Hurling into Adventure

I’m ready for my trip to Barcelona!

I could not believe July had already arrived when my parents and I got in the car at nine in the morning to begin our four-hour drive to Washington D.C.; in but a few hours I was taking off to Frankfurt before transferring to Barcelona, my final destination.  With the adventure of a lifetime lying in wait ahead of me, I still felt the sensation that none of it was real. I half-expected to arrive at the airport in Washington D.C. only to be told that I had the wrong time and missed my flight or that my seat on the plane was sold to another blond girl going on an exchange program.

However, all my doubts were immediately cast aside when we checked in my baggage and received my boarding pass; at this point the idea gained a new sense of reality in my mind. An entire month in Barcelona… After having a quick last dinner with my parents, it was time for me to pass through security and enter the gates. We said our last goodbyes as my mother succumbed to her instincts, spewing the usual unnecessary advice: “Don’t talk to strangers! Always watch your bags!  Never walk into dark alleys…”, the usual parental wisdom.

As my plane to Frankfurt finally began to take off, I felt the smooth waves of the aircraft’s motion resonate with what I’d been feeling inside. It seemed to be a natural metaphor for my young life; climbing up a winding and snake-like rollercoaster, I knew that the potential energy of the cart was about to change into kinetic energy as I was hurled into a great adventure in Europe. (I had to use a physics reference…) Both flights were smooth and comfortable and before I knew it, I was with my Ayusa group in Barcelona, greeting Xabi at the airport. When I arrived at my new host-mom’s apartment, I experienced the minor shock that accompanies the sensation of entering a foreign country, only to realize that you don’t speak their language.  I hadn’t been able to take Spanish as a third language since the seventh grade- now I am a rising senior in high school. Initially intimidated by my lack of proficiency in the language, it soon became a motivator…Just room for more improvement than the other students… 

After the first day was over, things were much less awkward with my host-mom as we became more familiar with one another; I used all the Spanish I could muster from my memory to explain to her a little about who I was and where I came from. I quickly became used to the focus required to catch the general meaning of what my host had to say and so found myself understanding a great deal more than I knew how to say in Spanish. Every day we were to have breakfast and dinner with our host families; I looked forward to the delicious meals and warm company provided by my host-mom and new roommate, Bagdan, from Ukraine. 

The Gothic Square

After taking my placement test on the first day of classes, I was sorted in to the A 1.2 language level; considering the fact that I has not received formal education in Spanish in such a long time, I was satisfied with my placement and eager to begin improving my language skills. My schedule indicated that I would be in class at ABCHumbolt from 13:30 to 17:00 every day, de lunes a viernes. After class for the first week, Ayusa had an activity planned for our group for each day after school. On Monday, July 4^th, I went with the group to visit the Gothic Square, a very beautiful place in Barcelona filled with quaint little cafes and restaurants, along with old, impressive architecture.

 

A very old, impressive architecture

After spending some time reviewing basic grammar and vocabulary in class, we were taken to the beach at Villa Olimpica. I was sincerely stunned and surprised at the beautiful azure water, as well as impressed with the European people we saw there. Health and physical fitness has always a top priority for me and I respect others that realize the importance of exercise. After being accustomed to the American way of beach-going (bringing several bags of potato chips, a magazine to read as they eat, and getting some fries and burgers for lunch) I was pleasantly surprised to see nearly everyone at the beach engages in an intense game of beach volleyball, swimming, playing catch, passing around a soccer ball, or performing acrobatic feats right on the sand. 

A beautiful ancient castle in Montjuich

 

Everything seemed so alive, active, and beautiful- I began to wonder what else I’d been missing out on by not frequenting Europe. (And then I remembered how much more I liked the European sense of fashion…) The next day we watched the Hangover in Spanish; it only became more entertaining when all the jokes were translated into a foreign language. To conclude the fun-filled activities of the week, we got to play billiards with all our friends from around the world and went on an excursion to Montjuich, a beautiful ancient castle with walls that echo with the whispers of history.