Barcelona, Spain

 

I said goodbye to one of my favorite humans at the airport while I scrambled to find the bus to take me to Terminal 2. The hostel reception was supposed to open at 8AM where I needed to pick up my laundry and re-pack my bag before dashing to the airport to make my 10:10AM flight to Bucharest, Romania. No one showed until 8:40 and one of the guys said some girl was running late. Like great, that’s cool. That girl just made this girl miss her flight. Guess we’re both running late this Tuesday… So yes, it was like 10AM when I got to Terminal 2 and due to Covid blockages, you had to walk alllllll the way to the very end of the terminal to get inside and once inside, you had to walk back alllllll the way back to the other end. Lol. Yes y’all, this is literally what my life is like on the daily. So there were only two airlines with kiosks - RyanAir and Arabia Air - and I was flying Blue Air, whatever that is. The lady at the information desk told me that Blue Air only opens kiosks before each flight. I asked her what I should do then and she literally said she didn’t know. Grreaaaaatttt. So I charged my phone and began to think of some plan. I knew I didn’t want to trek it back into the city center just to come and do this all again the very next day. Plus, the flights obviously increased in price and it would be better to leave a couple days later to score that cheaper flight. So I booked a hostel with a checkout for Saturday (4 more nights in Barcelona) and paid 5 euros to hop on the airport shuttle to bring me to Plaza Catlyuna (Catalonia Plaza).

My newest plan was to fly into Bulgaria before going to Romania because it’s cheaper this way and why not? But as I’m writing this, I am waiting to FaceTime a Spanish family to possibly go and live with them and teach their 3 children how to speak English. You see, before I left for Spain I had sent out some messages to different families whom would provide me with accommodation and food and in exchange I will teach their children English. I didn’t receive any responses from families right away, I am impulsive and set forth with Romania in my sights, plus Covid has everything a little out of whack. I decided to check my Workaway account before booking that flight to Bulgaria and to my surprise, I had a couple of messages. This one particular family had approached me directly as I, personally, was only looking at families around the Barcelona area solely because that’s where I’m closest to. This family lives about 50 minutes north of Madrid in a town called Torreleguna. So, potentially, I may be staying in Spain longer than I expected but then also this was my initial plan to do this anyway. I want to learn how to speak Spanish and living with a family in Spain while actually putting forth the effort should allow me to do so. Plus, on a recent DNA test, I have learned that I have heritage from Spain, which is dope because I fucking love it here and it’s obvious some people think I am from here because strangers keep approaching me and speaking to me in Spanish..

Barcelona is a wholeeee ass vibe. I guess it feels like a stomping ground for alternatives. Ha. There’s graffiti everywhere and lots of art. There’s squares and plazas and lots of benches and single seats to sit on and enjoy the sun. Or people watch. It’s lively and bustling and food is cheap. I’ve definitely been getting a side of olives everywhere I dine. I randomly became a member at a pot shop so shoutout to the girl who gave me her membership code. You can smoke inside and they have a pool table, game consoles, tvs, music, etc etc. You add money to your card and tap your card to get in and to pay. They only have three types of pre-rolls; yellow, black, and maybe red. 4, 5, and 7 euros. Black is 7 euros is my favorite so far and then of course yellow for 5. Definitely having a sunny, yellow kind of day these days. The outside is just a foggy glass door that the receptionist needs to open for you. There’s no name on the outside or anything like that - just the number which is good because how the fuck else would I know that this door led to such a tranquil ass place inside?

I've been putting stickers up in places

 I love it here. Here as in Barcelona. Everyone has tattoos and such a dope, individual sense of style. So many tattoos and so many vans and I am so happy. And luckily for me, I look like I belong to whatever country I find myself in. From that DNA test, I also learned that I am “7% North African” like from Libya, Algeria, and maybe Morocco. And last night, I sat on one of these public chairs to smoke a jay and one of the guys from my hostel room was in the chair next to me. He is from Western Sahara, which could also be considered North Africa, and he was convinced that I was Arabic. And suddenly a girl, originally from Libya but currently living in Barcelona showed up in the chair to my right to return my lighter to me that her boyfriend from France used and never gave back. And her English was the best out of the other two people so we were able to chat a bit more in depth and she was real cool. But how wild, yeah? These two people I am conversing with in Barcelona who are both from Northern Africa, just like in my heritage results. I love life. I always need to remember that there is so much more out there and so many people I can be having conversations about life with. People are more open-minded when you travel. You can learn so much just by talking to someone from a country you have never been to. These human connections are helping me to bring myself out of this mental confusion I’ve recently found myself in. I always get sucked back into American conformities but deep down, I know Americans are just as brain washed as North Koreans. Take a minute to think about that.

Anywho, we still need to wear masks when we enter establishments here. Some people wear theirs while walking around. The norm appears to be placing your mask around your elbow if you’re not currently wearing it on your face. I do this too because I am now a local. :)

I actually just finished a 45 minute FaceTime chat with the family. I will go there Monday and they will pick me up from the bus station in Madrid and take me to their home, which will now be my new home for the time being. They are remodeling their house so unexpectedly I will have my own in-law type of apartment in their basement. I’ll have my own room and bathroom and they are constructing a kitchen but currently it’s just a fridge/freezer. But how dope? I will get the kids ready for school in the morning and handle breakfast from 8-9 and then from 9-2 is my own time and I can do whatever I please, which is awesome. Their home is in the countryside so I’ll still be getting that serenity and peace I’ve been seeking so I can sit down, focus, and finally write my book. I’ll get the children from school at 2 and then watch them and have English lessons until 5. I can eat with the family on weekdays and meals will be prepared. The mother (Mercedes) also informed me that she has several nieces and nephews that she can arrange for me to have English lessons with them and I will be paid for this. She said to let her know an amount of money that I’d like to earn each month and she will set me up with private classes to accommodate. So, I will be unexpectedly making some money as well…. which my horoscope has been screaming at me about unexpected financial gains if I’d stop being so impulsive. I actually sat down a day or so ago to book my flight to Bulgaria but Skyscanner was down and so I didn’t get to book it then. Good thing, right? Every single little thing literally happens for a reason and I am so happy to finally, truly be someone who goes with the flow. Everyday something new can happen that can lead you into an entirely new life/lifestyle/experience. You just need to be open-minded and withhold expectations of what you think life is supposed to be. So that’s how I’ll be moving to north of Madrid for who knows how long really.. we’ll have to see how it goes and what crazy, wild, exciting shit happens to me once I get there.

Romania is still a goal of mine but I am just rolling with the flow and enjoying life as it presents itself. I will get there but I am in no rush. I can’t wait to see what Torreleguna has to offer and the new things I will come to learn, know, love, and appreciate. It’s smack-down in the middle of Spain and Google says the town is only about 4500 people. I literally cannot wait. So next, I will go downstairs to smoke real quick before asking the reception about extending my stay here for two more nights so I can arrive to Madrid for Monday. There’s also beer pong tonight so I’ll get more info on that and there’s these three dudes from Denmark staying in my hostel room and I literally love them so much. One of the kids, Lucas, just came back with a henna tattoo of a penis on his chest that his other two friends, Simon and Jonah, paid ten euros each for him to get it. Right now, they’re all playing against each other in pool on their cellphones. Their English is impeccable because in Denmark, you learn English from Kindergarten. And I love them so much because they are hilarious, very nice and fun to chat with, and they keep giving me Kinder chocolates. Life is alright. I hope whoever reading this is having a good day too. Stay tuned.

olives wrapped in anchovies

 

you know the asian spots be open late always. yess