Euro2008: A Win for Catalunya?

About a week ago, I sat in a bar in Barcelona and watched as Spain won the final match of the Euro Cup tournament (think World Cup but limited to European teams). The win was a huge deal. In had been over 30 years since Spain had even made it to a Euro final match. I was surprised, however, when I learned that not everyone in Catalonia was excited about Spain's rise in Euro2008. On Thursday night, I asked my friend, Marta, a very proud Catalan from a smaller city in Catalonia, if she would be watching Spain in the semifinal match. I was shocked when she answered "no." She responded to my shock by explaining, "I am not Spanish. Why would I care about a match for Spain? This means nothing to me." To Marta, the match signified a brand of Spanish nationalism that threatened the identity and autonomy of Catalunya. Some very proud Catalans, including Marta's boyfriend, even cheered for Germany in the final match on Sunday.

I asked some of my other Catalan friends about their feelings about the final. The feelings were divided. One friend described her vision of Spain as global: "I am a proud Catalan, but I know that I am also Spanish. Catalunya depends on Spain. Winning this match will be so good for Spain, as it suffers from the economic crisis." (The "economic crisis" is something that is talked about in the headlines everyday here as this vague pandemic sweeping the continent.) On Sunday, I left Marta in her flat to watch Spain defeat Germany and take the Euro Cup. The match broadcast showed images of a celebrating Madrid, with thousands of people wearing Spanish flags pouring into the main Plaza del Sol. One guy in the bar remarked, "You won't see that here. Barcelona is different." He explained that he would never wear a Spanish flag over his shoulders. To do so, people would see him as "facha" or a Spanish nationalist fascist. As I walked the streets of Barcelona, from the bar to my friend's flat, I saw a small group celebrating Spain's win with flags and signs. Two blocks down, I passed a young Catalan wearing a German soccer jersey. The city was indeed divided over this win for Spain.

Canada aint so bad

Over a week ago, I went to Canada to visit my old roommates from the Barcelona days. Many of our days in Barcelona were spent arguing over whose country was clearly the most superior. Canada has gun control, universal healthcare, etc. Of course, I played the role of the uber-proud American, arguing that the US is just plain badass (right?). Despite our joking about the inferiority of the others' country, I must now admit that Canada is pretty cool.



The first couple of days, I visited Sheetal in Niagra Falls, which was AMAZING! I could not have imagined the sheer force of all that water pouring into one place. I think the highlight of the trip was the helicopter tour that Sheetal hooked me up with...and her mom's Indian food. I was forced to get over my stomach bug pretty quickly. (Yes, I got sick, oddly enough, leaving South America, on the plane ride from Buenos Aires to Atlanta. No details there.)



The next couple of days, I visited Karim in Toronto, which was also amazing. One thing that I noticed about Toronto was its diversity. Walking down the street, I saw people of every color. Near Karim's apartment, I also visited Kensington market, which has representation from all over the world - Jamaicans selling their beads, Indians selling their spicy dishes...and even a Latin American food store that made me feel like I was back in South America. In its diversity, Toronto was like a little New York City in Canada. Nevertheless, while it was nice in the summer, I'm not sure I can handle the Canadian winters.



Overall, the best part was seeing Sheetal and Karim again - we reminsced about the BCN days and even stepped back into our roles of obnoxiously proud Canadian and American.

On Lima, Peru...

I arrived in Lima almost a week ago. I wasn´t expecting too much out of Lima. Anyone I talked to about their Peru travels warned me to get out of Lima as soon as possible, calling the city overpopulated and polluted. One of the first things I noticed about Lima was its cars, which crowded even the smallest of streets. The sound of Lima is not the Incan pipes but the blowing of car horns. Horns to indicate ¨Hey, I´m about to cut you off, and you better like it.¨Horns that reply, ¨Don´t even think about coming into either of the four lanes that I am taking up.¨ Today, riding in a taxi to downtown Lima, I witnessed an ambulance attempting to make its way to some unknown emergency. For once, the cars on the street were silent. But, it still took a good minute for the ambulance to bully its way through the intersection.

Transportation seems to be the theme of my interest in Lima. Another thing that I found interesting about Lima was its bus system. The public transportation system is composed of small buses that fit maybe 15 people. Rather than having signs which indicate where the bus is going, each bus has a man whose job it is to shout at the top of his lungs, at each stop, the destination of his bus. A man will hop onto the street corner and yell for about 30 seconds, ¨Parado, Brasil, Mayor. Prado, Brasil, Mayor. Space for four. Come on! Get on!¨To me, these guys are the salesmen of the bus system. Later, when I asked my friend from Lima about these shouting bus guys, I found out that they literally are the salesmen of the buses. It turns out that Lima´s bus system is composed of privately owned companies. Thus, when a bus makes a stop, the goal of the ¨salesman¨is to herd everyone onto the bus before a competing bus arrives.

Other highlights from Lima: I went to dinner on my first night with Carla from AIESEC Lima. My dinner was...wait for it...cow´s heart, as recommended by my waiter. I also enjoyed my first pisco sour (kind of like a margarita). Pisco is the liquor of choice here, mixed with mainly sweet drinks. Another note on Peruvian food: they definitely appreciate their sauces. Anyone from Louisiana, and anyone who knows me, understands that sauce (or gravy) is key to every dish. I think Carla was surprised by how enthusiastically I exclaimed over the tiny bowls of sauce at the table. What is corn, potatoes, or cow´s heart without a sauce?

Machu Picchu Wonderland

I built Machu Picchu up in my head to be this amazing place, and in fact, it was my main motivator for coming to Peru. I tried to prepare myself for some disappoint, but I have to say, it was better than I ever expected. As a coonass from very flat South Louisiana, on the train and bus rides up to MP, my eyes were glued to the window, looking up and up at the green mountains that didn´t seem to have an end.

Standing at the center of the Machu Picchu site, all I saw were green giants of mountains contrasting against the clear, blue sky. The Incas chose a location of ultimate isolation, surrounded by mountains and jungle. Even with modern technology, it still takes a 4 hour train ride and 30 minute bus ride to reach the site from the nearest city. It is easy to understand how the site lay undiscovered until the early 1900s. Standing there, surrounded by the mammoth stone constructions, I felt every single cliche - a pounding heart, my small part in the world.


Our guide, who liked to end every sentence with ¨OKAY, clear the idea??,¨ talked about MP´s connection with all of South America - how stones were found from Argentina and Chile, how trails led to the site from Colombia, Argentina, etc. I wanted to spend part of my summer discovering South America. In Machu Picchu, I found the heart of the continent.

The Buenos Aires List

I have left Buenos Aires and am now in Peru (more on that later). I thought I´d compile a list of things that I will miss about BA:

1. Five cafes to every block - these people know how to enjoy their coffee and the art of sitting
2. Dancing til 9 in the morning - I never made it til 9 am, but it´s nice to know that it´s a possibility.
3. Empanadas. Nothing more to say there.
4. The cultural mecca that draws cool people from all over the world.
5. La Bomba - amazing drum circle.
6. Steak dinners for $10 bucks.
7. Art, fashion, and music everywhere.
8. Ferias or ¨markets¨

And, just to show that I am a fair critic, I couple things I won´t miss.
1. The Argentine accent
2. Rush hour subte (subway) rides and not being able to breathe because the train car is so packed.
3. Having trouble thinking of something else...maybe this is a sign that BA is amazing.

Cemetaries, Breakdancing, etc.

First of all, Buenos Aires is pretty much amazing, which is why I haven´t written too much since I´ve been here. I´ve been a little busy living the life of empanadas, late night going-out, and plaza sitting. I thought I would highlight a few recent happenings in Buenos Aires.

Cemetaries: I thought New Orleans had the world beat with its beautiful cemetaries with tombs that are like small mansions, but I must say that the Recoleta Cemetary in Buenos Aires may have one up on NOLA. The cemetary is a maze of marble and stone tombs, each more spectacular than the next. Among those laid to rest in Recoleta are Evita, Rosas and Sarmiento.

Breakdancing: Breakdancing in Buenos Aires? Si! Thursday night we went to a club in my hostel neighborhood of Palermo and enjoyed a pre-show which featured the amazing breakdancing of the most thugged-out playas in Argentina. ¨So You Think You Can Dance?¨Argentina-version, anyone? Although it was a bit strange to hear Tupac and Kanye in Buenos Aires, I am not complaining...

Sugar Sugar

People in Buenos Aires sure enjoy their sweet stuff. But, I guess that is all of Latin America, right? I think I was here less than 24 hours before I was reminded about this fact.

My first night here in my hostel, a random assortment of my fellow hostel mates sat in the chill out room and shared what was basically a bowl of sugar. Karina, a girl from Brazil, had concocted in the kitchen what she called ¨brigadeiro.¨ A bowl full of heated condensed milk and chocolate powder. Karina only smiled when I commented on the sweetness of the mixture, and admitted, ¨I love sugar. This is my dinner.¨ The gooey mixture was thick enough to bend a spoon - literally.

My second encounter with the sweetness of Argentina was with ¨dulce de leche,¨ which is basically caramel in a can that is rightly an obsession of everyone here. The grocery store practically has an entire asle dedicated to cans of dulce de leche to be found in every Argentine pantry. Eating toast in the morning? Why not spread an inch thick layer of caramel on your toast. It can be found everywhere - dulce de leche icecream, milk, cookies, candy...

Of course I am not complaining about the sweet side of Argentina - dulce de leche and brigadeiro are both things that the U.S. needs a little more of, but I will continue to drink my cafe con leche sugar-free and my cereal without 10 spoons of chocolate powder.

In Argentina

I will be trying to do a better job of posting regularly - not the every-other-month posting of the Barcelona days. So far, the news is that I arrived in Buenos Aires this morning. Exciting. After one day, my accomplishments off the check list include: a very loooong siesta and delicious chicken empanadas. Done and DONE.