17.10.2008
It’s raining in Barcelona. the raindrops seem heavy and they fall with determination. today, i have only left the house to buy a few groceries at a supermarket on my street. my street, Avinguda Sarria, is full of contradictions. three girly clubs share the length of this city block with a grocery store, a movistar ( the local telephone giants), a filmoteca (that shows only odd, independent, usually foreign films), Moli Vell (a cute little bakery), a peluqueria (a normally empty barber shop), and i, have the unfortunate pleasure of living next to the veterinary clinic. and while the puppies with their big sad eyes stare longingly at passersby, the scent of the place wafts into our building all the way up the stairs to my front door, so that most of the time, coming or going, it is the first thing to greet my senses.
the hallway to my apartment, gives off a sense that the rest of the building is more pristine than it really is. it is wide, and the floor is white marble leading up to a tiny, antique elevator, made of maple-stained wood that is surrounded by grated black metal. living on the second floor, i often use this mode of transportation, not because i’m lazy, it’s simply that stairs are not the form of exercise i’d choose, if i did choose to work out. (however, i did discover a yoga podcast, called yoga to the people, which keeps me limber and healthy, when i find the motivation).
when we have visitors, they never fail to marvel at the size of our apartment. apparently, i lucked out in the IES apartment lottery, all of us have single rooms, it seems that many kids in our program have to share their space. we have two bathrooms and a large living/dining room. the floors are parquet, which i didn’t even know was a kind of floor until i moved in here. it is a burnt orangish-reddish brown color, like bricks, and the square tiles cover the entire apartment. my room is street side, so while i have a window that lets in a nice breeze, the street noise often swarms in and pollutes the otherwise peaceful ambiance i’ve created. blaring music from cars, horns, tires squealing and ambulance sirens can be heard at any time, often intruding on my dreams. but i’m becoming more and more accustomed to it.
tonight, we have an 80s power hour planned. oh how i love(d) the 80’s. i will be playing with some of my roommates and friends that probably barely remember the 80’s, regardless, they seem to have an appreciation for that epic time period that almost matches mine. almost.
the rain, though it is trying, is not ruining my weekend, one bit. i see it as an opportunity to relax in the comforts of my apartment and not feel guilty. it is a chance to reflect, to write, to sleep, to reconnect with friends across oceans. i have never resented the rain, growing up in Seattle, it actually has the opposite effect on me. it is familiar, which is something that Barcelona is not. in the midst of all this newness, this constant parade of strange and wonderfully foreign adventures, i welcome the rain.
