La Merce

For the record, they speak “Castellano” here, not “Español.” I have been here for almost a month, and I am not going to lie, but I am getting a bit impatient with the language. There is so much to do and so much to learn – I am trying to slow down, but it’s still all new and exciting. It’s overwhelming, but I am learning a lot – so it is definitely worth it. But can I learn the language as much as I wanted to? Let’s hope so…
This past weekend, we celebrated La Merce in Barcelona. The sardine-packed metro rides were worth the displays of brilliant fireworks on the beach. I couldn’t help but think about Disneyland in the summer. People everywhere, and even after holding hands with my friends, I lost them in the crowds. It was chaotic, but exciting nevertheless. Yesterday, I went to Park Guell once again, and climbed to the top, to capture the 360-degree view of Barcelona once again. It was quite chilly, but after walking uphill for 45 minutes to get there, I was pretty much good to go. The city looks tiny from up there, but when you walk the streets, you realize how big it is. And there are so many things to do So much to see. It’s incredible.
After the rains last week, I had created an image in my head, which I finally wrote down today… It doesn’t make too much sense, but here it is:
Rain, Dance, Words… Nonsense? Está lloviendo. Each drop is stinging me like a foreign word. Cold and unwanted. I close my eyes and remember where I am. My mind learns the freshness of each drop that lifts my soul. No longer foreign, but now a necessity. Adaptation to the movement of the tongue. I’m learning how to dance in this rain. To the rhythms and the beats of the continuously fading conversations of strangers in the city. I’m learning how to sway to the smiles of the people I see everyday in my neighborhood. The warmth of the people keep me safe. I am confident in this new world. It has been a month since I have arrived. I have a couple more months left to learn and teach my own dance in this city. I’m not going to slip and fall in the foreign rain. No necesito mi paraguas tampoco.