Misunderstandings might just happen (a lot)

So As I am getting ready and stoked for a Salsa dance night with an Au pair I met a week ago, invitation to a typically tapas night (typical spanish food -yumm yumm), pre- salsa lessons and then the "salsa" bar every Salsa dancer would love to be in... sounds like un fanstastica night, or not?! well, I found out that my Host parents had already plans for the same night. They even had told me, but her English is very strange and sometimes it doesn’t make sense. So I guess I just didn’t understand-what a misunderstanding. It was quite the “downer” night because of it. But what can you do.
As this is a journey for myself and I have already had a looot of spare time on my hands-which of course my brain loves to use to think about future planning and who I am and more and more and more. I really have gotten into the same conflict.
Is this right, is this going to make me happy. I love Barcelona, but what am I doing after this, what about getting a job again, going to school and so on. One night when those exact thoughts were just overwhelming my head and brain. I just let it go- I cried a few tears of frustration and began praying and reading the bible. (it’s funny because before I left I talked to a friend, who’s sister went to Spain and said that the first view weeks were difficult for her, too- which I mean, I am looooooving it here so much-it’s more a personal conflict, but back to this)
I wish everyone could be blessed to feel the holy spirit, because its one great, great, great sensation.
This I read up on this particular night:
blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding. For she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. Nothing you desire can compare with her
Proverbs 4:13As this is a journey (In Spanish it’s viaje-journey, I learned today :o) ) to finding myself and gaining more knowledge and spirit with god, this was quite amazing to read. Because yes I am doing this to get closer to god and to find myself. I just got to do this the right way! And keeping to it. I read up on some great scriptures! I feel stronger- and I know that struggles are ou ye so good for this journey-that’s what it’s all about!
-when life builds a struggle, I am so thankful for the word of god-as in good times!
Did I tell you all that I found this Church Its callked the "International Church of Barcelona". All english speaking. So I asked my Hostmum how far this church was. She laughed and said, great right around the corner. (for as big of a city Barcii is this must be just really funny-but oh so great) We drove by it -it's about two short trainstops 15 min. I am so happy. This Sunday (domingo-I also learned that today as well) I will be going there for the first time. I am so happy and excited... I will for sure keep you updated!
Ou, I got to tell you about my funny shopping experience… ou my I need Spanish! Stay tuned :-*

The Catalan culture

So This past Sunday (domingo) was a festival. I forget it's name and after looking for it on the internet for hours and still couldn’t find it, I gotta say this: It must be a very small “holiday”/”festival” celebrated only in Catalonia. I couldn’t understand the Spanish/ Catalan pages so I figured it must not be well know only to people from Catalonia. So does anyone know what leeks are?! Many American don’t know, so I have to ask. Well there is a vegetable that is very similar but is a bit different in taste. That plant is roasted over an open fire until the outside is nice and black. Then you peel the outer layers off and eat the insight. Dip it in some sauce, yumm yumm. So my Family had people over at their casa, and had a nice little get together. We even sat outside which was very nice. Of course that was just the "first" course and many other things were also eaten. I don't want to be wrong on this (and I must say I always barely understand what my spanish Host dad says to me) but I think this was a holiday to celebrate Catalans "independance". Well if I happen to find out better details I will sure post them. But with as little Spanish as I know you just can't get far. I language course is needed badly. more to that later!
Here are some pictures from this beautiful day!

the vegetable being grilled

this is the vegetable that is kind of like leeks (my host dad said that they were only sold here in Catalunia area.

the huge table for the visitors (also our house/ pool, porch/ garden)

one of the guests eating the vegetable, was quite a messy thing

Hola-the night(lifee)

Last night I was out with 2 sweet Au pairs I had met a few days before. They are really sweet and we had a good time. It really is super easy to meet people here in Barcelona. I love that about Barcelona. In Utah it seemed quite hard to meet people, since there is no “meeting” point, where people gather and talk. So anyways. We had a good time.
We drove into the city 10 pm, since the party doesn’t start until late, late, late night! So very cool! We went bought a bottle of champagne and drank it somewhere at a “playground” because I guess drinking publicly on the streets is forbidden. I also learned that it is prohibited to buy Liquor after 10 or 11 pm. I didn’t know that. We went into a “East Indian” supermarket, which most are open 24/7. They guy said:” Hide the bottle under your jacket. I will still sale you!” Haha… very funny
Anyhow, after our warm drinking, we went down Las Ramblas and tried to find a bar in one of the “night scene” streets/areas. One Bar after the other. Really interesting how Barcelona is built. Believe me. Everywhere people. Tons of People. Reminds me a bit of Las Vegas. People where trying to sale beer, they hid the beer under there jackets and as soon as someone walk by they tried to give it to you! Any who, we found the bar, where the girls had met up with some more Au Pairs. Even a boy who was an Au pair as well. There aren’t very many male Au pairs but I guess enough to have met or heard about 2 already! So we were in a bar, which was quite different, not much of my taste, but yeah I guess it was what it was. Rock music, popcorn everywhere on the ground, tables. The bar was stuffed with people. And males everywhere trying to socialize with cute girls like us. Well, spray painted walls, skeletons everywhere. It had a bit of a dirty, very unorganized and chaotic feel. No bueno. Well after a while we finally left. We tried to at least. Because we kept gotten talked to. Annoying. So we finally got going, quickly a late night walk, which ended up not being quick or short. It was one loooooong walk I‘ll tell ya‘. We finally got to a place. It was right by the ocean. A tourist road again, with big hotels lined up at the beach. We still had to walk more. I think we didn’t get there until 1 ½ hours later. So as we finally got there-we were told that we weren’t going to get in for free. Suckyy, because it cost about 20 dollars, that we poor au pairs just didn’t want to spend or have. (with only 50-75 euros the week you can’t do very much, it‘s “pocket“ money) Soo cool, Now we had walked this long of a way to go right back?! No, I don’t think so- I will find a way. In the clubs it’s forbidden to smoke, so people have to come outside to smoke a cancer stick. It was a little section in front of the door, So I quickly asked people if the had gotten stamps. No-nada! So we took our jackets of and did as if we had paid and where outside smoking! Haha-it worked… silly Spaniards! (did I tell you that right on the beach are about 10 clubs all by one another and while walking along the beach(I looooooooove the ocean soo much, the sand everything, muy bien, anyway back to) where so many people sleeping on benches, probably people that where backpacking. Real funny! ) We were inside! Well, to the club, it wasn’t very full. I have done a bunch of partying when I was a teenager in Germany. And for some reason I just don’t like it anymore. The scene just isn’t my thang. See, everywhere guys just trying to talk and dance. How many people tried to pull me in--- quite crazy and uncomfortable. Since I know ya’ gotta just be brutal and not nice - I just send them on their way. But really after leaving the “club” in the early morning hours and coming home by 8 in the morning- I just have to say-last time I did that! (of course I can make the time fun.. But nooo I am so done) I would rather go somewhere and chill, talk with friends. But not partying! No bueno. As I had planned to not drink starting in January-so I could focus on finding me, myself and I. Getting to Know what I like, what I want, what will make my life loveably and liveably wonderful and fulfilling, letting God stand in my life deeper and much more. I decided today that this will be also my last day drinking for a year or longer! I am so happy and feel so blessed to have such insight with my young years! I really am. I pray and thank God for all the struggles, hard times and good ones he brought up on me- because therefore I am so much more tolerable and all this insight ( and more to come). I also don’t want a meet a man on my journey, because this is Only, ONLY, only about me. And I know it won’t be hard to ignore these man (like cockroaches trying to hang all over girls in Barce), because my heart is still with someone else, siempre contigo. But This is my journey to myself. So my “game plan” looks like this.
Be as busy as can bee- go to church, meet fellowships, participate on bible studies
-go to the gym, find activities I want to do, like dancing salsa or some Latin dance, participate in races like a marathon and train. Study Spanish very well and go to school for it, maybe find some other club to join (as my au pair family is very busy always doing clubs, activities and everything -they got mee quite inspired onto that lifestyle!) Learn Spanish cousin cooking!!!! (a total must)
-to see Spain and enjoy it’s beautifulness in every breath and step I make! - I am grateful! I thank God- without him I wouldn‘t be where I am!
(Stay tuned because I have more to tell about my loveable city de Barcelone! Un fantastica ciudad)

Ramblas at night

So many reasons why..

I have been here for about 6 days not even a week. And I am just so in love with Barcelona. And every day I pray to god and say thanks for doing this for me. Thanks for blessing my journey with happiness. Today I met a new Au pair. And we are so much a like. Good times in front of me I see them already. Then when she said: Would you want to go to church with me?! I said… Wooow, Thanks the lord for bringing people like this in my life!
To my beautiful new ciudad la barcelone:
Short and stubby, this is why:
-The Catalan People are friendly, they are open and happy, just like US people.. I love it (Germans are not friendly and open at all)
-the wonderful ocean (don’t need to say much, do I?)
-the mountains
-the hills
-the beautiful architecture, from gothic to contemporary, everywhere
-the treeeeeeeeees, I love and missed me some trees. They are huge here! Nothing like Utah
-the food, healthy, lots of fish, just yumm yumm yumm (even the men love to cook)
-everyone cooks
-the restaurants are open very late
-the people of barcelona do siesta time in the afternoon
-the barcelona peeps also love to eat laaate at night- usually 9 or past 9 pm
-beautiful weather
Everywhere I look, it’s an amazing view, would love to draw everything
-the men are darker :P..
-I am like the only blonde to every 200 brown haired Spaniards(for a born leo to be in the “attention zone” like this is always nice… haha)
-there is a lot of culture/diversity/open minded people
-it’s Europe..
-great public transportation even night buses all night long ( like the name says, night buses)
-Spaniards learn a lot of languages
-The children I work with
-the stores to shop in- mui bien
-that I can sit outside with only a t-shirt and leggings and this in Enero (January)
-the animals everywhere
-fruit, meat, fish, vegetables markets
-(the nightlife is supposedly amazing-that I still have to test)
- salsa, (I love me some Latin, sexy dances with many emotions.. I might just have to learn me some Salsa)
- soooooooo many more reasons…
It is great… great.. Great.. Amazing!

Stay tuned I will be taking pictures, and tomorrow I have off all day.. That might be just un perfecto day to be exploring Barcelona, maybe even the clubs

La familia e casa e ciudad.

My Spanish=zero, So my word knowledge of 10 words have to do it for now. I really don’t even need many words- for now. Because My Familia speaks English. Spanish, and German. (Today I had a conversation of zero understanding with the Cleaning Lady, it was quite interesting… it went like this… bla bla bla, chica, bla bla bla, ou I know espaniol, bla bla bla, corso , oh I know that. Aqui .. Bla bla… really funny barely understood 10 words) Anyways I got here late at night (Sunday the 9^th) around 11 pm. As my navigation system said: 2 more minutes. I got stuck- I couldn’t drive up that stupid hill. Or lets say many ,many hills, because I live on many hills. It goes up and down, everywhere I look many beautiful views of houses on top of hills. Anyways I mean I just barely learned how to drive a stick, and nobody told me how to get up a hill that steep. So embarrassingly I had to call my familia and tell them that I can’t get up the hill. Quite the thalami thang. The dad kind of asked me how I got here if I don’t know how to drive stick shift! Well…
I said, that in USA I drive an automatic and not a stick and that they didn’t teach me…
Weird first impression I bet, but that is how it is. The Spaniards driving around me, probably thought. El chica de loco with blonde hair, since I was stuck in the middle of the street.. Laugh- woman they just can‘t drive!)
My La Casa is very beautiful. They live in a big house. Huge garden, pool everything!… Very nice. They have a dog and bunnys hoping around on the property. When I walk around in the ciudad (city)- everything is just sooo amazingly beautiful everywhere. I want to take pictures of everything. But unfortunately there are soooo many thief’s and if they see that you have a camera they will try to steal it. I don’t even bring a purse with me, since they will be stolen sooner or later. I put my camera in my jeans (it looked like I had become a man over night) but my scarf was hiding that “ball” I had grown :D… Really, beautiful anyways. Today I drove into Barcelona. I met a friend who lives just down the street. Already on the second day we went out at night for her birthday. Just very shortly since the bars were closed. (Most bars are closed on Mondays-( la siesta). More to this another day. But I shortly took some pictures, always looking if a thief is around ( how do they even look like?). I was very cautious and therefore only took a few pics. But here are some first insights in my life in Barcelone… And may I tell you- I am in love. This city is great! Next post I will tell you some of insights of why I believe this city to be sooo great! Mucho fantastica la ciudad (haha I am not even sure if this is Spanish, or even correcto :D)

This morning, waiting for the bus, un fantastica view

My little suburb

The ocean, right next to famous Ramblas

ocean view benches :)

if you keep walking that direction you will see the Ramblas

A waterview mall

The mall with "mirror" like windows.. on top that's me

Again, the ocean in the mirror

driving home with the bus

my street

my street and views

my casa ( and then my batteries died) haha

Stay tuned I will be taking many more!

Speechless(ly) beautiful.. The drive

I am sorry it took me a little while to post. I had a loooong drive in front of me and had to get situated with my new host-family first.
I left around 6 in the morning. I got into Spain, Barcelone about 11 at night… Quite more then I thought. The drive was one rainy ride I tell ya. All through France it rained and pored, and rained and pored again.
I did wish that I wasn’t alone on that ride, cause I did get tired quite early just passing into France. So Redbull, more Redbull, some overpriced Monsters, kept me awake. Did I mention that Energy drink+ house music=happy driver?
Yes , indeed, I turned it up and was up awake. Tapping to the music, moving my head, hands everything! Haha.. I found the coolest radio station with only house. Quite the thaaang, who would have known andy and house?!. I think Europe and I are bonding again.
Well I took pictures while I was driving and will post them.. Like I said- It is speechless(ly) beautiful. I haven’t even seen much either.
Tomorrow I will tell you about the “Familia e casa e ciudad” I live in. Ou, and tomorrow I will be riding into thee City Barcalone… Excited: yes.. I even made a friend.. So stay tuned! Tomorrow I will have mucho pictures of the ciudad. The beautiful, beautiful city. I don’t want to judge the city by this little “suburb” but ou my.. Unbelievable. I might have found my city to love!

my car

france

mc donald..(no id din't eat there.. just drank a coffee :D)

my car.. :0

see our mc donalds are stylish

mc donalds

haha passing through St. george on my way to barcelona.. who would have know right?!

see st. george

france

lots of enegry drinks

spain

haha i took these while driving thats why they are so badly :D