Urban Life

When I applied for CIS and my study abroad, I stated on my application that I wanted to study urban life, and get a feel for what living in a huge city center is like. Well, I have surely gotten that experience here. Living on a avenue that is always busy and is always noisy, having people everywhere, and not being able to get away. With that, there are pickpockets, sketch people, and the ever drunken crowd of party people along the beach and along Las Ramblas. I've learned the reason behind why people call it a concrete jungle, and why I probably will never live in a city ever again in my life.

But with that said, it has its nice points.

I have instant access to supermarkets, cultural sites, and historical places. I have tons of people to watch and observe, and I have access to anywhere without a car, which is nice, and I'm getting a lot of exercise. I am living on my own, faced with my own decisions, but my apartment mates will not clean their dishes, which is one downside to the whole collective side of living. My classes are a perfect gateway to look into the urban lifestyle, and to see how it connects with everyone around and their lives. It explains a lot, and how to deal with that in a modern context.

Yet, I've explored all of those routes.

I've observed all that I can for now, my brain is full. I've seen a lot of places, and I'd like to see more, but they always cost to get in, which I can't afford. I sort of miss driving my car, and I don't like having to depend on a system (even if it is wonderful and fast). My classes are an entirely new view of academics, but everyone in them is not, and that gets on my nerves a bit, because I know they can just throw around five to six thousand dollars for a "vacation".

This is not a vacation. This is an active participatory event, one which you must use to your fullest potential. But you know, whatever, to each their own. I just wish there were more people like me to hang around, and possibly talk with in Spanish, yeah?

But with all of that said, I still have three weeks in this wonderful city. Three more weeks to go see what I can, and see all that I can. I need to get back on my regular schedule, because this weekend has thrown it off by a lot. This must be the slump that they say you go in during study abroad, but I don't think it is because of cultural misunderstanding and frustration between me and the Spanish people, I think its because of cultural misunderstanding and frustration between me and my classmates and fellow "students".

-Nick Ford

Tarragona and Its Outlying Regions

Today I decided to take an excursion to Tarragona and see what rural Spain is like. I got to the train station, bought my ticket, and headed down to the platform. And waited. And waited. And waited some more. It just so happened there was an "accident" (the metro and rails like to use this term in place of their own screw ups) and our train to Tarragona was delayed by an hour and a half. Whoopie. I ended up standing/sitting/ talking with people in Spanish, underground, waiting for this train to magically show up. It finally did, around 11 or so, when it was supposed to leave at 9:30, and I was well on my way. Getting to the city, I found it was not so "small" as I had hoped, but I ate some lunch and scrambled around for a bit. I actually did not see  much there, because I was in search of an isolated beach, far far away. So I took the train back one stop, and went on an adventure!

Getting off the train, I followed the signs to a nature reserve, with trails, a mountain, and an ocean. Hiking a long the beach, which was pretty sparsely populated, I was in search of an even more sparsely populated beach, so I kept going, towards this castle on the cliffs. I rounded the corner, and found these magnificent views!

After scurrying around the cliffs, and clambering up rock walls, I ended up finding a very, very secluded, tiny beach, which was perfect. I changed and put out my towel, and enjoyed a nice day of relaxation to myself in a secluded cove. It looks something like this:

So finally, I returned to the train station, after a wonderful day, and observed some of the tiny town of Altafulla. It was a medium sized rural city, but everywhere was dead. Completely deserted. Nobody was hanging out around the placas, nobody sitting on the benches, no one. It was even a Friday evening, you would have thought something was happening. I eventually found the train station, and hopped on the last train to Barcelona, and had a wonderful ride of only coastal views all the way back to the city.

-Nick Ford

Some More Academic Ramblings

So I came up with an epiphany yesterday when I was half asleep and awake. I came up with a setup for my capstone/thesis. I was waiting for this to happen, and it was formed because of my study abroad and the thoughts I had from exploring and observing the region.

Here's the idea:

The process of history have shown a pattern that evolves, and proves the large and grand changes which have taken place today. In the modern day, 20th century onwards, we have seen a pattern so far in the history of Catalonia. Barcelona, the main city on the Mediterranean coast, experienced major growth until the Spanish Civil War and the conquest by Franco and his dictatorship. The growth stopped, and many people stayed put. The economy did not improve, and the urban area stopped receiving immigrants. Once Franco's dictatorship fell in the 1970's, industry and growth resumed, and Barcelona flourished, bringing in many immigrants and migrants, especially from the outer lying rural regions. Technology and universities blossomed, and attracted all the young people, and explains tourism in the city, especially after the 1992 Olympics, which were held in the city.

As for the rural areas, at the end of the 19th century, industry had been set up for local demand, and produced only that. Once Franco's rule came in, the rural areas lost their growth, and most culture found security in the isolated rural areas, where a lot of Catalonia was kept in secret. After Franco's fall, the rural communities were free to express Catalan culture, and much of it migrated back into Barcelona, and reestablished itself. The method of movement was through the young people, who left the small rural villages for better possibilities in the new liberalized economy of the city. Brain drain is the proper term for this. After this, all the rural areas had to rely on was tourism, because what industry had survived moved to Barcelona for the advantages it offered.

Phew. That is a lot. But here is the point: This change had one major factor, the rule of Franco and his disruption to the growth of the region. Henceforth, since I am in economics, in equation form it is:

NG= Growth
G= Growth
Disruption Event= E
Rural= r
Urban= u
Industry/Development= D
P= Population

G= uD+rD
when E is introduced
NG= uD+rD+E
G= uD-rD-E
2G=uD+rP y G/2= rD-rP

Okay, well that was a horrible explanation of it in formulas, but anyways...

Substitute Catalonia with Appalachia, Barcelona with a major northern city, say Chicago, and Franco's rule with the Depression. Make sense now?

-Nick Ford

The Peculiarities of Life in a Catalan Town

I know that it has been a while since I last posted. There is good reason for this.

I took a trip to Costa Brava this past weekend, and I have gained so much insight from it. But first:

I have been busy with classes. Henceforth, why it has been a week since I have posted. The classes I am taking are really sucking up what little academic motivation I have left from initiating my capstone. Observations seem to not suffice for what I am learning here in Catalonia. My classes have been going quite well, and I am liking them more everyday. I recently completed some homework for them, which took me on a completely different route then I would have probably taken at Warren Wilson. I had to work with real life concepts of economical productivity, exports and imports, welfare, and manufacturing, and remember a completely different list of terms that I will probably never use at Wilson. I am working with algebraic equations and graphs that show real life situations, and how to prove them using numbers. What a life an economist must have.

My international business class is still not what I thought it was going to be, but I am modifying it to fit my needs and wants for my studies. Once again, there are terms and processes I have never used, and gives me an entirely different prospective on globalization, and the businesses that participate in globalization. We research many different countries for right now, and we will probably move onto companies later on in the semester. I really appreciate my professor's dedication to showing how important culture is in international transactions, and how important it is to keep in mind for doing any kind of business abroad.

As for my individual studies, this is a third realm I need to work on, and organize some of my thoughts in. Catalonia is simply a wonderful place, and brings to mind so many questions and so few answers. I say Catalonia, because I believe that is where I am, not exactly Spain. A friend and I had a conversation today in class about how she wanted to go see "the real Spain". I replied with "What exactly is the 'real Spain'"? Spain is made up of many autonomous communities. Catalonia is one of them, along with Valencia to the south, which also speaks Catalan, along with the many other areas of Galacia, and Basque Country, to name a few, which both have the Galacian and Basque languages, respectively.

So what is Spain? Is it just an assembly of autonomous regions? And why are they not their own countries? It seems like they would all be good being their own countries, but is that too much? How have they stayed together for so long? I will continue to research these, and try to find an answer, and see how identity has played a role in the history of the regions.

As for immigration... I plan on trying to see why and how people think about living in Barcelona, see when and why they moved here, and I am going to try to travel out to examine more of Spain and its rural communities. I completely fell in love with the Catalonia countryside this weekend when we went to Costa Brava. I'm not sure why, maybe it reminded me of home, or maybe it was just something I prefer to the bustle and congestion of the big city?

What do other people think? Do they like urban living, especially in Barcelona? Or do they like rural areas where there are little tourists and calm lifestyles? I think I'm going to start by trying to ask the bakery lady downstairs. She and I have started to get to know each other, in Spainsh, so maybe I'll be a little adventurous and go out on a limb. Who knows what I'll find?

-Nick Ford

Reflections

I wander today. I found myself on the top of a mountain, surrounded by stone, bricks, and rocks. When I arrived, I could hear the artillery, the bombardments, the conflict. The light was so intense, it felt as though I could not see through the fortress. The republican president was imprisoned, then executed. I did not know what to do. Then a flag with yellow and blood stained stripes appears, and I know all is victorious. Then I am in awe of the games. A huge tower of a flame rises out of the distance. The competitions are over, but the people and the friendship still resides. Fountains of water crash onto basins into a pool where all is still. The sun shines, and illuminates all, but in a good way this time. The people laugh, and all is one with the world. Then there is a happiness for the close of the day, and I leave.

A Cozy Catalan Day (Plus Some Academic Ramblings)

Good afternoon all, or morning to you in the US.

I know I have not posted in a while, but it is for a good reason, I promise! I have been busy starting classes. The education system over here is a whole lot different than the US. Okay... Well maybe it isn't that much different, it just seems so because I think Warren Wilson has such a different system then most US students are used to. But, to carry on; I like the set up of the classes, and I hope they become more like a seminar than a lecture as we go on. I really don't like sitting at the front and not being able to see the other student's faces when they talk.

The subject of the study is also completely radically different than at Warren Wilson. I wonder if I picked the right kind of classes to study here. But I will keep on, because I know that experiencing this, no matter how different it is than Wilson, will help me enhance and embrace different styles of teaching and learning.

I decided upon the two classes of International Economics and International Business. They sound sort of strange for me, no? Well I unintentionally assumed that they would have the set up of a Wilson class, with lots of reading and theories, but I was wrong. They are heavily steeped in what I like to call the job training sort of learning. The education system that files you in, gets you a degree, and gets you out to get a job. I personally believe this is what vocational schools are for. Now don't get me wrong. I think that vocational schools are perfect for many types of people, and help many people grow and teach them how to live, but it is not the type of schooling for me. I suppose that is why I choose Warren Wilson: because it gives me a avenue on not what to think but rather how to think. I could go on forever about this kind of education, and how it belongs in vocational schools and not higher education, but lets leave that to the side for now.

Like I said before though, I plan on pulling through, because I know experiencing this is something that I should have, and it will only help give me new perspectives on things. As for the courses. One is Economics. I have never had an economics course in my life, and the equations started rolling today. This: A. Blew my mind away, because I have not used so many algebraic expressions in a field other than math, and B. Because I was somehow understanding it all! Along with the equations, the theory is really interesting, and adds a completely new view to globalization and how the world trades and works.

My second class deals with Business. The lectures of this are less theory, more strategy. We are looking at everything business like, from entry modes, to benefits of globalization for firms, to why we buy the things we do. It is a lot more current than my Economics class, and rounds it out very nicely.

Meanwhile, while I am all up on my academic pedestal and being all hoity toity, let me show you some pictures of the oldest park in Barcelona that we went to yesterday! It included a labyrinth, which we went through, and a huge estate that had gardens, hiking trails, and all that sort of stuff.

Ancient Times

How does Barcelona stand up on the stage of Globalization?

I would say pretty well. We took a tour of the Gothic Quarter yesterday, and learned all that we could about the early city, and its beginings.

It started out with a Roman colony on the Mediterráneo coast. The Romans started out with a tiny outpost, with a forum and a temple. Later Visigoths came and took over the colony when the Roman empire collapsed. Here are some pictures of the columns left from the old temple.

The Visigoths occupied the city for a while, until the Francs took it over, and then a long line of small kingdoms held the city for a while. Finally, Catalonia was established by the Rennisance era, and established itself as a true empire in the Mediterranian. From then on, the regime stayed in place until the Spanish Civil War, and WWII, when Franco and his army conquered the city as part of Spain.

We saw a church that was bombed during the Franco campaign, and learned the story of the 41 children who died while they were on recess. A very haunting tale because there were kids on recess that moment, and one could only visualize what it would be like to hear the air raid sirens, and seeing the planes come in over the city.

So where from there? That is my next step. I have seen the ruins of the Gothic Quarter, but how did the expansion of the city to the outlying areas affect the citizens of the once autonomous communities?

The geography of the region also lends itself to a literal vizualization of expansion. The streets of the old Gothic Quarter and the old city within the walls show how planning took off with the grid system after WWII. The expansion of the city is a beautiful thing to witness, but I wonder what it looked like before that. Were there farms and orchards outside of the city walls? Or was it laiden with merchants looking to make a buck? The ancient origins of the city show a side of history not very well seen to this day, so how did the rest of the city become the modern and biggest port city on the Mediterranian? That remains to be seen as I keep up my exploring.

-Nick Ford

La Playa, Closed Sites, Sagrada Familia, y Park Güell

Yesterday was a monstrosity of a day.

We started out by traveling to la playa, or the beach. There were so many people, it was unreal. I have never seen a beach that crowded before. 

After sending our friends on their way at the beach, a friend and I headed out to see some architectural sites of Gaudí. We wandered around, looking at the city and found Palau Güell, but it cost to get in, so we passed it up. 

After finding two more of Gaudí's works, and finding out they both charged outrageous prices, we decided to hit up the Sangrada Familia, which also charged, but the outside is worth walking around for about 20 minutes.

Afterwards we went to Park Güell and saw only a little of what the park held. We went to the main concourse, and saw all of the artwork including the benches, statues, columns, and the lizard.

After Park Güell I came back to my apartment and crashed for the night. I was so tired that I fell asleep instantly. So ends my crazy day of walking around Barcelona.

-Nick Ford

Sitges & Cava

The road led out of Barcelona on one of the super fast Autovias, which is Spanish for highway. We rode until we saw no more city, and Montserrat came upon us. What a beautiful sight it was. A sheer mountain of rock that jets out of the tierra with no foothills or surrounding large mountains. We had entered the primary wine country of Spain, and we were on our way to taste some cava, or Catalonia's special brand of sparkling wine.

We arrived upon Codorníu just in time for our tour, and we began. We saw the houses from the original 16th century, and our guide explained that the family can be traced all the way back to 1551 on the property.

             This building was from the 1800's. It is now used to host parties and celebrations.

                                         This is the oldest building on the vineyard.

We then saw some of the really old presses and the museum for the vineyard. I can't believe that some of the presses were as old as America and even older! That is one thing I cannot believe is how old everything here is! It really is some really old history surviving here.

    This is a statue that can be seen from three different angles. Here it is simply a woman.

                                               Here it is the Virgin of Montserrat.

                                                 And here is a wine bottle.

We then ran around the wine cellars and saw some miraculous things, including a chamber dedicated to the family and a piece of wonderful artwork symbolizing the family tree.

Finally, we left our tour, and headed for Sitges, a Spanish town on the coast. It was much smaller than Barcelona, and may serve as a good launching point for my capstone studies. There we saw the Mediterranean and some of our friends went swimming, but I wandered around the town with my apartment mate Addison, partly trying to find las chicas, but also just seeing the town for what it was.

Later on in the night I decided to get some pan, tomates, y queso for dinner and lunches in the future. I had my first mishap with cultural relevancy when I did not weigh and tag the tomatoes and apples correctly, and I think I sort of pissed off the checkout lady a bit. It turns out that in Spain you weigh your own vegetables and fruits and you tag them for payment using your own scale. So after that ordeal I ended up coming back to the apartment and taking a nap, and now I'm on here. Who knows what my free day for tomorrow will look like... I still have to plan it out somewhat and see where it goes from there.