El Lokal y la Barceloneta

Day 2 in Barcelona! Today I went to church with Kindra. It's a good thing I have jetlag because I was able to get up pretty early - unlike most Sundays when I am rushing to get to church on time :p. Anyway, the church is called El Lokal. It's full of young people and I feel so blessed to have found it. It was very "cool" and urban. It's in like this converted garage with a large graffiti mural on the back wall. Very different from Trinity :p.

I also kept worrying about whether or not I'd be able to follow the Spanish sermon but lucky for me, there was a group from New York visiting today and their pastor gave the message in English while someone translated in Spanish. Thank God for helping me ease into life here one step at a time :). It was nice seeing familiar East-coasters (do people say East-coasters?) so far away from home. They were a group from Nyack College, a Christian college in NY, and they were in Barcelona for a class. I think they were studying christianity/religion in the urban context so they were going around visiting lots of local churches. How cooool right?

Ooh we also sang "How Great is Our God" in Spanish :D! "Cuan grande es nuestro Dios". I thought that was pretty awesome. We also sang another song in Spanish, which I knew in English but I can't remember the name. It's on the tip of my tongue argh!! Anyway, aside from the language and the geographic location, everything about today's service was exactly the same as the US and even Beijing. I think that that is just so neat. It reminds me that we are really all the same deep down, no matter where we are from or what culture we are brought up in.

Even though I was at a local Spanish church, for some reason all the people I met weren't local... haha. I met a family visiting from Denmark, a couple from Holland, someone from Brazil and another person from Panama. And of course all the New Yorkers. Oh yes one thing I'm not so used to yet is the kissing. WHat?! Kissing?!?! Haha... I mean like when you greet people here (no matter male or female, old or young) you kiss them on both cheeks. Much more intimate than a handshake.

Anyway, after lunch I went with Kindra and the family from Denmark down to the Barceloneta for seafood. The Barceloneta is where there is a port and... a BEACH! Can you believe I live within 15 minutes walking distance to the BEACH? It's beeaaaaauuuutttttifffuuuullllllll. It's like walking from 15 West up to Pembroke campus. Only instead of arriving at Pembroke, I arrive at the BEACH! Muahahaa...

Pictures!

Walking in the Barceloneta. On the left you have restaurants and on the right is the port and then the BEACH!

The Port!

El Chiringuito, where we had lunch

My lunch! Seafood paella. Classic Mediterranean dish. Don't worry, I didn't eat it all myself. Kindra and I shared. And there was leftover for lunch tomorrow :). Still, it was very filling. I'm glad because it will help me in terms of having a late dinner. People here eat dinner late! Like 9, 10pm.

Ooh we also had wine over lunch. That's another thing I'm not so used to. I've heard that in Europe ordering wine is like ordering water in the US, and it's most often cheaper than water too. Kindra tells me that wine is often free at bars and then you have to pay if you want a coke!

The BEACH!

The B-E-A-C-H BEACH!

We walked through this on our way home. It's like an upturned railroad track sculpture.

Close-up shot

Two little old ladies :).

One thing I'm starting to realize is that blogging takes up a good amount of time. I'm almost upset that my internet connection here is so good. Haha... Even though I felt handicapped without internet here my first day, I really don't like being too "connected" all the time. I am amazed at the power of the internet. I can keep in touch with people on a daily, even hourly basis. I guess that's why no one believes in snail mail anymore :(. I am a big believer though. Give me your address and I'll give you mine so we can send real mail to each other!

After lunch Kindra, Viviani, and I watched the newest Indiana Jones (my first time watching any of the Indiana Jones movies). Well, more like I watched while my roommates took a siesta hehee. I am liking Shia LaBeouf more and more :D.

Two more days before school starts! I guess I should take advantage of the fact that I don't know many people here yet. Like enjoy the free time to myself before things get busy... I think that students here get split up so you either have classes all morning or all afternoon/night. I hope I get morning classes because I hear the afternoon ones go until like 11pm, aka my bedtime :s. Speaking of bedtime, it is almost my bedtime!