One of the most fun things I did this week was watching people practice human towers, called castells. At first, I honestly could not believe that people were actually building towers by standing on each other’s shoulders. Castells are a famous Catalan tradition that dates back more than 200 years, originating in the Tarragona area before spreading throughout Catalonia. The towers can reach several stories high and are built by groups called colles, where people of different ages and backgrounds each have a role. The base, called the pinya, supports the people above it, while the strongest and most experienced members form the middle of the tower and younger children often climb to the very top. I got to even participate by pushing at the base.
I did more writing than reading this week! I wrote a blog entry for my study abroad program. You can read it here: https://cetacademicprograms.com/navigating-siesta-culture-in-barcelona/
I played beach volleyball with my friends, and we even hit a few runs. Unfortunately, it was midterm week, so we didn’t have much extra time.
