So Why Don't We Go...Somewhere Only We Know...

I know I haven't blogged anything in a while, only because I've had a rough week.  It was so bad that me and Vicky were ready to just pack up everything and go back home to San Diego to cry to our families.  We were at rock bottom, crying our eyes out.  We got an e-mail from the Faculty that we applied for telling us there was going to be an orientation for international students.  We were excited because we thought we'd be able to register for the classes we wanted.  We had already decided on what classes to take when we first applied to go to UAB so we figured we'll get to do that during orientation.
Friday came along and we took the 1 hour metro ride to campus and that's when we got the bad news.  Our faculty wasn't going to offer anymore classes taught in English because of budget cuts.  They said they sent SDSU a letter letting them know, but I think they're lying because I e-mailed my study abroad advisor that afternoon and he replied a few days later saying he didn't receive any letter.  So now we were on our own.  We would have to go around campus on Monday when school started and look for classes to crash and hopefully register for.  BUT their class registration has got to be the shittiest system ever!  You can't do it online, like at State, but rather, you have to walk around to every department and look at the list of classes that's printed out and posted on a bulletin board, write that class down somewhere, and attend it and try to get in.  By the way, UAB is 20x the size of State, they've got 90,000+ students, it's situated in the middle of the mountains and forests somewhere, and they've got their own bus routes within the campus because that's how big it is.  And they expected me and Vicky to go to every campus and look for classes -___-.
What made it harder was that not a lot of departments are offering classes taught in English anymore, and the reason why we applied to go to UAB in the first place was because they said they had English classes available for us in the department that we applied for (which was Education).  So now, not only were we without classes that we really wanted to take and had some interest in, we would now have to take crappy classes.  It sucks even more because we have to take 4 classes in order for us to get our financial aid and scholarship money so that we can live here.
It's been 4 days of us scrambling around campus looking for classes, and getting NO help from anyone.  I'd have to say that it was the most frustrating experience EVER.  I kept thinking, God!  If I were back home and had some questions about academics or which classes/electives I should take, all I had to do was go to the Academic Advising office or talk to my EOP counselor at State and get all the answers I needed.  I don't think there's even an Academic Advising office here!  We must have talked to 20 people and only 2 provided us with some help.  We went to a History and Culture of the British class and liked it a lot, and the professor was reallyy nice to us and understanding of the situation we were in, so he introduced us to another lady who I think helps international students around the world, except for students in the U.S.  It was ok though because she actually helped us a lot by giving us a a bunch of syllabi (syllabuses? syllabus'?...sorry, Ms. Page haha!) that was all in ENGLISH!!  Finally, after 4 days, we  were able to get some answers!  So next Monday and Tuesday, we're going to crash a couple other classes and prayyyy and hooooope to the Lord above that we get into just 3 more classes, but IF we don't, it's likely that we're going to go home and take this semester off.  Here's hoping that it won't have to come to that...
On to more happier news...last weekend, Vicky and I went to the Picasso Museum because it's free to everyone on Sunday's after 3 p.m (yayyy to free admission!!)  We got there, and waited about an hour to finally get in, but it was worth it because although we didn't really understand his art and the phases he went through during his life, a lot of his stuff was really beautiful (Vicky and I really liked the one he did of his mother and another one he did of his wife--I'm not sure which one because apparently, he had many lovers/wives).  It was a bummer because we couldn't take any photos in the museum, but those two were the ones that stuck out for us.
We also walked through the Barri Gotic, which is the old gothic quarters in Barcelona.  We found this huge cathedral that looked really pretty from the outside, but it cost 6 euro to get in.  Since it was being remodeled, I thought it'd be better to go when they were done with the remodeling.  Hopefully it'll be done before we leave.  Vicky and I have been really good with checking out all the free attractions in this city.  We've gone to pretty much all the parks, all of which are soooo beautiful in their own way (even better than Balboa Park I would say).  We went to Port Vell, which is kind of like Seaport Village, only a lot bigger and with a 2 story mall, maybe the size of the Mission Valley mall.  And today, we went to Parc Guell.  I'll say it one of the most amazing, beautiful, magical parks I've ever seen.  It was designed by a famous Spanish architect named Antoni Gaudi.  A lot of the famous sites in Barcelona such as the Sagrada Familia and Casa Mila were designed by him (we still haven't seen them yet because the admission is expensive).  I took tons of pics there so you'll see what I mean when you take a look at it.  Or even better, come visit me and I'll take you there myself!
On the way back from the park, we stopped by some shops to look for some FC Barcelona jerseys.  I know nothing about soccer, but I know my dad is in love with it and one of his favorite players is Messi.  We asked the owner how much he was selling it for and he told us 60 euro.  My eyes bug out and I walk away.  He calls me back and says he'll give it to me for 45...then 40...then 35...and I still say no. Then he says he'll give it to me for 25 euro, but that's the last offer because that's how much it costs him, so he's making no profit.  I consider it for a bit, but Vicky and I decide to walk out.  We go to another store and the same thing happens.    This time though, we tell the guy that we want it for 20 and he says, IMPOSSIBLE!  Like the other guy, he wants to sell it to us for 25, but both of us know we can probably get it for a little cheaper than 25, so we walk out.  He then calls Vicky some bad word in Spanish.  I didn't hear it, but she tells me that she thinks he just said "puta madre". =O  We stumble upon another shop and the guy also says 25, but after a few minutes of telling him to give it to us for 23, he accepts our offer!  Yayyy!!  I got the best souvenir gift I could ever get for my dad.  Took a lot of work, but I know he's gonna love it!
So being in love with food and all, I'm a little surprised at myself for not eating out as much as I've wanted to since I've been here.  We've eaten out at restaurants only about 3 times, but we've spent a lot on sandwiches from local sandwich and bakery shops.  Not only are they cheap, they're  also uber delicious!  I had my first paella in Barcelona last weekend at a restaurant down the street from our flat.  I'm not a big seafood person and paella mostly consists of prawns, mussels, clams, calamari, sometimes lobster, so I just got the meat paella, which came with chicken and RABBIT.  Yes, I had rabbit meat for the first time, and it wasn't bad!  It was a lot like chicken, only a little chewier.  I also got a glass of sangria for just 2 euro, so when I'm thirsty, I'll just head down over there and get my sangria fix =).  We've mostly been cooking our food at home.  Well, Vicky's been cooking and I've been washing dishes because our kitchen's a little too small for 2 people, and because Vicky doesn't like the way I do things and I find her way of doing things odd, too.  But at the end of the day, we still get some food on the table and we manage to eat happily.  She's almost done cooking, we're having some kind of chicken and potatoes tonight because the 3 lb. bag of potatoes we bought is about to go bad soon.  My next blog will probably be about Spanish fashion.  You won't believe the things I see people wear here..it's just so weird!!  I'll try to get some pictures of people on the street and I'll post them on Facebook so you can see what I mean haha.  Until then, please keep praying that we find 3 more classes next week so we won't have to go home!