I will miss Barcelona

I am leaving Barcelona, and I have done a TERRIBLE job of blogging to keep the memories. I've tried over the last couple of weeks to capture moments here and there, and it must be left somewhere!

The things that stand out over the last few months....

Can't even begin to describe this trip...East meets West in the most incredible city I’ve ever visited. Not only do you feel the force of modernity and history on every corner, but this breath taking, sprawling town is a testament of what this planet could be like if we figured out how to co-exist, instead of coming up with new ways to kill each other. The potential is incredible. 

Living in Europe was always my dream. And now I’ve done it - I’ve lived in Europe - but I don’t feel like I fulfilled the dream. Despite completely totally embracing the ex-pat lifestyle, something still feels beyond my reach. Maybe I thought living in Europe would make me a European. Or surely, marrying one would make me so - but clearly that didn’t work out. So now, a little older, a little wiser, a lot fatter, I return home. In these remaining weeks I’m trying to imbibe as much Europe as possible. A cafe con leche with a ciggarette at a sidewalk cafe.

 

Menu del dia at a Catalan restaurant. Leisurely Sunday on the beach with lunch in the sun. Being so broke that I walk home in heels for 1.5K.

 People watching - sidebar for the fact that this May’s weather seems to be rather scizophrenic, and people can’t figure out if its cold or warm out. 

You have a girl in a summer dress next to a woman in boots, a scarf, and a smart denim jacket. The sun plays peekabo and the temperature fluctuates 15 degrees a day. This is my time in Barcelona, drawing to a close.

What I've learned so far

I’ve learned a lot of stuff in the MBA. Some of it valuable - like how to set up a T-account and why some economies grow faster than others - and some of it not so valuable - like how many classes a month I can come to hung over and still get away with it. I kid. 

But outside the classroom held as many lessons as inside the classroom. Here are some of them, and I will keep this theme going as things occur to me. 

1. Its not about you. Sometimes people are really nice and want to foster a relationship with you. Sometimes they aren’t. Sometimes they are really friendly and confide in you. Sometimes those same people - don’t. Its not about you. Almost ever. Its about THEM. Their mood. Their insecurities. Their stress. Unless you’ve done something to them…then its about you…but in all honesty, that’s rarely the case. 

2. Its hard to be optimistic sometimes. But what value is there in the alternative? Being prepared for the worst just makes the worst more likely to happen. If it happens its going to suck either way, whether you’re expecting it to or not. So might as well be optimistic. Envision success - you don’t actually have anything to lose.