Dia de Sant Jordi

Celebrated annually on April 23rd and named after the Patron Saint of Catalonia, Dia de Sant Jordi, places brave young Catalans onto the barren battlefield of love in a hopeful search of that special someone. Armed with nothing but a rose and the hope that someone will reciprocate their love, Catalan boys give their crushes roses, and the recipients of these roses respond by dropping some knowledge on their love-struck admirers, in the form of a book. The idea is that while a rose might show a momentary glimpse of puppy-love, the knowledge in a book lasts forever, and that knowledge will stare back at you with nagging eyes 20 years later, telling you to wash the dishes and quit snoring. I like the idea, but let's be honest; in a taste contest, chocolate easily beats knowledge every single time, no questions asked.

Dia de Sant Jordi is only celebrated in Catalonia, so it should come as no surprise that Catalan flags could be seen everywhere. The gold and red flags hung from balconies, decorated the covers of books, and even tied together bouquets of roses which of course suffocated in the white-knuckle death grip of pre-pubescent boys. I was dissapointed to not catch any of these sweaty, nervous, smelly adolescents crying in any public spaces. While you might be right to point out that I have no soul, the surprising presence of Catalan patriotism in a  celebration similar to Valentine's day made me feel like some how I got thrown into a holiday blender  that mixed the store-bought cheesiness of Valentine's day and the fair-weather patriotism of July Fourth.

Commercialized love and beer-battered barbecue aside, the  blooming spring time love of Dia de Sant Jordi proved that, well, sometimes chocolate and jewelry just don't cut it.

Disregarding my bitterness for a quick, sappy, momentary lapse in clarity, Dia de Sant Jordi helps keep the hope of romance and everlasting love alive in a world where feelings are bought and sold every day in the forms of lingerie, food, and greeting cards. It's the holidays and small values like these that really highlight cultural differences in our respective societies. I could leave it at that, with my temporary moment of vulnerability and crap-shot attempt at being poignant, but I also just read that about half of total annual book sales in Catalonia happen on Dia de Sant Jordi.  Slick move St.J, slick move.

Palabra del Dia: Leer - To read
De todos modos, hoy nadie lee nada mas. Today no one even reads anymore anyways.

March Protests

I wrote an article for my school's newspaper. You can read it through this link -- http://www.theaggie.org/2012/04/17/guest-opinion-perspective-on-protests-from-spain/


Palabra del Dia - Noticias - News
Escribi un articulo para las noticias de mi universidad. I wrote an article for my school's newspaper.

Primetime in BCN

   As many of you probably already know, the Spanish 'life-clock' is very unique when compared to the U.S. or even other European countries for that matter. On average, Spaniards get about 45 minutes less sleep than the typical European, even thought they still take a quick siesta in the afternoon, after their 'late' 2 or 3 pm lunch.
   Interestingly enough, this different bio-clock translates to other aspects of daily life as well, like work-schedules, waking hours, and surprisingly enough, television programming.
   In the U.S. prime time TV usually lasts from 8 to 10, but here in Barcelona, prime time TV doesn't usually start until American kids are tucked away, fast asleep in bed after seeing who got ousted on this week's American Idol. Instead, Barcelona and Spanish prime time begins arount 10, and ends at 12, or sometimes 1. I wanted to talk about this for the sole fact of posting this video clip from Crackovia, a popular sketch-comedy show. I think it might be able to explain a little about Catalan culture and Barcelona....

(don't forget to turn on the subtitles)

And then there's this;

And this is the primetime TV here. It cracks me up. Cristiano Ronaldo is such a tool.

Palabra del Dia: Tonto - Silly
"Crackovia" es un programa muy tonto, pero todavia gracioso.
"Crackovia" is a silly show, but still funny.

Update

A few hours ago, I was soaking in the rain-drenched glory of the ancient colosseum in Rome. One week before that, I was struggling to stay afloat in a flood of final exams while juggling my new internship with the 'Centro de Estudis Olimpicos.' A few short weeks before that,  I was drowning in a melted puddle of Swiss chocolate in Zurich. Needless to say, the last few weeks have been pretty busy with traveling, exams, and the hectic lifestyle of  Barcelona that I have adapted to.
Now that I finally have some time to sit still and sort through the storm of Italian food, record-breaking weather, and enjoy the Catalan warmth of Barcelona, I will finally be able to update this blog and more importantly, get some much needed sleep.

Palabra del dia: Tormenta - Storm
Por fin, la tormenta ha colocada. Finally, the storm has settled.

6 months in Spain

   Today, January 10th, marks the six month anniversary of my relationship with Spain. You could say that things are getting pretty serious, I love it here. Love is an understatement - I am head over heels, smitten, and maybe even borderline obsessed with the people, lifestyle, and the city of Barcelona itself. Since I'm a chronic optimist, I'd like to think that I'm only halfway started instead of halfway finished. As the Mediterranean winter melts away into Sping here in Barcelona, hindsight and my new-found sense of 'cultured-ness' casts a spotlight on everything that I've accomplished here, while I quickly forget that which I missed in the first place.
   These six months have been the longest I've ever gone in my entire life without swimming in a pool, eating In-n-Out, and seeing my family. I would be lying if I said I didn't miss things from home; comforts I took for granted like clothes drying machines, big TV's, cars, and the reassurance of my parents being a convenient 2 hour drive away instead of a transatlantic, 10 hour flight. I miss my friends. I miss Slurpees with my friends. I miss Slurpees with friends in Jacuzzis the most. (There are no jacuzzis in Spain. Let this be a warning.)
   Slowly but surely, however, I am beginning to fill the gaps left by American luxuries with new things that my American, ethnocentric self couldn't even comprehend before these six months. They say America is the land of the free, but surprisingly enough, I think I'll miss freedom most of all when I go home. If I hopped on a plane from San Jose and flew for 2 hours, at most, I would end up in Arizona or Texas, the beer gut of America. After 2 hours on a plane from Barcelona, I could be in Africa, riding camels in Morocco, or Scotland, wearing a kilt with my ancestors in the highlands if I wanted to. With a few clicks of my computer and a short plane ride, I can be neck deep in a completely different society, free of social constraints, adult responsibility, and anything I previously called familiar, or comfortable. Now, I find comfort in the freedom and eclectic nature of the unknown and all of the mystery and anticipation it entails, and when things begin to settle, I get restless and bored . These six months have taught me how big the world really is, and it's just outside our door.
   When I return to California, I'll be slapped in the face with real world responsibilities that I simply swept under the rug before leaving to Spain. So I'll enjoy my freedom while I can.
   I would be lying if I didn't admit that these six months have easily been the best of my life.

Here's to six more.


Palabra del Dia: Jacuzzi - Banero de Hidromasaje (that sounds ridiculous. Jacuzzi is way more fun to say)
Cuando vuelvo a casa, voy a tomar un Slurpee en el banero de hidromasaje. When I return home, I am going to drink a slurpee in the jacuzzi.