Expatiperro

Two days into my Barcelona adventure, I'm beginning to get the hang of things, and I've come a long way from when I landed here on Tuesday. Of course, that's not really saying much. I started off in the Barceona Airport overhearing a conversation in what I thought was Catalan, which I discovered was actually German when I tried to join in (to an objective listener, the languages have nothing in common). And I was all set to impress my cab driver by talking in Catalan, but when I forgot how to say where I was going, I gave up and had an awkward conversation in Spanish.

I've been saved from being eaten alive by the Barcelona jungle by Sarah, Mariel, and Aditi, the three awesome American girls I am staying with. Sarah and Aditi are here on a grant, serving as English language assistants in two public schools, and Mariel is in the same position as me, looking for whatever work she can get (tomorrow, she is interviewing to be a rickshaw driver, and she has a bar promotion gig lined up as well). They have a cozy, brightly painted apartment in the Raval district, a bohemian, formerly seedy area which has seen a recent revival as the chic place to live. My room is an "interior" room, which means that it doesn't have a window, but for a free place to crash for a few days while I get my bearings, it really can't be beat.

I'll write more about some of the things we've been up to the past few days, but a brief sample includes:

-Going out to eat with a teacher at Aditi's school, who told us that she was a vegetarian, "except for ham and bacon." In related news, I've consumed a pork product with every meal.

-Starting our own "Editing and Translation Service," with ads posted on Craigslist and loquo, Spain's version of Craigslist. What qualifications do we have, you might ask? Other than speaking English, not many, I might say, except that I want your business and wouldn't be caught dead admitting that. We did get our first email today (!!!), though unfortunately the potential customer wanted a document translated from French, a language none of us speak. While we might exaggerate our qualifications, faking language capabilities might be hard to do.

-Buying bunnies at the pet market on Las Ramblas. We bought Mila and Penelope yesterday, and they've been running around the apartment ever since (as you can tell from the last post). They are beyond cute, though we might run into problems in a few months when they start mating (our bad for buying a guy and a girl). But for now, they're sitting rather contendedly in their cages, and looking soooooo adorable I just can't stand it omg.

-Apartment seaching! While I love living with the girls, one of my goals while I'm here is to spend time with native Catalan speakers, and the best way to do that is to live with them. I visited two apartments today, both in the middle of the city, and both rather inhabitable. The second of the two I adore- three Catalan-speaking girls in their 20s live there now, the bedroom is decent size, and it's in a fantastic area, not too far from where I'm staying now. There's also an extra bedroom that won't be occupied (perfect for visitors!!!). I'm meeting with them tomorrow, though I'm not really sure for what- it's either for a second round of interrogations, or for me to give them the deposit. For all my Spanish abilities, there are certain times when I magically lose my comprehention abilities, which are usually at the most crucial points in a conversation.

My life's in a bit of flux now, and I apologize for not giving a deeper view of what it's been like living here. When I get a chance to settle down, more updates will be forthcoming. Until then, wish me "bon sort"!