I must first tell you that though I would like to take credit for these sweet black and white pictures, my lack of artistic ability obviously is not to thank. But I figured I would give Sam (the photographer of first 8 pics) a larger audience who also appreciates her talent! (or maybe her contribution to my lack of camera). 
So of course these are of the airport... The only comment I really have is these pictures do no justice of the stress you actually feel in these huge buildings when you are all alone looking for the wrong gate and carrying a 45.7 lb bag. 
Now with reference to the title, I and the new group finally lived Barcelona's night life and an American tourist's long day. In our lovely group photo you may think we just caught sunset... oh no no no, we experienced our first sunrise! Right after a fun night of Irish Bars, 6 story clubs, and chocolate churros, the party finally crashed. 
With 5 hours of sleep it was time to go on our Barcelona City tour. We visited quite a few trademarks in the Catalan history but only walked through one. (Don't worry, I will put of pictures of La Sagrada Familia soon!) The first 2 are from the Castillo de Montjuic. A little history lesson for you all: the Catalan people actually do NOT like being a part of Spain. They enjoyed being independent of the Spanish King but when he took over their city he lived in this castle. It served as his home all the way back in 1640! How magical must it have been to live on the top of Montjuic with a view of the city, ocean, and skies. 
I must brag here, because all of these photos, from the previous two to the last of the monuments, are surrounding my work. I get this view every day.. how terrible :) But anyways, this is some of the pottery that leads up the Museum of Mont Juic. That huge castle (Museum) in the background is full of art of Catalunya. In the foreground is me and my girls! We have absolutely the best times together, especially at the beach. 
As for my AMAZING job, I take a subway and metro in the morning for almost an hour. Thankfully I have another 30 minutes to walk past these beautiful sites. The first is a fountain that is part of the entrance to Mont Juic. The second is the Museum castle with the fountains doing their thing. You can catch a light show 4 nights out of the week. Its something you just have to see in person. 
The one thing I love most about work is the people I spend countless hours with. Along with the language barrier and my apparently super strong American accent, communication can be quite difficult. But otherwise, I have the greatest time listening to their stories at lunch and learning the career I hope to have in a few short years. A quick recap of what my job entails: I am in the Department of Protocol and Ceremonies. I specifically am in charge of organizing where our hundreds of volunteers will be placed. 
Our volunteers mainly work with the VIP's that will be attending the Championships. From greeting them at hotels and presenting them with gifts to catering their every need at the actual stadium, our volunteers have a lot of responsibility, hence our tedious planning. Well without boring you, there are perks. The following pictures are at the hotels where our VIPs are staying. I went with my team to take pictures and visualize the setup for welcoming and what not. Driving around the city, touring hotels, and fooling everyone to think I am a local Barca with my coworkers was such a great time! Lastly, here are just a few of the fun things I come across.
1. My coworkers referred to me as vaquera for months before I arrived. They all thought that because I was from Arizona I must be a cowgirl haha.. but seriously, I think they expected me to walk in with a cowboy hat and chaps.
2. You can NOT find peanut butter anywhere! There is only one brand at the big supermarket (like a super Walmart) and it is my savior. Whats best is when I eat a PB and honey sandwich or apples w/ PB, my coworkers think I am so weird!!! They are almost disgusted with the idea lol
3. The other day my coworkers and I celebrated two birthdays. We went out as a team for lunch, had cake, champagne, and three plates of food! Yummmy. Oh and we sent one of the ladies Elena a bouquet of flowers. 4. ** not a fun thing but just an fyi.. At this lunch both my bosses came as well as two very prestigious men. I don't think I even know how elite their positions are. But let me tell you I almost peed myself with intimidation.
That all I can do for now! Sorry in advance for the hold ups .. I'm short on sleep!
Love and miss you all
