They say that pictures can tell more than one thousand words. These are some of the pictures that I got on the first few days in Spain.
CCB- the Culture building.

This is the new part of the culture building. The Architect thought that everyone should have the ability to see the sea, so he got creative. The little blue line that you can see is the mediterranean :D.

This is right outside of the Facultad of Art. The UB (university of Barcelona) is split up by majors. Different majors are studied in different areas of the city, and typically a person only does one major, making them more specialized in their area. This statue is the patron saint of Barcelona- San Gordi (I believe that is how you spell it. Either way, in English it is Saint George.)

This is one of the castles here in Barcelona. Because the city owns it instead of the King, Pedralbes (Castle/ gardens) this Castle is an open park especially for the University students but open to all.

This is a Paparatzi photo of some of my "companeros". Unfortunately, some of them noticed that I was taking a foto. Hmmm... so much for being inconspicuous :).  

This is some of us in front of our hotel that we stayed in for Orientation. It was BEAUTIFUL! It was all so clean and nice. The only thing that I had to get used to was the shower- the doors did not close of the shower thus a towell at the entryway is REQUIRED!

Tips learned from day two2 :).

Ahorita is a "Mexican" word.
       I told one of the men working here at the hotel that I would go get my roommate "ahorita" so that she could eat and so they could start clearing the meal. He very kindly grabbed my arm and said " ahorita, no. Ahora. Aqui no decimos "ahorita". Eso es de Mexico, y no hablamos con los Mexicanos." He was really sweet about it though! So now I can pass for Gringa, Honduran, and Mexican :).

The Metro Door is not like an elevator door:
      I rode the metro for the first time! :). We all went together with our Director to learn how to use it and see how to get to the University on Tuesday afternoon. First we had to buy a pass. I was able to go through that with very little trouble. I did not even trip as I was walking through the entrance doors that take your ticket! We then arrived at the platform to enter the subway/metro it was beeping. The eleven of us ran to get on. There are quite a few seconds before they close the doors, we were told. unfortunately, the doors started to close on me! I put out my hands to keep them open while I walked through, like an elevator. Unfortunately again, elevators are not as carnivorous as metros are. They do not open once they are closing. So me, on the outside, and our directora on the inside tried to open the door using the handle. The driver apparently did not approve and I was stuck on the outside as my classmates rode out with my directora pointing to the next station. There I was left alone on the platform waiting for the wall to explode and suck me into another world like the characters of "Narnia". I survived the first ride though! :).

 My plane to leave my beautiful country. The plane is ready...

The bag is ready...Adios mi pais bello!!

Adios Islas de la bajia :(Hello my fellow BCAers (some of them :))

After arriving at the hotel, we all received keys to our hotel rooms. This will be our home for the next week, and get this... the key is a magnet! It is the coolest thing ever! It doesn't open other doors thoughm, :( :). Our Director told us to try our hardest not to fall asleep until after 8 at night. Easier said than done when the hour difference is 7 hours. :) All of our eyes were glossy, but I think we managed.

We had a few "classes" of safety and things to know about the city today. We also had a lot of time to explore and walk around. Honestly, I love being able to walk! It is beautiful and so clean!(except for the dog droppings everywhere...). We were able to walk by one park and quite a few stores.

The two new experiences I had today were: changing money and eating!

First with changing money, I learned how to use a european atm. I am still not used to the currency. 2 euros is a coin then the 20 is a bill. They are so itsy-bitsy and cute! But the exchange rate is pretty terrible :(.

The eating is the biggest change. I was expecting pretty small portions, but far apart. Far from what I found out. Lunch was not too different; we had two sandwiches (one cheese and one ham... or as some of made it- mixed) and a fruit. Supper was the big difference. We all walked in to supper at about 8:15 pm. As soon as we sat down, we were served a full plate of a potato quiche and salad. It was delicious! Then as soon as I ate that completely, thinking that was everything was finished, they brought out another full plate of sausage and potato/beans. I very full and extremely tired after the first plate "had to leave to find my roomate :)". I found out later that there is another full dessert course as well! All I can say is: DELICIOUS! :).  

First days... Jetlag/ orientation!

Hey everybody!
I finally am trying this. We will see how it goes. Okay. First day, Monday January 16.

We arrived at 7 a.m. to a dark and cold Barce. Thankfully, a few things worked out perfectly: I met some fellow study abroaders before arriving here, we weren't horribly interrogated, and we had people here to pick us up. To add to this was the literal rays of sunshine peeping through the sky when we arrived at the hotel.