Euro Shorts Arrived!

After two days, Spanair delivered my stuff. Naturally I paused before actually putting on clean underwear, but eventually caved in.

I don't have a bathing suit, but quickly found out that the Euro Shorts I accidentally purched as underwear before leaving enable me to fit in nicely as a local on the beach. As this is a family friendly foray for now, no fotos.

Barcelona is amazing. The coffee is strong, the weather is mild and the people are friendly. Enjoying myself quite a bit, spending a lot of time with other first years.

We recently took a field trip to a string of nightclubs in the hills where Ashwin transitioned from Salsa to Hip-Hop without missing a beat, wowing while wooing the ladies.

It's been difficult to get much admin garbage done, with August bank hours from 12:00- 12:15, and ample distractions. I'm homing in on permanent housing, a pre-requisite for a residence card, essential to legally purchase a moto, which will open up the city tremendously.

As for my Spanish, I think the pic taken last night at Botafumeiro- a phenomenal seafood restaurant we closed down at 1:45- indicates the Costa Rican hand gestures translate to the mother country, though I'm yet to master Castilian pronunciation.

Here, but crusty.

After an eventful trip, I am thrilled to be here and rested. AirPlus Comet provided all the thrills one might expect from the 4th best airline in Spain.

The three hour delay in JFK was actually a bonus because with the two and a half hour check in/boarding pass line- a result more of the rate of processing each passanger than the number of people in line- it would have been tight making the plane if it left as scheduled. Once we got going, I was quickly reminded of why I gravitate to things such as the 4th best airline in Spain. The safety video may have been shot in film, in 1970, with the grainy texture and '70's porn beat to boot. As I noticed the Flight Attemptresses were all wearing leather gloves, I was looking for the pilot or other random man in thick moustache and aviator glasses to appear.

The delay did cause me to miss my Spanair connection to Barcelona though, and, perhaps as a result, my bags were lost. I was actually OK with this because it allowed for an easy bus ride to Plaza Catalunya, and then a nice walk to Carrer de Comerc, 62 (apto. 3-1), which would have been impossible with all my stuff.

My sister in-law, Katie mentioned that this 'sounds about right' in that this is a fitting way for me to get acclimated to the Spanish way of doing (not doing?) things. It is August in Spain afterall, which is basically a holiday/siesta. I bought a toothbrush last night, and feel much better after a good night's rest. However, day 2 sans luggage, could actually be approaching day 4 sans a change in underwear, depending on how you account for the time difference and if you give me the benefit or doubt whether I flew on a clean pair.

The hotel around the corner said I could have my stuff sent there, which is great. Unfortunately, one of bags is already en-route here, so I have to wait as we do not have a doorman. I've made contact with some first year students and will be getting together later today. Also, I have determined my future cell phone provider, so I'll have a phone# after the good people of Spanair (#3!!) come through for me.