Hola!

It is tough to explain my excitement as I was sitting in that terminal on Friday evening thinking about the adventure ahead of me. How was I going to like Barcelona? Was our flat going to be livable? Or better yet could I stand another 6 months living with John Sheffield in that flat? How am I going to communicate with people? How have I taken Spanish for a combined 7 1/2 years and still remained utterly incompetent? These were just a few of the questions swirling around my head as my British Airways flight took off at 6:10 P.M. January 7th, 2011.

I'm horrible at sleeping on planes (or any other moving object) so the next 20 hours were pretty miserable. I landed in London at 5:20 local time and had a two hour layover, most of which was navigating the semi-metropolis that is Heathrow Airport. Finally I settled into my gate after going through security, again! As I boarded the flight to Barca I was ecstatic and even more so upon our approach to the city. In my delirious state the beaches and sun looked glorious - I almost thought I was landing in PCB for another Spring Break. This trip would be a Spring Break, but not exactly the type I have grown used too (probably a good thing).

After landing it took a little longer than expected to get my bag, but I'm not complaining. Shef just got his bag yesterday so we've been sharing clothes - just like old times! I met Alex (the GM), Teo (the Coach), and Joaquin (the President) outside the baggage claim and received a Pioners shirt, hoody and hat. I was official. After a little chit-chat, Shef arrived and we were on our way to the flat. We were told that Andrew was landing later so Teo and Alex would return to pick him up at 5.

As Shef and I rode in Alex's car, we couldn't believe that this was actually happening. After 6 months of waiting and anticipation, we were finally here to live and play football. Awesome. We tried to speak Spanish with our "jefes" (bosses) and while it was ugly I think they appreciated our attempts. As we arrived at our flat we noticed how vibrant the area was and after walking around for a bit, how close it was to Las Ramblas - essentially the center of Barcelona. We would soon discover that our flat is huge! It's fully furnished and despite a few difficulties at first (temperamental toilet, no hot water, and a broken fridge - all of which have been remedied by now) it is starting to feel like a home. Here are some pictures of us doing awesome things in a our flat:
















Casually reading in my bedroom


















Andrew showing off his shopping list
















First time ever hanging clothes. Wanted to take all the necessary precautions












Rough practice. Didn't even shower



















The bidet is a versatile bathroom amenity

Man, those were awesome.

Around 10, Teo picked us up and we went out to dinner at a great restaurant just off Las Ramblas called La Fonda. We drank wine, ate paella, and talked about football, family and Barcelona. It was a great way to start the night, but all that Paella was starting to drag me down so I mentioned that we should grab some coffee on the way to the first bar. Andrew ordered espressos for all and wow, were they strong! Just smelling the stuff woke me up. Needless to say, I finished the cup and were were on our way. The first stop was "La Ovella Negra", or The Black Sheep. It was on a quiet street in El Raval (our side of Las Ramblas), but inside was anything but. It is a Barca college bar with great Sangria and plenty of tables to sit, drink and talk. We stayed for 2 pitchers of Sangria and then it was off to Attic. Well, what to say about Attic? First, Holy Techno! We walked in and to say it made Saturday night Toads seem soft would be a great understatement. You're entire body literally vibrated with the bass. The club was pretty full but not so that it was impossible to move. We went into the back room where Carlos, one of our teammates was bar-tending. We got some drinks and started to relax a bit. We ended up staying there for a good 3 hours and left at 5-5:30 - early by Barcelona standards. Once Dude Lady Gaga got on the stage and started strutting his stuff, we decided that it was time to go. Not bad for our first night in Barca.

Sunday was a little bit slower and gave us some time to rest. We met Alex in the evening and he showed us where our gym was and introduced us to another teammate, Rafa. Rafa took us to his apartment and we watched the NFL wildcard games with him, Carlos, and Victor (WR on the team). The games were fun to watch even though we were all pretty tired. We were hoping to hear the Spanish color commentators scream "GOOOLLLLLLL" when someone scored, but it was just an emphatic "Touchdowwnnn", either way it's still better than Chris Collinsworth. Anything is better than Chris Collinsworth. After we went home and tried to go to sleep still fighting jet lag.

Monday was the first practice. It was great to get out there in pads and move around again. It was also clear that I hadn't put on pads in 14 months. Shocker. Luckily we have a two weeks until our first game and since there aren't many subs we get a lot of reps so that should help getting back into football shape. The guys on the team are great. The first thing you have to understand about European football is that these guys aren't getting paid, they are simply playing because they love the game. They are also incredibly receptive to coaching and suggestions. Perhaps most importantly, they accepted us right away and made us feel apart of the team. The whole organization is great to be around on and off the field - we clearly have come into a great situation here.

It's refreshing to see that a football team here is essentially the same as any football team in America. Maybe the talent is not on par with schools back West, but the dynamic is very similar. Guys are ragging on each other, having fun and just enjoying being around each other. Football is tough, but it is also supposed to be fun and The Pioners have clearly mastered that concept.

Barcelona also comes with its set of challenges. Obviously, the language barrier is first, but there are far more exciting issues. For example, as we were getting on the Metro to go help with the Junior ballers Shef got pickpocketed. And to his credit he caught the guy as he swiped his wallet and pushed him against the half closed the door. Luckily for the thief he was able to get off the train before Shef's fully cocked fist was about to meet his nose. All is well that ends well, though, Shef got his wallet back and there was no serious altercation. It was bound to happen at some point and to be honest, it wont be the last time. The three of us have American written all over us wherever we go - we're all at least 6'2", stockier than just about everyone, and carry "Yale Football" bags on the Metro. Cant win em all.

Getting lost in the Red Light district also provided us with some interesting situations. Monday, we decided to walk about a bit. We made it down the harbor and then back up to where we live. On the way back it started getting dark and host of characters began their night shift. In a city full of vices we were offered just about every single one in a span of two blocks. We kindly refused and eventually found our way home. Again, it doesn't help to look as American as we do sometimes.

Personally, I am losing the "Battle de Enchufe", which is to say that every time I try to plug something in it blows up, so I have given those duties to Shef or Andrew from here on out. I've already fried our college radio (iPod player) and my Xbox power cord. For as long as I am here I will not plug anything in, even if I buy some appliance here in Spain.

We hope to keep the blog going for as long as we are here. We don't have internet in our flat which makes it a little more difficult, but we'll manage somehow. Also, they won't be this long so if you have made through this entire poorly written post I thank you and promise to keep it shorter in the future. Okay, time for a siesta. Adios!

-Pau