::Wednesday the 25th::
After class, Caroline and I enjoyed some delicious banana-nutella crepes at Crepería del Mar, a cute crepe place/bakery/restaurant close to the UB.
That night, a big group of us met at La Ovella Negra (this time near Plaça de Catalunya) to watch the Barça vs. Real Madrid game. At our table/in our corner of the bar were a bunch of EAP students, a random affectionate couple who apparently had let us share their space when their friends didn't show up, and a few guys from Holland. The first half of the game was beautifully played in Barça's favor, with two goals scored before the 45-minute mark. However, Real Madrid managed to score two goals rather quickly in the second half, and the game ended in a 2-2 tie.
Since I live right by Camp Nou, the fútbol stadium, I had to take a picture in front of it.
::Thursday the 26th::
As this was the second to last day of ILP classes, we got assigned a big pile of homework. I went over to Heidy & Caroline's homestay (close by in Les Corts) to work on our Catalán homework, which included preparing a presentation about ourselves that was to be memorized and then presented to the class. The homestay family has two little boys (Ferran, 7, and Arnau, 9), who, being from Barcelona, are fluent in both Castellano and Catalán. Ferran was especially helpful, translating words from Castellano to Catalán for us, and correcting our elementary grammar, spelling, and pronunciation mistakes. He was quite adorable and extremely energetic.
::Friday the 27th::
I finished with ILP classes! Afterwards, we celebrated our completion of an intensive Spanish course by going to McDonalds. Haha. The food was surprisingly good - better than fast food in the U.S. - but it was also substantially more expensive. I got a "McPollastre" - a chicken burger - with fries and a coke. I had to pay 15 cents for barbecue sauce.
At night, I went to a salsa club called Mojito. I had a great time watching people who actually knew how to salsa well, attempting to catch on myself, and following one of the coordinators as he led the entire club in dancing to "Ai Se Eu Te Pego." They also played some American pop songs, but all the music still seemed to retain the upbeat, happy rhythm of the other salsa songs and songs in Spanish. One song I remember that will probably always remind me of Spain now is "Vem Dancar Kuduro." We left the club around 3:30 a.m. and headed home.
::Saturday the 28th::
I forced myself to wake up before 10 a.m. so I could catch a train to Girona, a city north-east of Barcelona whose first historical habitants were Iberians. The train ride was about an hour and twenty minutes, and it was definitely worth it! We went on a cool, crisp day and were able to roam the Jewish quarters, Arab baths, cathedral (formerly used by the Moors as a mosque), and old plazas and fortifications without huge tourist crowds. Much of the city felt empty, so it felt like we were having our own private adventure exploring narrow streets, castle-like walls, and forested pathways and gardens.
We stopped for a meal around 5 p.m. I had a guacamole burger.
Around 6:30 or so, it was back to the train station. I think all of us fell asleep for at least a little bit during the ride home.
Later Saturday night, Dave had some people over at his piso in Gracia. On the way there, we noticed a lot of festivities going on in some of the plazas and streets - people drinking beer, streets lined with tables full of food and people, bagpipe players, and more. At the piso, we relaxed, listened to music, drank wine, and chatted. Finally, after a long and exhausting (but fun and memorable) day, it was back home and to bed, where I would enjoy a much needed full night of sleep.
::Sunday the 29th (today)::
I should probably figure out my class schedule. These are also my last few days in Les Corts, so I might try to see some of the gardens/fountains/other attractions that I've heard about but haven't yet gotten a chance to see.
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