This week in pictures...

What to write, what to write! It’s one of those moments when a million things have happened, and I don’t have the time (okay, fine, ...motivation) to write them all down!
SoOo... let’s see... Sunday: ahh! Great day. After a wonderful sermon by some visiting guest speakers from (you’ve guessed it!... maybe not... I’ll just tell you) California, a group of friends and myself went down to La Rambla for some döner kabobs. Yummy! Yep... that actually took up most of my day =).
Monday: I decided early in the morning that I absolutely HAD to go to Barrio Gótico to draw something. I can’t remember if I told you last week, but Elly C. (shout out!) came into town and inspired me to buy a decent drawing pen and put it to use. After a morning round of sucking hard at sketching, I went to class and came back. Now, granted... it wasn’t much better this time, but the company was lovely! (on both occasions). I set myself up on the steps facing a doorway to the Cathedral de Barcelona (on a side street that tourists rarely find. *snicker* claimed as Michelle’s domain!!!) and began to sketch. While I was busy scribbling away, a man with a beautiful harp came and set up. He began playing South American harp music; and, when he noticed I was watching him, we began to chit-chat. After I told him that my mom used to play the harp (and will again!... when the harp gets out of rehab. That’s what happens to musical instruments who hang out with the Magic Flute too much... sad day... Right! That was random)... anyways, we began talking and he started asking me which songs (or types of songs) I wanted to hear and then would play them. Having just had a conversation about Rancho Grande the other day, at one point, I requested it (because, it’s just plain beautiful). He smiled and said that he didn’t know an arrangement, so I told him to invent one (laughingly... kinda sounds harsh in text.) He agreed, and what came out of that harp was AMAZING! He continued to play a few more songs (per request =) ) and then I had to go home. Glorious day!
Tuesday: hmm... I can’t remember what I did... I know it was fun... education? Hmm..
Wednesday: Ho ho! I went to the USA general consulate =). Name tags! I was asking about any open secretarial positions. After ping-ponging around the oh-so organized bureaucracy, I was given an email address... Hmm... well... so much for attempting to intern in a government agency in Spain. NO, but really though, it was still awesome running around there (being sent to various offices is actually more accurate... but I can dream!)... felt like a secret agent. Don’t worry. No round-house kicks were involved.
Thursday: Our classes were greatly reduced in size due to the threat-down of another student strike/protest (It was actually going to be held off school grounds at eight at night, but for some reason we had the time and location mixed up... so hardly anyone came). Wound up being a good day, as we had nearly one-on-one attention with the professor. We came up with personality profiles for fictitious characters and then attempted to marry them off to each other... needless to say... the cat lady and shady pimp shall not be joined in matrimony anytime soon (or ever... as they don’t actually exist). Anyways, it was good fun. Then, I went to Parc Güell with Grace and snapped several photos (on her camera... hehe) and caused a ruckus =) OH! and then I went to a couch-surfing language exchange meeting (when it comes to couch surfing: I am not a member (for those of you who are worried) but several friends are. Calm down!) I met some really cool people and got a chance to practice Spanish and converse in English.
Friday: Went to the Sorolla exhibit... again =D
Man, those murals are breath-taking! I was with one of the guys who I had met the previous night, so after running around the museum, we headed off to the Castillo and Olympic Stadium (because they are a must-see) and then walked around Raval for a bit. Lovely day! OH! that, and I finally saw Vicky Christina Barcelona. Hehehe... Minus the restaurants (as I eat at home or picnic style everyday) I’ve been to all of the BCN locations minus the airport and the corner where her picks her up for their secret rendezvous... yay!
Which brings me to today!
It was quite rainy out which limited the options a little, but I woke up at a decent hour this morning and then went to go find a monastery that my art professor had talked about several times. The claustro wound up being closed, but the cathedral was open and lovely. I’ve posted a few pictures from my adventure today. Enjoy!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=20173&id=1323450019&l=d07cd544cf


Please keep me posted with your goings-ons!
I’ll be out for a week starting friday, so if it seems a bit like talking to a brick wall I apologize in advance. Have an awesome week! Blessings!

Taking it all in...

Well, family... Yesterday was quite glorious. I walked around Barcelona with my friend Elly Clemmons (who is in from Madrid scouting out the art around the city for her Alma Mater, Biola) and snapped about a zillion photos. Oh! And took a video =D... And this one actually uploaded. Yay!

video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFlisi8n5hk

photos:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=19566&id=1323450019&l=78a799f39f


Yay!
After we ran around the city for several hours taking in the sights, we went over to a friend's apartment where I got to cook dinner (holla!) and ...not have to do dishes... (holla to the max!). It was awesome getting to spend time with friends in the ol' family meal setting.

Hope to hear from you all soon!

Springtime, SPRINGTIME!!! Yay! The fleurs are a-bloomin' and ...despite the occasional individuals affected by the pollen zipping around... moods are lifting! *sigh* Sunshine... how I love thee... WHY DON'T YOU LOVE ME BAA-ACK?! haha...
Alright, enough of this non-sense.
Yesterday there was a bit of a demonstration at the University... well... most of them, actually. So, classes in the main building were cancelled. (Basically, the students that were camping out in the main entrance we're asked to leave by the Dean... this is just what I heard, so I'm not exactly sure how accurate it is... They refused, so early yesterday morning, police came and kicked them out. They fought back, and so now the school is closed for the next few days to prevent a riot from breaking out.) SoOoOo... having had my classes cancelled, I headed up Tibidabo to check out the greenery... or flowery, as it has recently turned into. Check it, yo!

In other news, I've been crazy busy trying to balance playtime with school work, but having an absolute blast despite the activity! Umm... I recently began working with a friend on his English skills; and consequently, am dabbling a little bit in Ukrainian. Holy cow, that language is hard to pronounce! And am teaching a friend how to cook some awesome chicken tonight. OH! random side note... I was taking to one of the guys from my church the other day, and asked him if he knew what summer squash was. He had no clue... and ... I must admit... I gave him the nasty "are you kidding me?!" look... So! I went to the open market to try to find it, and I couldn't! They kept pointing to pumpkins, and I was like, "NO! I don't want PUMPKINS! I'm looking for ... well, they're like zucchinis, but yellow and shaped like lightbulbs." ...Blank stare... "You mean pumpkins?" "NO!"... Oh man! Who feels silly now?! I guess produce availability changes across the pond... that would explain the massive stacks of Kiwis they're selling for dirt cheap in every grocery store... (Oh my goodness, I'm in Kiwi heaven!!!). So, I bought Eggplant instead. Should be stellar! Right? RIGHT?! Anyways, looking forward to getting my hands dirty in a kitchen again... and then washing them before I begin cooking... Alright! Enough of this randomnicity! I have a date with Elly Clemmons! (Drs. Clemmons' Daughter) Yay! She's fun =)
Hope you're all doing well! Hear from you soon!

Extra, extra! Read all about it!!!

New photos! New photos!!!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=19116&id=1323450019&l=437ef


Check it yo!

Wow! okay, so today was amazing! I woke up at about 7 this morning, quickly got dressed, and then headed off to Plaza Catalunya (okay... I know I've spelled this place about eight different ways in this blog, but this time I've got it right. I checked... twice) to meet a group of students from ISA to go horseback riding. The morning was absolutely gorgeous! The sun was shining, birds were singing, and the Plaza was totally vacant. ...Like, I've never, ever, ever seen it that empty before. AWESOME! Anyways, we gathered in front of a cafe and then headed off to the RENFE station under the Plaza. The trip took about an hour but it was full of gorgeous views and fun conversation, making it seem quite short.
After we arrived at Santa Susana on the Costa Brava, we met taxis from the ranch and were driven directly to the park. There we met our guides and began sorting through a huge pile of helmets. Hmm... in the US it's not that difficult to find hats that fit me, but apparently my head is slightly larger than normal (shut up!)... But, thankfully, I finally found a skateboard helmet in the pile that fit... more or less. While I was digging around in the shed, I heard horses being brought out. The woman who was clearly in charge of the yard shouted out "okay, who here can ride?"... after having had talked to the program director quite a bit on the train (about... well, if you know me I shouldn't even have to fill you in) so she pointed to me, and I was the first to pop onto a pony. YAY! Actually, that horse was quite tall. I'm guessing about 16 hands... which isn't that big, but ...well, fine... I admit it... it's been a while. Then the other 15 riders and 2 guides mounted up and we left. Holy freaking cow! I am SOOO glad there are so many rules at Camp Richardson when it comes to the way the rides are structured. The horses were well-behaved but packed themselves together and ...they got cranky after a while. No one fell off, but there were moments when I definitely held my breath... needless to say, I kept to the back where there was more space. The horse I was assigned was totally chill, and responded really well to leg (and OMG the saddle fit SO well!). About halfway through the ride, we turned around and began making our way back to the ranch. As I had kept to the back of the ride, it went from tranquil to sixteen some odd horses coming at me all at once. I got incredibly claustrophobic so I held Sofí back. Glad I did too. The guide who had originally ridden in the front was now taking up the rear, and was very talkative (yep, and enunciated well). So, we chatted about Chile (where he was from) and the US and horses. After we got back to the ranch, I played "Giddy" (tourists, as they are affectionately called in Barcelona) and went snap-crazy with the camera. Which brings us back to the beginning... I posted new pictures. Finally. Enjoy!

Unbelievable...

Wow! Craaaazy night!
Okay, so on Wednesday I suggested that a group of people from my church get together and head over to the fountain on Montjuïc, on Friday, to watch the musical fountain light show extravaganza. Everyone made it over to the designated meeting point a bit earlier than expected, so we made our way over to the fountain while the previous show was still going on. During that time we scoped out good seats (on low concrete walls) and took entertained ourselves by snapping pictures of the pretty lights/water combinations. While my friend Nikki and I were busy trying to figure out how to take a picture of me holding the fountain with the lights framing the palace in the background appear to crown me Lady Liberty style, (by the way, that picture is AWESOME! ...but not on my camera... will let you see it asap) someone threw who-knows-what on some girls in the group. I’m guessing it’s baby food... I hope it’s baby food... Anyways, another man (creeper) approached the two girls (who immediately clutched their bags a little closer) and began telling them that they had just been decorated by some pigeons and that he would clean it off for them. They got nervous and began trying to get our attention (unfortunately, I was totally absorbed in posing for the picture =( and didn’t notice anything going on). Just then, another girl in our group was tapped on the shoulder, and when she turned around someone snatched her bag and ran. She began screaming for help as they ran off down the stairs and around the corner, and then immediately took off after them with Benji, one of the guys from the church that was with us. They came back after about a minute after having lost them. I then suggested that we head off to the police to see if she could fill out a report and have her credit cards shut off, but then Benji suggested and even better idea: that we could, at least, see if the bandits had dumped her purse somewhere after taking her wallet so that she could recover her keys and cell phone. So, we went the same direction that we had seen the thieves run off in. Not really having had much experience in having a purse stolen, I began opening up dumpster lids and looking inside. Just then, an elderly man approached us and asked us if we had just been robbed. “YES!!” He then explained that he had seen three men come running around the corner being followed by a police car. Then the group had broken up and the police had continued to follow two of the three robbers. When we asked him what we should do, he told us that now was probably a pretty good time to head over to the police station because they were chasing the very people with her purse. He then gave us directions, and then lead us over to a pair of officers standing at the corner. We quickly explained that a purse had been stolen (and were met with an “what else is new?” expression...). They then radioed some fellow officers and told us to head down the street and to the left where a group of officers had congregated. ...so we did... and what did we find there? Two men hand-cuffed against a wall, about ten police officers, and one stolen purse... with everything (credit cards, cell phone, house keys, everything!) still inside. *sigh* Yay! Happy ending! The officers were incredibly nice! They offered the girl a ride to the station and an extra space for someone to go with her (so Benji went to help her fill out forms) and a first aid kit when she got there (she had fallen and was scraped up and bleeding). So, all is taken care of now. She got her purse back (and probably wouldn’t have had it not been for Benji’s suggestion to go look for it in the first place) and everything inside. ...crazy!

Here I am! Back from the silence...

Hi! Long time no see... Sorry I've been lame-sauce about keeping this up lately, it's been a bit difficult as I've had zero spare time. And, though much has happened, I'm afraid I've only got enough time to entertain you with one story... Okay!

I had a moment with a Spaniard the other day. I know, I know! That sounds odd! But, I'm so used to eyes flicking away from me (and visa-versa) when I people watch, that it was incredibly exciting to not only have someone I didn't know make eye contact with me on purpose, but hold it and understand what I was thinking! HOLLA! Hmkay, so this is what happened: I was making my way home via the metro at around 5-ish one day. Luckily, the metro was pretty much empty (a rarity during rush hour... anywhere) so I had my own little pod of seats to myself. Across the aisle and facing me was a middle-aged woman. Needless to say, at that point in the trip we were both looking at each other while still avoiding eye-contact. It's like a national sport here... anyways... the train stopped at one of the stations and then opened its doors. Soon after (they seriously give you like three seconds to enter) the train beep-beep-beep-beeped (um... it actually made that sound. no swearing. promise) and the doors started to shut. While they were closing this man power-punched his arm into the door (dude, seriously?! just wait for the next one!) and pushed them open strong-man style. He then proceeded to make his way down the aisle and when he passed in between the woman who "wasn't" looking at me, and myself (who "wasn't" looking at her), stopped and then scrunched up his face, balled his fists, began to sway his head violently from side to side, whisper-screamed "ssssschizAAAHH!" (schizer?...I don't want to know) and then continued walking. Yep... Weird. And when something of that magnitude happens, I have to share with someone (dude, it was like a freaking 4.6 on the awkward richter scale). With a wide-eyed and slightly shocked expression (appropriate in that particular situation) I slowly moved my eyes over to the woman who was sitting across the aisle from me. She met my look, and then began giggling, but trying really really hard not to laugh. I could see the strain in her eyes! Did I help her gain control? no. When I raised my eyebrows, and then whipped my head around to see where he had gone, she lost it. We giggle for a while. It was awesome. =)
The end!
Hope to hear from you soon! Please fill me in with your goings-ons!
love you!

Michellie Bellie

Ladies and Gentlemen...

...it has been brought to my attention, that I left you all hanging on the absolute worst post to be left hanging on... ever. I’m truly very very VERY sorry! No! I haven’t been ducking for cover in random metro stops this week, I’ve actually just been really busy having a great time. Bethany came into town from Madrid, and we’ve been getting up early (okay, fine... that’s a relative term?) and going to bed late (Umm... that’s for real) packing as much of the city (both tourist, and non-touristy-Michelle-is-lost-and-doesn’t-want-to-admit-it-so-she’s-just-going-to-keep-on-walking-while-avoiding-eye-contact-with-Bethany-to-keep-up-the-pretense-that-she-totally-knows-where-she’s-going sections of town... just kidding, Bethany!... or am I?...I am... not? whatever). Point being, she got a pretty thorough tour of the city. hehehe... and it was loads of home-baked fun!
Thursday I took her on a tour of the Gothic Neighborhood... in the dark. So, Friday we went back. It’s nice to actually be able to see both the inside and... outside... and the sidewalk of that section of town... and the day was lovely! We went into just about every cathedral we could find, and then took the metro to Sagrada Familia to eat a picnic lunch at the park facing the origional facade. After walking around the church and looking for the pond (which had dried up) we headed off to Pedrera and Casa... the other one Gaudi built on Passeig de Gracia... and getting in a bit more of the city scenery than expected. Hehehe... Where’s the “I’m the Map” guy from Dora when you need him! After meandering down that street, we came back to Plaça Catalunya and then went down to the beach. Holla! the water was obviously too cold to venture into (much like SD in winter) so we just chilled out on the sand. After, we went to La Self Naturalista, a lovely vegetarian restaurant that serves up Spanish dishes, and then watched a movie (The Englishman who went up a hill but came down a mountain, anyone?! awesome!).
Mkay, because we explored the city part of Barcelona on Friday, I thought it might be kinda fun to see the Nature-like part of the town on Saturday. We went to Park Güell in the morning and then climbed up Mt. Tibidabo in the afternoon. Oh, and for dessert, we went to this cafe in Barrio Gótico that serves chocolates.Yep... I think I can speak for both of us when I say... I’m kinda feeling it today. But! For a whirlwind tour of the city, we sure did have a relaxing and fun time together. I was sad to see her go. =(

Hope your weekends were all splendid! and that I get to hear from you soon! Please update me! I want to her about your lives!

Love you all so much!