Got Culture?

These lectures about the meaning of culture and culture literacy were helpful in the fact that they have made me aware of certain aspects of Barcelona (architecture, language, names of places, rituals, and food) that I should pay close attention to in order to completely understand the wonderful city that I will be living in for 3 months. This week I have been on several tours around the city. The overwhelming scenery of the city grabbed my attention more than the history and meanings of these places and names that we saw. After listening to the lectures multiple questions and thoughts popped into mind...What is the importance of the Catalan dialect that is spoken here? Is the Gaudi architecture only really prevalent in Barcelona? Why do we eat lunch and dinner so late? And American football? No...not at all...Futbol (soccer) is the way of life around these parts! And the only way to completely answer all of these questions is with one word...CULTURE! Barcelona is filled with culture! For example...the language spoken in Barcelona is not the cut and dry Spanish that most my fellow spanish classmates would be familiar with it is a mix of Spanish and italian and is considered a "Romance" language. The people of Barcelona take great pride in their language because it is not spoken in many countries. It is their language. They own it. And it gives them culture. R E S P E C T! There is so much more that makes Barcelona so culturally unique and special  from other countries but If I were to sit here and explain all that makes Barcelona...Barcelona...I'd need to post at least 10 more blog posts and you would need days to read and understand it all. The only way to completely see this beautiful culture is to visit. But I leave you with one of my most favorite pictures from all my adventures so far. It symbolizes Barcelona and it shows the pride they take in their sports and their country! Below is a picture of me in my new and official Barcelona Futbol Jersey! Soccer is a way of life in Barcelona! People sport their colors and jerseys and pride in the streets, in bars, and in restaurants, everyday but specifically on game day! Below is a picture of my roommate and I joining in with the Barcelona spirit!