Sitting here in limbo...

Lots of stuff going on lately, too much to tell actually. So I will just highlight my current limbo with a trip I took to a Via Ferrata outside of Barcelona, which is probably a good metaphor for how I have felt lately: hanging from a cliff, haha, no I kid i kid(....mostly). Annnyway, a Via Ferrata is Italian for "Iron rod" I learned and its basically kind of like rock climbing but there is a cable that is permanently attached on the wall face that you attach to as you climb these metal ladder-like steps. It was definitely a challenge physically at times, but MUCH more so mentally, since I happpeeennn to be a little bit afraid of heights. I think this event though is much better told through pictures....enjoy! (especialy the ones of me where I am visibly petrified). :-)

The first wall face, just one of like 4 or 5 different sections. The hike included these climbing parts and also normal hiking sections. It took us about 3 hours to make it all the way to the top...
All geared up! but not quite sure if I was ready or not...

Me at the top of the first wall, literally about ready to take turn around right there...This is definitely an example where my smile says happy but eyes are saying "holy sh*t"
Me climbing up and hooking on...
The lateral section, I enjoyed this part more :-)
The really effing high part, where you go out onto that metal ladder to get up to the next section...as you can see my friend was good about takin pics of me horrified, haha
Me REALLY happy to be at the top and knowing that I didn't have to do any more!
Me and my friend Quim who took me up, luckily he is certified in this stuff AND in search and rescue ..so I was pretty safe the whole time (no worries mummy :-) )
my hands after...still hurt actually...and I had gloves on too
Me afterwards and VERY happy to have both feet on the ground :-)

Another tough part was that I did it all in Spanish, which when you are horrified or trying really hard to make sure you understand the right way to hook onto the cord so you don't fall, is much more difficult to understand...haha. I think the moral of the lesson of it for me was that I can always make it to the top if I set my mind to it AND that I am a Capricorn, an Earth sign...and I much prefer to have both my feet on that good ol Earth than up in the air :-) Maybe that is why my choice activities are running and hiking.

That's it for now...I'll be continuing my limbo here in Spain until June, so keep writing and sending me those nice cards :-) (thanks kk and rye!)

*JCT*

Spanish Spinning

(<---- my new gym!)

Hi everyone :-)

So, last night I went to my first Spanish spinning class at my new gym. The gym is huge and the class has enough bikes for like 30-40 people. But as it is in all cultures, and I suppose it is human nature, most of the people that showed up clustered as far in the back corner away from the intstructor as possible. I love that some things don't change between countries. I chose my spot in the second row to the side, with plenty of viewing room to see what other people were doing when I heard the new commands. The class was awesome and the instructor was amazing. The class was fast passed and she pretty much continuously shouted commands. For 45 minutes I heard: "sigo sigo! vamos chicos! media vuelta más! aguanto aguanto! vamos chicos! una vuelta más!" the 'vuelta' part is the turning of the tension knob up....she said that one a lot :-)

The gym is great, lots of stuff,...pool, weights, courts, etc. And about a 5 min walk or less from my apt....the best part :-)

Overall, it was pretty awesome to be screamed at in Spanish and get in a workout at the same time. As I expected, I was exhausted after......can't wait till Thursday to do it again! :-)

-JCT-

Everyone has their own "smell"...

(<--duck in Madrid...cute!)

Ok, so you know when you go over to a friend's house and the whole house and that friend have a certain smell? They don't smell in a bad way of course. It is just their own particular combination of detergent, soap, commonly eaten foods and perhaps a mix of some of the elements of the actual house and where they live. Little contributions from many different things go into the makeup of this smell and since smell is one of the biggest triggers of memory, I think I tend to store an inventory of these smells somewhere in the banks of my (probably crazy) little mind.

To draw an example, I know my family and I have a smell. Many people say that I smell like a woodstove (probably because we heat our house with a woodstove and it pretty much infiltrates everything). Also, I'd like to think I have a touch of horse, tree, pantene pro-v smooth and sleek, and secret sure dry :-) Growing up I particularly remember the smells of my best friends homes. They were distinct from my own but still recognizable to that person.

Soooo, tying this all back into Barcelona :-) I ride the metro and the train everyday to school. It takes about an hour total and I like to do the typical things like read the paper, listen to music, and my favorite, people watch....or in this case, people smell. Now don't imagine me sniffing random people on the metro, it's not quite that odd, but when someone sits down right next to you, you get a good idea of what their "smell" is. Last week I sat next to a woman who smelled exactly like a florist shop...not the upfront flower section, but the potted plants greenhouse section in the back. It was very strong and it allowed me to paint a little image in my mind of who this woman might be. A few days later I sat next to an older man who smelled exactly like soup...vegetable soup. Very earthy but perhaps based in cabbage, carrots and broccoli. I imagine his wife makes him very nice healthy soups and that this smell has now attached itself to both of them :-) Not all of the smells have been good, for my nose at least, but they are a mini-smell portrait of that person I think. Soooo, don't go out and buy a new perfume after reading this to cover up your smell...embrace it! :-)

Okkkk, now just a couple quick pics from Madrid, since I finally got my pics up....

In the Retiro Park...kinda like Central Park...
in the park...
door...

Maria del Mar and I in the Park...some nice Italian girls took this pic for us :-)
Maria del Mar in "our" bar...we went here every morning for a breakfast of cafe con leche with magdalenas (picured above :-) )...quite tasty...
door, different angle....
Palacio de Cristal
Madrid...
He says "adios!" :-)

PS I really love animals....there were many more duck pics...hehe


~JCT~

Back Again...

Hi everyone!

I'm back in Barcelona....doing more phonetics, phonology, intonation, and acquisition research, so I'm also back at the blog again too. I have been here almost 2 weeks now and I've already had a whirlwind adjustment period. The first day I was back I was ushered right back into the world of linguistics at school with meetings and seminars and then left 3 days later for a week long conference in Madrid with fellow linguist and friend, Maria del Mar. I had several days of listening to many talks on intonation (all in Spanish) as well as giving a presentation with Maria del Mar (in spanish as well). It went well I think and I even said some words that previously had given me a lot of trouble....the expression "los errores disminuyen..." will be stuck in my head forever now I think :-) The week was full of good learning, good fooding and even a little tourism. We had time to go to the Retiro park, the Prado museum (my 5th time...but with special exhibit by Francis Bacon...very intencse), and of course a mini night out with some local girls maria knew. All in all, an awesome week.

Other than that, I have been settling into the new apt. I live this year with 2 guys from Mallorca, 1 from Valencia, and a girl from Poland. Quite the international adventure, and I am super excited about it. If any of you remember my room and experiences last year, let's just say, it's much better. One of the biggest perks is that my room is twice the size...also, we have a huge living room and a balcony that I can see the mountain Tibidabo from....pretty awesome :-) I've already had some dinners with the roomies, and a couple dinners with some new friends (2 of which are from England....i get distracted by their accent and want to start speaking like them by the end of the night...i definitely have been reading too much Jane Austen :-) )

On a side note...no photos yet because my camera cord is just one of several things missing out of my suitcase, along with my banana republic suit, after it was lost by British airways on the way here. I am giving my strong recommendation to never fly with them, esp thru london...no good words for that company. They are replacing everything though, especially because I think that Nigel from british airways London never wants to hear from me again :-)

Ok, I am off to continue my Spanish Sunday...doing the wash, sipping café, reading some linguistic articles, and of course my favorite, watching free tv online....gotta love the internet age :-) Till soon...hopefully with photos of madrid and my apt! love and miss everyone....

~JCT~

Life Transitions

Everyday I receive the "Daily OM" in my inbox. It was originally a suggestion of my sister and now has become a great way to reflect a bit each day. Recently I received the following one and it seemed quite applicable to my current situation...so I´m sharing it all with you :-)

Life Transitions
The Death And Rebirth Of Self

Sometimes a part of us must die before another part can come to life. Even though this is a natural and necessary part of our growth, it is often painful or, if we don’t realize what’s happening, confusing and disorienting. In fact, confusion and disorientation are often the messengers that tell us a shift is taking place within us. These shifts happen throughout the lives of all humans, as we move from infancy to childhood to adolescence and beyond. With each transition from one phase to another, we find ourselves saying good-bye to an old friend, the identity that we formed in order to move through that particular time.

Sometimes we form these identities in relationships or jobs, and when we shift those areas of our life become unsettled. Usually, if we take the time to look into the changing surface of things, we will find that a shift is taking place within us. For example, we may go through one whole chapter of our lives creating a protective shell around ourselves because we need it in order to heal from some early trauma. One day, though, we may find ourselves feeling confined and restless, wanting to move outside the shelter we needed for so long; the new part of ourselves cannot be born within the confines of the shell our old self needed to survive.

We may feel a strange mixture of exhilaration and sadness as we say good-bye to a part of ourselves that is dying and make way for a whole new identity to emerge in its place. We may find inspiration in working with the image of an animal who molts or sheds in order to make way for new skin, fur, or feathers to emerge. For example, keeping a duck feather, or some other symbol of transformation, can remind us that death and rebirth are simply nature’s way of evolving. We can surrender to this process, letting go of our past self with great love and gratitude, and welcoming the new with an open mind and heart, ready for our next phase of life.