La Familia: The Second Weekend

Futbol, the harbor, and La Sagrada Familia

Saturday, November 26

For the second of Alvaro's futbol games since I was in Barcelona we had to drive about 15 minutes outside the city limits for an away game. Inma commented how weird it is that within 15 minutes of their house there are a ton of schools, yet they always have to travel for futbol games. We were all a little nervous when we arrived since most of Alvaro's team was missing. When the game started they only had 5 members of the team- 4 less than usual. This meant all 5 boys had to play for the entire game. Despite the lack of additional players the boys worked hard and pulled out a win!

After the soccer game we made a trip to see the harbor since we weren't very far from it. We also passed through a park dedicated to those who won Olympic medals when the  Olympics were hosted in Barcelona in 1992, so of course Inma made us pose for a picture.😅\

The coastline was so pretty, and the sky was much less foggy than it had been on our hike to Tibidabo. This was probably one of the more chilly days while in Barcelona, I actually needed to wear my cardigan instead of just feeling guilted into it! (haha!)

After walking around the harbor for a bit we had planned to just drive by La Sagrada Familia (Church of "The Sacred Family"); however, when we got there Inma changed her mind since there was a Christmas market, she decided she wanted me to see everything. Which was totally fine by me. The market was adorable, but it was pretty busy! More on la Sagrada Familia to come in a later post!

 

The Christmas markets were one of my favorite things I saw in Barcelona. The main thing sold at the markets is nativity figures. Displaying a Belen (nativity) is typical of the culture in Barcelona. The Belens are ornate and typically grow by 1-2 figurines a year. I really wanted to buy one to bring home with me but unfortunately didn't have enough luggage space. 😔

        

My host family's Belen took them a good 2-3 hours to put up. First they had to cover the buffet with cling wrap to protect it from the moisture from the live moss used as the backdrop. Then they had to arrange the nativity figures and added string lights. It was adorable and definitely helped get you into the Christmas spirit!

More posts to come soon:

*A trip to the City Center

*The Gothic Quarter

*Tapas
*The Aquarium
*London
*Park Guell
*Adventures of the Return Trip Home

Displaced European

[Focus on the culture and any connections with the educational environment/setting.]

Student Teaching Abroad

Barcelona, Spain

November 17 - December 5th

I can't believe it has been a three weeks since I got back from Barcelona! Since I've gotten back, everyone has had a lot of questions about my experience, including what my favorite part was.

Most of all I love how you can walk to get literally anywhere- the grocery store, the school, the doctor, etc, within 10-15 minutes. Everyone still has cars and drives when they need to, but in my experience they prefer to walk when possible. I love it, and wish we could get to more places by walking here in Bowling Green!

For this reason, and a few others, I think I'm actually a displaced European. ;P I can relate to so many parts of their culture. For example, time tables and schedules are very relaxed. Aka, a lot of people are late ALL the time. While I don't necessarily enjoy the fact that I'm late to things a majority of the time, I have accepted that it is just a part of who I am... and the Spanish have definitely done the same. Even classes within the school typically begin 5-10 minutes behind schedule, on a daily basis. 

Also, in second grade the students learn about the difference between villages, towns, and cities. Part of this includes comparing how in villages more people live in single-family houses whereas in towns/cities you see more apartments/flats. In these lessons, the students and teacher often referred to their apartments as their house- which is something my friends have ALWAYS made fun of me for doing!

Lastly, most of the families in Barcelona have a nanny/housekeeper, which is something I could totally get on board with since I'm not a huge fan of cooking/cleaning! I'm still confused as to what the housekeeper in our family actually did all day since the family was perfect and never made a mess anyway! haha

Engaging in a new culture and staying with a host family is an experience I would highly recommend to anyone. Getting to know the family and spend time with them was a blessing. I was so sad to see the time end so quickly! Having a local to show you around, give advice, and tell you the history and culture of the area is invaluable. I will never forget my time in Barcelona, and cannot wait to return someday!

Week 1+: Quick Recap/ Overview

[Share your first impressions of the student teaching abroad experience, including overview of the school, nature of your placement, community, etc.]

Student Teaching Abroad

Barcelona, Spain

November 17 - December 5th

How is this trip already over halfway gone?!?! I am super slacking on the blog posts but I have a whole list written out of the things I want to blog about. First I'll give a quick first impression of the experience.

1) We are not here long enough! In my mind I had convinced my self it was four weeks abroad, when really it was only three! And of that time, we only spend 11 days in the school system--- ELEVEN days! Can you imagine trying to get to know names for 25-30 students in seven different classes in just 11 days? Yea, me either, and I'm already bad at remembering names.

2) There are WAY more differences in the school than I expected (more on this later)-- the physical size of school, available resources, class makeup, subjects studied, and roles of teachers are all vastly different from what I've grown accustomed to.

3) Way more people speak Spanish than Catalan! I had always been told my (very little) Spanish knowledge would be useless here- TOTAL LIE!

4) I can relate to 10/12 year old boys (Like Ricardo & Alvaro in my host family) much better than I thought I could- thanks Star Wars and Kahoot!

You can find more on each of these topics in future blog posts. Overall my first impression is very positive. The biggest thing I have to remind myself is to not be afraid to ask questions, because as long as vocalize my question or concern, there is almost always someone close who can help me out! I am very grateful to be in a community that welcomed us in to help us learn about their culture and traditions, and can't wait to share what I have learned with you all!

Coming Soon!!! Look out for posts on:

*La familia - an introduction to my Host family

*Futbol games

*A Trip to the Cinema

*Hiking Tibidabo

*Thanksgiving in Barcelona

*A trip to the City Center

*Sagrada Familia & Christmas Market

*The Gothic Quarter

*Tapas