It still boggles my mind to think that one can hop on a night train and wake up to a totally new culture. So many countries, so tightly situated together. As you cross one boarder and enter into another; the romantic sing-song sounds of Spanish become a hard mix of Dutch, German, Swedish, French, and a few other combined dialects. The majority of people with dark hair, eyes, olive skin and generally a lean small stature become replaced with a crowd similarly appearing with light hair and skin with extra inches or even feet added to their vertical height. The look of the city fades from a vivid palate to shades of pastel without the presence of an Arab influence. The architecture becomes more similar to what I think of what a ginger bread house would look like or the extreme opposite of clean sharp modern designs. The buses are not powered with gas, but a eco friendly electric line that hoovers above your head. Bicycles overcome the roads and sidewalks. Instantly, I like it here.

I am only here in Zurich for a day, but a day that I am grateful for. Ruben, my European tour guide gets perks sometimes for working on the train; he can usually bring friends and family along. Today this friend is me and that means that I arrived on the train in the evening, enjoyed another wonderful meal prepared by my Spanish friend, slept in a first class cabin complete with a full bathroom, and the best part having more time to visit…that is when he was not fixing something on the train…. and then awoke to a whole new country. Ruben has me figured out by now, I must say much faster than most man that I have been in the company of. He rented bicycles so we could crews the city winding up and down narrow streets, on bridges hovering over pristine rivers, and around the most beautiful lake that is hugged by lush green foothills.

We arrived to this stunning lake where had a picnic sitting on our towels, dressed in our bathing suits ready for a post meal swim. After a few hours of sun bathing and more talk about everything you could think about, we headed back to the train, but first stopped at a village market to buy supplies for dinner on the train. He then proceeded to buy me about 10 sweedish chocolate bars so I could take them home with me. I think, “Yep he has me out figured out!”

The next day we arrived back in Barcelona, only to return that evening to attend a NAS concert. On a whim after seeing a poster slapped on a light post, Ruben made a few phone calls and within a half hour we had two tickets. We also had lots of company when we arrived that evening. Friends from his home town in Zaragoza, Spain all piled in a van to come see the American Hip Hop group that was most popular when I was in undergraduate school. I found myself feeling at home with fimilar music, and everyone of his friends greated me with kisses, one on each cheek, and gave me a smile that made me know I was welcome.

I spent the night speaking little English or speaking anything at all, I just danced. You cannot hear much at concerts anyway. After the show, we made it to one of his friends high rise apartments in Barcelona. We all sat on the patio overlooking the city and I listened to the conversations in Spanish as Ruben would stop every once in a while to fill me in…in English. Most of them speaking a little English, I caught that they were making fun of NAS and his gold chains or “bling” and lack of a six pack, of which they call a chocolate tablet. I told them that in American that we call this a 6 pack and they thought this was the funniest thing. If you think about it….the less chocolate tablets and 6 packs of beer you consume; it is more likely you will have a chocolate tablet or a 6 pack, NAS did not, but his bling made up for it; maybe not if you are Spanish. They really do not get the bling bling commercial materialistic getto hip hop that is prominent in the US. I guess this is why one of Ruben’s best friends that own his own record company ALTEREGO-records (http://www.alterego-records.com/) sent me home with 3 spanish Hip Hop CD, stickers, and a T-shirt; because maybe he wanted me to understand the Hip Hop of Spain. It is a different world. I only know this because I am learning my Spanish by listening to this music; no aggression, with a good message, and a flow that is beautiful, because of the language.

So… two different worlds. One different than Spain, and the other a unique culture fighting to not by inspired by the US.

My eyes continue to become widened, my thought process are changing, priorities are re evaluated, and I have only been away for 7 weeks. Time is funny this way.

Amore, Kateyn