Letters from Barcelona III

Hey Carmen Sandiego(That's my new nickname for you because it sounds Spanish and because she is all over the freakin globe). How are things? So, going to Milano...lucky! I was watching the Amazing Race on TV yesterday(it wasn't actually yesterday, it was three
days ago, but you won't know the difference because you are living with Euro trash who don't get American stations)...the groups started in Milan and there were at some huge indoor shopping place that looked like a train station...it looks pretty cool, you should check it out. And then Switzerland...what the freak? Are you going skiing or something? You know people all over the place now...got the hook ups! Sorry about your relegation to the beginners class, that sucks. But now you can make fun of all the "beginnners" since
your skills are far superior to theirs now that you have taken the pre-intermediate. You can laugh at them and taunt them when that answer questions wrong.
If you do well enough in the beginners that might bump you up to super-expert class and you debate in Spanis and stuff...ja oder nein? Sorry this is one big paragraph, for some reason I can't push the return button so it just keeps typing like so. I guess I'll end for now since I don't want your eyes getting tired. Talk to ya soon...have fun in Milan, or wait Switzerland, or wherever you are going!

Hey Chris!

It's been a while since I have had the chance to email you. How's everything going with you? I got back from Italy and Switzerland on Sunday. Switzerland, the little part I saw, was gorgeous. I would live
there maybe if I knew French or German or Italian or that other language they speak. Alas, I know nothing. I have started speaking Spanglish. Where, when I need to speak in English is has a Spanish accent! AHAHAHAHA. It's really funny. I crack myself up. Next time I talk to wherever you may be, I'll speak some Spanglish to you.

Anyway, I'm SOOOO ready to come home. I miss not having to worry about not being able to talk to people. I went to la playa yesterday. That is the beach for all the lay people. My arms are so
so dark that If you just look at them I fit in with all the Spanish. But if you look at anything else such as my face it's white, white white. Kinda strange I spose. Well, Chris, I hope life is good with you. You're right about the Euro trash no one is better than us so called "Americans." Or would the poliically correct term be United Statesians.

Carmen

Letters from Barcelona pt II

Dear Jerri, Hola(I was going to try and write this email in
Spanish, but as you can see I didn't get very far), how are things in Barthelona? I don't know if you watch MTV over there, but the new Real World is in Paris, not that you are in Paris, but it is still in
Europe. Glad to hear you finally had the courage to venture into a restaurant...I bet you were starving. Well, nothing much new here. I have been emailing random people from the past and seeing what there are up to...kind of fun. I am thinking about heading to Virginia in a week or so. I am not looking forward to the trip at all. Have you taken any long distance excursions yet or are you going to stay in the immediate vicinity? What about the beach, been there
yet...it's probably pretty nice this time of year.

So, when are you moving to Dallas or Austin? What will you be doing? To answer your question I am surviving without a job by not eating. It works out pretty good. Naw I have two more checks coming in from ACU and that should cover my gas and expenses to
Virginia, other than that I haven't bought anything since I can remember and my sister has been nice enough to cook and lodge me for free...that's what family is for I guess. When I get to Virginia, I will give my mom the rest of the money I have so I am not quite such a burden on her and will find some crap job for the summer before I leave.

Well, tell me more about your exploits...they are very interesting. Tell the Nigerian spies I said hello, and that Uncle Sam is watching them very closely.
Take care...be safe!

Chris

Hey Chris

Barthelona is at best ok. I'm not a big fan of it really. I can't really tell you why other than perhaps they don't speak English and I am ethnocentric and hate anyone who doesn't talk like me. That's why I go to places like Canada (the non-french part),England and Australia (I don't count Scotland because I can't understand them)

Real World is in Paris? That's awesome. I can't wait to get home and watch it! Chris, why aren't you using your degree and getting a job in that field to stop all evil and corruption as good ACU students do? Maybe you should not go to Virginia but rather Um
let's see...BARCELONA! Yes. Friday I am leaving for Milan to visit a friend that I have there and we're going to go up to Switzerland. YEA!

My latest exploits are as follows:
I was in a pre-intermediate class for Spanish and we change levels at the end of the week. Everyone else moved up to intermediate, but do you know where my profesora moved me? To the Beginners class!!! Which is four weeks behind the one I am in now. I am THAT
bad at espa¿ol. It was really embarrasing because she told everyone in class where we were going then I came last and she was like, Herri, you are impossible. Not really, but I've been pissed about it all day. So, back to the starting line. HAHA

Then lets see...what else. I had a Spanish lady ask me a question the other day...¿Cual es proxima? I said Sant Cugat and I was RIGHT! We were on the Subway and she wanted to know the next station. I thought that made me fluent but appearantly not according to my
profesora. Hmm, and then I saw a woman walking the other day with squeky shoes. It made me laugh. And I have ventured out to eating cereal and pan d'medio. Which I hope just means bread. Other than that, not much is going on. Hey, I hear Americans talking beside me! Should I say hello? Another interesting
thing, tonight there is going to be a demonstration against America and a month long boycott of American things like Coca Cola and other stuff. I'm thinking about joining.

Well, tell your family hola for me and give them
Spanish kisses. I'll let you figure out what that is.

Hasta Luego
Jerri

Letters from Barcelona

So I have finally gotten the courage to go into places and order food and I even went into a papeleria (paper store) and bought a notebook the other day. The woman asked me how much they were en espanol and I said Cuatro. I was right!! My class sucks. See, I took cuatros anos in high school of espanol so I thought that made me pre-intermediate. Turns out I¿m not even close to that. So in my class everyone is talking to each other in Spanish and I have no idea what is going on. And then my profesore gave us homework and I did some of it right but most of it wrong. AHHH! What¿s worse is that all these people speak like 20 languages already and they are all my age. Anyway, I don¿t have anyone to go out with at night so I¿m kinda bored. So during the day I walk around Barcelona and spend most of my time being lost! Honestly! But then I found this place called San Fransico¿s Burrito Bar
and went in. It was REALLY good. I had a jamon buritto. I have finally deduced that my roommate is in fact a lesbian not by my own conjectures but I found a postcard to her from this woman named Kathy that she always talks about saying she couldn¿t wait to see her naked and they could play in the bathroom I mean
bedroom. Anyway, I¿m feeling a little more comfortable here but I still miss everyone and wish I could meet some people here other than the Nigerian bloke who keeps calling me! Anyway, I have no way of finding new friends other than in my class and they
are all weird scary people from places like Turkey and Sweden and one really holey guy from London. (He has like doscientos piercings and tattoos. (Doscientos=200! I¿m so smart!)

Oh yes, once again I only talk about myself to you. What did you do while you were in Canada? Did you go by yourself? Did you seen any moose? Where are you going to end up finally and last but not least. How are you surviving without a job? Are you going to come visit me when I live in Dallas? Well I need to go now and go out into Barcelona where I will surely get lost as usual! I miss ya Chris, and will hopefully see you soon.

Jerri