September 11 was the National Day of Catalonia. About ten of us decided to venture over to the Parc de la Ciutadella to see some of the festivities, but we all got lost in a sea of people. One of the most surprising things I noticed was the strong nationalism that was displayed in the various signs and posters. Many of them read "Catalonia is not Spain," "We are not a Spanish state," and even some references to a revolution of some sort. As someone who is interested in the local culture here, and also as a political science minor, I was surprised to see all of this powerful regional pride. I had already known that the Catalan people thought of their region as its own country with its own history and culture, but I didn't know that there were groups out there that want Catalonia to be its own national entity. This is why I am excited about our upcoming trip. We are going to Madrid, an area that is most likely proud to call itself Spain, and the Basque Country, which, just like Catalonia, sees itself as its own country. We will be mostly visiting to see Architecture, but I also want to get a glimpse of what the people that live in these areas think.
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