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Published: March 26th 2008
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I’m definitely in Europe. And I’m definitely having culture shock.
It first hit me when I got off the boat, crossed the road and was not almost run over by 15 cars, bikes and tuk-tuks. Traffic laws are something that I haven’t seen obeyed since November. That is nearly 4 months of fending for myself in the road. To be able to cross when the little man turns green and not worry about being plowed down was a nearly new concept for me!
The second time it hit me was when I looked around the crowded streets and realized I fit in. My skin color, my height, my sex, my clothing…all very normal by European standards. This is the first time in a port I have not been persistently followed by people selling stuff, and also the first time I’ve actually had to pay the price on the tag. And that’s when I was hit again…except this time my wallet took the brunt of the punch. Euros to the dollar...when did that get so bad?? This is the first exchange rate that has hurt rather than helped me and ouch! is all I can really say.
My next
defining moment was when I was sitting at an Irish pub, watching football and drinking a Magners. First of all, I love Magners more than I love gin and tonic, and that says a lot. I was just sitting at the bar, listening to loads of English people scream at the telly and I felt like I was back in Ireland. It was a strange feeling really…I was totally in my comfort zone but for some reason I felt out of place.
One of my final moments of culture shock came when I was stealing wireless off of someone. I was able to sit for hours and read the news, download documents and files and catch up on emails. This was the first time I’ve been able to spend an entire evening in my pajamas surfing the web. I have never in my life been so excited to get materials for class or to read about war, American politics and some star exploding 7.5 billion years ago and finally reaching Earth’s sights (http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TECH/space/03/21/exploding.star.ap/index.html?iref=mpstoryview …it still absolutely blows my mind). When you live on a boat, it’s so easy to forget that real life exists outside of our little bubble.
I was able to wedding plan with my best friend, talk to my family on Easter and even make some strides in plans for the future…amazing.
I don’t really have any exciting stories about Barcelona. My friend Will came to visit from France and it was so great to see a familiar face and escape boat life for a few days. We had a fantastic time just catching up and wandering aimlessly around the city. We did manage to see some awesome architecture, drink enough Magners to get me a free t-shirt, and eat half a dozen donuts in one day…pretty impressive if you ask me. We also went to every single computer store in the whole of Spain (okay, I exaggerated a bit, but we went to at least 10 stores) in search of an adapter charger plug-y thing for my computer. One store had what I need…one…and they wanted $150 for it. I just can’t justify spending that much money for something that plugs into the wall, especially when I see a new computer just off in the horizon. So I’ve decided I will go without a computer for the next couple of months. Bold move, I
know, but I’ve done without a phone, TV or internet for the last few months so this won’t kill me. I’ll still have the library, so I’ll be able to post blogs and check emails.
The thing that struck me about wandering in and out of shops was how unfriendly everyone seemed. Like I told Will, if this was Thailand or India I would ask one person and he would personally take me to every single computer store until I found exactly what I needed. In Barcelona, most of the time people just looked at me with a cocked head and said ‘No’.
Architecture aside, the city itself is pretty unremarkable. I was reminded of Prague or even Paris…it’s just…European. I know this is an incredible place, so please don’t get mad or offended, but I’m just not that excited over Barcelona. I guess I’ve really been spoiled over the last few months, haven’t I?
In other news, I am officially applying for acceptance to grad school in Morocco. If accepted, I’m pretty positive this is the option I will choose. It just seems right and although it’s significantly longer than I planned on staying in school,
I think the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. I figure I’m young, have no commitments and I’m already in debt…what’s 2 or 3 extra semesters?! I’m also planning on traveling a bit after the boat ends with some friends…we’re thinking Italy, Greece and possibly a little of Eastern Europe. I’d really like to get to Kosovo since when I was there last year it was still technically Serbia, but we’ll see. I’ll also spend some time in France working on my French because I’ll definitely be needing it in Morocco. However, I still need a job for the months of June and July so if you have suggestions………
Anyway, those are my thoughts for the day. Pretty low-key, just like my time so far in Spain.
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Sagrada familia