Updates

Today, I finally stepped out of the complex on my own. I walked down a street called "Las Ramblas" which is one of the major streets in Barcelona. It also leads to the Mediterranean Sea. So, on my "day off" I decided to take a stroll. Now, Ángel told me that what I need to know in order to avoid being robbed is to steer clear of bad areas (easy, because he knows his way around Barca) and to not seem like a tourist..... not so easy. But I did as best as I could. I left the fanny pack at home, dressed classy (I referred to the internet to see how people from Barcelona dressed) and tried to seem as confident as possible. Luckily, I wasn't looking for anything in particular, so I didn't need a huge map and I didn't look lost.
So my first steps out on Las Ramblas, I was confronted by an attractive Spanish boy. He talked to me for a little bit and spoke beautifully broken English. That in itself qualifies as a successful day in my humble opinion. I continued to the beach where I people watched for probably a solid 30 minutes. The beach was absolutely beautiful, but not as beautiful as the panhandle of Florida. Not gonna lie. But I'm not complaining.

Yesterday, I made friends which was awesome. One is from Germany and the other from Czech Republic. Neither actually are staying in Barcelona city, but they both are about 30 minutes away. Next weekend, one of the girls is going to stay in her family's flat for the weekend and I'm staying with her. I'm very much so looking forward to it and to finally do some real exploring... Like the touristy stuff. Tomorrow, I go to eat lunch with extended family. I'm really looking forward to exploring more. It's so tantalizing being here and not doing much, but I keep reminding myself, I have a year. Which reminds me, I got my citizenship here. Which I didn't even know I needed. Anyway, it's late and I suppose I should get to bed considering I won't have the opportunity to sleep in tomorrow.

Ciao!