November 2010
1 post
Thanksgiving is a Time for American Things, Like...
I’m in a class called Social Movements in the United States Since 1945. We have previously covered Civil Rights, Women’s Rights and Gay Rights. We are now at the Conservative Movement, which, in the readings for our last class (meeting tomorrow), means the Tea Party.
It’s a fascinating exercise to read about this. It’s current, it’s topical, and it’s truly...
August 2010
1 post
I'm back.
Well, hello again, all 4 of my followers. I hope you enjoy seeing me back here.
If there’s anything a journalism conference will get you fired up about, it’s social media. So, back to Tumblr I went.
I just crossed the Susquehanna River for the 4th time in about 8 days. I think that’s a little bit ridiculous. It’s been a crazy last couple weeks of the “New...
December 2009
2 posts
Adonis Cafe and El Jabali Restore Sabrina's Faith...
There are some days that remind me why I love Barcelona. Yes, it’s been up and down. Yes, sometimes I can’t stand the Catalonian pride that surrounds me every day. But other times, I spend a day like today, at two of my favorite local spots. Given that we’re in the middle of finals week, having my spirits uplifted right now is a feat, so you know these places are special.
...
A Welcome Break
So this weekend was the first in a long time that I´ve spent at home. Not travelling, not running around like crazy, but sitting in my room doing nothing but watching tv, pretending I´m catching up on my work, going out to bars at night, and generally organizing myself. See, this quarter´s been super-easy work-wise. Yes, all the readings were in Spanish, but I eventually started reading them in...
November 2009
1 post
Amsterdam, or Disneyworld for Adults (Kind Of)
Lots to talk about in this one. First, a few random thoughts:
In my Temas y Mitos en la Literatura class, we all have to do group presentations that count as 50% of our final grades. One group of 2 did theirs on Thursday, and for the first time ever I saw evidence that the bilingual education system here doesn’t work. These kids were doing the oral part of their presentation in Catalan, but...
October 2009
7 posts
My Long Overdue Venice Post; or, Easy Jet Sucks,...
I would just like to share that I am in class right now. Spaniards have a tendency to recognize – better than in the States – that people’s attention spans are limited, so in the customary 2-hour class, they build in a 10 minute “descanso” or “pausa” so that we can rejuvenate…or something. My teacher for my Castilian Lit class seems not to understand this as well as others, however. She never...
Tarea
I really really miss having reading and homework in English. Four classes worth of college level work to do all in Spanish? Given that it’s been a good three years since I’ve had legitimate amounts of homework in Spanish for a single class, that’s pushing it. Plus, I’m currently reading Petrarch (not a Spaniard), Gogol (not a Spaniard) and Kant (not a Spaniard) in...
Kitchen peculiarities, travelling and being an...
Alright, so this weekend was a bit of a waste. Friday night was incredibly fun though. We enjoyed ourselves at the Residencia, and then went to this cool jazz club called Jazzy Man. However, there was no seating available (very small place) so the majority of us were in the back near their iTunes playlist. Good stuff, we approve of their music selection. We did not approve of the lack of...
In addition...
…to my ridiculously long Thursday, there was another low. My roommate greeted me at Temas y Mitos at 3PM by telling me that she had bad news. She pulled her laundry basket out from underneath her bed and a COCKROACH scurried out, only to be killed with the help of my suitcase (which is still in a corner of the room…do not judge me).
When I got home, I pulled everything off the...
Choque Cultural, The Perils of Bilingualism, and...
Alright, so it’s week 5. You know what that means? Choque cultural trough.
Allow me to explain: Before we all came to this program, we were given a series of handbooks, all of them reproducing a graph of “culture shock.” Apparently, when you arrive in a foreign country, you have your brief period of acclimation and then you are basically obsessed with everything about living...
September 2009
2 posts
It's Different Here
Things I wish America had:
-really cheap Brie cheese -patatas bravas -pan amb tomaquet -a super diverse artistically-energized city with constant sunshine (as opposed to SF’s constant fog) -awesome Metro system -fruit stands -chocolate with your coffee -churros con chocolate -gazpacho in cartons -all citizens being bilingual -Merce, or a “festa mayor” where the whole city goes...
One Week Down
So the night I left you with turned out to be a drink out with a big group of people — interrupted by an epic phone call from my Coruna mommy telling me that Merchi will be visiting and inviting me to Raquel’s Spanish wedding in August — and Kings in someone’s room, where we kept Kinneri awake.
Tuesday was UAB day, and it’s incredibly far away. We were treated to a...
August 2009
1 post
Spain Number 1
So epic fail on actually maintaining a blog last year. But now that I’m in Spain I feel obligated to start over. So here I am, starting over.
Spain is wonderful but almost too difficult to get to…the way over was far too challenging. SFO—>Heathrow was a 10 hour flight. NB: British Airways offers complimentary bar service. Excellent to have wine to help you fall asleep. ...
November 2008
3 posts
The first A&O Films scheduling meeting
About Beauty and the Beast:
“The Beast…is friggin sweet.”
-Tyler
In other news, someone ruined the end of Fight Club for me.
BARACKIN THE USA
Barack Obama is the 44th President of the United States. And I was there, among, 200,000 of his supporters, on his home turf, to witness it.
Unforgettable. Electric. Emotional. Amazing.
More tomorrow. I have an article to write.
My first entry!
So this isn’t going to be super-exciting, not right now anyway. But here is what I learned today:
-Obama’s grandmother died. The day before the election. That’s terrible, and terribly timed.
-Comparative Politics is almost the most boring class I’ve ever taken.
-The dryer, on occasion, actually dries your clothing. It begs the question: what have I been doing wrong...