Alone in Barcelona

Yes! It happened finally!

postcards from Barcelona:)

Barcelona has been always at the top of my travel list since I came here. I made plans, searched for the hostels with friends several, several and several times but everytime something came up and we couldn't manage to synchronize our "willingness". I'm totally being political here:)

So, I decided not to wait for nothing anymore. That moment you say yourself "Go find a place and buy your tickets, girl!" It's that simple. We're the ones making everything complicated. Anyway...

I stayed 3 nights at a hostel which is quite the opposite the one I stayed in Paris. Very close to the tourist attractions, full with people who like partying haha The hostel itself organizes dinners, walking tours and pubcrawls! Not surprisingly I made some friends and had fuuuuun (the title is a lie:P) Also (surprisingly) I met so many turkish people and even shared my room with some of them. They were a group of teachers who used to send volunteers abroad and now doing another project with high school students. So, they knew all about EVS and they wanted me to talk to their students about my experience and to give some advices, to encourage them etc. I felt so proud and responsible! I don't know about them-because they are so young to be aware of everything, we're talking about 17-year olds- but for me it felt great! I wasn't just talking about volunteering or living abroad. It's like I had the chance to talk to my teenager self. I told them (and myself) "Don't ever say I can't do it! If they can do, you can do it, too."

Also, I met a very cool Argentinean girl and we visited Casa Batllo and Parque Güell together. Actually it was so coincidental. We were pubcrawling with the hostel group the night before, and in the morning we came across in a cafe and found out that both of us had the same plans for that day! She was also a solo traveler -more of an adventurous kind- (I find hiking adventurous, so what? :d)

Oh and I took a free walking tour as always but this one was just about Gaudi and his works. Isn't it enough?

I'm in love with Casa Batlló...

there was always a line but it moves so quickly so there's no need to buy the tickets in advance

inspired by turtles

the audio guide included

it's a mushroom!!!

the garden...

the roof...

I think my only disappointment was not being able to visit any museums:/ By the time I was done visiting Gaudi's buildings it was already Monday and all the museums were closed. I did try to find Fundació Joan Miró on Saturday, though. and failed haaha

some "not so tasty" paella with vegetables and codfish

plaza real (the meeting point for the walking tours)

I can recommend Runner Bean 

those are ice cream cones at the top and of course by Gaudi

Casa Mila aka La Pedrera

I didn't go inside because everything's freaking expensive so I had to choose Casa Batllo over this

I bought the ticket for La Sagrada Familia online but if you're on a tight budget you can just see the outside. You won't miss much!

and lastly Parque Güell...

it was so peaceful so you may want to save this park for the end of your tour and have some rest enjoying the view;)

That's all folks! 

What's going on?

Recently we had some extra activities outside Illescas! First we attended a school fair in Madrid like a few weeks ago. Well, actually it's really far from the centre. So, Helena's sister Marina drove us to this school where both she and Helena used to be students.

We had a stand where people could buy books and get information about our activities and EVS. The students were too young to do an EVS but we met some 16-year olds who were interested in participating in a youth exchange, or maybe in the future doing an EVS. I told one of them about my experience, hoping that it would be encouraging. And I'm so happy to find out that some teenagers are not just worrying about celebrities, football or taking the perfect selfie. She wants to be a volunteer and study abroad. And I want to believe that there are so many like her. It's a private school and those students are so lucky to have way more opportunities than the rest. And I believe big dreams, kind hearts and perfect opportunities will make a good future both for them and the world.

And on Monday we went to a primary school in Humanes de Madrid to make a short presentation about our countries and traditions. I must say that I felt like a celebrity:p Signing papers, getting hugs and being called the best "Turkey teacher"... haha well, probably because there's no such thing:P

Well, those kids are so smart! They asked me so many questions so they were highly interested. Turkish lira, Istanbul, Atatürk, turkish delight, turkish coffee, mosques, Turkish names, Karagöz and Hacivat (a traditional shadow play) and henna night... We even talked about religion!

It was surprising to see that some of them already knew the capital city, or the football teams (actually just one, Galatasaray:) At the end I wanted them to draw something they liked about Turkey and took them as souvenirs:)

and we ate so many rosquillos!!! these things are so delicious nom nom

Spanish-0 Me-1

Finally I feel ready to write about my struggle with Spanish. I have to point out that I didn't know anything before, except these basic things (hola, como te llamas, me gusta etc.) that every foreigner knows. I was familiar with the pronunciations though. Thanks to this course for beginners that I attended for a few months (5 or 6 years ago!!! :D) As you can imagine, I forgot all of the things that I had learnt and I had to start over. I mean, I've always had interest in learning Spanish. (Interest, check!)

It's been a long journey with so many up and downs. And now I hear people say "Hey, you're doing good!". So I felt the urge to tell my experience. If there's anyone out there thinking of doing an EVS but having doubts just because of the language barrier, stop worrying about it.

Well, what I've learned? It's definitely not something you can have or accomplish overnight! Because I was PLANNING to start speaking Spanish in a few months haha. Plan realistically, my friends. I remember that I just listened to people for the first 3 months maybe. And then it was time to imitate those I had been hearing all the time. I don't mean just the pronunciations. When they're in this specific A situation, they say this. When they're having B, they use this word. I think this is the easiest way to learn a language. Better than studying grammar which is exhausting because of the 200 different types of past tense they have!!! So, I prefer speaking in present tense no matter what I'm talking about. The past is behind. Carpe diem baby! haha

We have Spanish classes every Friday at the shop except this online course for EVS volunteers. I can't deny that it helps a lot. But it's not enough. That's for sure. Especially for me, because I need to study grammar, vocabulary alone won't help. If you don't know anything about the conjugations, it's impossible to be able to speak.

Also I've been studying with a Spanish friend, Christian who is learning Turkish. We're kind of exchanging languages. That's one of the least boring ways to learn a language. Highly recommended!

And a small self-criticism: I don't study enough:/ I know that I can do better. 

I used to study on this online course but it started to get boring, well it always was. It includes basically grammar, vocabulary and listening but also there's a part where you can test your pronunciation and it gives you a percentage depending how accurate you pronounce. And it gives %90 maximum even to a native speaker haha for real

Do yourself a favor and go to Paris

After a week full of turkish food, never ending sleeps and a fantastic time in Paris, no wonder I'm still struggling with the post-vacation syndrome. It's so hard to even wake up. Luckily the weather is getting better these days. No more rainy and gloomy days por favor.

God, let the Belgians have some sun please:p

So... first I visited my sister who lives in Belgium and then went to Paris by train. It was my first time in Paris and I was alone. That's something I decided on when I was on my way to Malaga for the training. You know when you're having a long bus trip you tend to think more. What you are doing with your life, what's next etc. So I was thinking that I started to enjoy being alone on the road, searching for places, or even asking for directions. You lead your own way. That's something I once used to be afraid of doing. Travelling alone. It might sound unappealing, or not fun enough to some people. But this Paris trip changed my mind.

I spent almost 3 days in Paris -believe me it includes getting lost (so many times), missing the train, feeling lonely sometimes and a terrible rainy weather.

BUT

Deciding on your next stop on your own and managing your time however the hell you want, spending as much time as you want staring at your favorite paintings...

I mean

Worth it!

Louvre

Sainte Chapelle

Notre Dame Cathedral

Oh, and it started so nice...

(Notices that the hostel she is staying is called "Paris Korea" after telling her all Korean roommates that "Why is everyone here Korean!?")

Luckily they were so nice that they just smiled haha

I attended a 3-hour walking tour on my second day and our guide gave us recommendations on museums and food besides telling the history behind the sightings.

dat moment you say "wtf it's too tiny!?"

lol

The struggle was real!

Finding a relatively cheaper place with decent food was impossible. As you're just wandering around the touristic places, the only place that you can find is a cafe where you can have a cup of coffee for 2,75 euros if you don't sit at a table, if you want to have a seat and relax you have to pay 5,50 euros for the same coffee. Haha that's true! They charge you for occupying a place in a literally empty cafe:D

Or even worse, you can end up in a restaurant full of tourists where the employees hit on girls in a disgusting way (like air licking(is that a thing?) right behind a girl who was asking something) I guess that's the only image about Paris that I don't wanna remember. Oh and the homeless guy smoking on metro -_-

But in the end I managed to try some macarons, a crepe with lemon, and snails! (not a fan though)

Now I want to go again and spend more time enjoying the museums and the fantastic view of Eiffel Tower. You definitely need at least 5 days to visit all of the main places. Sadly I could spend only 1 hour in Orsay Museum. And missed my train because I couldn't leave Monet's paintings. I totally disagree with this little girl who was commenting on his paintings loudly (like "That's just nothing!") right beside me. She made me laugh so hard.

Can't help but think that some kids are so lucky! When I was her age, let alone having the chance of shouting at the paintings of Monet, I probably didn't even know what a museum is! haha

Monet

Monet

                                 Van Gogh