Barcelona study abroad Summer 2011: Day 17/Flamenco show

The days are going by faster and faster, but classes are going by slower each day. Almost the whole program is getting pretty close and everybody seems to get along pretty well. I am determined to try all of the different muffin types at "La Baguetina" across from school, and yesterday I tried the caramel one. Not bad, and the only one left is the chocolate one. And then I move onto the cakes! After school today, we went to a Flamenco dance show and it was amazing! It started off a little bit strange, but that was just because we weren't used to hearing such music. It got good fast though, once the dancers came out and started dominating the stage. They slammed the floor so hard and had such quick feet that it was hard to even follow their steps. The show lasted for probably about 45 minutes with music and dancing, and the main act was incredible. The main dancer had the floor to herself and danced continuously for probably 20 minutes, with fluid and graceful movement the entire time. It hurt my knees just watching how hard she was stomping the floor! I love being immersed in different cultural experiences because it really opens you up to new things, especially ones that vary greatly from your own. After the show, everyone parted ways to eat and take naps, only to regroup later on. I passed a McDonald's on the way back to the apartment and was craving a burger so I decided to stop in. It was very different than in the States. The menu is smaller and they don't have some of the meals that we have, but of course they have the staples of McDonald's, AKA Big Mac. But, they have better desserts! They have a sundae-type dessert in a waffle bowl with nuts and chocolate syrup on top of the ice cream. And they also have these electronic stands where you can order your meal on a computer and pay by credit card, and then walk up to a special line that deals only with this and pick up your meal. It was cool to see, but it takes away from conversating with the employees! We, as a society, are becoming too automated! Some people went to Club Opium where Martin Solveig (the guy who created the song "I Just Came To Say Hello") was playing, while many other went to a bar called "Espit Chupitos". This bar was awesome! There are multiple ones in Barcelona and elsewhere, and are all pretty small. But the concept and experience makes it incredible. "Chupito" means "shot" in Spanish. They are all about creating a show for the customer, which often includes lighting the shot (and the bar) on fire, or doing some other theatrics to the drinks before you take them. And the majority of the shots are only 2 Euros. Their menu is HUGE, and only includes the drink names, not the ingredients. If you ever get the chance to check this place out, then do it without thinking twice. They have shots ranging from "Carolina" to "Georgia" and "Willy Wonka" and "San Fermin". They seriously have pretty much anything you can think of, including roasting a marshmallow on the fire on the bar (the "Boy Scout"), before drinking the shot. After the bar closed though, the group split up and some people headed home while others ventured out to other establishments. It began to rain so most of us ended up heading home, only to practice our Spanish with the cab driver on the way. Everybody seems to be quiet and not speak Spanish on the way out, but claim to be fluent at the end of the night on the way home.