Today I Got Lost Again

Getting lost seems to be something I like to do, which is wierd for me, because if I were a country on the Hofstede analysis of culture, I would rank high on the Uncertainty Avoidance criteria. Ohhhhhkay. My International Business class has started to go too much to my brain.

I took the Funicular up Montjuïc today, and wanted to explore some of the parks they have on the mountain. I got off the funicular, and waited by the bus stop to make the usual rounds. As I waited, two men from South Korea came up, and asked me for directions, in very very broken Spanish. I asked them, in Spanish, if they spoke English, and they said yes, much better than Spanish at least. They asked me where Park Montjuïc was, and how to get to it from there. I simply looked at them and magically waved my hands up and said "This is Park Montjuïc!" They looked a little confused. I then went on to explain to them that the entire mountain had many parks on it, and they all collectively were Montjuïc. They understood, and asked me how to get to the top. I told them that would be the castle, which I proceeded to take them to. Via bus. There is a cool cable car that goes there too, but it costs 10 euro for a one way trip, which is really ridiculous. (They also had Metro cards, so that was good, I told them it was included, and they were sooooo happy.) After I was on the bus with them to the castle I bid them farewell and good luck, and I continued on in search of the mythical Botanical Gardens...

After the nice guys from South Korea left, I stayed on the bus for a bit... And a little longer... Then I realized it had already gone past the botanical gardens... And I had a derp moment. I decided I'd just take the bus back to Plaça Espanya, and figure it out from there.

On the way back, I ran into some English speaking tourists. (Sounded like they were from America, but I'm not sure) They were really confused, and were trying to decipher the buildings around us on the way back, so I helped them and told them what was going down. The bus system here in Barcelona is so confusing, but that is what makes it so much fun! You just simply hop on a bus, and then you are somewhere you have never been before. Its like a game of Map Crunch, except its real life, and instead of the airport, you have to find the Metro station! (If you find a Metro station, you are golden, because that system is much, much easier, and your stop is usually within 30 minutes, if not less, of anywhere in the city)

After guiding the confused English speaking tourists, I waited for the bus to depart again, and took it this time around the first part of its route. The stop for the botanic gardens came up, I pressed the stop button, and got off. This place looks really cool, and after my long adventure, I walked up, and found out... It was closed. Oh well, it was fun getting there. (I also learned it is free after 3 PM on Sundays! Woohoo!) I decided to wander down the mountain from there, and see what was on the way. I saw some abandoned/under construction complexes, a school nestled away in the side of the rock, and finally made it back to the... Funicular!

But I wasn't finished. There was still 2 hours of daylight to burn. So I headed off into the park that was by the funicular, one that I wanted to see, but was too preoccupied to actually visit before today. It turned out to be this huge complex built in 1918, or so, to help improve Barcelona's image and reputation. I saw on the signs arrows that kept pointing to "Font d' Got", and I wondered to myself "What in the world does this mean in Catalan? Its a fountain of something..." After seeing some cool fountain waterfall things, and meandering around hedges and paths, I came upon the fountain. It immediately clicked on what it meant.

Off in the distance were some cats, actually a lot of cats, sitting on a ledge, just chillin' out. I looked at the name... "Font d' Got". I said to myself out loud "Font d' Got... Got... Gato... Cat! Its the fountain of cats!" And thus another chapter is fulfilled of my Catalan reading experience.

I then frolicked around some more fountains, and saw some cool sculptures. I eventually found the entrance to the park, and it had all these really cool sculptures in it too.

I eventually found the cats again too. They were doin' their thing.

After my adventures around the Font d' Got I decided to finally go back home. I made my way via Metro back to my apartment, cooked my dinner, and relaxed and reflected on a good day.

-Nick Ford

My FGC Adventures

Title Explanation: Usually I always take the Metro everywhere, which is the underground network provided by the city of Barcelona, and stays within Zone 1 of the city. But to get to Collserola I needed to take the FGC out to the very edge of Zone 1, so I did. It lead to these many adventures:

I took the FGC to the main office for Parc de Collserola, where I discovered a mini-museum devoted to the park, and how it helps with the environment and provides leisure area for Barcelona, and all the small cities around the mountain chain. All of it was in Catalan, so I couldn't read a lot of it, but I ended up asking the worker at the desk if she had a map, and she answered me in Spanish, and then gave me a Spanish map and walking guide, and also an English guide. She could just automatically tell from my non-Spanish accent. Oh well, at least I try and use Spanish and not revert to English! I then headed out and tried a trail to the dam.

The first hike ended up being a miserable failure of trying to stick to the path, so I gave up, and caught the local bus del barri to the train station again. From there I went out to see the "Fountain" trail, which consisted of a bunch of places where headwaters were contained for purity and you could drink out of them. Pretty cool. It also had a little bit of history, and a strange slab garden, which was very ominous and reflective.

I also learned at the park center that they manage the forests via burning, which is very interesting, and explains the strange single trees that are taller then the rest with only crowns. I hiked around to the town of Vallvidrera, where I caught a funicular down to the FGC. Yet, instead of taking the FGC all the way back, I transferred to a line that goes up Tibidabo. From the FGC L9 I took the nostalgic "Tramvia Blau" up to the top, where I descended into a park again to chill out for a bit.

After collecting my thoughts for a bit, I moved on, to home. I had some ideas during the day, and thought long and hard about many deep subjects in life. It was that kind of day. I wondered what the role of the city was, what the role of the country was, where the middle was, and the circumstances that have created this huge, beautiful, terrifying experience. In the end I was a significant part of a huge whole, but a huge whole with many small delightful parts. So the question is now... Is the whole greater than the sum of its parts, or are the sum of the parts greater than the whole? I guess it depends on who you ask.

-Nick Ford

San Pol de Mar

On Friday I went to this cool beach town called San Pol de Mar. Here are some pictures.

After arriving to the town, I climbed up to the church tower, where I got the shots of the town in its entirety, and then I went to the beach, which I can't lie, was my primary goal for this day. I learned a lot about the town, but for a majority of the day I really just chilled out.

When getting back though, I noticed a lot. I came back, and waited on the train back to Barcelona around the station, and I saw that it seemed to be the main meeting place for everyone in the evening. The plaza and boardwalk seemed to be the main place, were old and young alike were relaxing, playing soccer and board games. It reminded me a lot of histories of small rural towns in America before the development of the highway system and the rise of cars. Perhaps even Thurston once upon a time...

I dreaded the train ride back, but did it anyway. I really did not want to leave San Pol de Mar, but I needed to return and sleep. Riding back, the rails were right on the coastline until we hit Barcelona, but I saw the physical development of the city as the train pulled in, and really made me appreciate what small towns are left, and the culture that revolves around them. Especially the similarities between small towns in Spain, and small towns in the United States. They may have a different language, and different customs, but structurally speaking, people really all act pretty similarly.

My personal preferences for towns are pretty varied. I really liked the urban area of Barcelona when I got here, but I grew tired of it very quickly, henceforth why I have made many excursions to the outlying areas. I went to the small town outside of Tarragona called Altafulla, but I was quite disappointed because at the end of the day, the place was pretty deserted and quiet. There literally was nothing going on on a Friday at 7 in the evening. Barcelona I have found out is way too much for me, and I would like a place that is not as busy or crowded as the hectic always busy urban area. San Pol de Mar was the good balance for this. It was not constantly busy, such as Barcelona, but it had a healthy community with lots of meeting and participation. I know I can't go back while I'm here, but I really would like to revisit the medium size town sometime in the future...

-Nick Ford

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