Tired tiddles

It's finally Friday. I'm not a weekend person because I never know what to do, and then I feel guilty if I end up doing nothing. I guess that's still a student/freelancer trait in me...

It's been a rough week, I've spent most of my evenings crying. I miss my family, and this loneliness is starting to be a bit too much even for an introvert like me. I have absolutely no idea how I'm gonna survive this weekend... I know I'll have to do the dishes tomorrow and make the laundry machine sing, like we say in Finnish. Or at least I say so. Last Sunday was nice, I hung out with a colleague and his boyfriend. 

A hilarious menu we spotted near Barceloneta beach.

I'm positively surprised by the health center in my district. I went there last week because I wanted to get registered for the public healthcare (after 6 months... just following my motto, never leave that till tomorrow which you can do the day after), and they did it right away. Everyone was so friendly, and I realized that I had been stressed for nothing. When I had to do the same thing in Italy, they kept sending me back and forth between different offices, until I just collapsed one day and started crying in front of the staff. They registered me within 5 minutes.

I got a card with a code, that I could use for booking an appointment online. Well, my code didn't work, and when I tried to call, the automatic answering system didn't work either. I went to the health center again, and asked if there's something wrong with my code. They said that I could see a doctor right away! The doctor was really nice, and when I told her that I can't sleep because it's difficult for me to breathe, especially during the night, she took it very seriously and booked an appointment for blood samples and another one for an otolaryngologist. She didn't ask any questions when I said that I'd need a new prescription for my antidepressants, which was a surprise - in Italy it seemed to be a problem. I hope they'll take my mental problems seriously here, especially since I keep on feeling that they're getting worse again.

But like I said, I'm positively surprised with the health center, especially because I thought that I'd get the normal Southern European treatment... All this would have taken much longer in Iceland. Icelanders are lazy or just not interested.

All-you-can-eat sushi lunch with colleagues.

I know the doctor will say something about my weight - in the referral it says OBESITAT. I'm just gonna tell her how it is: I can't do any sports outside because people stare and judge me with their looks (it's not just the personality disorder talking, trust me), and because of the fucking hypothyroidism I never have any energy. And because of the fucking hypothyroidism I gain 5 pounds just by looking at chocolate. Life used to be so much easier before the thyroid gland started bitching. So, normal people, enjoy your activities wherever; for me it's a big struggle just to step outside in the morning.

It didn't rain in the end.

6 months of sonrisas, sadness, and sun

Today I've been here for 6 months. Half a year. It feels like I've been here forever, but on the other hand I feel like I don't know the city or culture at all. It's been a hell of a rollercoaster, both mentally and physically, and I still don't quite understand when everyone says this city is the best. 

I decided to tell you some things I love about this city, and what I don't like. Let's start with the things I don't like. :) Also, blogger and its formatting hates me, so forgive me extra lines and whatnot.

NO ME GUSTAN

Tourism. I should be used to this, after living in Reykjavík for 5 years and having spent a nice amount of time in Stockholm, but... Goddammit, the tourists are everywhere, blocking the streets and pretending they own the place (mostly in metros). I don't like the fact that Barcelona is such a tourism-oriented city, I heard it wasn't like that until 1992, when Barcelona hosted the Olympics.

Don't get me wrong, I like being a tourist, it's just the big crowd of "ooh! aah! look at that! take a picture!" that I can't stand, especially if I'm in a hurry. And man, when people think I'm a tourist too... it pisses me off. Almost every day there is at least one waiter who tries to talk to me in English and be all furbo and make me pay a lot for shit. So annoying. I need to learn "no thanks, I'm from here" in flawless Catalan.

La Rambla. Photo from here.

Homesickness. I'm so fricking homesick all the time, it's not even funny anymore. 

Some local people. People in Barcelona don't know how to walk. It's ridiculous. They walk so slowly, they're always in the way, and in shops they block the whole fucking aisle - and don't move even if they see that someone's trying to get past them! Sometimes, when going up on an escalator (ohhh morning metro), they stop at the end of the escalator and just stand! When there are people trying to get off the escalator! Ahhh I'm getting so angry just by thinking about all that. A few weeks ago I told about this in our weekly Esperanto meeting, and one of the locals said that she likes to walk slowly and look at things happening around her. I agree, it's nice, especially in a city like Barcelona, but people should stop taking the whole fucking sidewalk. 

And local oldtimers who yell "rubia! rubia!" ('blonde') make me want to set them on fire. I need to learn "why, thank you sir for pointing that out, I'm blind" in flawless Catalan.

Catalonia vs. Spain. Catalan flags, Catalan flags everywhere. For those who don't know, Barcelona is the capital of an autonomus community called Catalonia. Apparently there will be a referendum on independency of Catalonia this November. I'm mostly annoyed when people ask if I'm allowed to vote and if I'm gonna vote, and my opinion about the independence in general. I don't know if I'm allowed to vote, and if I were, I don't think I would, because I don't know enough of the whole subject. I would like to get informed, but in a neutral way.

Picture from here.

The whole thing kinda reminds me of my Erasmus time in Sardinia, Italy. There people were really strict about the fact that Sardinia is not Italy (Sardigna no est Italia), and once in a bar in Cagliari some drunkard came to talk to me because I asked people to write something for me on an Italian flag. He told me that I shouldn't be doing that, "because that's the flag of Italy and you're now in Sardinia, which is not a part of Italy", and this was in more-or-less English, if I remember correctly. I think I rolled my eyes a few times and told him in Italian that I know very well that this is the flag of Italy, and I happen to have a big Sardinian flag at home, but I don't want to write on it because I like it so much. The guy went silent and my local friends were like ooooo, burned! I was so proud. Here people sometimes corrected me if I said something about me being in Spain (no, this is Catalonia, not Spain!), and now I'm really careful with that. It's annoying. And frankly, my friends think I live in Spain. I thought I was moving to Spain. Most people abroad see Barcelona as a city in Spain. So, gente, please shut up if I, a foreigner, mistakenly say that I live in Spain.

Catalan independence flag. Photo from here.

Mañana, mañana. Or actually the whole "why do things the easy way when you can do them the hard way" attitude. It took me 3 weeks to get internet at home, because "the contract wasn't available in the system" or "your data is not in our system" or "there are some technical problems, go to the store" - and when I went, they didn't see anything in the database. So many problems. People sending you to different places to get some pieces of paper. Webpages telling you to go to these random offices because your SSN or whatever number is not in the database. People not slowing down when you tell them to slow down a bit with their Spanish or Catalan. I'm already crying at the thought of having to call somewhere to book a doctor's appointment. Oh, and in some restaurants you can't pay separately. Or you can only pay in cash, but nobody bothered to put up a sign.

Sundays. Well, I hate them in every country (except in Sardinia because of 4 giunchi). Here everything is closed on Sundays.

The whole language thing. People keep asking when I'll start speaking Catalan. I understand maybe 95%, but I'm not gonna start talking unless people stop laughing when I do that. And then people ask why I want to learn Basque instead of Catalan. Well, because I don't like the sound of Catalan. It sounds too much like Portuguese, and I've never been a fan of its sounds. It's mostly the neutral vowel, the schwa, that I don't like. And uff, if I refer to Spanish as "Spanish" and not as "Castilian"...

I will learn Catalan this fall, but I doubt I'll enjoy it as much as Euskara.

Let's fight for our language. Pic from here.

The humidity. When it's over 30°C (~90F) with 90% humidity... nuff said. No me gusta.

ME GUSTAN

Mi barrio. I've been living in Guinardó for 2 months now, and I love it! It's a few kilometers from the city center, and I've mostly seen old people here. This is not a "cool" place like Gracia, but I'm really happy here. The streets are really steep, and when I walk downhill to the metro I can see the towers of la Sagrada Família and the Mediterranean Sea. It's not as fun if I miss the last minibus at 9pm, and I have to walk more than one km uphill...

Landscape view of Horta-Guinardó, from here.

From where I live.

Same place.

from my barri bus, usually it's packed with oldtimers.

My metro stop, Alfons X.

My apartment. I live alone in a cozy apartment with a kitchen, a living room, a bedroom, and a bathroom. I haven't taken that many pictures yet, but... here's my bathroom and my dishes! :D (My dear landlords, if you read this, the old shower curtain is clean and safe in the wardrobe.)

My shower curtain makes me happy. :)

Ok, some pink stuff might have found its way in there...

...or into my kitchen. Yes, that washing liquid smells like raspberries. <3

My job. I never thought I'd find a full-time job in my field, where I don't have to translate myself, and I don't have to take the job home with me. Of course, like in all jobs, there are situations where I just sit down and shake my head, or want to set some people on fire, but I really like what I do. And I really like our team of quality managers and in-house translators, they are one of the reasons I get up every morning. <3 Ok, they're also a bit mental.

Tapas. My my my, so good. My favorites are ensalada rusa con atún (salad with potatoes, peas, olives, carrots, tuna, and mayo, probably something else too) and txistorras (spicy sausages from the Basque country).

Photo from here.

Our weekly Esperanto meetings. The Catalan Esperantists are also a bit mental. Usually we just have tea or beer and chat, but sometimes we play word games or take a look at some old things someone has found in a random place.

Our choir. The main reason why I understand Catalan - everything in Cor Ariadna happens in Catalan. I believe I'm one of the youngest members, and the only foreigner. Our conductor Júlia is extremely talented, and we sing in several languages. Such a wonderful group of people.

From our concert in the end of May. From here.

These are the biggest things I do and don't like. Stay tuned for more blabbering.

Heimþrá

My Facebook friends must be fed up with my status updates about loving and hating Barcelona. I have never been here as a tourist, so I can't really see what all the fuss is about... I mean, there are beautiful places, and the beach is absolutely wonderful in the evening, but other than that... Ufffff. I love my work, and it's the only thing keeping me here.

The things I miss the most are probably:

my family, including my itty-bitty brother Feetu aka Vempsunen

my brother's dogs Äity and Susu

Stockholm!

and even things that felt a bit like a pain in the butt,
like this course for business owners.

My life has gotten so much better after I moved away from the city center, but there are still too many things that annoy me in this city. Maybe I'll make a blog post about the things I like and don't like.