Tuesday, May 10, 2005, 7:31 p.m.
I have one piece of overwhelmingly important news and it trumps all others: I'M BETTER! I felt (and declared myself) "better" better on Saturday, and since then every day has been a blessing. I can cook again, dress in something other than sweats, walk uphill without stopping to rest, do laundry, go out.
Some highlights from the past week (which really means since Saturday, since I've been better):
- Going out in Gracia with Nicole and Steve, and having a drink called a Caripiñeri (mas o menos se escribe así), which is basically a mojito minus the mint and plus lemon. It started out **awful** and wound up very good; as the ice melted and it got less FUERTISSIMO (strong), it improved.
- Having yummy crêpes with Nicole down by the marina and walking around the SUPER CUTRE (cheesy) bars around there
- Attempting to guess the nationalities of the people playing beach volleyball while we sat overlooking several games
So today is Tuesday. I leave Barcelona on Friday. I fly to Geneva, where I spend four days at an ultimate tournament where I won't be playing ultimate, and then I take a crack-of-dawn train to Paris to go to JFK. Then I will officially be back in the States! Wow. It's been a while.
And I feel ready to leave. I really feel like I've gotten a lot out of BCN: I've gone out and experienced the nightlife; I've done the tourist thing and been to all the Gaudí monuments; I've been to the beach and to the mountain (well, Montjuic and Tibidabo, if they count); and I've made good friends. Well, one really good friend and a bunch of other fun ones. Honestly, Nicole is the one reason it's going to hurt a little leaving Barcelona in four days. She has been my confidante, my hip-hop buddy, my Jewish friend, my Spanish teacher, and my fellow American. She has listened to me bitch about various things without complaining, she has made me laugh ("Yeah, we're speakin' English"), and given me good boy and other advice. She is my best friend here and I'm going to miss her terribly. :(
Know what I'm not going to miss AT ALL? My flat. The shower is dirty and doesn't drain properly and the water is almost always cold when the weather is cold; there are a million dishes in the sink and not even a clean fork to eat with; there is no toilet paper and I've bought it the last two times so I'm not caving this time; ditto on dishsoap; there are no lighters or matches in the kitchen to light the gas stove because they keep STEALING mine out of my cabinet because they're smokers with NO manners; there's no olive oil because they keep stealing that too which makes it very difficult to cook (even if you COULD light the stove there's nothing to saute with); and the bathroom door doesn't close properly so people keep getting stuck in there and knocking really loudly to get out. So there you have it: nothin' but excitement regarding getting out of 55 c/ Grassot.
Besides that, we have an extra-long language spot today cause I've had some things building up that I'm just bursting to share. Not really, but here you are:
Language spot:
1. There is no way to say "looking forward to" in either French or Spanish, and it's such a shame. For example, in my last e-mail to a friend in Geneva, I wanted to say "Looking forward to seeing and talking with you." But I didn't really want to say "I want to see you and talk to you" or "I'm awaiting with impatience seeing and talking to you," which are the only two ways to say it ... so I didn't say anything, which I think is a shame. Ahh. I feel better getting that off my chest.
2. This isn't really a language thing per se, but I'm putting it here. Does anyone know the FOUR official languages of Switzerland? Bet you don't. By the way, congratulations to one Rachel Spitzer who is the only one who has taken the "make up" challenge and succeeded. Gold star, Rachel. Anyway I won't keep you in suspense on this one: the languages of Switzerland are: French, German, Italian, and Romansch. Haven't heard of the last one? Neither has pretty much anyone except the Swiss. Check it out: (off the web -- hey how's that for a completely useless attribution) "Romansch is spoken by about 50,000 people in the Swiss canton of Graubünden, bordering Austria and Italy. The survival of [the language], despite pressures from surrounding languages, is largely due to the isolation of its speakers in extremely mountainous regions."
3. Know how you say Flemish in Spanish? Flamenco. Well, I thought that was interesting.
From "Blunders":
Intent on suicide, Frenchman Jacques Lefevre drove a stake into the top of a cliff over the sea, then tied one end around the stake and the other around his neck. Being nothing if not thorough, Lefever then drank a bottle of poison, set his clothes on fire, lowered himself over the cliff, and tried to shoot himself. Unfortunately he missed, the bullet cut the rope in two, dropping him into the sea, where the water put out his flaming clothes and caused him to spew up the poison. A fisherman picked him up and delivered him to a hospital, where at last the weary Frenchman got his wish: he died of exposure.
After saving 2000 cigarette coupons Joseph Begley of Worcestershire, England, sent them to the tobacco company with a request for a wristwatch. A few days later he received a golf bag, two electric blanks, a pressure cooker, a doll, some records, three tape recorders, and three wristwatches. He kept one of the watches, packed the other things up and dutifully sent them back. A few days later the company sent him 10,000 coupons by way of gratitude. With his new coupons Mr. Begley ordered some household tools and a bedspread. A few days later the company sent him two stepladders and a plant stand.
