Living La Vida Loca

As the year comes to a close, the winter festivities approach, and I begin to pack my bags to go home to Cali to get some sunny LA love, I realize that Barcelona has definitely got the right idea when it comes to living and although I am thrilled to see my friends and family, this city continues tugging at the strings of my heart and this weekend it yanked. Please take a moment to study the picture above. This past week, as I entered the house at about 3pm, stressed with a hundred and one things to do, I found my roommate and his co-workers knocked out on the couch after having cooked an enormous lunch with Rose wine and all. I couldn't help but stop from my own little whirlwind of stress to take it all in and say, "Ah, yes, relax, it's siesta time and everything is okay or at least it's going to be okay..."To emphasize how okay we really are, the same two girls who were taking advantage of the siesta hour invited Monica and me for a massage Friday night. It was the greatest thing I could do to enjoy a four-day weekend. I slept all Friday, watched a movie, slept some more, waited for Monica to come and then headed downtown to have someone remove all the excess junk from my body for 60minutes. Above are the faces of four relaxed and rejuvenated beauties ready to take on the holidays. Afterwards, we went out for some drinks, a yummy bowl of udon noodles and a drink in an old bar from the 40's to end the night. It was what I call "a perfect day" with perfect company.


And finally on Saturday, Jordi, Monica, Alex and I headed to the center on a beautiful sunny morning to see an incredible exhibit on the human body and it's functions. I was astounded at the complexity of us humans and at the same time the ease at how everything works, if we tend to it of course, and listen to our own bodies. We were all exhausted of looking at cadavers and tissues and muscles so to balance it all we had lunch at a healthy vegetarian restaurant and talked about living a slightly better life. After lunch we had a coffee and ran home to do none other than the famous siesta. The house churned with silence as we all slept, enchanted and dreaming of sugar plum fairies.

Today, Sunday, I will put on my swimsuit, go for a swim and then meet up Alex and Monica one last time to do my favorite Sunday thing, the vermouth hour. I will rest, re-organize my week, start packing and take care of me. I will sit and write my new year's resolutions as well as all the things I am so grateful for. I will shut down my computer for a few weeks and bid you farewell as I return to what I will always call home, my mom and daddy's arms. I will allow myself to feel Californian again, not Barcelonean, and I will take a break from this vida loca that I have grown to love. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and the happiest New Year. May you remember to take care of you, to listen to your own body, to follow what your heart most desires and to slow down. We only live once and so why not live fully, listening to and watching all the beauty that surrounds us?

Team Spirit

This weekend I was surprised by a true soccer fanatic and got invited to my very first soccer game in Catalunya. And it wasn't just any game, it was Barca vs Espanyol, the two big rivals of Barcelona for a very passionate game. Upon entering the stadium, my heart beat with excitement and anticipation to experience what these crazy fanatics feel and let me tell you, it is unlike anything I have seen. The stadium was full of flag waving fans screaming out the teams' hymns and preparing themselves for victory. They aren't fooling around these Catalans. Since Espanyol was the home team and rivalry is nothing to joke around about, the Barca fans had to be sat apart from the rest of the fans and escorted by countless policemen. The Europeans, as I learned, do not take this game lightly and violence is normal to them in order to express their love for their team. As most of you know, I am a Barca fan myself and my host Jordi is an Espanyol fan who made it clear to me (for my safety) that I was not to cheer too loud if Barca scored because it wouldn't be a surprise if someone attacked me! He wasn't joking around. The game was alcohol free since it was under maximum security and the Barca fans who dared sit among the Espanyols were very discreet. As crazy as it sounds, I like the idea that an entire stadium could be so vividly involved and passionate about a game and I realized that it is beyond simply cheering for a team. It is your life, as Jordi explained to me, your politics and your religion.
Nonetheless I loved hearing the screaming, the singing, the insults and the passion that surfaced in a period of two hours, firecrakers and all. The best part was how seriously Jordi took it himself. In order for me to fully understand, he bought a newspaper, sat me down and explained everything I needed to know about the players, the teams' history and anything else revalent to the game. With bets in mind (since we were enemies for a period of 90 minutes), enormous bocattas and scarves, we entered the stadium and I was blown away at how amazing these young guys play.
Messi is amazing and TV does him no justice. Ronaldinho has disappointed me, but the other players played their best and you felt the spirit ringing within the walls. In the first half Barca managed to control the ball and scored. I couldn't help but scream out loud and then quickly sit down, a fan is a fan at heart in the end, no matter the danger I guess. Then in the second half Espanyol surprised us all by taking control and scoring a goal themselves. It was truly a great game and probably the best way I could've experienced my first time.

So what have I learned this time? That if there is something that both unites and separates a people, it's soccer. No NBA or NFL or MLB game could ever be quite as passionate, or at least not the ones I've been to. But I've also learned that it is what gives us something to talk about, something to trace our own history with and to remember "the days". In the end, Jordi and I were both winners (the game ended 1-1) and next time it's Camp Nou baby!

The happy faces of two winning fanatics!