After 17 hours in airports and crowded airplanes and losing 6 hours due to the time change, I arrived in Barcelona, Spain on the 2nd of November, 2005. It was a beautifully warm day, and my welcome was equally warm, as the graduate student that I had been emailing, Núria Mallen, was there to greet me with the customary kiss on each cheek. I mention this because the second kiss took me by surprise, as my Chilean friends at Cornell had made me accustomed to just one on the right cheek. We made our way out to the parking lot, and I observed the rows of compact vehicles common to Europe. As we drove the highway from Barcelona to Reus, approximately 100 kilometers to the southwest (yes, adjusting to the metric system has been difficult), the Mediterranean Sea was always visible to my left, and the landscapes to my right resembled some of California. When we arrived in Reus, I was brought to a residence hall used by the students of the medical university here in town. I had the afternoon to rest from my travels, but upon discovering a pair of underwear in a drawer, I instead decided to clean my new abode. I wanted to let some air in, and I noticed that, indeed, I had openings to the outdoors, and they were in fact sliding glass doors. However, there is no balcony, and I am on the third floor, so I am lead to believe that there are no building codes (or at least they are less stringent than those in the U.S.), as I don’t think such an arrangement would pass back home. Settling back into ‘dorm life’ has been a bit of an adjustment – as I now live amongst 17 and 18 year olds – but the overall situation is convenient, with food prepared for me, linens provided, a cleaning service once a week, a washing machine in the building, and a central location in town.
Being centrally located in town has its costs and benefits. I am fortunate to be within walking distance to museums, shopping, food, the post office, a gym, and the train station. Pedestrians are common, as the city streets are narrow and parking is difficult. Thus, I feel safe walking around to these various places. Nonetheless, living in a true city, with traffic, noise, and well, lots of people is quite different from life on the farm and even life in Davis or Ithaca. These were the reasons, for example, that I decided to join the gym, as running on the streets is difficult and intermittent. Overall, though, I am happy with my living situation, and I know it will provide some interesting learning experiences in these next three months.
Pictures of Reus can be seen at my Shutterfly website in the folder "Country Mouse."
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