Wikileaks

29 November 2010
Wikileaks are a series of documents from February 2010 that were leaked to at least 5 different European newspapers.  The documents contain 251,287 messages that pose a serious risk to many people across the world, but almost more importantly, represent a horribly massive potential for danger if something like this happens again.  Lots of the documents have been attempted to be kept secret by the media in order to protect public safety.  While the media is trying to keep everything quiet, the White House has made it known that they will be doing a major investigation to try to understand how this catastrophe was possible.  They will definitely need to rethink their routine systems of communication to further ensure safety from here on out.  The U.S. attorney general, Eric Holder, has reported that its department has opened an investigation by the massive filtration of diplomatic documents on the Wikileaks Internet page.  Holder has stated that the Government condemns the spread of these documents.  He added on that Wikileaks are dangerous not only to certain individuals, but in a bigger picture, to the nation’s foreign relations with all other countries in the world.  This was a scary encounter not only to America, but to every country in the world, who can all see the potential for disaster that could come of the leaking of these political documents anywhere in the world.  While America is taking the blow right now, nobody is to say that something like this won’t happen again, in another place, on an even more disastrous scale.

Barcelona Takes on AIDS

29 November 2010
World AIDS Day, on December 1^st, will be taking Barcelona by storm.  The 2010 campaign’s goal is to raise awareness that will lead to prevention, but also to the promotion of early diagnosis, in which case those affected will have a better chance of survival.  Barcelona has joined forces with Lluita contra la Sida Foundation, taking on the phrase, “if you’re not infected, you’re not affected”.  These events will begin on 30 November, when at 7 pm, the lights in Placa Jaume will be turned off as a symbol of need for action by UNAIDS.  The following day, beginning at 10 am, many organizations will provide materials, information, and be running activities at Placa Universitat.  While activities will be taking place here as well as Placa Jaume all day, there will be a Gala at Hotel W at night.  The Gala against AIDS will have attendees of both Spanish and global importance.  The goal is collect money in order to be capable of further AIDS research and also to donate to the smaller organizations which have been working so hard to promote knowledge about AIDS for many years.  The money received from the Gala, donations, and bracelet sales (the bracelets read “jo dono la cara per la sida”), which will be going on throughout the day as well as days after, will all be compiled and given to Lluita contra la Sida Foundtion for AIDS research.  The “Let’s Take on AIDS” campaign, which was created by such organization, is an Internet initiative that accepts pictures from people worldwide who want to share an AIDS story.  It takes these images to create a type of mosaic of their faces.   The major publicity of this event in 2010 will hopefully benefit the organization and bring in lots of profit for the fight against AIDS.

Castellers Go Universal

19 November 2010
This week, the Castellers, or human towers, that are so infamous in the Catalonia region of Spain, have been deemed a UNESCO item of cultural value.  As of late, there are only 60 Casteller groups, and about 700 members in the traditions 200 year history.  A large majority of this history and these participants and groups exist in Catalonia.  As a result, the Castellers organization will receive financial aid, benefits, and protection from such organization that will attempt to spread to the joy of human towers throughout more parts of the globe.  These castles are a true tradition that is passed down from generation to generation in Catalonia.  “Continuity, social cohesion, and solidarity” in Catalonia are results of this community-building activity that should be shared with the world.  Eduard Paris, who runs on group of Castellers, shared his joy with the decision and excitement that with more involvement, the towers can grow to even bigger than ever before.  It would be interesting to follow up on this UNESCO decision over the next months and years to see now only how these Catalonian groups are using the publicity and the money, but if the phenomenon of human towers that is so popular here in Spain truly does spread to other parts of the world.

Unemployment Problems in Barcelona's Youth

08 November 2010
Unemployment has been a major problem for Barcelona for many years.  The youngest age group specifically has been the focus of a lot of unemployment in recent years.  A new project called “Suma’t” has been launched by the City Council and Catalan government to try and stop this unemployment from continuing or getting worse.  Over 25,000 between the ages of 24 and 28 are currently out of school and unemployed.  Over 1,500 people in Barcelona (5,000 in all of Catalonia) between the ages of 18 and 24 who have not graduated from high school are currently unemployed but eligible for this new program.  This program uses professional career guidance, training, and employment contracts to compel young people out of work to get their act together.  The program would provide specific training for the individuals and then even a 6-month employment contract for the participants who are successful in the training.  The 14 million Euro budget in Barcelona (20 million total including Catalonia) will hopefully be enough to get this project launched and on its way towards success.  Jordie Hereu, the Mayor, discussed the need for the participants of this project to show desire for higher education and work or they will not be successful.  He makes a good point, it is essentially a two-way street, and even though the program does try to do some of the hard work for them, if it is not reciprocated, these people will get nowhere.  The program is not meant to do the work for them, but give these struggling people a leg up and a push in the right direction.

Fonda Gaig

Fonda Gaig is one of the nicest restaurants I have been to in Barcelona.  My parents treated me and my sister to a dinner here on the American Thanksgiving holiday, and although it wasn’t traditional turkey, stuffing, and sweet potatoes, it was mouth-watering all the same.  The restaurant was chic and clean cut.  It attracted a fairly older crowd and was more expensive than most of the restaurants my friends and I have gone to in Barcelona.  I started with patatas bravas, which came with the scrumptious customary red and white sauces.  This was followed by a steak fillet which was one of the best I’ve ever had.  My family got an assortment of pasta, fish, and duck, along with a variety of different appetizers, as well.  We all shared plates and thoroughly enjoyed the restaurant.  Great service, great cuisine, great atmosphere.  The waiters were polite, and although spoke very little English, and m family speaks very little Spanish, it was definitely more an authentic-feeling dinner.  Something that was particularly great about this restaurant is that they had a smoking and non-smoking section.  In general I have found in Spain that restaurants tend to be uniform in their allowance of smoking at meals.  While I don’t mind whether other people smoke, if the person sitting at the table next to me decides to smoke, it sometimes puts a damper on the enjoyment of my food.  At Fonda Gaig, the fancy vibe and clean cut atmosphere were complemented by separating smokers and non-smokers, which was appreciated on my end.

Celler de Tapas

If Spain were to have a traditional meal, tapas would definitely be up there as one of the classics.  In customary terms, a tapa is a bite-sized dish that is eaten as a sort of appetizer or snack, often served at a bar.  A tapas menu can range from a wide variety of things, some hot and some cold, some with meat and others with just cheese or vegetables.  One type of tapa is called a “pincho”, which is a similar concept but uses a toothpick and a bread base to hold the tapa together.  With pinchos, it is traditional that a customer takes as many as he or she would like, and then pays a fixed price for the number of toothpicks that remain on his or her plate.  I have eaten tapas at a variety of restaurants throughout Spain, but Celler de Tapas, although not very traditional, was a delicious spot.  While the tapas here are almost meal sized, they are all freshly made and delicious.  Tortilla Espanola, a traditional tapa of egg, onion, and potato is especially delicious at this eatery.  Another meal that I enjoyed here was the grilled vegetables in Romanesco sauce.  This red sauce, coming originally from Tarragona and made of almonds, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, and red pepper is one of my favorite aspects of Spanish cuisine.  It is sweet and salty and a great accent to so many different dishes to which it gives great character.  An interesting experience I had was at a tapas bar, Poe, in Granada.  At this tapas bar, customers order some sort of drink, whether it be wine, beer, or a cocktail, and with each drink are given a free tapa.  In my opinion, this is truly the way to serve tapas.  However, I have yet to find such a bar in Barcelona.  While Celler de Tapas is not as conventional as other Tapas restaurants, the food was delicious, and the concept of tapas is still in place.  The traditional tapas are all offered, and it is definitely worth a try by anyone who has yet to dine here.

La Luna

La Luna was one of the first restaurants in Barcelona in which I dined, and it has been a classic for my friends and I throughout our time abroad.  Nestled in the heart of “El Born” district, it is on a small side street next to Santa Maria del Mar, called Calle Abaixadores.  It is a perfect fit for a young student, looking for a delicious meal at a reasonable price.  The atmosphere is very chic, with its red tones, dark lighting, and stone vaulting.  The entrance leads to a room with a prominent bar, but the dining section of the restaurant is in a separate room in the back.  The room is cozy and the stone and wooden accents give it a natural feel.  The menu is not enormous but is not too small; it is just right.  It has a few salads, soups, pastas, and a variety of delectable chicken, fish, and red meats.  The meals are fairly large and you definitely get what you pay for.  One interesting meal was the hamburger, which is not served as most Americans may be used to.  My disappointed friend complained the whole meal about his hamburger’s lack of a top bun, which apparently is often the custom in Barcelona.  Aside from this minor glitch, I would go as far as calling the restaurant “flawless”.  The rocket salad with goat cheese, apple, tomato glaze, walnuts, and arugula is out of this world.  The ravioli is another of my favorites.  I’ve also enjoyed the honey-glazed chicken., the tuna steak, and many more.  La Luna is a great place for a more upscale group dinner or even just a casual date with a friend.  With this restaurant you really can’t go wrong.

FC Barca

Before coming to Barcelona, I had heard a lot about the FC Barcelona team, but it wasn’t until I got here that I truly understood what was meant by all of this hype.  As a soccer player since I could put one foot in front of the other, I naturally assumed that I would be able to appreciate the Barca games more so than some of my friends or other attendees.  However, this is certainly not the case, as the games go far deeper than the sport itself.  The passion and energy of an FC Barcelona match exceed any sporting event I have ever seen or heard of in my life.  I say with complete confidence that “El Clasico”, which I watched at a local bar in the heart of the city, is not only the biggest rivalry, but the most heated and deeply meaningful 90 minutes of soccer, or any sport for that matter, in the world.  It took me all semester to finally get to a game in Camp Nou, but I was so glad that I did.  My friend and I scalped tickets, which gave the experience a little extra thrill.  We ended up getting tickets for 25 Euros each, and even better, we sat as close up in our section as we could and were never approached by security or asked to move.  From the moment of kick off, the game was intense.  It was interesting to me that there were no instant replays on the big screens, which is a signature quality of all high-tech stadiums in America.  I think this attests to the fact that every person in the stadium had their eyes glued to the field at all times; no play was missed and needed to be shown again.  In addition, the lack of alcohol in the stadium differed greatly from the “watch the game and get a beer with friends” attitude that surrounds American sport.  Again, this shows the intensity of these hardcore fans who don’t even mind the lack of alcohol.  It is hard to describe the energy that radiated from the stadium.  The chants and name-calling that went on were hard for me to understand due to the language barrier, but the actual words did not even matter, it was obvious what the fans were trying to say.  Not only were the fans into the game for all 90 minutes, but the players did not lose focus for even a second of the game.  Having played high school level soccer, mistakes were frequent.  It was truly unbelievable to watch the precision and perfection of each and very touch that the Barca players took.  They played their hearts out until the last moment, scoring 2 goals in the last few minutes of the second half, when they were already up 3-0 and had dominated the entire game.  The FC Barcelona team truly lives and breathes the motto “mas que un club” and I admire them so much for that.  Whether it be politics, athletics, or anything in between, anyone involved in the organization is fully aware of the deeply-engrained value that this futbol club holds.

Zoo Barcelona

It was my friend’s birthday, and as an animal lover on a beautiful September morning, she decided that we should all go on an outing to the Barcelona Zoo.  Lying at the end of Park Ciutadella, the zoo is in a beautiful location with lots of greenery in its metropolitan surroundings.  While the zoo wasn’t too big or out of the ordinary, it had quite an assortment of animals scattered throughout its grounds.  Land creatures, water creatures, creatures of the air, you name it, and there is something of the sort at the Barcelona Zoo.  Aside from walking around and seeing the normal animals, there are reptile houses, birdhouses, and even a dolphin show.  Because we went to the zoo at the beginning of the semester when we were just settling into this foreign country, it was a fun way to spend a day with friends and get to walk around a different part of the city a little bit.  I had never been to the zoo area and it is located in beautiful surroundings.  In addition, it was comforting to see all of these animals, for as different as stores and food and the language and the people can be in Spain, zoo animals are a constant that does not change no matter where in the world you go.

Parc Guell

Parc Guell, although one of the most traditional sites in Barcelona, truly is one of the coolest places I’ve ever been to in my life.  Although I may be biased as I am particularly fond of Barcelona and have lived here for the past few months, all of my visitors who have seen Parc Guell agree that it is truly something special.  Guell is the name of Gaudi’s patron, who had originally asked for a neighborhood to be constructed with all of the buildings designed in the “Gaudi way”.  However, when the first few buildings wouldn’t sell, Gaudi took the project upon himself and turned it into a stunning park that overlooks Barcelona.  It is now a place that many tourists go to visit as an attraction, but it is also a perfect location to go to hang out and relax for the day.  I have been many times and my days there have always been extremely enjoyable.  When my family came to visit, we took a guided tour through the park, and my eyes were opened to the unbelievable brilliance of Gaudi; I was not able to look at the park in the same light again.  Each and every aspect of the park was designed and planned to a T.  My personal favorite part of the park is the little bench that sits above the reptile structure but below the park itself.  I learned that this was designed so that if you sit under the archway on the bench in the summer, it is always in the shade, but in the winter, it is always in the sun.  The physics and mathematical analysis that must have been put into this, attest to Gaudi’s true genius.  He was not only an artist and an architect, but he was an intellect, as well, and applied this to all aspects of his work.

Castellers

The human towers famous to Catalonia, the Castell, are a great tradition that has been practiced for many years.  Castell, in Catalan, means “castle”.  This custom is an event that involves the building of a multi-level human tower.  Those who take part in such climbing are trained and practice together in order to form a cohesive group that can be successful.  Towers can vary in the number of people and levels, but in general, the trend is that the bigger, stronger people end up at the bottom, and the smaller, more agile people are assigned the role of climbing to the top.  The person who crowns the Castell is usually a young child, who must raise his or her hand in order to signify completion of the tower.  A few years ago, the child who was supposed to climb all the way to the top of the tower actually fell and died, and since then, all of the children who perform this position wear a helmet for safety and head protection.  While the towers are a fun tradition to watch from afar, I certainly don’t think I would let my children participate in such an activity.  The towers seem very dangerous, and although people practice nonstop in order to be successful, there are a variety of things that can occur and get in the way of such success.  In addition to the actual nerve-racking talent involved in human towers is the garb.  While clothing colors and styles may vary, the general trend is the presence of the sash that is wrapped tightly around participants’ waists and gives them a sense of sturdiness and balance.  I can’t figure out exactly how it works, but something about the tight quality of the sash definitely seems to make these people’s jobs a lot easier.  When I went to see a human tower, I actually accidentally went to a human tower practice that was inside a building.  The website broadcasted it as a show, but instead, it was an informal trial run.  Nevertheless, it was very interesting to see these locals in their preparatory stages of the towers.  At one point, a lady approached my friends and me and asked us to come downstairs and actually participate by being buffers at the edge of the tower base and helping to push inwards and provide support.  We tried to help but were a little bit lost in our responsibilities.  Being so close to all of the action allowed me to see these Castelleres from a different point of view.  It was really amazing to watch such a range of people, as young as 6 and 7, participating with people who could be their parents and grandparents.  It just goes to show you that when tradition and a common goal are given to a group, everyone will work hard to pull their weight and make it happen.  This experience opened my eyes to the true value of tradition in Catalonia and how deeply engrained it is in its people.

Flamenco

The Flamenco was something I have heard bits and pieces about my entire life.  As a Spanish student since I was 11 years old, part of the Spanish culture that I’ve learned about has included this traditional dance.  However, when I finally went to the Flamenco in Barcelona, it was not exactly what I had been expecting.  The two major things that come to mind when I picture the Flamenco are that little but loud clapper that the dancers wear on their hands, as well as big colorful (generally red) frilly dresses.  However, to my surprise, the Flamenco is a lot more in depth than simply dancers gliding across stage in fancy outfits and making lots of noise.  The first thing that shocked me was the speed at which these dancers could move their feet.  I could not even process thoughts as fast as their feet were moving; it was as if they were flying 1000 mph.  I was extremely impressed with not only the speed at which they could move but also their raw talent.  The tricks they were doing seemed, at least to an amateur dancer, to be extremely difficult and impressive.  Aside from the dance moves themselves, I was also extremely surprised at the format of the show itself.  I had pictured the show being completely dance-oriented, but when I got there, I found out that there were storylines and scenes with talking and acting.  I particularly enjoyed the second act of the show, which reminded me of West Side Story in that it featured two rival families who were only civil when the Flamenco dance was involved.  The last thing, although less important, that surprised me about the show was the setting it was in.  I thought it would be similar to an opera house or a play, but instead, the Flamenco show that I attended was a room full of tables at which dinner was served.  This was much more informal than I had anticipated.  The Flamenco, overall, was a great experience and is something that I will definitely remember from my time in Spain.

Monserrat

Montserrat is a mountain range just outside of Barcelona.  Montserrat, Catalan for “jagged mountain”, and is a perfect match to its name.   As my family and I drove up the steep and narrow roads back and forth across the mountain, the views grew more and more stunning.  Our guide informed us a lot about the mountain and its history.  I was extremely intrigued to learn that hundreds of thousands of years ago, the entire mountain was submerged in water.  Historians discovered this when fossils of fish and other ocean-dwelling creatures kept being discovered all over the mountain.  The reason for the jagged edges and curvy surface of the rocks is also explained by this past life under water; the ocean waves and tide are what gave the rocks their form.  The classic red rocks of Montserrat are even bigger and better in person than any of the pictures I had seen before.  The quaint little town nestled into the mountain was quite charming.  As we pulled into the town, the one narrow street was lined with local farmers selling mostly cheese and fruit products.  There is a special kind of cheese that was sold here that is a type of dessert cheese famous in this region of Spain.  Walking past these markets and the single train station in Monserrat leads you to a big plaza that overlooks the countryside and is topped off with Santa Maria de Montserrat, a beautiful sanctuary that is infamous in this tiny town.  It is one of the highest points in Catalonia and the views were truly spectacular.  There is a Montserrat Young Boys Choir that we were able to hear sing their two Catalan songs.  One of the songs symbolizes the pride of Catalonia and when it was sung, many elderly people stood up in order to commemorate Catalonia and its oppression by Franco for the past few decades.  I thought this was extremely interesting because although I have learned about these events and political oppression in my classes, it seems so much more recent and relevant when I see how it affects the people who live here.  After the boys choir finished their performance, people began to rush to the side of the cathedral.  A line of hundreds of people formed in order to walk up to the famous Virgin of Montserrat, who sits in her throne looking out over the whole sanctuary.  The Virgin is of black complexion, and we learned that there was much controversy over this.  There were many stories circulating about why she was black in skin tone, but a few years ago, a religious figure decided to put an end to the rumors.  An official announcement was made stating that the Virgin was this color because when she was originally crafted, there was little understanding about chemical reactions and paint, and over time, when the statue mixed with air, black patches began to form on her surface.  Therefore, someone decided to cover her fully in black in order to unify her skin.  While this may or may not be the exact truth, this is the story that most people go by today.  I really enjoyed visiting this abbey not only because of its aesthetic value, but also because of all the historical value that it held.  After this site, we also visited the Museum of Montserrat.  While it was small and contained mostly local paintings, I thoroughly enjoyed this, as well.  Montserrat was a tiny little town with a lot to offer.  I was pleasantly surprised by everything I learned here because it is truly a place where you need to look more than surface deep to appreciate it fully.

El Born/La Ribera

The third field study of this class was an outdoor walking tour of El Born district.  In this tour, we passed el Palau de la Musica.  This “Palace of Music” was constructed in 1903 and features great concerts and such throughout the year.  Then we continued to walk through little tiny passages that are the site of the old guilds in Barcelona.  Gremis, or guilds, were core of medieval Barcelona’s economy.  They were a system of closed0shop unions with paramilitary powers, overtones of the Mafia, connections to the Church, the Corts, and the Consell de Cent.  They lasted from the 13^th to the 19^th century.  During a time of the guilds, all work was done by hand as opposed to the factories or machines that we are used to today.  Guilds were made up of a mestre with one or two aprenents.  As we were able to see firsthand in the field study, the streets and last names of people were named after guild titles or specializations.  It was intriguing to be able to see the different shops and stores and the remnants of the old guilds and what they have turned into in the modern world in which we live.  Thinking about all of this work done by hand in a time of technology and modernization is a crazy thought.  After seeing these apartments and shops, we moved on to Santa Maria del Mar.  It was a beautiful church on the water that originally housed the remains of Saint Eulalia.  I will definitely make time to go visit the inside before I leave Barcelona.  Another interesting stop on our trip was La Llotja.  This was created as Barcelona’s stock exchange at the time that money was growing in value.  Merchants began to become more important and prestigious and a true middle class was created.  La Llotja also functioned as Barcelona’s School of Fine Arts, teaching legends like Pablo Picasso and his father, Joan Miro.  The Contract Room was the oldest continuously operating stock exchange in Europe.  It was strategically placed on the water, which is symbolic as this dock is the major site of imports and exports from other countries.  El Born district was intriguing as a whole because it is filled with little quirks and hidden facts that are not so publicized to typical a Barcelona tourist.

Barcelona Jewish Quarters

Our second field study was both educational and fascinating.  I think one of the most intriguing things about the area that we studied is how long some of the architecture has lasted.  It is truly a travesty to know that there are other buildings that could still be standing had they not been knocked down in more modern times.  At one point towards the end of the trip, we were standing on a corner on which three buildings were set, all from different decades.  While it was amazing to see the range of architecture among the three different buildings, I couldn’t help but wonder how amazing it would have been had all of the buildings been the originals.  On another field study, I learned that the museum that houses the original Roman pillars and the remnants of the Roman town that lives underground was originally a building that stood a small distance away from its current location.  However, years ago, when old buildings were being torn down, the building that is now the museum was given some kind of protection from being knocked down.  But because the building needed to be moved for new construction in its place, all of the bricks of the entire building were numbered and taken apart one by one, and then reassembled in their contemporary site.  Coincidentally, this happened to be above some amazing historical information, turning the building into a museum henceforward.  If only all of the old buildings that were still standing could have been preserved like this.  Another part of the field study that I found so incredible was when we were standing in a small cobblestone court that fell between the walls of four buildings, one of which was absolutely covered with gunshot markings.  This is the site that prisoners of the Spanish Civil War were shot, in order to be out of sight and earshot of anyone.  Reading about these events is upsetting, but seeing them firsthand really made me able to feel a sense of connection to the history that I’ve been learning so much about.

Roman Barcino

The first field study for this course took us back to the beginning; to the roots of Barcelona.  We went to see the Roman ruins.  An interesting collection of Roman ruins lay together in a single museum.  This included the original Roman pillars of the city, the remains of an intricate sewage system, bathing pools, vineyards, etc.  It was truly amazing that these advancements existed in the time of the Romans, much less that they lasted, and are in decent shape, until today.  The level of detail and intricacy of the sewage systems shows the unbelievable engineering skills of the Roman people.  They were even able to recognize that the clean water and dirty water needed to be separated in the system, preventing innumerable amounts of disease and bacteria from being contracted by their people.  The in-depth planning that was required for this type of structure sheds light on all other Roman constructions.  Roads, for example, may not have been directly featured in the museum, but from what we have learned and can imagine after seeing this sewage system, they are sure to be just as well thought out and meticulous in structure.  Another interesting fact we learned about the Romans in Barcelona during this time is their resourceful nature.  Urine and salt, two average and boring things, were used by the Romans to serve a great purpose.  Urine was a multipurpose liquid; it was used as bleach, stain remover, and even as medicine.  Salt was also a major resource for the Romans, and it was employed as layers between fresh fish to dry them out and store them in bulk for long periods of time.  The resourcefulness of the Romans was truly astounding, they used everything they could get their hands on for a purpose and did not let anything go to waste.  This is why they were such a legend for so many years.  For me, one of the most interesting things I learned about the Romans was about their demise.  While it is a long and much more detailed story, we learned that in short, it was the network of roads that they had spent so long and so much energy and planning to build that eventually did them in.  Roads were the Roman trademark, but because they were so far-reaching and extensive, it is eventually what allowed other civilizations to travel to the Romans to take over their cities and their people.  This was compared to the Internet and terrorism today.  The world has become so advanced with all of this technology, and terrorists have found a way to use this technology to the disadvantage of its inventors.  It is unfortunate to know that the smarts that went into these unbelievable advancements, like the Internet today or the Roman roads centuries ago, could be taken advantage of and used in negative lights.