Trying unsuccessfully to wind down and get ready for bed before at least 11:30 tonight. I've been studying for a grammar exam we have tomorrow, and also trying to finish sending in necessary paperwork for Boston College Social Work (I got accepted!!), and also eating a weird pasta dinner concoction because I felt too college-y eating just pudding and an apple for dinner.
Another lovely, whirlwind of a weekend! Friday I went over to the house of Kate and Angela, 2 girls from Michigan who came together to the TEFl program, and they are just absolutely wonderful. Sari and Stacy also came so the 5 of us made this gigantic delicious dinner of roasted chicken, roasted veggies, garlic bread, and of course, ample red wine and dark chocolate (making my mother proud). We watched the Sex and the City movie, cliche as that sounds, and it was just a low key night and so so needed, as our week of classes is getting seriously more and more intense, we're done to only a week or so left!
Saturday the same 5 of us took this ridiculously long train ride to Montserrat, where we then took a funicular (!!) up into the mountains to see a Benedictine monk monastery! The funicular was beyond amazing, except for a few people who had some really bad B.O situations behind me, but the views were spectacular even though Barcelona was really hazy yesterday. The monastery was nothing like I though it would be- I was expecting monks wandering around with Birkenstock-like sandals and hearing chanting, but instead it was like a tiny city, complete with hotels and tourists abound. The basilica was breathtaking- churchs or cathedrals in Europe never fail to take my breath away; I always have a hard time contemplating and really wrapping my head around the fact of how ancient everything is, and how many people have come to visit the basilica before me. Gorgeous, huge stained windows and lots of gilded hanging medieval-like lamps in the cathedral, and there was even someone practicing the organ when we were there so we stopped to listen, which was probably one of my favourite parts of the trip.
One of the most astounding things about this monastery was, there was a Black Madonna at this church! I've always wanted to see one, after reading this fascinating book called "Traveling with Pomegranates" by Sue Monk Kidd, who explains how rare they are and how so many of the Black Madonnas were often destroyed because people way back when used to worship them and viewed them as the Feminine Face of God and the Catholic church wasn't a huge fan of that (don't let me get on my feminist soapbox, alright?) So we waited in line to see this Virgin and she was so much bigger than I thought she would be, and holding a black baby Jesus on her lap! I was so awestruck, I couldn't really handle staring at her for too long but just seeing it was really something.
The rest of the weekend was also swell- I found this nerdy pirate themed bar called Hook and persuaded like 10 other kids from my class to go, and it was completely worth it! Everything was pirate themed, even the waiters, and it wasn't tacky or cheesy( or maybe I'm just too into that to notice). Then we skipped over to the beach since it was so mild out, and I found myself being dragged to a really disgusting trashy area called Port Olympic which is filled to the brim with really expensive bars and girls who apprently don't need to wear clothing to be out in public. The dancing to "Greased Lightning" and other American pop songs with my crew was really big fun, and I lasted until 3 AM when I headed home.
Thus begins the really busy week of : grammar test, finding a new apartment to move into after my course ends on March 31st, prepping for my bff Peter and his boyfriend Schuyler to come visit, and also applying to jobs. Oh, and getting ready to head to LONDON in 2 weeks to meet up with my mom! Huzzah!
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