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oh-barcelona-blog1 · 7 years

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Captain’s Log: My 2nd Barcelona Birthday. A Barcelona appreciation post.

Today (as of writing), marks my 2nd year in Barcelona.

2 years ago, I packed my entire life (ok, just a bunch of clothes really) into 2 giant bags , boarded a 17hour KLM flight, and went off on a grand adventure.

And while I seem to be complaining about a lot of things Barcelona related lately -

the extra taxes I had to pay for just quite recently

the metro strike that happens on a weekly basis now,

but at least not on the same days as the taxi strike

the lack of access to some things I've pretty much taken for granted all my life: Apple Cider Vinegar, Malunggay, Corned Beef, Jollibee, 24/7 convenience stores

the lack of soul who can understand what I mean when I say "charot"

The list of things to love about Barcelona is far longer. So here's my top 10:

1. I can actually commute. Sure there's a metro strike nearly every Monday on the worst possible hours ever, but on most days - going from point A to point B is, at most, a 30m subway ride, with the nearest metro stop just a 3 minute walk from my place. And if the metro is not working, the buses are also as safe and reliable. Meaning, they're not trying to break your neck trying to drive 100mph all the time so they can reach their quota number of trips.

Just hang on to your bags, because while the transportation itself is great, the other passengers are not. I've been pick-pocketed once on a 6am drunken ride home from Villa Olimpica to Joanic. Never again (drunk on a train, I mean).

2. I can find and get a doctor's appointment online! Victory for the introvert in me. Back home, all of my doctor's appointments are c/o my mother. Not that I'm completely useless - it's just that my parents' doctors eventually became my doctors too.

I remember 3 years ago when I was trying to hide a kidney stone problem from my mom, I went to the hospital by myself, armed with just my medical insurance. I had to queue up because I didn't know any kidney doctor accredited by my insurance that I can call directly for an appointment. I waited for 2 hours just to get a name. I had to wait another 3 hours after to see the doctor.

Fast forward to a few weeks back and I was suffering from an ear problem! I needed an English-speaking doctor, of course. Expat colleague told me about the hospital 5-minutes away from the office and that I'll definitely find what I'm looking for there. So I googled the hospital. Et voila! Found out that I just can book things online by just saying what kind of doctor I needed to see and they'll pull up the available dates. Picked a date, and then I just showed up on the day with my insurance cards and I just had to wait 10m to be called.

3. The beach is just 7 metro stops away from my house. Ok so I'm not really the biggest beach person (more about that in another post). The number of times I've been to the beach in the last 2 years is already 10x more than the number of times I've been to the beach in the last 10 years when I still lived back home. I think the proximity plays a huge role.

Going to the beach with a blanket and a book is my favourite cliché though, and I love that Barcelona has given me the opportunity to actually live it - minus the bikini and the abs that seem to be the requirement.

4. Doing 10k steps a day is easy. Sidewalks exist. I don't have to worry about being side-swept by a car, a bus, or a motorbike if I want to walk home from work (which I actually do!). I can still get sideswept by asshole bikers but that's a lot less painful than a 1,500 kilogram box of steel, let me tell you.

I remember my first month in Barcelona, I walked to everywhere! Not because I wanted to walk but because walking seemed like a better alternative than facing my fear of getting eaten by the metro system and having to ask somebody for help.

And since I don't dare step inside a gym (except for Spinning classes every once in awhile), walking is a good alternative to running on a treadmill.

5. Museums, museums, museums! Really. Free museum Sundays are the best. MACBA, CCBA, MNAC, Picasso museum, and many more. And all I need is the will-power to drag myself out of bed and go there. They're all walkable or maybe 20m away via metro. There's always an event every 2 weeks. And to be honest, there's always a new museum that I haven't checked out every 2 weeks as well.

If ever I am bored in this city, it's my own fault.

6. The plazas. Bar food ain't great. But eating bar food with a side of beer, in a terrace in the middle of Gracia is more than great. People watching or gossiping, while you're chugging down beer, under the stars, is one of the best ways to kill time on a Friday evening after a long week at the salt mines -- and not be in the middle of the mall (ehem Greenbelt), or practically on the street in danger of getting run over by cars, taxis, and jeeps (ehem Makati). While they charge a bit more for the terrace tables, bar chow and beer still tend to be on the cheap side.

And if you're lucky, sometimes in Plaza del Sol, some (apparently) well known band will show up, set up with their acoustic guitars and cajons, and just start playing for shits and giggles.

7. Travel is easy (and cheap). Last week I took a friend to Girona (where they shot scenes from GOT), just for a 30€, 30m train ride. There's a fast train to Madrid, Valencia, Zaragoza, and to other cities in Spain. Lisbon is a 2h flight away, and so is Florence and Berlin. And round trip flights can cost you as low as 40€. If my wallet is a bottomless pit of Euros, I would be traveling every 2 weeks. Except that it's not and I only have 26 days of holidays to use.

8. Fiesta de Gracia. Every year, in August, my neighborhood goes insane decorating the streets according to a particular theme, trying to outdo each other in making the best papier maché art. There's a street party in every corner. And beer is as low as a euro. There are fireworks (firecrackers, really). There are giants. And there are concerts in the plazas. And for a few days, the locals and the tourists get drunk side by side and get along.

It's a magnificent site really. Although it can be a pain in the ass if you live here (luckily for me, while I live in the neighborhood, I sit right on the border so the party never reaches me) because the noise won't let you sleep, and the smell of pee will haunt you forever.

9. I get to live my dream of becoming a tour guide. I take pleasure in giving my friends both the touristy tour, and the "insider" tour when they're here. Of course, the Gaudi things are a must. But where to eat and drink is where I shine.

I like taking my friends to drink at the plazas, and steering them away from the overpriced scam of the restaurants in Gothic. I like showing them the streets that held the scenes of The Shadow of the Wind (at least to the ones who read it), and then stuff their faces with patatas bravas and mussels at tiny restaurants tucked in the smaller, more residential streets, of Gracia.

And when they flood their Instagram feed with pictures of their trip, captioned with "food-gasm" or "#besttripever", the sore feet and the extra pounds gained after were all worth it.

10. The opportunity to get to know myself better. What's a KAX blog post if there's no cheesy, moral of the story to it? While the last 2 years have shown me my boundaries, it has also shown me that I can be resourceful and persistent enough to not let them stop me from pushing forward. It has shown me that I can be independent and that I can take care of myself (struggling a bit here, but I'm learning). It has shown me that while my anxieties seem paralyzing sometimes, I also can drag myself out of bed kicking and screaming because I've never really acquired the taste for defeat.

It may sound terrible -- but while I do miss my friends, and my family, and the many comforts of home: I'm so glad to be here in Barcelona and be given the chance to slowly (really slowly) be the person I would like myself to be.

Bonus:

Getting called guapa, all the time! And not in a sleazy "Hola, guapa, give me a smile" kind of way either. The cleaning ladies in our office always says "hasta mañana, guapa!" when I say goodbye. Or the store owners after I've paid for my purchases tell me "Gracias, guapa!". Even the old lady in my building whenever I run into her in the lift always says "Buenos dias, guapa!"

Never mind that they probably say that to everybody, so I'm not special. I still take it as a validation and I say goodbye with a smile on my face, and a renewed confidence that puts an extra spring in my step. Priceless.

So yep, 2 years! Wow.Last year I wrote about how life has been so far, one year in. No major changes have occurred since then. Just tiny ones. Like:

My Spanish is still ridiculous but functional. I've moved up a half a size when it comes to my pants. I still haven't learned to walk in heels - and to be frank, I've given up. I've gotten way better in cooking. And all my clothes are still intact despite having to do my laundry and ironing by myself. Friends, I have. And they are a fantastic group of people. My lights still need changing, and so does my shower head. My savings is a joke. But I think this is the version of Kax I like the best :)

#expat adventures #expat life #expat living #adventure

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