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Catalan Photographs

The above photo represents Catalan culture to me because of the pride and excitement I felt amongst the crowd, when I was watching the dance performance. I was walking through the streets when I ran into these dancers, at the festival of Saint Eulalia. Locals surrounded the dancers, clapping and some people even joining in the dancing.Continue reading “Catalan Photographs”

Ómnium Cultural

Ómnium Cultural is a non-profit organization that has more than 165,000 members and 58 years of history. The Catalan Association was started on July 11, 1961, at the height of 40 years of Franco dictatorship, Òmnium Cultural emerged to combat censorship and persecution of Catalan language and culture. Currently, Òmnium Cultural is one of the mainContinue reading “Ómnium Cultural”

Local News: Algorithm to detect COVID-19 cases

In a report by ACN, Hospital Clínic, a Barcelona hospital, is helping the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to develop an algorithm for an application that can detect COVID-19 cases by recorded coughing.The project is being led by a Catalan researcher, Brian Subirana, and is aimed at confirming positive cases by answering questions and recording samplesContinue reading “Local News: Algorithm to detect COVID-19 cases”

Local News: Catalonia registers nearly 2,000 deaths in nursing homes

Antoni López Tovar, La Vanguardia journalist, reports that the health system is already under massive stress to take care of the general population, but the nursing homes require special attention. Salut took over care of the nursing homes, housing 64,000 people, about a week ago. Many residents have been displaced, fallen victim, or moved backContinue reading “Local News: Catalonia registers nearly 2,000 deaths in nursing homes”

Local News: An independent Catalonia better suited to respond to Coronavirus?

Alex Tort, La Vanguardia journalist in Barcelona, reported about the disapproval of the Generalitat de Catalunya about the Spanish government’s claim of safety and health. The Generalitat de Catalunya’s president, Quim Torra, hinted that an independent Catalonia woul have responded more effectively to the pandemic. He referred to reports by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation thatContinue reading “Local News: An independent Catalonia better suited to respond to Coronavirus?”

International News: Trump’s Anti-crisis Checks

Beatriz Navarro, from La Vanguardia News, reports that the former businessman and current U.S president, Donald Trump, is putting his name in gold letters on something that is far more crucial than his branded hotels. Millions of Americans are about to receive anti-crisis checks that will help with the economic consequences of the coronavirus. WithContinue reading “International News: Trump’s Anti-crisis Checks”

Paella and Pinchos

My friends and I got the full Paella experience one night in Barcelona when we signed up for a cooking class. The class began with instruction on how to put together pinchos. First we took small pieces of bread and grated a tomato on top, similar to when making Catalan tomato bread. Then we drizzledContinue reading “Paella and Pinchos”

Let’s throw a calçotada!

My first experience with Catalan cuisine was when IES visited a traditional Catalan restaurant to try charred calçots in Tarragona. Calçots are a variety of green onion from the Catalonian region, and they are usually dipped in romesco sauce, made from hazelnuts or almonds, roasted red peppers, tomatoes, and a bit of vinegar. When weContinue reading “Let’s throw a calçotada!”

Homemade Pa Amb Tomàquet

My international finance professor spent half a class period speaking about how important pa amb tomàquet is in his daily routine, and how common it is in Catalan culture. He eats this Catalan tomato bread for breakfast every morning, and recommended we try making it at home. His instructions were to first toast a pieceContinue reading “Homemade Pa Amb Tomàquet”

The Dancing Lights

Thousands of people surrounded the Magic Fountain at Mountjuïc, awaiting the 7-million possible water and light combinations the fountain can produce. In our free time, my friends and I loved finding fun events around Barcelona to try out. We had been waiting for the Magic fountain show for a long time and were lucky enoughContinue reading “The Dancing Lights”