Basque Country. Everything, first and foremost, is in Catalan, then Spanish, and then English if you're lucky. I really think that pure English speakers would have some trouble getting around there. We could understand some Catalan with our knowledge of Spanish, but it's a fusion of Spanish and French so some stuff we were lost on. In the major tourist areas, everything is in multiple languages, but when you get into other parts of the city, it's all just Catalan. Maybe this is culturally insensitive of me, but I just don't get it. It's a dying language. News-flash Barcelona, YOU LOST. Madrid is the capital, and Spanish is the 3rd most spoken language in the world. GIVE IT UP, YOU ARE SPANISH. You have been part of the Spanish Kingdom since Ferdinand and Isabel, over 500 years ago. The people are ethnically the same, the cultures are very similar, the food is the same, why don't they just accept it? I don't know.

Anyway, back to the trip, despite our tiredness, we only 3 days in Barcelona and wanted to make the most of them so after getting settled in we headed off the the Ramblas - Barcelona's main drag. We sat down for some coffee and a chocolate croissant, and quickly realized that Barcelona doesn't actually have that many sites. Yes, it's full of Gaudi architecture and has a wide variety of museums, plazas etc. but in terms of actual MUST-DO things, there's not a lot. At this point, it was raining, so we were a little bit discouraged about how the next 3 days would play out. We began our walk down the Ramblas at the Plaza de Cataluña, where out of the complete blue, we ran into Michelle, the girl we met at our hostel in Rome. So crazy! We stopped and chatted with her for a bit and made plans to try and meet up later. SUCH a small world.

So we continued our walk down the Ramblas, and stopped off at all the sites - the Baroque Cathedral, the Opera House, the Monument to Columbus, the Placa Reial (Catalan for Royal Plaza) and the like. The Ramblas is a crazy place. I mean it's clearly a tourist trap, but it's very busy, fun and full of people and cute shops and restaurants. There are a street performers who act like statues. It's kind of creepy. I will shamelessly admit that we also stopped at Dunkin Donuts - I miss iced coffee in my life. As I was reading through my guide book, I realized that we had completely missed the Boqueria, which was supposed to be some giant marketplace off the Ramblas. I thought it was really strange that we could've missed something so large, so we wandered back and when we finally found it, we realized that it was really strange that we missed it. It was huge and amazing. Seriously one of the coolest places I have seen in my life, if only for my unhealthy love of food. It's just full of every type of food you could every possibly want from fresh fish and meet, to desserts, to tapas bars, to fresh fruit and SMOOTHIES. We got a strawberry coconut smoothie and it was SO GOOD. Amazing. We bought some delicious chocolate as a wholesome midmorning snack, and made a note to come back for lunch.

This walk took up the most of our morning, and it had stopped raining for a while, so we decided to walk down and at least check out the beach for a minute. This quickly devolved into us being in a harbor and having no idea where the beach was. Barcelona is not as walkable as a lot of other cities I've been to and the beach wasn't even on the map so I don't know what we were thinking trying to find it. We sat down on a bench near the harbor when I spotted a cable car going over the city. Now I don't know why, but for some reason I have some sort of obsession with cable cars/funiculars. I just really like the views and I think it's a cool way to see the city. So I made it my mission to figure out how to get on that cable car. Kelly very patiently allowed me to go on this mission. So I consulted my travel guide and discovered that there was a funicular taking you up to Montjuic, which is the Jewish quarter of Barcelona. So we took the funicular up, which was totally lame because it was under a tunnel. I was quite disappointed. BUT, when we got to the top we discovered that there was indeed a cable car that took you up through the park and to some castle. Awesome. It wasn't the same one I had seen down by the harbor (I never did figure that out), but it was a cable car with awesome views nonetheless. The castle up there was pretty cool - it was really more of a fortress/prison, but it was only built in the 17th century, so pretty young by Spain standards. It was a really nice, unexpected excursion and the views were AMAZING. You could see very clearly the Sagrada Familia and the most awkward building ever, which is for the Barcelona water company (google it, I don't care to elaborate). There is supposed to be a lot more to do in Montjuic, like an old Olympic Stadium and the National Art Museum of Cataluña, but we already had plans to go to the Picasso museum later, and by this time we were starving for lunch.

We headed back down to the Ramblas to hit up the Boqueria for lunch. It was delicious. We went around to different tapas bars, sampling croquettes, patatas bravas, empanadas etc. We also got a fresh fruit bowl with grapes, oranges, dragon fruit, coconut, pineapple and honeydew. So yummy. We also, of course, picked up some chocolate treats.

So after that feast, it was after 4, and so we figured it was time to head over to the Picasso Museum. We were both exhausted, not ideal museum going mode, but you have to do what you have to do. Finding the museum was nearly impossible. I don't know why, but Barcelona is pretty horrible about its tourist infrastructure. Not to mention all the street signs are in Catalan. Ugh. We found it eventually, but not without a good deal of frustration and back-tracking.

The museum was pretty impressive. Barcelona was Picasso's home in his early years as an artist, so they have one of the most extensive collections of his work, especially his early work. We were exhausted, but the museum is fairly small and very well-organized so we easily made our way through everything. What was really amazing to me, that most of what was there he did before he was 20 (what have I accomplished?!?!).

On our way back to the hostel, we stopped at the famous Barcelona Cathedral. As you all know by now, I've pretty much had it with Cathedrals, so we just stopped in briefly and checked it out. Yet another beautiful Gothic Cathedral in Spain (CATALUÑA?). My disillusionment with beautiful architectural works is a bit depressing (until I went to the Sagrada Familia, at least). We headed back to the hostel and made friends with some Brazilians staying in our room. They invited us out with them, and with all the infinite wisdom of college students, we decided to nap for an hour and deem that sufficient rest to go. I don't really have much to say about the evening other than that the Barcelona night life is pretty comparable to that of Madrid. I wasn't too impressed.

The next day, there was obviously no way we were waking up early. Fortunately, we had knocked out a lot of the major sites in the first day (go us), so we weren't in any rush. We woke up around 11, and headed to Parc Guell, Gaudi's famous park. When he originally designed it, it was a gated community for the wealthy, but unfortunately it was ahead of it's time. It's a bit far from the city center, and in the early 1900s all the fashionable, fabulously wealthy women wanted to be close to the most bustling areas. So it failed as a community and became a park. It's full of Gaudi's strange, psychedelic sculptures and architecture as well as some of his engineering ingenuities. For example, the water drains off the terrace to fuel the fountains below. And the benches on the terrace are "ergonomically designed to fit your body." Cool. The view from up there was amazing as well. We also visited the little museum that was formerly Gaudi's House, where he lived from 1906 until his death in 1926, except for the time which he spent living on site at the Sagrada Familia (now that's dedication). It's interesting, but skippable, if anyone's ever there. It does provide some nice background for his other works like Casa Mila and the Sagrada Familia.

So, after wandering around there for a while, we hopped back on the bus down the hill to continue or expedition of Gaudi's Barcelona. First, we stopped for a quick lunch and then ducked into Farga, a very old famous chocolate shop in Barcelona. We got a a few treats which were quite delicious. Then we headed on over to Casa Mila. Casa Mila was built by Gaudi from 1905-1910, after being commissioned by a wealthy family. Yes, people actually lived there. The outside is very unique looking, and it's full of overt religious symbols, such as the rosary being written on the cornice, as most of Gaudi's works are. When the city tried to get rid of his plans to build a Mary statue because it is exceeded the city's building code for height, he almost abandoned the project until his priest convinced him not to. He was pretty hardcore. Unfortunately we did not get to go inside, because 1) it was getting late and we wanted to have enough time for the Sagrada Familia and 2) it was 14 euros. Yuck. So we passed by, got our tourist photos and continued onward.

Next stop was the Sagrada Familia. The Sagrada Familia was what Gaudi spent most of his life working on. Construction began in 1883, and continued until his death in 1926. During his life, the only part of it which was fully completed was the Nativity Facade and the beginning of the spires of the Passion Facade. When asked to speed the construction, Gaudi was quoted as saying "My client (aka God) is in no hurry". He was very devout, obviously. He had full plans for the building, and never actually intended it to be a Cathedral. After he died, however, plans changed and others took over the project. Although they tried to follow his plans, many of his blue prints were destroyed during the Spanish Civil War, so we'll probably never really know what it was supposed to look like. One thing that is certain is that it is absolutely impressive. Just in sheer size, it's pretty incredible. And the design is unlike anything I've ever seen, let alone any cathedral I've ever seen. Many of the windows are stained glass, and eventually they all will be, each reflecting beautiful colors into the nave. The original design calls for 18 spires to represent the 12 apostles, the 4 evangelists, the Virgin Mary, and the largest, Jesus, which will be 550 feet tall. Only 10 have been constructed as of yet. The Nativity and Passion Facades are complete, but the largest to come, the Glory Facade has barely even begun construction. We took the elevator up the Nativity Facade to see the views and it was incredible. You could see all the construction work being done on the top and it was a very cool feeling, to be in a cathedral that is still being worked on. When we think about some of the world's most famous Cathedrals, Notre Dame for example, we think oh yeah it was constructed from 1163-1345, like it's nothing. THAT'S ALMOST 200 YEARS! This one won't be finished for at least another 30 years. Think of how many lives went it to it. It's crazy. It's by far the most impressed I've ever been with a Cathedral, and as you know by now from reading this blog, I've seen a lot of them. I hope that I can go back and see when it's all finished because I'm sure that it will be amazing.

So after that cathartic experience, we headed back to the Ramblas area for some food, which resulted in us eating Chocolate con Churros for dinner. So healthy. Happy with the knowledge that we had satisfied all of our must do sites in only 2 days, we rewarded ourselves by going out again that night. Oh college.

The next morning, we slept in, and woke up, not quite sure what to do. After some debate, we decided to get out of the city and take a day trip to Montserrat. Monteserrat is a mountain which is part of the Catalan Pre-Coastal Range, with the main peaks being Sant Jeroni at 4,055

feet. It is famous because it houses a 13th century monastery and the Virgin of Montserrat, the patroness of Catalonia. It is considered to be the most important religious retreat of Catalonia. It was also considered a a place of refuge for scholars and artists during the Franco years. So, like any sacred, naturally beautiful space, it has now been completely exploited for tourism. Don't get me wrong, it was absolutely beautiful and I enjoyed it a lot, but it was another big tourist trap.

After you get to the train stop, you take a cable car up, which was pretty awesome, but pretty terrifying at the same time. It takes you up every high, and the ascending views are spectacular. We did not wait in line to get inside the Basilica to see the Virgin, because it was very long and we were more interested in getting up into the mountains and doing some hiking. So, we took yet another funicular, even higher up, and we walked the beautiful mountain trail to the St. Joan Chapel, which is pretty much just ruins at this point, but the views were great. Supposedly, on a clear day you can see the Mediterranean, but we had no such luck. We then took the trail back down to the monastery instead of the funicular. It was about an hour hike down and it was very nice. By now, it was after 5, so we decided to head back into Barcelona.

After the hour long train ride, we walked down to the water to get some dinner. My friend who studied there this semester recommended this tapas bar that was supposed to be really fun and cheap. Finding it turned into a nightmare. This is just another perfect anecdote about how Spain makes no sense. So after realizing that it wasn't right off the metro station like the website had said, we went into a grocery store to ask directions. Now I don't know about you, but when someone asks me directions, if I don't know where it is, I say so, and if I do, then I'm very specific. Walk x amount of time, take this street, turn in y direction here, past ___ big landmark, etc. The guys directions were "walk straight for 15 minutes." Ok then. We tried that, and nothing. So went into a hotel an asked directions. He said to walk down the street, cross the plaza and it would be across from a hotel. DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY PLAZAS THERE ARE IN BARCELONA? Do you know how many hotels there are by the water in Barcelona?!?! So, after that also didn't work, we went into ANOTHER hotel and asked directions. He said to walk down, cross the big street, and it would be on our left. A bit more descriptive, but unfortunately still not accurate. We never found it. We stopped at one of the many other restaurants there and has some delicious paella. I was a bit disappointed about not finding the place, but what can you do?

So this is pretty much where the trip ends. Our overnight bus back to Madrid left at 11, so after dinner we headed back to the hostel to get our stuff and went to the bus station. Overall, I really liked Barcelona. I found it to be very similar to Madrid, but a bit younger and more modern, and with an ocean, which is hard to beat. I would love to go back in the summer when you can go to the beach and really enjoy the ocean. My photos didn't turn out too well, but here are a few of the better ones:

Plaza Cataluña

Columbus monument on the Ramblas

From the Montjuic Cable Car

In the Montjuic Castle

Parc Guell

Seriously not real looking

Yours truly, hanging out in Parc Guell

Casa Mila

Sagrada Familia

Beautiful

From up top

Gorgeous

Cable Car up to Montserrat...yikes

Pretty pretty

The main square and St. Joan funicular

Little chapel

The monastery from the hike down