Our orientation in Spain can generally be marked by walking and eating. Today we explored the Old Quarter surrounding our hotel and the Mercat Boqueria, a large outdoor market off Las Ramblas. We had lunch in a restaurant on a side street and then visited La Padrera, the Gaudi museum/former residence. From there we took a bus to Parque Guell, another Gaudi area, an enormous park covered in mosaics, fountains, overlooks and trails. We climbed to one of its highest points, which features a cross on a stone hill, and has views of most of the city. We continued through the streets of Gracia, a Barcelona neighborhood, seemingly in circles, until we stopped for dinner in a paella restaurant.
Tomorrow we move in with our families. I’m nervous (again) because I know this is when things get real. So far I’ve managed to follow Toni’s castellano and string together a few sad sentences of my own, but I’ve mostly communicated in English with my peers. Tomorrow I need to man up and integrate myself with the language. My worry is that I won’t understand my host mother. While I have a basic education in Spanish, I have yet to develop a good ear for it. What is a clear sentence to others is one long, confused word to me. I can manage a few context clues, but that’s all. I can only pray for una madre who will be patient with me and allow me a few weeks to get this under control. If I still can’t comprehend most of the language I hear by the end of September, I may as well go home.
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