Updates from Week 2
By Tamika Whitenack
So I think it will be entertaining to write about my experiences as if they are part of a novel/movie/TV show. I'll shall share titles and brief explanations/summaries, with exaggeration for entertainment value. Also sometimes I just throw in big words to make things sound fancy so be on the lookout for things that make zero-sense (cough pedagogy cough).
"Avoiding the Traffic Lights"
In this short but entertaining series, we follow Tamika as she attempts running in the city. Each episode consists of a morning run in which our feisty protagonist weaves her way through the Barcelona streets, covering a new route every day in an effort to maximize running time, minimize standing time, and outwit the traffic signals. You'll find yourself holding your breath as she picks up the pace to dash across a street before that oncoming motorbike and cheering her on as she strategically turns a corner to avoid breaking stride at the red light. The chaotic nature of the runs may overwhelm you at first, but like Tamika, you'll soon learn the names of the streets and be able to navigate your way home along with her.
Bonus episodes include the walks from school to class at the CIEE study center or back from the day's outings to home, which cover the city at a slightly more leisurely pace but still with purpose and strategic avoidance of traffic lights. A particularly harrowing episode entails when Tamika wears ballet flats in preparation for the first day of her job and absolutely destroys her ankles. Content warning: mild blood.
"Tourist or Student?"
Follow this entertaining vlog to stay up-to-date on Tamika's daily activities as a student and tourist! Each video follows the day in a play-by-play account of how many hours Tamika spends doing school related activities or tourist related activities and at the end followers are encouraged to comment, tourist or student? Typically 3 hours a day are spent at the CIEE study center for class followed by a few hours frolicking through the city to visit sites such as Casa Batlo or Park Guell. Average homework time per day? 15-30 minutes. Average time spent researching what activity to do next? 2 hours surfing through websites like skyscanner and trainline to find the best transportation deals and paging through reviews of the best nearby hiking, beaches and wine tours. Not only will this vlog give you faith that school can be an aspect of life rather than the totality of it, but you will also learn some fun new travel tips and see some beautiful sites in featured tourist activities such as day trips to Girona or Mt. Tibidabo. Despite the frivolity of this vlog and its endorsement of the complicated and often problematic phenomenon of tourism, Tamika's experience-oriented lifestyle also calls viewers to consider a reconceptualization of learning in which "doing triumphs over studying" and the art of tourism is a form of self-pedagogy.
"Barcelona Food: On the Streets and in the Home"
Foodies will delight with this original new TV series, which closely deconstructs each of Tamika's meals in Barcelona. From quotidian breakfast granola at home to adventurous tapas in Barcelona dining establishments, we explore a full range of flavors and dishes. Highlights include homemade pinxtos in a CIEE activity, a calamari sandwich from renowned chef Carles Abellan, and picture worthy gelato flavor duos. Despite the glamor of the restaurant fare, viewers will likely find themselves increasingly charmed by the meals that Tamika eats at home with her host family. Tamika delights in the frequency of dinner salads and habit of fruit for dessert. Homemade vegetarian favorites abound, including hummus, falafel, noodle stir-fries, and Spanish tortilla.
"The Wedding Planner's Assistant"
This romantic comedy is high in comedy and low in real romance...at least for now! In this soon-to-be blockbuster movie, follow Tamika in her new position as the wedding planner's assistant. Laugh along with her as she goes undercover as a newly-engaged prospective bride seeking to have her wedding in June 2020 at "a location overlooking the mountains with a classical aesthetic." Learn the ins and outs of the wedding industry as Tamika accompanies her boss to Grande Luxe Hotel Alà briga on Spain's gorgeous Costa Brava for a fake wedding event meant to showcase the venue. With all these flowers, classy cutlery, and glasses of white wine, it seems like love is in the air!
So I think it will be entertaining to write about my experiences as if they are part of a novel/movie/TV show. I'll shall share titles and brief explanations/summaries, with exaggeration for entertainment value. Also sometimes I just throw in big words to make things sound fancy so be on the lookout for things that make zero-sense (cough pedagogy cough).
"Avoiding the Traffic Lights"
In this short but entertaining series, we follow Tamika as she attempts running in the city. Each episode consists of a morning run in which our feisty protagonist weaves her way through the Barcelona streets, covering a new route every day in an effort to maximize running time, minimize standing time, and outwit the traffic signals. You'll find yourself holding your breath as she picks up the pace to dash across a street before that oncoming motorbike and cheering her on as she strategically turns a corner to avoid breaking stride at the red light. The chaotic nature of the runs may overwhelm you at first, but like Tamika, you'll soon learn the names of the streets and be able to navigate your way home along with her.
Bonus episodes include the walks from school to class at the CIEE study center or back from the day's outings to home, which cover the city at a slightly more leisurely pace but still with purpose and strategic avoidance of traffic lights. A particularly harrowing episode entails when Tamika wears ballet flats in preparation for the first day of her job and absolutely destroys her ankles. Content warning: mild blood.
"Tourist or Student?"
Follow this entertaining vlog to stay up-to-date on Tamika's daily activities as a student and tourist! Each video follows the day in a play-by-play account of how many hours Tamika spends doing school related activities or tourist related activities and at the end followers are encouraged to comment, tourist or student? Typically 3 hours a day are spent at the CIEE study center for class followed by a few hours frolicking through the city to visit sites such as Casa Batlo or Park Guell. Average homework time per day? 15-30 minutes. Average time spent researching what activity to do next? 2 hours surfing through websites like skyscanner and trainline to find the best transportation deals and paging through reviews of the best nearby hiking, beaches and wine tours. Not only will this vlog give you faith that school can be an aspect of life rather than the totality of it, but you will also learn some fun new travel tips and see some beautiful sites in featured tourist activities such as day trips to Girona or Mt. Tibidabo. Despite the frivolity of this vlog and its endorsement of the complicated and often problematic phenomenon of tourism, Tamika's experience-oriented lifestyle also calls viewers to consider a reconceptualization of learning in which "doing triumphs over studying" and the art of tourism is a form of self-pedagogy.
"Barcelona Food: On the Streets and in the Home"
Foodies will delight with this original new TV series, which closely deconstructs each of Tamika's meals in Barcelona. From quotidian breakfast granola at home to adventurous tapas in Barcelona dining establishments, we explore a full range of flavors and dishes. Highlights include homemade pinxtos in a CIEE activity, a calamari sandwich from renowned chef Carles Abellan, and picture worthy gelato flavor duos. Despite the glamor of the restaurant fare, viewers will likely find themselves increasingly charmed by the meals that Tamika eats at home with her host family. Tamika delights in the frequency of dinner salads and habit of fruit for dessert. Homemade vegetarian favorites abound, including hummus, falafel, noodle stir-fries, and Spanish tortilla.
"The Wedding Planner's Assistant"
This romantic comedy is high in comedy and low in real romance...at least for now! In this soon-to-be blockbuster movie, follow Tamika in her new position as the wedding planner's assistant. Laugh along with her as she goes undercover as a newly-engaged prospective bride seeking to have her wedding in June 2020 at "a location overlooking the mountains with a classical aesthetic." Learn the ins and outs of the wedding industry as Tamika accompanies her boss to Grande Luxe Hotel Alà briga on Spain's gorgeous Costa Brava for a fake wedding event meant to showcase the venue. With all these flowers, classy cutlery, and glasses of white wine, it seems like love is in the air!
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| carrots and hummus |
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| a montadito con salmon |
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| tortilla espanola |
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| casa batlo |
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| batlo from the back |
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| la pedrera apparently showcases gaudis state of mind at the time |
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| homemade pinxtos |
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| lots of cool buildings in this city |
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| calamari sammich |
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| flower wall at park guell! |
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| park guell views |
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| setting the scene at hotel alabriga |
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| mood lighting? |
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| cacti, the perfect aperetif ;) |
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| costa brava + a well set table |
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| vip table? |
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| bad lighting, fun cutlery |
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| tasting things at the hotel |
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| 5 star level |
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| apparently all the furniture is fancy italian cloth i believe |
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| pamper your tushie |
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| one of 3 rooms in a suite |
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| room with a balcony view |
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| selfie from the balcony |
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| girona |
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| aka florence of catalunya |
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| jasmin and raspberry from Rocabolesc Gelateria, supposedly michelin star |
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| game of thrones was filmd in girona i hear |
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| i spy falafel |
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| this ones for daddio: pistachio y coconut de cremeria toscana |
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| barcelona from above! on our hike today |
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| church atop mt tibidabo |
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| my nostrils + jesus |
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| hiking destination |
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| i keep going inside churches with my shoulders uncovered i think this is bad form |
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| truly have no idea what is going on w/ my face |
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| a confused selfie LOL |
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| climbing up this church |
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| more stairs |
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| a house in park guell |
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| did u know there was a soccer field in park guell? |
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| back to girona pics |
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| actual GOT site |
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| stairs and stone and shadows |
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| more girona |
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| church fun at girona |
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| girona |
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| girona |
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