Christmas in Barcelona

It's hard to believe that I celebrated my second Christmas in Spain this year! The city, celebrations, and gifts were different, but I again was able to celebrate with Anna, which was fantastic. She arrived on Christmas Eve and we were able to spend the day walking, catching up on life, and relaxing - it hardly seemed like a year and a half had gone by since we last saw each other!

We celebrated Noche Buena at home and out on the town, although we were a bit surprised with how few people were out in my neighborhood. After a big sleep in, we listened to Christmas music, opened presents, and were terribly lazy all day. We both agreed that, again, it didn't actually feel like Christmas at all! This wasn't a good or a bad thing, just interesting. It confirmed again for me that my association with Christmas isn't music, gifts, or food, but being with family. Without that, it just seems like most other days off.

If not with the Killion clan, I'm glad I got to celebrate Christmas with Anna. And, considering we were able to go to the beach today and sit outside enjoying cañas, spending the holidays in Barcelona isn't exactly rough. :) Heading to the cold of London tomorrow is going to be quite an adjustment . . .

Our Christmas "Tree"

Happy to be reunited!

Late Nights in Barcelona

Wow - what a week it has been! Wine and hilarious conversations Wednesday until 3am, fantastic concert until 2am Thursday, dinner Friday, followed by drinks and dancing until 7am last night. It will never cease to amaze me how different life, especially night life, is in Barcelona. There is never a lack of something to do, the city is constantly buzzing with energy and life, and it is so easy to stay out until the early morning hours.

The past two weekends have included coming home after 6 am, something that I never really experienced until living in Spain. Yet here, there are so many people out at that time and more who stay up even later! For me, when there are so many people out and having fun, it's so easy to lose track of time - one moment it's midnight, the next the sun is coming up.

For someone who used to be nicknamed "Pirate Eye," I still find it amazing that this lifestyle suits me so well! Although I might be tired, once I'm out in it, I can usually make it until the end. Unfortunately, these late nights don't make for the most productive next days, but that's okay. (Another aspect of life in Spain that I love? I've gotten much better at relaxing!)

I've been here a year and a half, but I feel there is SO much more of the city I have yet to discover, both during the day and the night. With holiday drinks and dinners next weekend, followed by winter break and visitors, I have a feeling there will be even more late nights to enjoy in the upcoming weeks. Barcelona - I love dating you! :)

Jamie XX + Jamie Woon + James Blake = A Fantastic Show!

Tessa, Marybeth, and I went to this show at Razmatazz this week - wow! I mainly wanted to go because I love The XX and was happy to see anyone that was a part of them (i.e. Jamie XX). However, the entire show proved to be amazing! This song is one of my new favorites - check these guys out!

A VERY Entertaining Conversation Topic

Along with classic books and recent fiction, the book below is another one shared by Anne during our Berlin book conversation. In just a few short weeks, it has provided SO much entertainment! This classic by Martine was written in the 70s and describes men and women under each astrological sign, as well as their erogenous zones, ways to make first and last moves, and extremely detailed accounts of what they are like in the bedroom.

It's one of those books where you read a paragraph and think it's exactly like you, then read the next and think the exact opposite! A bunch of girls were together last night and this book made an appearance. After many read alouds, lots of blushing, and tons of laughing, it was confirmed that we need more copies of this book and that it might make for a great book club read. If you want a good laugh (and possibly some insight!), I highly suggest ordering a copy. :)

Dating Barcelona

I always find it interesting to hear girls talk as though having a guy around would change everything. I'll be the first to agree that having a man in your life that you really like and who really likes you, as well as some consistent love, can make for some very happy times! However, I also truly believe that you have to be happy on your own first - if you're not, no guy is going to change that.

One of my favorite things that Anne used to say is that when people asked her if she was dating anyone, her response was, "Yes, I'm dating Barcelona." :) Why is Barcelona so great to date? Well, there's always something new to do or see, he's consistent, he's warm, he provides cheap and delicious meals, and he's a lot of fun! Her point was that there is just so much to see and to do in this city, you can spend plenty of time just getting to know it and falling in love. (That Anne is always full of words of wisdom :)

Yep, it is pretty great to be dating Barcelona!

Ideas I like to live by . . .

Literary Love

While in Berlin this past weekend, Anne, Tessa, and I had many fabulous conversations about all sorts of topics. However, one of my favorite ones has to be the 1.5 hour conversation we had books.

All three of us love to read, but the enthusiasm and the clear love of literature that came through as we began to share some of our most favorite books while sitting in a darkened bar in Berlin must have been a sight to see! Throughout this conversation, we reminisced about favorite books of our past - the crazy story lines, the language, the characters. It was fun to see how many books we commonly loved, as well as discover ones we've never read, but now hope to.

Anne has an amazing ability to remember so many parts in all the books she has read, and Tessa can remember the most obscure details, while I seem to remember little but titles, authors, and general story lines that have impacted me. Regardless, when arriving at school on Monday, Anne brought six books for me to read and checked out equally as many from the library. I love it!

The first book of this stack that I've chosen to read is The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. This book was extremely popular a few years ago and I'm sure many people know it, yet I never heard of it until moving to Barcelona (maybe my memory issue again?). The book is set in Barcelona and mentions many streets and plazas near where I live. The language and description in the book is incredible, something that is so impressive to me considering it's been translated from Spanish to English. Although I am only eight chapters in, I am dying to keep reading - suspense, mystery, romance, books, intrigue! It's been a long time since I've felt that way about a book, particularly one for adults.

Today, my 5th graders and I were about to finish our read aloud book. They have been dying to hear the end and their daily excitement about the story has been so fun to see. Before reading, I told them about the conversation Ms. Anne, Ms. Tessa, and I had. (Their reaction was a mix of "That sounds so boring!" with "Wow - you really talk about books?" :) I also shared with them a paragraph from The Shadow of the Wind that really struck me (see below). Although they didn't all understand it (as expected!), I like to think that they will remember a tiny piece of the moment.

So, if you haven't read The Shadow of the Wind, I highly suggest it. (You can also take the book tour the next time you visit me in Barcelona! :). And, I hope it reminds you of your "first book." Now, I have to get back to reading . . .

"Once, in my father's bookshop, I heard a regular customer say that few things leave a deeper mark on a reader than the first book that finds its way into his heart. Those first images, the echo of words we think we have left behind, accompany us throughout our lies and sculpt a place in our memory to which, sooner or later - no matter how many books we read, how many worlds we discover, or how much we learn or forget - we will return." - Carlos Ruiz Zafon, The Shadow of the Wind, p. 6

Building Friendships

Over the past few weeks, I've been part of or have heard about, many discussions regarding friendships. Without a doubt, I think this is one of the hardest parts of moving someplace new, especially when it's a foreign country.

A few teachers have mentioned how they just feel like they have very few, if any, close friends. Something that has surprised me is how some people seem to think they should be invited by everyone to everything that's happening. And if they are not, they take it very personally. I don't know if it's because for a number of people this is their first time abroad or what. A few people I know at other schools have mentioned the same thing. However, it's been really interesting to observe (I think international schools would make for a fascinating sociology experiment!).

I'll be the first to admit that I've been really lucky since moving to Spain. Being thrown into CELTA in Sevilla made for many quickly formed friendships due to spending so much time together and having similar interests (teaching, learning Spanish, living in Spain). Although I didn't expect to become friends with Anna when I first met her, I'm so lucky that life put us together and once we got to know each other, we became the best of friends. I suppose spending literally 300+ days with someone will do that :)

Then, I was lucky enough to find Tessa in Barcelona! I think we were both fortunate to be here for our first year, single, around the same age, and with many of the same interests. In addition, there were very few other new teachers, so we immediately began spending lots of our time together. She and I have become the best of friends, too.

However, as I was discussing with someone earlier this week, friendships take time! When I think of my closest friends at home, we've been friends for over a decade. No one can expect to have those sort of friendships in just a few short months, particularly when friendships are somewhat forced because of the situation. In fact, I only feel that in the past few months I've become true friends with Tanya and Anne. Although we've gone out together before, it took almost a year and a half to be at the point where I feel I can really be myself around each of them.

I believe that true, strong friendships take time and effort on the part of both people. When moving abroad, you truly have to start over when it comes to friends and that's tough! You have to find the people that you really think you would become friends with if you had the choice. And you have to work to make those friendships happen. It's for this reason that I'm surprised when people seem to think friendships happen without some effort by both parties.

Now that I've developed some true friendships with people at school, I'm doing my best to try and make some outside of it. Without a doubt, this is even harder! I don't particularly want to make any more American friends because I am surrounded by them all the time. But, I really want to make Spanish-speaking friends so that I can practice! In addition, since I plan to be in Barcelona for awhile, I hope to be friends with people who plan to stay here, too (another problem with friendships in international schools - people are constantly moving away).

I think it's hard to find genuine situations in which you can meet people that are living here and wanting to make new friends as well. Luckily, I met Hayley through Spanish classes and she and I quickly became friends. Although she's Australian, she and her Argentinian boyfriend will be here awhile because he's in medical school. I believe it's true that Catalan people aren't quite as open and welcoming as Andalucians, which makes it harder to know local people. I hope an intercambio friend might be my ticket into more Catalan culture!

As I reread this entry to myself, it reminds me a bit of middle school! Living abroad means figuring out who you are in a new setting and I think one can learn a lot about themselves through these experiences. I've again been reminded of the amazing friendships I have, some that began more than 15 years ago, others 5, and some that just started a year or a few months ago. Regardless of the time, these friendships began because of shared interests and experiences, as well as genuine enjoyment of one another's company, not because they were forced to happen. And so, I look forward to the other friendships I might discover while living a broad in Barcelona . . . :)