Monday, June 11, 2012
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.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
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.
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.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
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
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
Sunday, June 3, 2012
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.
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
Friday, June 1, 2012
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.
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.
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.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Mont Collserola
Hola todos!
Today was a really neat day. I started out by meeting the group in front of the Hard Rock Cafe at Plaza Catalyuna. We traveled up to the base of Mont Collserola with the promise of a traditional Catalan meal at the end. Hiking up was a bit of a... well... hike, but when we got to the top, the views were amazing.
Then we arrived at the restaurant and ate a traditional Catalan meal, which by the way, was extremely delicious. I had some pan con tomates y garlic, and some delicious patatas, or potatoes. We then drank from the porró (with the accent, because without it means something completely different), and we all laughed and had a great time trying to get the drinks as far away as possible without spilling or choking on the drink. After that we all took the train back to our apartments and we all took siestas, which really helped for later on in the day. I then went out with some friends, got lost on the metro trying to find more friends, then wound up back to my apartment right before the metro closed. I couldn't sleep, so I decided to do some laundry and update the blog and such. Buenas noches todos!
-Nick Ford
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Mi Llegada (My Arrival)
I'm now starting to hit that point where disbelief, jet lag, and waiting are catching up with me. My journey has started off fairly awesomely, but also to the point of zoning out. After transferring and arriving into the Barcelona Airport, I step off the plane and into the lobby to find out that there is newspaper littering the floor. I ignored it, because I didn't want to make it look like I was being disrespectful of some sort of cultural tradition. So I just took my bags out and exited customs into the el pais (the country). I met up with my CIS tour group, and I asked why all the paper? They said that the maintenance workers had gone on strike and refused to clean. Alright... That is pretty unique. Walking into a strike. Then air horns started going off in the lobby and a big ruckus was rising on one of the upper terminals of the airport. We were taxied out of the lobby and to our destinations. I knew from Ireland that streets in Europe were small, but the cab ride that ensued took us around some pretty tight curves and down some pretty narrow streets. And all of this while going around 40 mph. We pulled up to my apartment and I got out, and went up in the tiniest elevator imaginable. After that I began my move in, and now I am waiting on my orientation setup later on down the line. Literally. We have to take the metro, in Spanish (and Catalan) to our orientation, and back again. I'm going to sit down and do a little math to figure out what I should buy. And then I should get the cash to buy it.
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