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It is inevitable that, as time ticks slowly and steadily away, our memories will become sluggish, as though swimming through thick syrup. Now, safely back home in Taipei City, Taiwan, reflecting back on these past six weeks with ALBA study abroad program, my time in Barcelona starts to feel like an enchanted, hazy dream in the back of my mind.
My family and relatives in Taiwan have undoubtedly peppered me with questions about how they think Spanish people would behave or like to do. While some of the remarks are indeed quite stereotyping and prejudicial, I can understand how the media have influenced them, having never step foot in the region, to think a certain way about the Spanish lifestyle. I do not blame them, but I wished that I could have whisked them off to Spain to experience the life by my side.
Immersing myself deeply in a totally distinct culture stunned me in various ways! I feel like I have shedded some old skin to become a different person, as though my senses have been pried open even more sharply by the unfamiliar environment. I began to take note of all the quirky things while living in my apartment on Rambla del Poblenou and traveling all over the city in between my business and Spanish classes.
Initially, it was the unique weather and surroundings that baffled me. Can you imagine the sun setting around 9:30 pm everyday, pushing back dinner time to 10 pm? In Taiwan, as we're so near the equator, just thinking about it is truly absurd. The sounds of people chattering heartily, glasses clinking and musicians playing violins (and sometimes piano-playing puppets) for dinner guests are still in full swing at midnight, leaving me and my roommates speechless in disbelief and awe. The breezy outdoor seating with huge umbrellas propped all along the streets is also a intriguingly different scene compared to the forever rainy and stormy Taipei City, where all the stores are crammed indoors. Stepping out of my Poblenou apartment and going left straight down the road, the vast sky and huge stretch of sandy beach along the Mediterranean sea greeted me within a mere 15 minutes.
Interestingly, I hardly saw any Asians as I made my way through the bustling streets and crowded metro stations. This made me feel quite uneasy and unsettling, sticking out awkwardly among people with skin the color of toasted almonds. And interestingly, the popularity of Asian cuisine has not spread into Barcelona yet (getting decent kimchi, bubble tea, or dumplings is strangely difficult)
Then it was the language. People speak Spanish so freakingly fast the sounds are gibberish to my ears. While I did start learning Spanish there, whenever I spoke it was like moving marbles with my tongue, the words rolling disobediently and making me stumble over the pronunciation. After adding in conjugations, I feel as though my mind was racing my mouth to match the right verb tense with the subject. By the end of the program, my Spanish did not improve a whole lot, but I am able to recognize some simple words and pretend I can speak Spanish with my "Hola" and "Cuanto cuesta?" when purchasing in stores.
How could I forget the food? We had weekly cooking classes taught by Aurora, our sassy Spanish cooking instructor. We've made Spanish tortilla, seafood paella with shrimp and mussels, crema Catalana (like creme brulee), tomato bread, gazpacho (cold tomato soup) and sangria...I've also had some lip-smacking Catalan sausage and olives, delectable panna cotta with blueberries, and glasses after glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice. Plenty of us have indulged in cones of flavorful gelato whenever it gets too hot (which is nearly everyday).
Strangely, I found myself drinking more alcohol than I've ever had ever since coming to college. Aurora said that Spanish people are indeed obsessed with drinking during every meal, but they do so not to get deliberately drunk, but rather to enjoy, relax, and bring a feeling of happiness into their daily lives. That is quite something to think about.
In Barcelona, the evocative architecture alone is worth traveling all the way over to admire and ogle at. La Sagrada Familia, Casa Batllo, Casa Mila, Park Guell are a few of the genius gems of Gaudi's that stuck out conspicuously among the normal looking apartments, attracting thousands of fawning tourists (the content itself is a whole other article). The old but sturdy stone walls in the Gothic Quarter are vestiges of the ancient Roman civilization and the medieval period, overflowing with history way back to the 14th century, when figures such as the ruthless military dictator Franco and the explorer (colonist) Christopher Columbus still roamed the area. The ancient walls look rather odd just few steps away from shiny glossy clothing stores such as Zara, H&M and Mango, but they never lost their oozing charm and appeal next to these modern and industrialized symbols of mass commercialism.
On a more serious note, I have become increasingly aware of the troubling political and social scene in Spain. The multiple strikes that was going on every other day: first the museum workers, then the metro workers, taxi drivers, labor workers of the telecommunications company called Telefonica, and lastly the airport staff. I had no idea what was going on politically until my arrival: Catalonia, the region where Barcelona is located, seeks independence from Spain, something that the Madrid government cannot tolerate at all. I have witnessed the Catalan independence movement, where a massive crowd waved posters and yellow ribbons, demanding the Madrid government to free the Catalan political leaders that have been imprisoned for their defiance against the capital city. Yellow ribbons that symbolize Catalonia's declaration of independence are EVERYWHERE: hung on trees, lampposts, drawn on buildings and crosswalks, pinned on backpacks and t-shirts. I learned that Catalonians are incredibly collectivistic; people are able to gather in support of a movement at an astonishingly rapid speed. Their determination and demand for justice is truly inspirational, and it subconsciously reminded me of Taiwan's fight for independence against China.
On a more social side, the free market idea and the concept of "sharing economy" that service companies like Uber and Airbnb embody are edging out competition such as taxi drivers and hotels. Taxi drivers are furious that they are being put out of jobs, so in early August, they blocked all the city's main streets for several days in protest. Along with the other strikes and government pushback against Airbnbs, these fissures that rankle the Spanish society is worrisome, and while our teachers had informed us briefly about Catalonia's history with the Spanish government, I know that I have barely scratched the surface of this deep political and social crisis within Spain. I hope that reconciliation can happen soon, and that the region can finally be able to find peace on all aspects.
I have found such joy being thrown into the embrace nature during our Friday excursions: hiking in the forest-green Pyrenees mountains, kayaking in the watery blue Costa Brava, roaming around the medieval-styled Girona, and climbing up the religious Montserrat monastery. Isn't it incredible that nature can give us the most ineffable delight in such a simple and effortless way? These indescribable sensations are hard to erase from the mind.
On another note, I haven't really immersed myself in the famous Barcelona night life, but I had my fair share of bars and restaurants, sipping mojitos, tasting sangria, and savoring red, white and rose wine. A couple of us squeezed our way into Razzmatazz, one of Barcelona's most popular and massive dance clubs and let our hair down to a stream of classic pop songs such as Beyonce's "Run the World" and Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie". It was a magical and perfect way to say goodbye to rest of the girls.
Thank you, Barcelona, for letting me explore you without the heavy filtered lenses of the media, allowing me to not see you merely as a single story. I was able to witness the locals living their daily routines like a ticking clock and had a taste of that kind of lifestyle myself. Jogging, sleeping and playing volleyball at the beach, cheering on soccer teams in bars (FIFA World Cup), watching old couples salsa dance under the sunset, chasing the metro for morning classes, buying groceries (and water to drink), taking out the trash, studying in the library, attending service on Sundays, going to the same cafe and ordering the same thing over and over again.
I have been brought to appreciate your glamour and your insouciant charm, and have also gotten the chance to understand your brokenness even more deeply. Saying goodbye to our study abroad program staff, travel guides, professors and friends was difficult, for the probability of seeing them again is miniscule, but I suppose this is a way of life that I will gradually learn to get used to. There is still so much to share in detail it's impossible to cram it all in one article. Ultimately, living in Barcelona this summer is like carefully tasting a richly filled tapas bar, sampling the sweetness and bitterness of the unique culture and knowledge. Thanks to this memorable trip, I am eager to see what other adventures await me.