Our classes haven't really fully started yet, but we've had some intensive Spanish classes this week, so my Spanish has gotten a lot better. I'm starting to adjust to living here, getting a little bit more on their schedule (still getting used to that) and learning how things go here. I think I discovered the reason that America is the wealthiest and most powerful country in the world, too. We do everything fast and efficiency is the most important thing to us. Here, they do things just to do them. Take moving walkways, for instance: we use them to walk faster, whereas they simply stand there and ride. It's a way more relaxed culture. Even Becker would seem like he was in a rush here all the time.
I've seen a lot more of the city in the last week. The old town is unbelievable. The Cathedral and Barri Gotic are really cool, and all the architecture all over the city is so different than in America. La Rambla is the most interesting street in the world. There are a ton of street performers doing some pretty weird things. Living statues, invisible men, break dancers... it's crazy (and sketchy as all hell at night). We also went to a hedge maze and got way lost there. Yesterday, we went to Parc Montjuic, where there is a lot of stuff from the '92 Olympics and a badass old castle with a ton of cannons and stuff. The food is a little weird sometimes, but then again so is frat food. And there are no preservatives or anything, so it is all fresher and healthier than Mick's meatloaf. On the whole, the food is really good.
Since we've only had Spanish classes this week, we went out a lot. The money situation here is the biggest adjustment (besides their sleep schedule). Everything is expensive in Euros, which makes it even more expensive in dollars. Going out until six in the morning, when drinks cost like 7-8 euro, can get pricey. But we've found some ways around it. The fist is El Gato Negro. It's a shot bar that serves like 500 different shots. They're crazy as hell... all flaming or have some kind of prop involved, or something (just ask ZK what the Monica Lewinski is). All the shots are 2 Euro, which makes it a good place to get bombed on a budget. The other way to save dough is to go to the grocery store and buy a 2 Euro bottle of wine to drink on the Metro. Since you can't drink out of a wine bottle on the Metro (but you can drink it out of anything else), we resorted to buying big water bottles and pouring the wine in there. Do we look homeless when we're passing bottles around behind a dumpster before we go into a bar? Of course we do. But we're Americans, so nobody says anything.
Last night, we went to the FC Barcelona - Sevilla FC futbol match. It was un-freaking-believable. Camp Nou, Barca's stadium, is the largest in Europe, and like 4th largest in the world or something. It holds 99,000 people seated. Like I said, unbelievable. Barca won 4-0, the place was the loudest place I've ever been (except for the UC when the Hawks knocked the Canucks out of the playoffs last year on Patrick Kane's hat trick). They're crazy about Barca here... "mes que un club" (more than a club). It is everywhere you go. Barca is literally like the best team in the world, too. They won every league they play in last year - 6 trophies. It's like winning the grand slam in tennis or golf, except there are 6 trophies instead of 4. Anyway, I'm posting a video from right after Barca scored their first goal. ZK lost his mind in excitement, tripped over the seats in front of us, and faceplanted in the next row. As if all the Spaniards there didn't already hate us drunk American college students watching their team as if we know what's up. Thanks a lot, ZK.
Peace out homies, keep up livin the good life in the greatest bid week of all time.
PS - The best thing about living here is that nobody even knows who Peyton Manning is.
