Yes, is the truth... for all students not yet fluent in Spanish, school has started on Thursday. All the lucky ones who are already fluent in Spanish have one more month, can you believe it, on full month of vacation!! The actual first day of the MBA program will be September 27. However, before that we'll have the pre-MBA courses so even the lucky Spaniards will have to come by the school and get a refresher on accounting or quantitative methods. We'll also have a communication course which is compulsory for all.
So, on Thursday, among other things we had the Spanish placement test. One short oral communication test and a computerized grammar test. The oral one was easy, the grammar was another story. There were about 50 to 60 questions, can't remember exactly, ordered by difficulty. The first twenty, no problem! From there on I had to make my brains think. The last 20, hmmm... I had to go by instinct.
Friday morning we got the results and surprise! I was placed in section G7 working on module 8. That was better than I thought. Apparently I must have got some questions right. Neat! That means by the end of the intensive Spanish course I could be done with section 10 and then maybe have sections 11 & 12 completed before the end of the calendar year. My colleagues in section G8 are already working on an intensive preparation for the DIEN exam, which apparently is the culmination of the Spanish course. I've heard the final test is hard so I better get a good hold on "Subjuntivo" before the end of these sections.
That's it for now. Got to go to bed soon. Did I mention we have classes on Saturday? Yeap! Half day but still../ on Saturday... YUK... I'll try to make some time tomorrow to write a little more about life here in Barca. So much had happened in the last month and I wrote so little. That's how it is... time flies when I'm having fun!
Friday, August 31, 2007
Friday, August 17, 2007
Music for the soul
I finally found out how to make a video entry. Enjoy one of my favorite songs at the moment: Zece - Florin Chilian
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Working M through F, turists on the weekends
I was told Spain is on vacation in August but I didn't really understand what this meant until I arrived here. Every other store has a sign in Spanish or Catalan with a note something like this:
Last weekend we went up on a mountain and this weekend we took a stroll by the Mediterranean Sea. If you want to get a great view of the city is best to do it from above. Believe me, I didn't realize how impressive Barcelona is until we took this trip to the top of Tibidabo.
We walked and walked up the hill, on a hot humid afternoon. By the time we reached the midpoint we decided it was time for a break, so we stopped at a terrace to grab un refresco. From here we caught the cable cart, for the steepest part of the way. The view was magnificent, but when we reached the top we were unpleasantly surprised to find an amusement park right alongside the Sacred Heart Church. That was odd. I wonder if the church runs the park, because otherwise I don't understand how was it possible to obtain a permit to run religious and amusement worship centers at the same time. Hmmm, maybe that's the new incentive to attract people to go to church up on the steep hill! Great marketing!
"On vacation. We'll be back in September".
Amazing! The other amazing thing about Spain is that on the weekends it's impossible to do business. At the grocery store they close from 2 to 5PM on Saturday and on Sunday they close for the entire day. So, during the week we search for apartments (what a pain this is!!!) and on the weekends we become tourists (which is actually not bad at all ;).Last weekend we went up on a mountain and this weekend we took a stroll by the Mediterranean Sea. If you want to get a great view of the city is best to do it from above. Believe me, I didn't realize how impressive Barcelona is until we took this trip to the top of Tibidabo.
We walked and walked up the hill, on a hot humid afternoon. By the time we reached the midpoint we decided it was time for a break, so we stopped at a terrace to grab un refresco. From here we caught the cable cart, for the steepest part of the way. The view was magnificent, but when we reached the top we were unpleasantly surprised to find an amusement park right alongside the Sacred Heart Church. That was odd. I wonder if the church runs the park, because otherwise I don't understand how was it possible to obtain a permit to run religious and amusement worship centers at the same time. Hmmm, maybe that's the new incentive to attract people to go to church up on the steep hill! Great marketing!
This weekend we went down to sea level to enjoy the breeze. We quickly learned that Barceloneta beach is fully packed on the weekends so we decided to check out Sitges and Vilanova i la Gertru, located about 40km southwest of Barcelona. We got there by train but buses and cars are a popular option also. Sitges is definitely a touristy place worth visiting. We had one of the best rotisserie chicken at a local restaurant and than hit the nicely groomed promenade Miramar. The beach was busy here as well, 
however, if you don't like the crowds you can continue walking south and find a secluded cove and a beach all to yourself. That's what we did. We walked and walked until we found a nice little beach than continued walking and hiking all the way to Vilanova i la Gertru. This small town is nothing like Sitges, but the beach is really nice and wide and the sand fine and soft. It was worth exploring the area by getting off the beaten path. 
As one can imagine, it was an enjoyable and tiring day trip. We walked and hiked about 8km and seen all sorts of interesting views. After such a busy day, I'm sure we'll be sleeping well tonight!
however, if you don't like the crowds you can continue walking south and find a secluded cove and a beach all to yourself. That's what we did. We walked and walked until we found a nice little beach than continued walking and hiking all the way to Vilanova i la Gertru. This small town is nothing like Sitges, but the beach is really nice and wide and the sand fine and soft. It was worth exploring the area by getting off the beaten path. 
As one can imagine, it was an enjoyable and tiring day trip. We walked and hiked about 8km and seen all sorts of interesting views. After such a busy day, I'm sure we'll be sleeping well tonight!Per your request...
One beach photo for Wei :) Vila Olimpica on a hot summer day. More pics to come!
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Pictures!!
Finally I got a moment to put up some of the pictures we took in the last days.
Lera, Lisa, Heiko, Tessa, Jared, Rafael & Carmen @ Kibuka
Heiko attacking some delicious desert
Hsiang, Rafael and Brandon @ Bar 314
Fiesta Latina @ Club Noir (No, I'm not pocking Lera's eyes!)
Some decided that tequila shots are a good way to start the night!...more to come later....
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
First days... first impressions...
So, I was wrong... I'm still jet legged. Can't you tell? It's about 1:30 AM and I'm checking email and blogging. Well, I really hope it will go away in the next day 'cause I have work to do. No more waking up at 12PM and trying to start the day when everyone is at siesta. :)
I wasn't sure if I'll share this with you but in the end I decided it will be a lot of fun reading these notes one or two years from now. This story is from Tuesday, our first day in Barcelona. I was really tired coming off the plane... after we took a taxi to the apartment, I struggled opening the apartment door as the key locks are quite tricky on this side of the world. Finally, someone from the inside opened. It was Jane, one of our roommates. After introducing ourselves and chatting a little bit she showed me the room we were renting. In the excitement of the moment, after checking the room briefly, I placed the keys on the table and ran to take the elevator to help Rafael with the luggage. As I was closing the elevator door, I hear a loud noise: boom!! It was the apartment door closing behind me. I didn't think too much of it and continued down, where we loaded our many luggage’s in the elevator. Once we reached the floor and unloaded everything, as we were preparing to enter the apartment I realized that I didn't have the keys!! No problem I say, let's knock, as Jane must still be inside. So we knocked, and knocked, and rang the bell... All sorts of scenarios were going through our heads: maybe she left the house taking the stairs while we were coming up with the elevator, or maybe she took a nap because she wasn't feeling well... or maybe this, or maybe that. The thing is that we were hot, and tired, and perspired... and I was angry to leave the keys inside. So, I'm thinking of a strategy to get out of the building and try to walk to one other roommate's work place to borrow her keys. Then we find out we cannot get out of the building as the door downstairs is locked (later we learned how to use a buzzer to open that door). Now I'm pissed and it's getting hotter and hotter in the hallway! Rafael is keeping his spirits up as he realizes I'm on my last straw. He continues to knock, make jokes and try to cheer me up. Suddenly, as he buzzes again we hear some noise on the inside. What a relief. Jane was home but was taking a shower and couldn't open the door. I think we were out in the hallway for at least 15 to 20 minutes. Finally in the room I vouched never to leave the apartment without the keys, better yet, I put Rafael in charge just in case, to avoid future problems.
From here on things start improving a little. We got something to eat but not before taking a cold shower (we didn't know how to turn on the heater :) and then took a walk to Rambla’s. You already know we had to walk back on foot at midnight because the train wasn't running by the time we were coming home.
On Wednesday things improved even more. We know the area a little better now and it feels more comfortable to walk through the neighborhood knowing we'll find our way back home without a map. The evening got even better as we met, for the first time, 7 of our IESE friends at a nice Japanese restaurant in Gracia. I was so excited to meet them. We talked and talked, about school, finding apartments, cell phone networks, etc... and while we were talking the food kept pouring. Apparently at this place there is a set menu and they just bring the food to the table, no need to order. Well, let me tell you, it was so much food!! Every time we thought it was over they would bring some more! AND on top of everything there was DESERT! You can imagine we couldn't say no to that! It was an enjoyable evening and the long walk back home was a welcomed and needed workout.
Tomorrow, actually is already Thursday, well today is another day! Let's see what today will bring! Good night everyone!
I wasn't sure if I'll share this with you but in the end I decided it will be a lot of fun reading these notes one or two years from now. This story is from Tuesday, our first day in Barcelona. I was really tired coming off the plane... after we took a taxi to the apartment, I struggled opening the apartment door as the key locks are quite tricky on this side of the world. Finally, someone from the inside opened. It was Jane, one of our roommates. After introducing ourselves and chatting a little bit she showed me the room we were renting. In the excitement of the moment, after checking the room briefly, I placed the keys on the table and ran to take the elevator to help Rafael with the luggage. As I was closing the elevator door, I hear a loud noise: boom!! It was the apartment door closing behind me. I didn't think too much of it and continued down, where we loaded our many luggage’s in the elevator. Once we reached the floor and unloaded everything, as we were preparing to enter the apartment I realized that I didn't have the keys!! No problem I say, let's knock, as Jane must still be inside. So we knocked, and knocked, and rang the bell... All sorts of scenarios were going through our heads: maybe she left the house taking the stairs while we were coming up with the elevator, or maybe she took a nap because she wasn't feeling well... or maybe this, or maybe that. The thing is that we were hot, and tired, and perspired... and I was angry to leave the keys inside. So, I'm thinking of a strategy to get out of the building and try to walk to one other roommate's work place to borrow her keys. Then we find out we cannot get out of the building as the door downstairs is locked (later we learned how to use a buzzer to open that door). Now I'm pissed and it's getting hotter and hotter in the hallway! Rafael is keeping his spirits up as he realizes I'm on my last straw. He continues to knock, make jokes and try to cheer me up. Suddenly, as he buzzes again we hear some noise on the inside. What a relief. Jane was home but was taking a shower and couldn't open the door. I think we were out in the hallway for at least 15 to 20 minutes. Finally in the room I vouched never to leave the apartment without the keys, better yet, I put Rafael in charge just in case, to avoid future problems.
From here on things start improving a little. We got something to eat but not before taking a cold shower (we didn't know how to turn on the heater :) and then took a walk to Rambla’s. You already know we had to walk back on foot at midnight because the train wasn't running by the time we were coming home.
On Wednesday things improved even more. We know the area a little better now and it feels more comfortable to walk through the neighborhood knowing we'll find our way back home without a map. The evening got even better as we met, for the first time, 7 of our IESE friends at a nice Japanese restaurant in Gracia. I was so excited to meet them. We talked and talked, about school, finding apartments, cell phone networks, etc... and while we were talking the food kept pouring. Apparently at this place there is a set menu and they just bring the food to the table, no need to order. Well, let me tell you, it was so much food!! Every time we thought it was over they would bring some more! AND on top of everything there was DESERT! You can imagine we couldn't say no to that! It was an enjoyable evening and the long walk back home was a welcomed and needed workout.
Tomorrow, actually is already Thursday, well today is another day! Let's see what today will bring! Good night everyone!
Barcelona, here we are!!!
I can't really believe it but...we are here!!
We arrived yesterday and were really tired. After we got settled in the room and found something to eat, we crashed from 2 to 7PM. When we came back to our senses we went out to check out La Rambla, the most famous tourist area of the city. Around 12AM we finally went to have tapas in Gracia, a neighborhood close to the one we live in. Then when we were ready to come home, we went to the metro and found out it stops running at 12AM!!! So we had to manage our way back to the apartment on foot! The good thing is that we had a map with us so we made it home safely. After that was sleep until this morning. Rafael is still sleeping :)) I think I'm back to normal now but I'll probably find out later in the afternoon.
Today we'll probably visit the school and meet with future IESE students! Can't wait to meet them all!!
Today we'll probably visit the school and meet with future IESE students! Can't wait to meet them all!!
It's done!
Sorry I kept you waiting for so long. After a small incident at the passport agency, not worth retelling, I got a new, shinny passport!! Did I mention I had to wake up at 3AM to drive all the way up to Seattle? Well, it was Rafael doing the driving so I have to thank him for that. We arrived about 7AM... the agency opened at 8AM, so I was the first in line. After a short review of my papers, I paid the fee and was told to come back at 2PM to pick up the passport. So, we went shopping at Nordstrom's and checked out the famous Pike Place Market. Then we met with a couple of IESE students and shared our stressful stories about getting ready for the big move. It was kind of comforting to hear they were going through the same thing: packing, selling furniture, closing accounts, getting everything ready to go but at the same time no sleep, loads of stress, and last minute adventures like receiving the student visa 5 days before having to leave the country!! Gush, this IESE students are really something else, aren't they!?!
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