Field Trip to the Raval

On Tuesday April 27th 2010, we took our final field trip to an area of Barcelona called the Raval. One of my favorite aspects of the Barcelona Past and Present class is going on field trips. The reason I enjoy going on these trips so much is that it gives us an opportunity to see places that we would not generally see. The only thing that would make these field trips better would be if they were at the beginning of the semester because it would allow us to know where more places were in Barcelona were for more of my stay. However, I realize that this may be impossible due to the fact that we are only here for four months. Anyways, by walking around in this area, I would have never ever thought that this was a bad area whatsoever. However, prior to the 1992 Olympics, this was a dreadful area where illegal drug trade and underground prostitution took place. But as we talked about in class, the 1992 Olympics brought tons of renovation to Barcelona, and made it into one of the top tourist attractions in all of Europe. With all the revenue and exposure Barcelona would receive, funds came in to completely change the city and clean up many parts that were previously downtrodden; like the Raval. When we were walking around, we saw a group of kids skateboarding. The first thought that popped into my head was that these kids should be in school considering they looked no older than 14 or 15 years old. However, it was entertaining to see one little guy attempt a kickflip off a staircase and land unsuccessfully about 20 times in a row. Who knows though, could that kid be the next big time skateboarder? However, the big picture here is that these kids were free to hang out here worry free, while before the 1992 Olympics that would have been unthinkable because the area was so bad. Although the area is not perfect, and could still use renovations, it is amazing to see learn how far the Raval has come. I am glad we went on this field trip along with the others, because they have allowed me to get a perspective on Barcelona I would not have had otherwise.

The PSOE Spanish encourages victims to report abuses by priests

One national story that I came across regarding Spain was in regard to the PSOE party urging victims who have been abused priests to come out and report such incidences. In Spain, there has been a low incidence of reported abuses by the church. While this should be looked at as a positive for Spain that there is limited pedophilia instances among their church, the PSOE party is worried that in actuality there is a problem has not come to the surface. The main reason that the PSOE is looking into this issue is that there have been hundreds of reported cases throughout other countries across the world. As a result of the PSOE’s worry about potential church abuses, Elena Valenciano, the Secretary of International Policy of the PSOE, has asked the church in Spain to investigate the few cases of abuse that have been reported and to have these cases tried in court. By looking into these cases, Valenciano hopes that they will lead to revealing other cases if they actually are there. Obviously, the PSOE does not want there to be more sexual abuse cases among the church. However, with all of the cases that are being reported throughout the world, it would just be wrong to ignore the potential cases that could be going on in Spain. While it may seem as if they are on a witch hunt and that the Spanish church may actually not have serious problems, I believe it is one hundred percent necessary to look into the problem. Hopefully there is not one, but if the government did not have the diligence to look into a potential issue, then I believe it is an absolute travesty to those who have been wronged by members of the church. This is a very serious issue taking place, and pedophile experiences can be traumatizing for young children and can quite possibly ruin their lives. I believe that the PSOE is doing the right thing in this situation, and hopefully the Church really has done nothing wrong.

Work begins on Sports Center

One local article in El Periodico that caught my interest was an article regarding a recovery of the sports center UE de Horta. While looking at the paper on March 31, this article interested me because I am an avid sports fan and have actually looked for sports facilities throughout Barcelona. This article talks about UE de Horta, which was a sports club that has become essentially obsolete over the years due to lack of upkeep. However, a new remodeling project started just after summertime last year, and a budget of 18 million euros is slotted for the renovation of this downtrodden sports facility. According to the President of the organization in charge of the project, the center had a huge problem with a lack of architectural space. As a result, the project’s main goals will be to construct two swimming pools, a new pavilion, and a gym of 800 square kilometers. The goal of the project is to have the reconstruction of the complex done by 2014. In addition to completely revitalizing a broken down complex, the organization hopes that the renovations will convince old members to rejoin. Because UE de Horta has been such a lackluster complex over the years and had not gotten any improvements until now, over 2,000 members left. By investing over 18 million euros to this project, the organization has shown that they are serious about completely changing the image of the center, and that it will be restored to even greater heights than it was before it became such a mess. I think this is a great development for Barcelona, because it will breath fresh air into a place that used to be a solid sports atmosphere.

International News Story

One of the major international news stories of this year took place was the death of Polish President Lech Kaczynski, who died in a plane crash. The article I read was from El Periodico on April 10th, the day after the crash took place. In addition to the death of the President, his wife, several senior members of the Polish government and 96 total individuals were killed in the plane crash. According to the article, fog and low visibility were main contributing factors to the plane crash, as it was less than 300 meters. As a result, the plane collided two kilometers away from the targeted airport runway, landing in the Russian city of Smolensk west of Moscow. While the extreme weather conditions obviously led to the death of all of these individuals, one of the bigger questions is why the plane even took off in the first place. According to the article, the Russians offered drivers as alternatives to flying in such adverse conditions, but the Polish President insisted on flying. This struck me as surprising; if this was President Obama I feel like there would be no way that United States officials would put him in harm’s way if there was the slightest of unusual weather conditions. This was certainly a tragic event as so many lives were lost, but the worst part is that it could have been avoided. I cannot understand why the President felt the need to fly even if driving may have taken much longer. This is an extremely saddening event as so many lives were lost, and hopefully it will lead other nations to proceed with caution. If it indeed was the case that the President forced the issue with such dreadful conditions, this could serve as a reminder to the rest of the world’s leaders that it is unnecessary to put themselves in unnecessary risk.

Field Trip to El Born

One article I found in El Periodico on March 11, 2010 was called “2 Gangs Intimidate the Residents on a Street on El Raval.” The main premise of this article is that on Santcliment Street in El Raval, a group of young teenagers have been controlling the narrow street and threatening the residents who live there and have something to say to them. This area has become a sort of a haven for two groups of teenagers who have used the street to loiter and deal drugs. According to the article, the two groups are made up of both Catalan residents and Maghreb. However, while the two groups both deal drugs, it is the Catalan individuals who provide the biggest problem for the residents. In the article, resident Eduard Elias describes how the problem began on January 23rd, when a woman living in the area was threatened by the ringleader of the gang. Supposedly, the woman asked the young man to finally fix a leak that was the young man’s responsibility to fix, and he responded by threatening the woman and telling her and her husband “to settle it in the street.” Following this interaction, Elias said that the intimidation began to pick up, and that ever since then the gangs have made life miserable for the peaceful residents. Each day the residents are met with menacing and threatening comments when they leave their houses, and have to deal with the groups yelling profanities at them and even spitting on them. There is no way for the peaceful residents of the street to avoid these gangs; the only way for them to reach their homes is to pass by these gang members and face verbal abuse. In addition to these problems, Elias said that the majority of the residents do not know how to handle the situation, and are basically at the mercy of the games. Although the police are aware of the situation, there has been little action in thwarting these gang’s efforts. While the manager of Ciutat Vella said there were significant efforts to help resolve this situation, currently the gangs are still in control of the situation. I thought this was a very worthwhile article because I haven’t really seen any violence or problems during my time in Barcelona. While I have felt very safe throughout my time here, this article opened up my eyes in a sense that there are gang problems in Spain just like in the United States. Luckily, none of these residents have been seriously hurt, but hopefully police efforts step up so any future problems are avoided.

Local news: 2 gangs initmidate the residents on a street in El Raval

One article I found in El Periodico on March 11, 2010 was called “2 Gangs Intimidate the Residents on a Street on El Raval.” The main premise of this article is that on Santcliment Street in El Raval, a group of young teenagers have been controlling the narrow street and threatening the residents who live there and have something to say to them. This area has become a sort of a haven for two groups of teenagers who have used the street to loiter and deal drugs. According to the article, the two groups are made up of both Catalan residents and Maghreb. However, while the two groups both deal drugs, it is the Catalan individuals who provide the biggest problem for the residents. In the article, resident Eduard Elias describes how the problem began on January 23rd, when a woman living in the area was threatened by the ringleader of the gang. Supposedly, the woman asked the young man to finally fix a leak that was the young man’s responsibility to fix, and he responded by threatening the woman and telling her and her husband “to settle it in the street.” Following this interaction, Elias said that the intimidation began to pick up, and that ever since then the gangs have made life miserable for the peaceful residents. Each day the residents are met with menacing and threatening comments when they leave their houses, and have to deal with the groups yelling profanities at them and even spitting on them. There is no way for the peaceful residents of the street to avoid these gangs; the only way for them to reach their homes is to pass by these gang members and face verbal abuse. In addition to these problems, Elias said that the majority of the residents do not know how to handle the situation, and are basically at the mercy of the games. Although the police are aware of the situation, there has been little action in thwarting these gang’s efforts. While the manager of Ciutat Vella said there were significant efforts to help resolve this situation, currently the gangs are still in control of the situation. I thought this was a very worthwhile article because I haven’t really seen any violence or problems during my time in Barcelona. While I have felt very safe throughout my time here, this article opened up my eyes in a sense that there are gang problems in Spain just like in the United States. Luckily, none of these residents have been seriously hurt, but hopefully police efforts step up so any future problems are avoided.

Local news: 2 gangs intimidate the residents on a street in El Raval

One article I found in El Periodico on March 11, 2010 was called “2 Gangs Intimidate the Residents on a Street on El Raval.” The main premise of this article is that on Santcliment Street in El Raval, a group of young teenagers have been controlling the narrow street and threatening the residents who live there and have something to say to them. This area has become a sort of a haven for two groups of teenagers who have used the street to loiter and deal drugs. According to the article, the two groups are made up of both Catalan residents and Maghreb. However, while the two groups both deal drugs, it is the Catalan individuals who provide the biggest problem for the residents. In the article, resident Eduard Elias describes how the problem began on January 23rd, when a woman living in the area was threatened by the ringleader of the gang. Supposedly, the woman asked the young man to finally fix a leak that was the young man’s responsibility to fix, and he responded by threatening the woman and telling her and her husband “to settle it in the street.” Following this interaction, Elias said that the intimidation began to pick up, and that ever since then the gangs have made life miserable for the peaceful residents. Each day the residents are met with menacing and threatening comments when they leave their houses, and have to deal with the groups yelling profanities at them and even spitting on them. There is no way for the peaceful residents of the street to avoid these gangs; the only way for them to reach their homes is to pass by these gang members and face verbal abuse. In addition to these problems, Elias said that the majority of the residents do not know how to handle the situation, and are basically at the mercy of the games. Although the police are aware of the situation, there has been little action in thwarting these gang’s efforts. While the manager of Ciutat Vella said there were significant efforts to help resolve this situation, currently the gangs are still in control of the situation. I thought this was a very worthwhile article because I haven’t really seen any violence or problems during my time in Barcelona. While I have felt very safe throughout my time here, this article opened up my eyes in a sense that there are gang problems in Spain just like in the United States. Luckily, none of these residents have been seriously hurt, but hopefully police efforts step up so any future problems are avoided.

Local News: FC Barcelona vs. Real Madrid

One local news story that headlined El Periodico on April 11, 2010 pertained to the matchup of Real Madrid and Barcelona in “El Clasico.” The article I read about this game’s title was “Messi: We’ve Shown We’re the Best.” This article is basically a report of the team’s feelings after beating their hated rival in a game which put them in the driver’s seat for winning La Liga. The night before, Barcelona went on the road to Madrid and dominated them for a 2-0 victory. The article is filled with quotes from many of the players and coaches as opposed to a summary of the game. In this article, players such as Messi and Puyol are quoted as they talked about their feelings about their team following the big win. The two players were somewhat different in their responses in the article. When asked about the team in the article, the young superstar Messi did not hesitate to say that the win proved the team was the best. In addition, he did not hold back from taking a dig at Madrid by talking about how they beat a team that was purchased to be a champion of Europe. This comment showed that there is no love lost between the two teams, and that the feelings of disdain dating back to the Franco era are still existent today. This quote highlighted a main philosophical difference between the two teams that can be traced back to the way Franco ran Real Madrid by monopolizing all the best players and the league when he was the dictator of Spain. While Real Madrid spends the most money to grab all of the superstars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, FC Barcelona prides itself on having Catalan players on their team and not just buying their championships. The excitement surrounding this victory was undeniable, as bars were packed as people watched every single play of the game very intensely. Following the victory, the streets were flooded with excited people. This game does not just signify any regular victory that moves a team up in the standings; rather the game represents a win for the Catalan culture against the “evil empire” Franco built. The excitement was evident by the celebration on Las Ramblas, where the streets were packed and crazy. Fireworks were going off and it was so crowded it seemed like it took ten minutes to go one block. This story was certainly one of the most important in El Periodico on this day.

Trip to Museo d' historia

On February 17th 2010, I went on a trip to see the Museo d’ historia de Catalunya, or the Museum of the History of Catalunya. When I went to this museum, I did not realize how unbelievably big it was. The museum spanned about three floors, and had an abundance of information in regard to the history of this city. However, I spent most of my time on the top floor. Here, I basically went on a tour of the early Catalonian history, starting with when the Romans arrived on the Peninsula. I really enjoyed the setup of this floor, because it had a great setup where it essentially took me in chronological order through the various events that happened over time. I learned about a lot of different things from this floor in addition to the Roman era, such as when the Muslims era and also many issues that came to the surface during this time. One of the major problems that came about was the Black Death, which took place in the 14th century. Although I had known about the Black Death from my studies in school and had vague background knowledge on it, I did not truly realize how unbelievably damaging this plague actually was. It was an opening experience to see how a disease could absolutely ravage a population and wipe out 100s of millions of people. While in today’s world there are obviously prevalent diseases that have not been cured yet, it is hard to fathom a disease coming around that nobody is able to stop and essentially crippling the world’s population. Maybe it is because I have grown up in a very fortunate part of the world, but it is mind boggling to think about the terror that must have gripped Europe since they were basically helpless against the inevitable spread of the disease. On a lighter note, one cool aspect was seeing the armor that knights would use in battle. I can’t even imagine how a knight could go to battle with that amount of weight on their back. In the museum, there was a pulley, where you could lift up the armor to simulate how much it would weigh to fight in. While I could lift it, it was definitely no easy task; it was as if I was weight lifting. I assume that technology has improved in today’s society. Lastly, another funny thing to do in a mostly serious exhibit was that I was able to sit on a fake horse like I was a knight. Enclosed is a picture of me (without armor) as a knight ready to do battle.

Basketball in Barcelona

One of my favorite pastimes in the United States has always been to play basketball. However, when I came to Barcelona I did not think it would be very easy to find a court to play on since I would be living in a major city and because soccer is the major sport in this nation. Nevertheless, I got the itch to go play and began looking for places to play. After asking some of my friends and even taxi drivers where I could find a court, I got word that there were actually several different places I could go play pick up games across the city. Finally, after much time I found that the best place for me to play was right by the Monumental metro stop. On Friday, March 26, 2010, I got off at the metro stop and sure enough a block away was a full basketball court and there were several individuals playing. I finally got the urge to play right as spring break started because all of my roommates traveled to France that Thursday. I had to stay for the weekend because my parents were visiting me on that Sunday, so I had plenty of time to walk around the city. I finally laced up my shoes and put the basketball I had in my apartment to good use. I was pretty nervous going to play after not playing for so long, but I figured it would be a great way to get some exercise since I do not belong to a gym here. It was definitely different playing pick-up basketball here than it was playing in the United States. What made the experience so different was that I was playing with two individuals from the Domincan Republic, one from Munich, and two from China. It was very cool to see how a sport can bring people from such different backgrounds together. Even though none of spoke each other’s languages except in bits in pieces, we were able to communicate because we all shared the same passion for the game. It was interesting to see that people from other countries took the sport very seriously as well, and that it was becoming so popular across the world. Even though there are plenty of international players who are great in the NBA, I never really got to experience playing against such a diverse group of people growing up. While this was still the same old game I was playing, it was a much different game this time.

Beach in Barcelona

Last weekend on April 16th, 2010, my friends and I decided to take a trip down to the beach. When we originally came to Barcelona, we were under the assumption that it would be cold for a little while, but that there would be plenty of time where we would be able to make trips to the beach. However, for the majority of our trip we have not been very fortunate in terms of having great weather. In fact, at one point it even snowed here which was certainly not a very common occurrence in Barcelona. So when the opportunity arose, we had to take advantage of it. When we finally got to the beach I was extremely excited because I had been looking forward to it all semester. The weather was perfect to just lay out and relax in; although it was not warm enough to go out onto the beach. After laying out on the beach for the while, it became apparent that the beach atmosphere where we were was much different than what we were used to in the United States. At the beach in the United States, it is a generally relaxing environment, with people in the water or maybe tossing the football around. However, at the beach we went to off of the Barceloneta metro stop, there were many different aspects. One of the things that stood out to me was the amount of vendors that were out there trying to sell stuff to us constantly. While it was interesting to see how the beach culture was different here, after a while the frequency of vendors approaching us got a little annoying. However, despite the vendors being a little annoying at times, one doughnut vendor was the highlight of the day. This individual caught all of my friends and I’s attention as he sprinted along the sand with a tray of doughnuts on his head while singing some song. I was pretty impressed by this display of balance and comedy, so I decided to buy a doughnut even though I did not want one. Another aspect of the Barcelona beach that differed from the United States was that there were plenty of nude individuals spread out all over the beach. While in the United States it would be shunned upon to be naked on the beach, it is not considered a big deal here whatsoever. There were plenty of males walking around completely naked, while almost half of the Spanish women I saw were topless. All in all, the beach day was one of my favorite days here. I thought the beach was really nice here, and I really enjoyed the setup along the boardwalk. There were plenty of places to eat, ranging from fancy sit down restaurants to quick food stands to get food. Overall, the day was a great one, and the only problem was that there could not have been more of them.

Restaurant Tapa I Apat

One restaurant I visited was called Tapa I Apat. When my parents came into town on Sunday March 28, 2010, it was around 2:00 PM, and we were all very hungry. They did not want a typical meal that we could get anywhere in the world, but rather they wanted to experience a traditional Spanish meal, and have a tapas experience. While I had done this previously with my friends at a restaurant called Chiquitos, I was certainly not opposed to going to a great restaurant again. We decided to take a stroll down Las Ramblas, looking at several different restaurants before we settled on this restaurant. At this restaurant, there was a plethora of options to eat, which made me very happy. While you could order single meals, you also had the choice of four different tapas platters. The choices included a vegetable tapa, two different seafood tapas, and a mix of all the tapas called Pica Pica. My family decided to order the Pica Pica tapa, which turned out to be a great decision. While the tapas were supposed to serve only two people, we thought that we should also order another dish to make sure we were satisfied. Turns out we didn’t need to do this considering we then had an exorbitant amount of food for the three of us. Considering my parents did not have the appetite that I did, I had the responsibility of doing the major damage on the meal and eating the most. I did not have a problem with this however, and embraced the challenge wholeheartedly. The Pica Pica platter was excellent, and it consisted of chorizo, or sausage, along with calamari, patatas bravas, Catalan bread and Iberian meatballs. In addition, we ordered a chicken and prawn dish was also excellent. While we made a valiant effort to eat all the food that was on the table, in the end we sadly came up short. Overall, I thought this was an excellent dining experience. Although the meal was pretty expensive, we expected it considering the restaurant was on Las Ramblas where the majority of restaurants are expensive. With that being said, it was not like one of those expensive restaurants where the portions were frustratingly small. On the contrary, these portions were of a great size, and we definitely came out of there with a full stomach. My parents really liked it because it was a different type of dining experience than they were used to in the United States, and I also liked the change of pace. I had a great meal and time at this restaurant.

Restaurant Lalola

One of the main restaurants that my friends and I have come to love is a small diner down the street called Lalola. In Barcelona, I have made sure to experience all sorts of different restaurants; ranging from typical Spanish cuisine to Chinese restaurants throughout the city. However, if there is one restaurant I could really consider a place where I actually have a connection to the people it is Lalola. Originally, we came to this restaurant in the first week of the semester. This restaurant was the first place we ate at as it was very close by and we were very hungry after settling down. One of the things that drew our attention to this place was that it was very cheap and had a wide variety of dishes we could eat. However, once we sat down I realized this would definitely be a place I would come back to visit pretty often. Sometimes restaurants lose their appeal if you go too often because you get sick of eating the same thing; there was no such problem at this restaurant. Throughout the course of the semester, I would say I probably have eaten there once or twice a week and have sampled a good portion of the menu. When I go to the restaurant, I generally order a tapa to begin the meal followed by an entrée. If I had to choose one meal that I really enjoy, it would have to be mussels to start out with, and a chorizo sandwich for my meal. In the United States, I really enjoyed mussels but it was not very common that I could go out and get them; at a cheap price nonetheless. Therefore, I felt it was only necessary to indulge while I was there. When it comes to chorizo, I have eaten my fair share since I have been in Barcelona. Some of the other meals and tapas I would generally have include trikini, margherita pizzas, and patatas bravas. Because we went to this restaurant so often, I developed a level of comfort when I sat down. Whenever I would go for a takeout order or to sit down, the employees were very friendly and would strike up conversation with me. In particular, there was one cook behind the counter who spoke English, so we were able to communicate very easily, while I tried my best to improve my Spanish by talking to some of the waiters (even though sometimes I would just have to smile and nod my head). Lalola was definitely one of my favorite restaurants in Barcelona not because it was a five star restaurant I had ever been to, but because it helped me to find a niche in Barcelona. This place helped me to adapt to living here, and really interact with Spanish people as well as enjoying some great Spanish food.