My last few days have been very full. Normally I write about my adventures in other places, but I've neglected to write about the daily things that make me smile and make me grateful. This past weekend was a good example.
Last year, I was lucky enough to come across an advertisement for someone who was looking to practice both English and salsa. He needed a salsa partner and was willing to pay for lessons for both of us in exchange for help with English. I was the first to contact him, and after meeting up, we started the lessons at a dance school/ club called Antillas. We did 10 last Spring, and after a summer hiatus, we started again Friday evening . It's something that I've really enjoyed.. it's a great chance to meet new people, get some exercise, and learn something that I've always wanted to learn. It's interesting, too, because both times I've been the only American in the class. As I'm learning the steps, I'm also trying to focus on what the instructor is saying because the classes are taught in Spanish, naturally. At first, I think I was always a few seconds behind whenever she called out "gira a la derecha, gira a la izquierda," but now I've got it down, and my new teacher is even easier to understand when she speaks. Mario, my partner, and I went to our first "Basico B" lesson on Friday, and again Sunday night to a start of the season party. It was so much fun, with the instructors lining everyone up line-dance style and calling out movements while everyone danced together and we beginners tried to keep up. After watching some of the really advanced couples dance, I'm even more inspired to continue with the lessons. They make it look so effortless and fun.. I'm determined to improve to the point where I'm spinning around in heels without thinking about where my feet will land.
Saturday evening I met with Enrique and Isabel, a sweet married couple who I met through Michelle. He's a fair-complexioned intellectual-looking Catalan man, and she's a striking woman from the South of Spain who's often mistaken for Italian. We've been meeting every few weeks for language exchanges - they help me with my Spanish, and I help them with English. At first Enrique and I were meeting alone... his English is great and we can switch effortlessly from one to the other, which must be confusing for eavesdroppers. When Isabel is there it's a different dynamic, but just as interesting. She can say "My name is Isabel. I'm from Barcelona," and I'm teaching her some basic verbs and words related to the house and the weather. They just returned from a trip to America and were eager to tell me how nice people were there, from San Francisco to New York City. Whenever I leave after our intercambios, I always feel like I've gained more than just practice with language. I really value my relationships I've made with people outside the age range of most of my friends (they're in their mid 30s). I feel like you can learn a lot a gain a new perspective by talking to people older than you, and it's nice to feel like I've developed a community here besides the people I go out with on the weekends.
Every month, all the major museums in Barcelona are free on the first Sunday. Last month, Ashley, Patrick, and I tried to go, but slept in and found out the hard way that most of them close around 2:00. This month, my new friend Nuria and I agreed to meet at noon and head to Plaza España, where there are two major museums. The first one we went to, MNAC (National Museum of Art of Catalunya), is a work of art in itself:
There we saw a lot of old religious art, which never really inspires me, and got kicked out just as we were done looking at a photography exhibit from the Spanish Civil War. Next, we went to Caixa Forum, which stays open until 8:00. There the main exhibit was of artwork and jewelry by Mucha, whose work I fell in love with. He gained popularity after he designed posters for plays starring Sarah Bernhardt, the famous French actress, and later went on to paint many portraits of women and nature. He has a recurring theme of series of four: the four seasons, four parts of the day, four precious stones, etc. It made me strongly consider a career as a muse.
After the museum tour, we went to grab lunch and found ourselves in the middle of a Medieval Festival, which for some reason included donkeys and belly dancers. Then we met Nuria's boyfriend, Jaume, for a drink in the Raval area (which, according to Woody Allen in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, is filled with prostitutes smiling and waving), before I had to run off to my salsa party.
Even though I usually take advantage of the weekend to relax and unwind, I felt more energized Sundya after running around all day than I ever do after a day of lounging. I love the feeling of opening myself up to new opportunities, not planning too much, and just seeing what happens from there. It's difficult to stumble across something new and interesting when I'm wholed up in my apartment. I'm already planning fun things for next weekend - a trip to the top of Tibidabo, quizás? But first, I have a lot of teaching English to do. So buenas noches, bona nit, and buona sera (I'm learning Italian). Here's a few more Muchas for the road:
I visited Juca again today in the hospital. Unfortunately, the biggest improvements that he's made since his accident are that he's now able to communicate better, he's in a private room with a TV, and just recently he starting being able to turn his head. About a week ago they tried to move him to a wheelchair, but he ended up having a bad reaction to being moved and had a fever for days after. His family is trying to get him well enough to return to Brasil because São Paulo has a very good unit for injuries of his kind, but it's hard to imagine him getting on a plane to make the journey home. 
