This week went by quickly, although it was uneventful. I had classes, relaxed, went shopping, and enjoyed my last non-traveling weekend for the remainder of my study abroad!
- Monday, November 1st
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This morning, my roommates and I woke up in Italy. We had an early flight back to Barcelona, so we packed our bags and headed to the airport. When we arrived back at our apartment in Barcelona, I was starving, so I made myself some avocado toast. There are no classes today because it’s All Saints’ Day, which is a holiday similar to Day of the Dead, so today I tried to be productive. I did some homework, worked for CU, and studied for my Inequality, Poverty, and Globalization midterm that I have tomorrow. I also went grocery shopping and on a nice walk with my roommate since it was really warm out today. I thought I would take a nap since I had been up since 4 a.m., but it just didn’t happen, which was fine. After studying some more for my midterm, my roommates and I went to dinner at our local favorite restaurant around the corner, where we had patatas bravas and sandwiches, and then I came home, prepared my bag for the gym tomorrow, and proceeded to have one of the best nights of sleep of my life.
- Tuesday, November 2nd
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I woke up this morning feeling so good and refreshed. I had a great weekend, but traveling is exhausting. I went to the gym and studied for my midterm while walking on the treadmill (a great way to multi-task, IMO). Then, I went to buy myself an iced coffee and came to the apartment to make breakfast, which was again avocado toast. I went to take my midterm, which I hope went well, but regardless, I am now done with midterms! I had so much free time until my next class, so I worked for CU, did some homework, and relaxed until my last class of the day. After class, I FaceTimed my best friend to catch up, and then I went to an empanada place nearby for dinner. The empanadas were definitely good, but they didn’t hit like I wanted them to. I went to recharge my Spanish SIM card since I was running low on data, and on the way back to the apartment, I stopped by a local candy store because I was in the mood for something sweet, and ice cream or a pastry weren’t going to cut it tonight. I enjoyed my candy while watching “Sex Education” and then I got ready for bed.
- Wednesday, November 3rd
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It was so cold outside today (and by so cold, I really mean 60º), but it feels much colder than that, so I’m going to have to buy a warmer jacket for the rest of my time here. Despite the cold, I still made the trek to the gym this morning and had a lovely workout, and on my way home I picked up a nice, hot Americano. I made oatmeal for breakfast and headed to my first class of the day, Barcelona City Planning and Architecture. My professor forgot our exams from last week at home, which I was honestly very happy about because I think that seeing how I did on that exam would have ruined my day. I came home after class and made lunch, worked for CU, and read for another class. I went to Mediterranean Politics, and since I had time before International Business, I went to the library and did some more work. My professor let us out of class 40 minutes early, which was great, so I came home and relaxed by watching more “Sex Education,” and then my roommates and I went to get pizza for dinner. It was delicious, as pizza usually is, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Now, I am going to bed.
- Thursday, November 4th
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Remember how I said it was so cold outside yesterday? Well, today, it was even colder. I went to the gym this morning and treated myself to a coffee and pastry afterwards. I went to my Inequality class, and then I came home and worked for CU. I also started editing my video project for my Intercultural Communication class, and it came out about three minutes too short, so my teammates and I planned to film additional content next week. But other than that, it’s looking pretty good so far, which is saying something since we are all business majors, not film. Anyway, I went to class and then went to a cafe to do some more work (the best study spot!). I had therapy tonight, and I had a lot to get off my chest, so it was nice to talk it out. After therapy, my roommate and I went to a Chipotle-esque place nearby to get dinner, and it was really good! It made me miss home, just a little bit (but not that much). While eating, we got ready for the night and made our way to a speakeasy called Bobby’s Free. It was so cool; the bar is disguised as a barbershop, so upon entering, it appeared to be just a room with mirrors, haircut tools, and lobby couches, but then you tell the “barber” the password and they let you in through a hidden door. It was a super cool experience, and I would love to do it again. We safely made it home, but not without getting caught in the pouring rain, and we got ready for bed.
- Friday, November 5th
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This morning I slept in until 10, and it was amazing. I haven’t slept like that in forever. I got ready for the day, and my roommate and I went to brunch at a super cute and trendy cafe. All the menu items had fun names; I ordered something called “Pancake my Eyes Off of You” (a play on the famous Four Seasons song “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You”) and my roommate ordered “I’ve Done Things, WAFFLE Things,” which were both equally delicious, and we are so happy that we went. We came home and relaxed for a few hours, and then I decided (sort of spontaneously) that I felt like going to the gym, so I made an appointment and headed there. I worked out for about an hour, and then I came home and took a shower. We decided to go to an Italian restaurant for dinner, and we were so excited, but our experience was less-than-ideal. First, we had reservations, but our waiter acted like we were an inconvenience to him when he sat us down at our table. When we ordered, he didn’t indicate in any way that he was listening to what I was saying, and when he brought us our bottle of wine, he didn’t put it in a bucket of ice and didn’t pour it for us. On top of all of that, his pants were not on correctly. They were probably three-quarters of the way lower than where they should have been, and he kept trying to fix them but in a counterintuitive way. It was very strange and even though the food was mostly good (the pasta was a bit salty), if I ever go back there I hope we get a different waiter. We came home after that, I finished season three of “Sex Education,” and I got ready for bed.
- Saturday, NOVEMBER 6TH
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Today was a very unproductive day. I didn’t get out of bed until 11, and when I did, I went to a nearby cafe and bought myself a croissant and coffee. I made a Quizlet for a test I have next week and then I watched some YouTube videos and relaxed for a while. In the early evening, I asked my roommate if we should go shopping since our upcoming trips will be to cold destinations and we have no proper clothing for them, and it didn’t take much convincing. Nothing like shopping in Spain! We got dressed and headed over to the main shopping area, where we spent two hours looking for sweaters and warm clothing. We decided that homemade pizza sounded like a fantastic choice for dinner, and since we were near the grocery store, we went in and bought our ingredients. We headed home and started making our pizza, but since we don’t have a baking sheet, we had to put the dough in a frying pan and stick that in the oven, which worked for the most part. I haven’t had homemade pizza in a very long time, so I liked it, even though it may have been slightly undercooked. For the rest of the night, we relaxed and didn’t do much else, and then we headed to bed.
- SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 7TH
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I slept in today, went to get coffee and a pastry, and studied for a test I have coming up. I watched some YouTube, and since I finished “Sex Education” the other day, I started watching “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” which I am quite enjoying thus far. I went to the gym in the evening, which felt really nice to get my body moving after a day of studying, and then my roommate and I got dinner from the same place as we did Thursday night. For the rest of the night, I didn’t do much aside from reading “It Ends With Us” by Colleen Hoover, and it is such a good book so far. I started it today, and I think I’m already halfway through. I packed my bag for the gym in the morning, showered, and went to sleep.
That’s it for week 10 in Barcelona! Time is flying, but I’m going to soak up as much fun as I can in these next six weeks. Stay tuned for more travels and adventures in week 11.