La Costa Brava: Zaragoza, Spain

When I first moved to Ecuador in September of 2011, my Spanish was almost non-existent. I knew some basic phrases, colors, numbers, "Donde esta el baño?" but not much more.

I really wanted to learn, but I wasn't willing to pay for lessons when I was already immersed in the language: through the people that worked in the shops, my boss, my friends, and the music.

Everyday, whether is was thumping from the worker boys' cabaña on the farm or playing from radios at every restaurant in town, I heard reggaeton: an awful mixture of Latino pop and hip hop. Terrible music, but it was addicting.

I wanted to sing the words like everyone else and know the meaning of these songs, so I got mp3s passed on from the flashdrives of friends and I downloaded from youtube. I looked up the lyrics online, printed them out, and translated them to English.

I listened to the music while making my four kilometer walk to the bus stop. I learned it made a great running mix and I also danced to the same songs at the beach cabañas almost every weekend. I was memorizing the lyrics while learning new words and phrases. I was learning a new language through pretty crappy music, but it worked.

Since leaving Ecuador, returning back to The States and moving to Spain, I have known that I've wanted to continue learning the language through music, but this time, some better music.

It has taken me almost a year, but I have found a solid groundwork of Spanish-speaking artists that I enjoy. It all started with stumbling across Devendra Banhart's weird freak-folk music video for Carmensita with lyrics like "Me como tu amor y cago el infierno."

So check out the September 2013 playlist on Spotify:

"While you’re young, you should travel. You should take the time to see the world and taste the fullness of life. Spend an afternoon sitting in front of the Michelangelo. Walk the streets of Paris. Climb Kilimanjaro. Hike the Appalachian trail. See the Great Wall of China. Get your heart broken by the 'killing fields' of Cambodia. Swim through the Great Barrier Reef. These are the moments that define the rest of your life; they’re the experiences that stick with you forever."

2. THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON ADVENTURE
"This is your brain on adventure. This is your brain when you're lost in the world… They gave me this drug once. It was called "adventure." It was injected, a bite, into my brain and filled every cortex, every lobe, every bit of matter. It choked me. It changed me."

3. AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PARENTS OF DAUGHTERS WHO WISH TO TRAVEL THE WORLD
"She has developed a mind of her own during her studies, has gotten ideas from books that lead her to believe that perhaps another kind of education awaits her after graduation – the kind that involves leaping into the great unknown, of setting out on a journey. She has heard talk of cheap student fares and raucous hostels, whispered rumors of Incan ruins at dawn and dingoes at dusk. And she is intrigued. More than intrigued. Dear parents: brace yourselves: your daughter wants to travel the world."

4. EVERY WOMAN SHOULD TRAVEL ALONE
"If you are lucky, you stop seeing the world as a series of things you do not have — a boyfriend, a baby, an adorable terrier – and you start noticing the things you do have. A healthy bank account, unburdened by mortgages or school loans. No romantic ties. Loving parents who wanted nothing but happiness for me. Years to burn. That kind of freedom is like a command from the universe to get off your ass and do something amazing."

5. LET’S RUN
"Let’s find our feet and take a walk, no RUN. Ya, let’s run. Let’s run like we’re five years old and time goes slower because everything is new again and we don’t yet know what every day will hold because we’re still using our imaginations to make it up. We’re still playing house, playing James Bond, playing make believe. Like we’re five years old and running through the grass, jumping over the dog poop, [stepping in the dog poop] and running for no particular reason except that we feel alive and we’re breathing and we can."

While Barcelona is a beautiful city with so much going on, I still find myself missing the color green and fresh air. So for a change of scenery, Lucia, Tommy, Xavi and I took a trip outside of the city center to find some adventure in a place called Vic.

Xavi is Catalan, from a small town outside of Barcelona. He was forced into the role as tour guide and interpreter for the trip. As he taught us new Spanish words, we explained some traditional American slang and cliches (like "moseying along").

After a short walk through the town, we eventually found our path to the mountain and the lookout point. La Crue de Gurb refers to the huge wooden cross at the top of the mountain, named after Gurb, a nearby farming town.

The hike was steep at parts, but not too difficult. We stopped along the way to pick berries and take in the view of the Spanish countryside. Once we reached the top, we relaxed awhile, ate our lunches and enjoyed the 360° view. 

Photo courtesy of Lucia

Photo courtesy of Lucia

Photo courtesy of Lucia

Barcelona is a colorful place. After 10 days of living, walking, sweating and losing myself in this city, I have yet to find a cloud in the sky. And almost everything looks good against a bright blue backdrop. Even the graffiti'd metal doors. The street vendors with fake purses strategically set in your path. The clouds of cigarette smoke wafting from cafe tables. The fanny-packed tourists mumbling undetectable languages to their wandering children. Even the scruffy man playing the accordion outside the metro is glowing.

And amidst an unwelcome hustle of tourists and visitors that take over the city during the summer months, there is a feeling of calm. The people here seem to live their lives to enjoy them. The city awakens around 10 a.m., so no one has to get up early. Coffee breaks (or two.. or three.. or five.) are generously acceptable. Lunch should be enjoyed outside with friends over a course of two hours and two glasses of sangria. Nightlife is not restricted to the night time. And Sundays are reserved for sleeping, admiring the beautiful city, or lying on the beach.

I have a feeling this place will work just fine for now.

Lunch in the park

Mosaic art of Gaudi

Sunset over Banyoles Lake (no photo editing!)

When I travel, I find my taste in music changing drastically and adapting to whatever environment I find myself in (Ecuador: salsa, bachata, reggaeton; New Zealand: electro-pop, synth; Boone: jam bands, folk; etc.).

In an attempt to personally document my different moods and broad appreciation of music, I plan to share a Spotify playlist of 15 songs from whatever I am listening to each month.

During July and over the past few months, I have become obsessed with new psychedelic, alternative sounds. I think my inspiration stemmed from a friend's recommendation of Tame Impala a few years ago and my growing obsession with the band. I recently saw them live at The National in Richmond (with @Aimee__DUH) and it was such a great show that it has dictated the rest of my summer listening.

Most of this playlist has a fluid, psychedelic sound with strong echoes and a lot of falsetto. I'm also enjoying some hints of surf-rock that make this mix really feel like summertime, windows down, sun shining...