!Socorro, ladron!

I was almost sure he was the thief. I saw his hand come out of my friends bag, and there was a wallet in his hand. But I wasn't sure if it was my friend's wallet, and I hesistated to react.

I turned, and the hand disappeared altogether, and so did the person. The metro doors beeped and were just about to shut. At that very moment, a lady came up to us, and said that my friend had just been robbed. We quickly jumped out of the metro before the doors shut and the train pulled away. A few metres away was the man who I think had taken my friend's wallet, but I could not be sure.

We went up to the man, bald, wearing a gray T-shirt and long white trousers. He had a small beard, and a Medditerean look. He looked innocently as if he did not understand what we were saying, and he just pointed ahead, as if the thief had gone ahead. We rushed forward towards the ticket gates, but there were a horde of people, and though my friend frantically asked around whether anyon had seen her wallet, noone answered.

I suggested maybe the man in the gray T-Shirt knew more, and we walked back to the platform, and upon seeing us, the man pointed us in the other direction, the complete opposite direction that he had shown us just moments earlier. He was definitely a prime suspect.

We went the direction he showed us, but the platform was already deserted, so we sort of gave up and turned to sit down. Suddenly, on the bench next to us was my friend's wallet. I don't think my friend actually realised it, but it seemed too coincidental that that man in the gray T-Shirt was standing right next to the wallet when we 'found' it again. Of course all the money had disappeared, most likely in his pockets, but the credit cards and identification documents were still there. And those were more important than anything else, I guess.

Conveniently, the man who had told us to go first this way then that way, walked off and away. Somehow I know, he took the wallet. Somehow I know he is rejoicing now at his new loot, maybe even laughing at the foolish and unsuspecting tourists...

And I know that one day he will pay dearly for his petty crimes.

Hola Barcelona!

I arrived late afternoon yesterday, after a delayed flight and having to haul my suitcase in the 30C heat. I felt like I was going to faint or that my arms were going to break, and all I could think of was a bed to lie down. I had lost my way in a foreign country, foreign city where people do not speak English, and I not a word of Spanish or Catalan...

Hours before, I had to endure a difficult parting from my mum. It was when the engines of the plane started to roar and when the wheels started to roll did it hit me hard that I will be leaving.... and that I will be leaving my mum. I was suddenly somehow close to tears...

Only after much struggle, pointing and more walking did I manage to arrive at the place to register for my coming two months of 'fun'! I had been accepted to this summer course on space studies with a full scholarship a few months ago, and now the day has finally come. I am really lucky to have all my expenses paid, but to be honest I am not sure what to expect. A friend of mine who did the course before gave me a briefing on it, but nothing could be more real than the real thing.

So far, there has not been much activity yet, and all the 110 participants from some 26 countries are just starting to get to know each other. It's a really diverse group, with lots of Americans, Canadians, and the one or two nationals from countries all over Europe, and also a few from as far away as India, Japan and China. I was exhausted from just arriving, but I still made an effort to go out with some people and see the city of Barcelona at night.

From the air, Barcelona is a massive, sprawling metropolis right on the Medditerean, wedged between green hills, and criss-crossed by neatly organised roads and thouroughfare. At the street level, you feel the heat, vibe and liveliness creep into you. Traffic, pedestrians and hordes of tourists chased after by hordes of vendors. It is enough to make you dizzy just standing in one place. Even at night, the streets were packed, as Spaniards have a habit of eating late and going out late. So when we got to a club at close to midnight, literally, the night just started.

I'm not a big fan of clubs and dance, so I drank something, talked a bit with the people, and left with some who were probably just as tired (or bored ) as me. But only a few hours later, I was up at close to 8 on a Sunday morning (a rarity for me!!) and jogging with some people I met up and down the hills near my latest residence.

It was pleasant, and I had never realised how quickly I could run. But the heat was already starting to annoy, and I hit the showers, took a sweet nap, before enjoying a full brunch. The rest of the day, we had introudcutory sessions...just very basic stuff like how to use the network system, where the library is, and where the classrooms will be in the coming 9 weeks.

Fast forward to tonight.... crowds of people crowded before a screen at pubs and bars all over the city (perhaps even all over the Europe) to watch the Finals of the Euro2008. Never a fan of sports or football, I stood there and tried to join in the excitement, only to find my attention wandering off to admire the unqieu Barcelonian architecture, and the changing lights of the dusk sky.

A wave of cheers, and Spain scored its first and only goal, whereas Germany scored none. Fireworks were set off, as people chantted and sang "Viva Espana!~". The streets became abuzz with revellers, wrapped in the Spanish flags and in uncontainable excitement and euphoria. The country had proudly just become European Champion in football... whatever that may signify... I stood around, and looked at the people cheering and jumping up and down and going wild, and felt my trousers get wet from spilled drinks. Somehow these kind of excitement never seem to infect me, and tonight was no exception.