la mercé

this past weekend was la mercé. it's the biggest holiday in barcelona. la mercé is on september 24th and celebrates the catholic feast day of our lady of mercy. unlike back home, where people just go to mass for a day, the spanish do it big! even though the holiday technically only lasts one day, they stretch the celebrations into four nights- thursday through sunday. on monday or tuesday they started setting up different tents and blocking off certain streets. school and work are canceled on friday. hardly any stores or restaurants are open. everyone roams the streets and the metros are even more crowded and sweaty than usual.

on thursday night, my friends and i went were on our way to a fireworks show on the beach when we stumbled onto a carnival. it reminded me of the state fair back home minus the stinky animals. one of my roommates, her friend, and i got on one of the rides. sooo much fun.



then on to the fireworks... beautiful as usual. my camera failed at capturing the moment.

("fireworks setting" my ass)

later that night, we hit up ovella negra ("black sheep" in catalan), one of our favorite bars, and then sashayed on down to otto zutz - a kyke event. it was hip hop night, so you know i was happy... fyi kyke is this infamous club promoter who used to be a RA for my program. if you work it right, you'll never have to pay to get into a club here.


(kyke, kiah & me).............................................. (jennie-roommate, jeannette & me)

on friday, some friends and i met up and explored plaza catalunya before going to the parade. we saw some wannabe circ de soleil act. and there was music, charities, and political groups out promoting their agendas.


the "circus" act................................ some giants at the parade

this band was GETTIN it!................................. and so were the dancers on stilts

saturday was unbelievable! i had been really looking forward to correfoc since my RA told me about it the week before. we went to the one at plaza sant jaume. looking out into the crowd you'd think people were going to rob a bank. everyone was covered from head to toe to avoid getting burnt. some even went as far as wearing goggles and gloves. there was this archway that looked like the gates of hell at one end of the plaza. and there were dragons and demons that would spray fire onto you. it's tradition to run under the fire and do a little dance where you hop around like a rabbit... and the drums! i felt like i was in a medieval spanish version of "drumline". the music that filled the air pounded inside your body. that combined with the exploding fireworks and the scary demons really got your blood pumping! i'm a jumpy person, so i was legit scared at some points. but i sucked it up and danced under the fire with the locals!

the gates of hell................................................. getting ready (courtesy of sandy)

afterwards, my friends and i hurried across town to catch the last half of ok go's performance. sandy and i found out about the outdoor concert 5 minutes before correfoc. we didn't really know exactly where to go or what to expect, but the end result was nice. i'd never been a huge fan, but i was excited to go to a concert mainly because i was missing scu's fall concert. the guys were funny and the atmosphere was nice. some people were talking, drinking beer, and enjoying conversation. others were jumping up and down and singing the lyrics. when i got home, i immediately downloaded "skyscrapers".

sunday we went to the biggest castell competition of the year with the best teams from barcelona and surrounding towns. castell means "castle" and are these big towers and pyramids that are stories high. people form by standing on top of one another. at first the smaller groups performed on a big stage. then, the big shots came out and had to perform on the ground in order to have enough space to build their castells. at first, people cheer and make noise, but when the castell is at a certain point, "shhhh"s will ripple through the crowd, signaling quiet. once the group is nearly done, music will play and everyone will yell and clap. then, children aged 4 or 5 will climb to the top of the castell and when they wave their hands, it means the tower is complete. watching the groups gave me chills - especially when one really tall castell collapsed. my heart froze and i was so scared for the children who fell (at least 3 1/2 stories!) from the top. of course they were wearing helmets and someone caught them, but was so striking to me was the fact that i couldn't hear them scream. i was standing 10 feet away from the base and all i could hear was the gasps and clapping of the crowd.


sunday night was chill. homework had piled up... i was once again faced with the fact that i have to actually study abroad. so, i missed the fireworks & fountain show that was choreographed to music. i regret not going now, because everyone that went said it was the best fireworks show they've ever seen in their life. but, i did get to eat a paella to top off a very eventful and unforgettable mercé.

fashion week hoopla

so for those who don't know, this past few days was London Fashion Week, and now you know :]

most those who know me personally know that i'm lightweight obsessed with all things fashion and style. and someday i want to put two of my loves together (fashion x writing) and become the editor-in-chief of some top name fashion magazine.

a girl can dream right?

well, every once in awhile, for us ambitious girls, we get to do things that others who aren't as ambitious or daring or inventive (yes, i am all that AND more lol) don't get to do.

don't ask me how it came about, but on wednesday i was able to attend the KTZ show for LDN fashion week. my first fashion show ever and my first step into the wonderful world that i dream of being apart of.

one word: AMAZING.

when i got in line waiting for my turn to enter the room where many have showcased the fruits of blood, sweat and tears, i was in awe of who i was standing in line with. natural haired fashionistas who spray painted their locks with gold and wore funky tights, the interns and assistants just praying that they don't screw anything up with their high profile fashion tyrannical bosses, flamboyant brits who when they happen to graze your elbow apologize by saying "sorry babe! i adore your shoes love!", and of course the celebrities from other countries who i have never heard of but were getting oogles and snapped by cameras as they walked in the door. 

and then there was me. essentially a nobody, but a nobody who was at the same place as these somebodies.

when i walked in, the place was packed but i luckily managed to snag a spot in the 3rd row. 

i was also really excited because admittedly, i had never heard of KTZ (Kokon to Zai) before but after doing some research the night before, I saw how much of his brand was related to everything I love.

 

it's retro, eclectic, totally '90's inspired but at the same time futuristic. AWESOME.

 so the next few days was fashion weekend which is a completely different scene. whereas fashion week is an invite only type of thing, anyone can attend LDN fashion weekend as long as they buy a ticket. it's more of a shopping day where they have rooms and rooms and multiple levels of discounted designer pieces. pretty much heaven except for the fact that i still couldn't afford anything, even with the discounts! beautiful pieces though. they also had a sharpie bar where i got to decorate a sharpie bag and get free sharpies! makeovers and makeup classes, and of course the catwalk!

me at the show (front row!)

my goodie bag stuffed to the brim

Same city new Image

So London, although small in size, is one of the most diverse areas in the world. Yes you hear that often and about ten million times when you finally get to the city but you don’t really believe it until you actually get here.
In the first two weeks of being here I’ve just stayed around my neighborhood and gone to the occasional tourist site but never more than that. Somehow everywhere I want to go or end up going is all within a few blocks of each other or in small clusters of places I go to often. Recently that all changed when we went to visit Brixton, the Afro-Caribbean neighborhood here in London.
The first trip happened when we found out about a location that played Hip Hop (a rare thing for us at that point). When we got off the tube and stepped into Brixton it was clear that I was no longer in my neighborhood. I mean just the layout and the never ending black hair and beauty stores could tell you that. The streets where pretty empty aside from the occasional group of people walking around trying to get to wherever it was they had to. We ended up at the location and were instantly amazed (in a good way) by the atmosphere inside. The place was playing mostly underground Hip Hop and everyone was chillin listening to the music with the occasional dancer on the floor trying to show off whatever moves he may have. We ended up spending hours there surrounded by Hip Hop heads who seemed to want to do nothing but listen to track after track of songs most people now a days have no clue about but which these people still knew down to the very last lyric.
We ended up back in Brixton the next day to go to a Jamaican restaurant that was not meant to be missed out on. The second the waitress placed our food on the table I regretted ever eating breakfast that morning because I knew that I was not hungry enough to eat all that food (even though I wanted to). The rest of the day was spent walking around the neighborhood and market, trying to see more sights that we hadn’t the night before.
I still have more sights to see and more neighborhoods to visit, each a little different and with its own feel. I've learned that in this city, no matter what your tastes might entail, you can always be in the London you want.

feliz cumpleanos!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR FELLOW TRAVELLER! do it grande, anayo...london-town ain't ready!!

Toilet Tales

i knew that the hour long orientation to proper toilet etiquette/strategies/wtf to do would not be the last of the potty talk for the 4 months to follow. don't worry - i'll try to keep it peeG-13 (tehehe).

allow me to paint the picture. imagine the toilet you have come to know and love. now, imagine they made the toilet seat flush with the bathroom floor so that there was no way you could possibly sit on it. if we have any (female) campers out there, reminisce about the delicate balancing act in which you squat far enough back as to not pee on the back of your pants, but not so far that your donk meets ground.

in many ways, that camping scenario is more logistically pleasing than the Thailand squat toilet...at least dirt doesn't provide the perfect curvature and splash-prone surface to make sure that absolutely every ounce of pee manages to splash back onto your feet. now that you've managed to semi-successfully aim into the basin, it's time to flush. and by flush, i mean take a scoopful of water from a sketchy basin and allow the laws of gravity to (hopefully) take your excrements with it. Try to go numero dos and you're pushing your luck with the water gravity method.

once in a blue moon, I'll come across a "normal" toilet. Before you get too excited, let me say this -- Thailand doesn't do toilet paper. Don't get me wrong, they'll always have the toilet paper holder...empty...reminding you of the good 'ol days of clean butt-hood. luckily, my (thai) roommate studied in Australia long enough to have the toilet paper tradition rub off on her (no pun intended).

p.s. all jokes and discomfort aside - once i got used to it: 1) i realized how much effing toilet paper the U.S. wastes and 2) we should take a couple notes from our Thai friends on the squatting position as it relates to going number 2 - all i have to say is that it is much more conducive to success (and with all the rice i've been eating, god knows i need all the help i can get)

they say a picture is worth a thousand words:

Culture Shock: 10 Random Differences I Noticed Between London and the Bay Area/U.S.

1. People love squirrels here. No joke, they act like squirrels are equivalent to dogs or something. They pet them, feed them, take pictures with them, secretly try to take them home....if I was back in the bay, i'd be in some staring contest with a squirrel at SCU trying to figure out how I'm going to get out of my dorm without those beasts attacking me.
2. Pidgeons - EVERYWHERE. However, the ones here seem to have been trained not to poop on people or fly away when you kick their heads. Back home, the human species is perfect for daily Pidgeon Pooping Target Practice.
3. Everyone is stylish...hmm, maybe that's too general. For the most part though, the greater population of London knows how to dress "smart" (as they say here). You can catch mostly all the men wearing suits, a sports jacket and jeans or a nice blazer and pants---all while riding a bicycle. As for the women, just know that tights and boots are involved. 
4. Like I mentioned in my previous post, even though the Brits drive on the wrong side ;], they still have managed to be some of the best drivers in the world! I have yet to see anyone do anything crazy like another state that I know *cough*California*cough*, but let me reiterate. THEY WILL RUN YOUR ASS OVER! Leave you without a pinky toe and feel no remorse.
5. Black women are just as beautiful as other women here. There isn't as much of this whole "why can't black women get men" or "why are all black women single" debate going on here as it is in the states. Why? Because from what I've seen since being here a very, very short time is that black women are getting just as much play as anyone else out here. Once again, from what I'VE seen, it's mostly white british men that are snatching them but regardless, they're getting snatched up! Their appreciated a lot more out here. Which leads to my next point...
6. The Black British/African men are checking for the sistahs even less than they do in the U.S. and that's saying something. I can honestly say that about 91.4% of the brothas that were in a relationship were with white women. Nothing wrong with that! Just pointing out differences. This also leads to my next point...
7. Mixed race children are taking over out here. Biracial kids are still somewhat novelty back in the states but out here, whoooo, all I can say is I've never seen so much of that light brown, 3b/3c, curly hair in my life! It's a beautiful thing though. Black/white kids, Asian/white kids, Indian/Asian kids, French/African/British kids---the list goes on! No wonder the Brits think that mixed race people are the best looking- they're everywhere!
8. Obesity isn't a problem here, like, at all. I knew it from the moment I ordered what's called "chicken bites" out here and would be called "chicken tenders" back home. So instead of getting 5 fried, lard butt pieces of chicken, I got 7 pea sized "bites" of chicken. There's no way to get fat! Now, I'm not hating on the portion sizes out here it's actually better that they don't give you a Hungry Man meal and expect you to finish it but I did NOT know that pea-size chicken tenders existed. I love the variety of food choices out here though (except for the lack of Mexican, I'm from the bay so it's lowkey mandatory that there be a Mexican restaurant or taqueria within 20 feet of you), just around the corner from where I live there are some Italian restaurants, a Lebanese restaurant, American style food, a pizerria, Chinese & Thai restaurants and at least 50 more that I haven't explored yet. Yum Yum.
9. They give a sh*t more about their buildings, history, landscape and architecture. We give three sh*ts less.
10. In the states, we looooove to make fun our world leaders/people in power. There just as much targets of ridicule as humans are during pidgeon pooping target practice. It's ridiculous (not that I'm not guilty of it too) but something that I admire about the Brits is that they gain a sense of pride through their monarchy. The queen is revered dearly and to this day, they love Princess Diana as if she never left. Any day of the week, you can catch people in Hyde Parck at the Palace gates leaving flowers for her. It's amazing. We do have a few people who can stir up that much pride for Americans as well, but even they get forgotten over time.

 So those are ten very random cultural differences that I've noticed. There are tons more that I've seen while only being here since last week...maybe I'll do a part two. Anyway, I just got back from the Thames River Festival which is a huge annual festival full of performances, workshops, good food, clothing vendors, tutorials (I learned how to make sushi!), art, dancing, and freebies. So much fun! I'm back in the South Ken for a little break (been there since morning) but I'm about to head back for the parade. The city is always abuzz and it is utterly impossible for you to be bored/not be able to find something to do. Me and London are definitely honeymoonin', I'm in love.

barcelona 101

living in barcelona has been a crazy experience so far. you all know about my struggle to get here, and now that i'm here i'm having so much fun... maybe too much :). after finding sandy (my roommate) in the airport the first night, we took a taxi to our homestay. i was filled with so much nervous anticipation that i was shaking. would my "madre" (host mom) be nice? will i like her food. what will the place look like? can i really live here for 3 1/2 months?!

as soon as the taxi stopped and we started to unpack our bags, we were warmly greeted by nina our "hermana" and her boyfriend. nina is 24 and speaks english and spanish. her boyfriend only speaks spanish, but he was really nice and helpful. as we made our way up the stairs, we were greeted by our madre, imma. she's 50-something, really petite and incredibly talkative (she doesn't speak any english). we were brought to our room which is a nice size with twin beds, a table, 2 chairs, 2 nightstands, a fridge, a small flat screen tv, and (my favorite) a balcony. the room is small, but nice and neat & sandy and i have our own bathroom with drawers for our stuff. the food is pretty good for the most part and i really don't have any complaints (other than the lack of juice). we were also greeted by a young, italian man named andrea. he's only in spain for a few weeks to learn spanish. (what he's learned in the past 3 weeks or so trumps my 4 years of studying in high school and 2 semesters in college.) he lives in the room next to ours and has a bathroom of his own. he's extremely kindhearted and helpful because he speaks english and spanish. so, he's been a kind of translator for us. on top of that, he's shown sandy and i around to some of the bars (chupitas!) and discotecas in our area.

being here has also forced me to step outside my comfort zone more. i'm generally a shy person until i feel comfortable or safe. however, i realize that i may never be completely comfortable while i'm here because i can't fully communicate with most of the people who live here. so, i have to get over myself and just try. so, that's what i've been doing. trying, failing, and trying again.

living here has been a whirlwind. i've made so many little mistakes. like ordering a sangria on las ramblas (street) and having to pay 13 euros for it. or taking a wrong turn and having to walk for an extra 20 minutes. or not drinking enough water and dying of thirst. or choosing to have lunch at a restaurant where nobody else is eating. or (the worst) being hardheaded and wearing my favorite (and painful) wedged boots out on a 15 minute walk to the movies and back. but, with every mistake, i learn. and i think i'm starting to get the hang of things now.

during these past few days i've gotten lost in the city countless times... for those of you who know me, this is not at all surprising. however, in my defense, the streets and signs in barca are sooo different than those at home. none of the sidewalks are really straight - you have to turn rounded corners before crossing the street. most of the streets are one-way (still don't understand how that works) and it took me 5 whole days to realize that most of the street names are on buildings opposite of crosswalks. but, today, sandy and i finally mastered the metro! (using the metro, itself, isn't that hard, but finding our way to and from the metro has proved difficult before.) furthermore, i always carry a bottle of water with me because it's always hot and humid so, i always sweat and get thirsty. i only pick restaurants with lots of people in it. and i've sworn to never wear any sort of heel or wedge again (at least while i'm here)! i've also decided to try to speak a little more spanish to imma now, instead of shying away or only saying "si" or "no".

barcelona is amazing, beautiful, and has so much to offer. there's always something to do or see or somewhere to go. i'm so grateful for my homestay and imma because i've heard of horror stories from other friends' homestays. i've met so many new people and it's crazy to think that i may never have been able to come here and meet them in the first place (with all my financial aid drama). now, i can't even imagine not knowing them. you create such fast friendships and have so much fun in such a short time. it's only been a week, but it feels like it's been much longer. living here is surreal. (typing the previous sentence has me flipping out because i'm actually living here.) i mean, i'm staying in barcelona, spain - halfway around the world - for 3 1/2 months! that's crazy to me! i miss my family and friends who are in the states or studying elsewhere, abroad, but i'm so glad i'm here and i hope that i can make barca a second home.

Ms. Larkin goes to Washington.

These past two weeks have been crazy!!
I can't even begin to talk about every detail but I will do my best to point out some highlights:

Week 2, 8/23-27
Monday, the internship fair went well, I met some great people got a couple calls back and currently have three organizations interested in "hiring" me. My last one is tomorrow, at which time i will make a decision.

The rest of the week was pretty uneventful until Friday.
Anacostia:American University resides in Tenleytown, one of the wealthier wards of the city. Anacostia is in the 7th ward one of the two poorest wards. In the daytime, it's a great place to see people and historic sites. At night... it's a great time to go back to campus. Even the residents were like "I hope you guys are leaving!!" While the class was there we went to a launch party for an art center's website. I have video for that, one day when i learn how, it will be posted.

I finally got to check out DC night life and for some reason unbeknownst to myself, after paying $15 to be in a club for 90min. the bouncer kicked me out... (NO I WAS NOT ACTING A FOOL) but my underage markers were no longer visible blahblahblah....

Week 3, 8/30-9/3
I had two interviews scheduled for this week, went to both, both went well :D!!
On Tuesday, I went to Busboys and Poets watched Michael Ting perform. He's great, the other performers were great. If I knew how to upload videos from my blackberry i would post the videos...in the words of Kanye West: #itsaprocess

On Thursday some friends and I went to Columbia Heights and found an authentic taqueria and panadería.. also checked out a couple charter schools and public schools. This mayoral election season could change how public education in DC is structured. Voters have a tough decision to make in November.

The way each week is structured, I have Mon. and Tues. for an internship, Wed. -Fri. for class time. Class is about 3 hours each day. The professor is awesome. She has been in DC all of her life and has been teaching the class for the past +20 years. Next week she's treating the class to Ben's Chili Bowl and a tour of Shaw/U street.

So those were the highlights..nothing too glamourous.

>>>Side notes:
The weather is cooling down!!!!! yay!!!!
The dining area on Main Campus is fun, they play great music...
I'm doing my best to meet new people and get involved on campus...again, #itsaprocess
Carla is coming to visit on Friday!!!!!!
I have yet to go on Howard's campus, but I have met Howard students....


Sorry this was long, I will post more often.
LOVE and MISS you all!

London, you amaze me

So I’ve been in London for four days now and upon arriving to the city the first day and taking the coach back to our flat I thought I had the city down and understood what it had to offer. As we came to Kensington (the area that we live in) and began to walk around I started to get a feel for what the city was like. In this area you see Rolls Royce, Bentleys, Porches, and Range Rovers on every street corner. Houses here are impeccable and cost millions of POUNDS and with all of that I felt like this might be what I was getting myself into.

I WAS DEAD WRONG!!!!!

In the last two days I’ve gotten to know what the REAL London is like and all that it has to offer. Kensington is just a small taste of London and in no way represents all of what this city is about. On a late night attempt to find a place to eat, I somehow ended up on Piccadilly with Anayo and Sandy and that area was crazy.

The streets were alive; clubs were packed, pubs were packed, the sidewalks were filled with people and I was loving it. The city was alive and the people out that night were so diverse that I just wanted to be a part of that crowd. You would see men in designer outfits standing outside of a club and right next to them would be punk rockers decked out in sick gear. Even hanging out at a pub down there was a cool way to spend a night. Hip-Hop music blasting out the speakers while people hung out before going to the clubs.

The only thing that I would have changed that night was a WEIRD eatery that had thee most stank smell ever and cooked meat in the window that looked seriously questionable, never again. The smell still haunts me and makes me quiver.

The next day when we went on a coach tour around the city increased my love for London. In the 2 ½ tour around the city we were still unable to see all the major locations of London. The tour guide was taking us around and pointing to so many different locations that he would be pointing at ten buildings and your head would be turning so fast that you wouldn’t even know what you were looking at nor would you have enough time to take everything in. You would see a tower and castle with a moat from the 1700’s right next to a building built in the last 10 years and another shaped like a car's headlight. The eclecticness of this city just added to its character.

With the Boroughs of Camden, the East End, and the majority of London yet to be visited I know that my stay in London will continue to be incredible and I know it will continue to blow my mind. It still hasn’t all sunk in that I am a continent away and that I will be living in this city for the next 3 ½ months, but until it does sink in I will enjoy every minute of this dream.

just touched down in londontown

"take me on a trip

i'd like to go someday..."

on the plane, i looked out the window for the last 30 minutes of my flight across the pond,

  i saw lots of green, more than i'd ever seen in the bay area, a palace, and London's version of the 101 - except everyone's driving in the opposite direction!

"wow, i can't believe this, it's finally hitting me...i'm heeeeeere!"

i reside in Kensington which is where the royalty of England resides, don't blink too fast or you might miss Prince Harry or William crossing the street.

On that note, i've never seen a place where the pedestrians are left to such reckless abandon as London.

Sometimes there are crosswalks - most of the time there aren't.
Everyone jaywalks, and people will silently shake their heads if they see you actually waiting for the crosswalk light to change.

Most of the time, you have to just run through the street or you WILL get hit by a bus or a car that ain't stopping for NOBODY. I kid you not. Just run.

and most of the time, I was looking to the left to cross the street when I should've been looking to the right and if it weren't for the blaring horns of annoyed locals, you wouldn't be reading this post right now. 

 Anyway, besides the fact that I'll-probably-never-get-used-to-looking-in-a-different-direction-and-me-screaming-because-I-think-someone-is-making-a-turn-into-the-wrong-side-when really I look crazy, London is exactly where I need to be.

Just walking around in Kensington (of all neighborhoods), the diversity is CRAZY. Everyone you can imagine, and THEN some is here. On our way to the residence halls, I kept pointing out all the African people...and then I put two and two together. Black doesn't exist here.

I mean of course there are black people in London but the ones that are actually born and raised are African (Nigerian, Ethiopian, Somalian, etc.) and came from their African diaspora. The "blacks" in London are the ones that came over from America. So the "black" people who migrated to London can be referred to as "African British" or just African That's just crazy interesting to me. 

Can I mention the accent one time? You already know! 

And the fashion! the music! the punk kids walking down the street with angst in their eyes and cigarettes in their mouths, it's a city of inspiration! I've experienced all of this today and i've only walked about 10 blocks of this place! LOL

Though I was practically lost every step of the way, i'm going to make the next three months mean something.

It's me and you London.

- Emmef